Spitfire IIa prop pitch

[nakedsquirrel]

I'm still learning about prop pitch, so bear with me, but I'm still a bit confused because the Hurricane Rotol behaves much differently than the Spit IIa.

While flying the Rotol, I find I get a better cruise / dive speed when I pull the prop pitch lever back to 40-50%.

When I do this, the Boost needle goes up while the RPM gauge drops down. (so, high manifold pressure, low rpms)

This is similar with the Hurri DH, Spit I and Ia except that those Spits have the 2 settings, full fine/ full coarse

In the Spit II, however, when I pull back on the pitch, my RPM drops and my speed drops. Even in a shallow dive, pulling back on the pitch lever still reduced my speed. That's the opposite effect that the control has on the Hurri Rotol.

No comment on the German aircraft because they all seem to make sense to me.