Did you know the Spitfire had a special beer-carrying version?
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Filling an auxiliary tank with beer
(Photo: worldwarwings.com)
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After our recent article about the development of the Spitfire, the most famous British fighter plane in history (Read our earlier article – Supermarine Spitfire), here’s a short piece about one version not mentioned there: the Modification XXX.
After the Normandy landings, a British brewery offered free beer to soldiers fighting in Europe, but had no way of getting the booze over the English channel. Enter the Spitfire: some wily pilots figured out that the auxiliary fuel tanks of later models could be cleaned and filled with alcohol, while the underwing bomb pylons could be modified to carry wooden kegs. Propaganda services picked up on the practice and these Spitfires received the (apparently) official designation of Mod. XXX.
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A Spitfire Mod. XXX in the air with kegs under the wings
(Photo: Ghost Grey Aviation Magazine)
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In true British way, the practice was cut short not by the military, but the Ministry of Revenue and Excise, which took issue with the brewery not paying export taxes. Alcohol smuggling continued, of course, with bottles hidden in ammo boxes and even in empty spaces inside the wings.
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Save $500 per person!
Victory in Europe Day promotion
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Winston Churchill waves to crowds in Whitehall in London as they celebrate V-E Day, May 8, 1945.
(Photo: Imperial War Museum)
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On May 8, we will celebrate the 78th anniversary of V-E Day, standing for Victory in Europe Day, the date of the formal surrender of the German armed forces in World War II on May 8, 1945. On this occasion, you will get a discount of $500 on all our tours if you book and pay in full until May 8, 2023. In addition to the discount, this promotion includes also our available 80th anniversary D-Day tours in 2024. According to statistics, seats for the main D-Day anniversaries get sold out approximately a year before the event. So book your tour as soon as possible because the most popular ones will get fully booked very soon. Note that this offer applies only in case of new bookings, and it cannot be combined with other special promotions. If you have any questions related to this promotion or our tours, feel free to contact our travel consultants.
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