Spitfire Mk XI “My Darling Dorothy” of the 14th PS, 7th PRG at Mount Farm
The PR Mk XI stands as the definitive Merlin-powered reconnaissance variant of the Spitfire, first appearing in the summer of 1943. Designed specifically for photo-reconnaissance, it featured a standard camera installation of two vertical fuselage-mounted cameras, though it wasn’t uncommon for an oblique camera to be added for specific missions. Some versions of the PR Mk XI also carried downward-facing F.8 cameras with 5-inch focal length lenses, mounted in small blister fairings outboard of the wheel wells, making them ideal for tactical reconnaissance at low to medium altitudes.
To support extended missions, the PR Mk XI included additional fuel tanks in the wing leading edges, and an external slipper tank could also be attached for even greater range. In fact, a PR Mk XI holds the record for the longest flight ever achieved in a Spitfire, highlighting its exceptional endurance.
In total, nearly 500 PR Mk XIs were built, and the type was supplied to several foreign air forces. Production ceased in late 1944 when the Griffon-powered PR Mk XIX emerged, bringing a new era to Spitfire reconnaissance operations.