Its iconic name has become synonymous with the RAF's victory during the Battle of Britain - but it's been claimed that the Spitfire was almost called the Shrew.

The chief designer of the plane thought Spitfire was 'dammed silly' and favoured calling it after the tiny mole-like mammal, according to a new book.

Aeronautical engineer RJ Mitchell has long been credited as the sole designer of the legendary aircraft which played a vital role in the Second World War.

Revelation: A new book claims that the chief designer of the Spitfire RJ Mitchell wanted to call the plane the Shrew or the Scarab and thought Spitfire was 'damned silly'

But a new book by aviation expert Paul Beaver claims others were also heavily involved in the design and Mitchell was not even allowed to choose its name.

He says he has found papers detailing boardroom minutes which indicate Mitchell wanted to call the iconic plant The Shrew or The Scarab as he hated the name Spitfire.

Mitchell eventually lost his battle and it was called Spitfire - named by one of his bosses after his daughter, who was known as the 'little spitfire' due to her fiery character.

The revelations come from previously unseen records held by Mitchell's employer Supermarine which have been unearthed by Mr Beaver for a new book.

Speaking yesterday Mr Beaver, 62, from Goodworth Clatford, Hampshire, said: 'At the time he wanted to name it the Shrew, or the Scarab - that is in the minutes.

New book: Aviation expert Paul Beaver (pictured in a Spitfire, left) made the discovery after going through previously unseen records held by RJ Mitchell's (right) employer Supermarine

'I love this - he said to his family, and in particular his sister-in-law, that the name was dammed silly.

'That is me toning it down a little - there was a lot of "bloody stupids" and "dammed fools".

'This is what history is all about. It is so lovely that you can go back and find two or three pieces of paper and get started from there.

'The naming of aeroplanes is usually not taken by the designer anyway.

'Although Mitchell was a board member of Supermarine, the decision was not taken by him, and instead went to the board of the parent company Vickers.

'The company director had a daughter who he called the 'little spitfire' which in the 1930s was a name given to a girl if she had a bit of spirit.

'There has been much eulogising of Mitchell, and I'm not saying he wasn't a great man - he designed 24 different planes - but there are a huge number of myths.

Iconic: The first Spitfire flight was in March 1936, and Mitchell passed away from cancer aged 42, in June 1937

'In the book I wanted to give praise to the other members of the team too.'

In the summer of 1940, Spitfires and Hurricanes shot down hundreds of German aircraft over Britain as the RAF protected our shores from the Luftwaffe.

New facts: Paul Beaver also claims the Spitfire was a team effort and it wasn't just Mitchell who was responsible, in his book Spitfire People

More than 20,000 of the feared aircraft were built between 1938 and 1948.

Since then Mitchell has been known as the man behind the machine, but documents found by Mr Beaver at Mitchell's workplace in Southampton, suggest it was a team effort.

He said the papers - stored in trunks and undiscovered since they were archived in the 1960s - show talented Mitchell was actually more of a project manager.

Documents among the blueprints, board minutes and papers credit Canadian designer Beverley Shenstone with the Spitfire's unique elliptical wing.

Alf Faddy is also named as the man behind getting the wing into production, and Joe Smith is mentioned as an important figure, developing the fighter throughout the war.

The name Spitfire was suggested by Sir Robert MacLean, director of Supermarine's parent company Vickers-Armstrongs, who called his daughter Ann.

The first Spitfire flight was in March 1936, and Mitchell passed away from cancer aged 42, in June 1937.

'I'm not saying he wasn't a great man, but you just have to look at the timeline,' added Mr Beaver, a former army pilot and correspondent, who has written 48 books.

'While he was there for the first flight, he died in June 1937, 15 months after the first flight of the Spitfire, during which time all the development work by other people took place, while he was out of the game.'

Prolific in the war: More than 20,000 of the feared aircraft were built between 1938 and 1948