DJ, 12 hours is hardly more than time to first solo,let alone jumping into a Spitfire;however during WW1 pilots had a lot different and less structured training,aircraft used for training and fighting were very similar in performance,especially in the early year,before `fighter type` aircraft became available...so it`s possible that pilots were flying with a lot less hours of experience,but one would need to read some of the WW1 records/diaries/books to get a truer picture.....