The Supermarine Spitfire epitomized England's spirit of defiance in the grim days of 1940 when it seemed that they stood alone against the power of Nazi Germany. Although less numerous than the Hawker Hurricane during the Battle of Britain, it is nevertheless remembered as the esthetically graceful and very lethal fighting machine that turned the tide during that campaign.

Development of the Spitfire began in the mid-1930s, and the RAF began equipping its fighter squadrons with them in the summer of 1938. When war broke out in 1939, the Spitfire was available to take part in the fighting and proved to be both faster and more maneuverable than the Messerschmitt Bf 109E.

The painting portrays a pair of cannon equipped Spitfire Mk. IIB's about to call "Tally-Ho" and engage in a full on dogfight off the cost of France in early 1941.