Hitler decides to invade England; with Luftwaffe superiority in the air, resistance would be futile
but no one bothered to tell the BritishThe Secret Spitfires
The unknown story of hundreds of women, girls and a handful of men who built Spitfires in secret during WW2
Spitfires were the nemesis of the Luftwaffe and the instrument which halted Hitler’s plans for invasion. After relentless bombing of the Spitfire factories in Southampton, the Germans were convinced they had halted the production of the Spitfires for good. However, the British had a secret plan…
Witnesses tell the story of this amazing achievement
Secret Factories
In Salisbury, Trowbridge, Reading and back in Southampton; sheds, workshops, garages, bus depots, local hotel, even bedrooms were used to manufacture and then assemble complete Spitfires.
Central Character
Norman Parker, now in his 90’s, was an engineer in the final assembly plant and today is a highly respected historian on the subject.
The Workforce
Mainly unqualified young girls and women along with elderly men, young boys and a handful of engineers worked in secret factories to build thousands of Spitfires during the war.
The Director’s Cut DVD
The DVD contains the feature length documentary as seen in cinemas along with over 15 minutes of extra footage, a special booklet of all the secret Spitfire locations and subtitle facility is included.
The Book
Secret Spitfires: Britain’s Hidden Civilian Army. 192 pages. Published by The History Press. Available in Hardcover or Kindle Edition.
In 1940, the Germans destroyed the Spitfire factories in Southampton and believed they had ended the threat from their nemesis. But unknown to them, the British were building Spitfires in secret. Salisbury, Trowbridge, Reading and return of Southampton become the new major manufacturing centres for Spitfires hidden in sheds, garages, bus depots, a hotel, even bedrooms. Secret workforce, mainly made up of unskilled young girls, boys, women, elderly men and a handful of engineers, built almost half of 22,000 Spitfires, other half built at the shadow factory in Castle Bromwich. An achievement that was instrumental in winning the Battle of Britain.
Witnesses tell the story of this amazing achievement, recounting times of terrible sadness as well as joyous times that included GI dances, a Glenn Miller concert and a Joe Louis boxing match. Set against a backdrop of picturesque English countryside, we talk to 90 year old veterans who as teenagers built the aircraft in their local villages and towns, along with stories from famous ATA pilots Mary Ellis and Joy Lofthouse. Modern-day fighter pilots tell us their stories for whom the Spitfire holds a special place in history. This incredible story concludes with Dame Vera Lynn reciting a moving poem written by a Spitfire pilot.
Central character in the film is Norman Parker, now in his 90’s, who as a young man was an engineer in the final assembly plant. He later became a respected historian, and a walking encyclopedia on the subject. Norman takes us from the original bombed sites of the Southampton factories to the numerous factory sites in Salisbury, Trowbridge and Reading area. We meet various workers, men and women who worked at the factories, describing how life was like working in secret without the faintest idea about the scope of the operation.
We are taken to a current day factory which builds, restores and maintains Spitfires in the traditional way. This factory is just like stepping back in history. Here we are shown the construction elements of the aircraft and taken through the building procedure. We are shown the difference between German and British manufacturing and what advantages each country had to make sure their aircraft was superior.
RAF Coningsby supplies the perspective of the Typhoon pilots who are the Spitfire pilots of today. We are taken to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight centre where one of the largest collections of WW2 Spitfires, Hurricanes and Lancasters is kept and maintained. We see them working on the Spitfires. We speak to today’s pilots who love flying the Spitfires. They demonstrate the capabilities of the Spitfires, display a Typhoon flying with a Spitfire as well as one of the last flights of the Vulcan with Spitfires in tow.
Let’s not let our heritage be lost!
The stories within the story
Royal Canadian Legion’s Tribute to Ethem
Mary Jefferies has just learned that renowned indie film maker and director Ethem Cetintas passed away suddenly. Those of us who were able to attend to the marvellous documentary “The Secret Spitfires” that we showed to a sold out audience will be sad to hear of the passing of such a talented man far too early. RIP Ethem.
A tribute to Ethem by Ray Winstone
I was so sad to hear of the sudden death of Ethem, he was a joy to work with and a consummate professional, I shall treasure the laughs and crazy stories over a jar or two. RIP. Ray Winstone
Ethem Cetintas R.I.P.
It is with huge sadness that I received the news of the death of Ethem Cetintas, my very good friend, business partner and collaborator of over thirty years.
Secret Spitfires story revealed in a documentary and a book
In the 80th anniversary year of Battle of Britain it is important for us all to remember what that generation had to do for all our freedoms. The untold story of girls, women, boys, elderly men and a handful of engineers who...
Secret Spitfire Arrives to Salisbury
A great emotional day happened on 7th August 2020 when our Secret Spitfire Memorial arrived in huge style to Salisbury! The charity was supported by so many people which made it possible to get the Spitfire replica made, a Mk9...
Dame Vera Lynn has passed away at the age of 103
Just heard the very sad news that Dame Vera Lynn has passed away at the age of 103. She was a supporter of our project and did the reading of the beautiful poem High Flight which gave us the honour of meeting her in person. What an incredible talented lady with such...
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Screenings
We no longer manage group screenings nor grant new screening licenses. The only person who has a license to arrange group screenings is Mr. Norman Parker, the central character of the film.
