Tiger Meet Spitfire

At the end of World War 2 the western allies (United States, Great Britain and France) realized that the next war they had to fight might be against the Soviet Union. They were afraid that all the all the lessons learned the hard way during the war might be lost quickly if no effort was made to preserve them.

The air forces of these three countries decided to organize an annual event to promote collaboration on solidarity between the different air forces. The first meeting was held in 1946 and was called “Tiger Meet”. Delegates from all three countries met in October 1946 to mount a combined exercise.

At the first Tiger Meet RAF Spitfires competed with USAF P-51 Mustangs and French Air Force NC-900s (Focke Wulf FW-190). The aircraft were painted in special markings to highlight the special occasion.

After 1946 the Tiger Meet was held every year and over the years more and more western countries joined the exercises. In 2000 over 20 countries took part.