A WEBSITE detailing the secret history of Spitfire production in Salisbury has gone live ahead of a documentary coming out later this year telling the full untold story.

Secret Spitfires is a film which tells the forgotten story of how thousands of planes were built in factories hidden in sheds, garages and back gardens during the Second World War.

The film tells the story of how military chiefs were determined to keep quiet locations of Spitfire factories after the Luftwaffe bombed the main production centre in Southampton.

Planes were assembled in secret factories before being flown off directly into combat during the Battle of Britain. The team behind the film, who live locally, have brought the untold story to the silver screen with firsthand accounts from people who worked on the production line.

More than 2,000 Spitfires were built by a workforce made up of unskilled young girls, boys, women and a handful of engineers in Salisbury, which became instrumental in winning the war.

Eyewitnesses recount times of terrible sadness as well as joyous ones that include the arrival of GIs, a Glenn Miller concert and a Joe Louis boxing match.

The multi-purpose website explains the story of the Secret Spitfires built in and around Salisbury as well as to serving as an educational centre.

Salisbury based director Ethem Cetintas said: “We have decided to launch the website to start the awareness of this incredible untold, unknown story of our city.

“The website is created as a service to our community funded by us to create a hub, supplying information for education, research and development. It is hoped that in due course, with the right support, the site will preserve all that is available and become a great archive for our history.

"With the upcoming launch of the documentary, we are expecting many more ‘secret workers’ and experts to become aware and come forward to expand the story for all of us to enjoy.”

The website, secretspitfires.com, will continue to evolve as more research is carried out.

The film is completed and will be released in the summer.