Whilst not as plentiful as the Hawks and Hurri's Spits (Mk vb/c and Mk 9s) were used in the desert war by the Canadians and RAF 92 squadron.
I share your sentiment over aircraft such as the Hawk and Hurricane and also have a respect for the Thunderbolt which although an able fighter was really in its element in the ground assault role.
As you intimate the right tools for the job.
The caption accompanying the picture reads..
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb (trop) of 417 (Canadian) squadron seen attacking a German airfield, somewhere in Tunisia. The Spitfire entered the war in North Africa towards the end and was not well suited to such tasks as shown here due to the aircraft's susceptibility to ground fire ; the three squadrons at the disposal of the Desert Air Force were usually retained for air superiority duties."
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The other picture is of a restored Mk9 in desert camouflage as used by 92 squadron.