Britain's Bargain-Bin Emergency Spitfire: Miles M.20

Video Description

In this video, we take a look at the Miles M.20, an all-wood lightweight fighter and interceptor from Britain during World War II. We first talk about the idea of an emergency fighter, and we look at the more technologically advanced examples from Germany in WW2, and some more simplistic examples from America. We then move over to Britain's example in the M.20, intended to supplant the Supermarine Spitfire and the Hawker Hurricane in an emergency. We then talk about the initial stages of the M.20 as a private venture from Miles Aircraft, how it was rejected, and how it was revived after the fall of France and the start of the Battle of Britain. We talk about its surprisingly solid performance and weaponry, and how that meant almost nothing in the end. We talk about the attempt to shift the project to the Royal Navy, and how it failed here too. We end by talking about how the M.20 could have been an incredibly useful plane in countries like France or Poland. Link to Bell XP-77 Video: https://youtu.be/n85fSOW1X2g