Dynaverse.net
Off Topic => Ten Forward => Topic started by: Chris SI on August 12, 2004, 02:32:30 pm
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Stephen asked for some reprints from my site, so I'll add a war bird a day from it. :)
The Hurricane took Britain's fighter force belatedly out of the bi-plane era and gave the RAF a machine with which to combat the fast growing might of the German Luftwaffe. The year 1937 was a key time in fighter development on both sides of the channel. In Germany the Messerschmidt Bf-109B, armed with three 7.9mm machine guns or 2 machine guns and one 20mm cannon entered service, and soon proved its worth in the Spanish Civil War. By contrast, the British had the ponderous Gloster Gladiator, a bi-plane. But two new British types were on the way, and by the eve of the Battle of Britain, the RAF's front line fighter strength of 1,200 included 800 Hurricane monoplane single seat fighters, armed with 8 .30s inch caliber machine guns.
The Hurricane was born in the fertile mind of Sidney Cam, the talented designer of the Hawker aircraft firm. The RAF wanted a monoplane with a retractable undercarriage, closed cockpit, single wing plane that could exceed 300mph. Cam went right to work. Drawing on Hawker's experience in fabric covered bi-planes, he decided the new plane would be a steel framed, covered in fabric, so to save wieght and improve speed. The first proto-type flew in November of 1935, and proved at that point to be the most advanced fighter design in the world. It exceeded the specification of 300mph, and was armed with 8 machine guns, giving it 4 times the fire-power of the 2 gunned bi-planes the RAF and Luftwaffe were then using.
The plane proved to be a joy to fly, it's spread undercarriage made it much safer to land then the faster Spitfire design, and it's fabric wings and fuselage were easily repaired from battle damage, another advantage over the Spitfire. It was also an extremely stable gun platform, suffering little vibration at speed or in defection shooting.
When the war broke out, only Hurricanes were allotted to the advanced air strike force in France, and they acquitted themselves well against the faster Bf-109E, and proved deadly vs the Bf-110 and all German bombers.When France fell, two out every three squadrons in Britain were equipped with Hurricane, and they shouldered the major load in the Battle of Britain. british tactics were from the more effective Spitfires to engage the German fighters, and the Hurricanes to take on the bombers. Of course, the Hurricanes were often called on to fight the fighters as well, and ablely held their own.
In late 1940 a new version of Hurricane with 12 machine guns was introduced, called the Mk IIB. The MkIIC replaced the machine guns with four 20mm Cannons, and this version entered service in 1941, and were the most heavily armed fighters in the world at that time. A special ground attack version was developed in 1942, which placed two 40mm cannons in pods under the wings (and was later copied by the Germans, on their Stuka Tank Busters). Later, .5 inch rockets were carried underwing for added firepower. A Special catapult version for convoy protection was devised, which was basically a one shot fighter, the plane would be launched, engage the enemy, and land in the sea, a wasteful stop-gap called a cam-ship combination. Hurricanes were also given arrester gear and used on aircraft carries. The type was produced until 1944, when it was realized it could not be up-rated any further.
It ended up being the most produced fighter in the British inventory during its operational life, over 14,000 of them completed, and was a truly classic war bird.
MKI
Length: 31 ft 4ins
Span: 40ft 0ins
Crew: one
Top Speed: 328 mph
Ceiling: 34,200 ft
Range: 505 miles
Armament: 8x .303 Caliber Browning Machine Guns
MKIIB:
Length:32 ft 3ins
Span: 40ft 0ins
Combat weight: 8,250 lb
Crew: one
Top Speed: 339 mph
Ceiling: 36,000 ft
Range: 470 miles
Armament: 12x .303 Caliber Browning Machine Guns[/b]
(http://www.nt.net/~toby/hurri.jpg)
(http://www.wwiitech.net/main/britain/aircraft/hawkerhurricane/fig2.jpg)
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Excelent post!!!
Hurricanes get too little credit for thier part in WWII. They were probably more the saviors of Britan than the Spitfire.
Could you post on the P-39 AeroCobra sometime- I think that that is a design that got a bum rap.
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Good stuff Chris!
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I have a series of these, currently on file:
Curtiss P-40 (US)
MS 406 (france)
CR 42 Falco (Italy)
I - 16 Rata (Russia)
BF - 109 (Germany)
Spitfire (Britain)
SBD Dautless (US)
FW 190 (Germany)
P-39 (US)
Zero (Japan)
P-38 (US)
I'll put the Airacobra post up tomorrow. :)
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Alright!!!
Thanks!
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No problem.
I also have ships and Tanks, plus I write new ones now and then.
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Chris wrote a Very good piece also on Hitler youth at my request. He is very knowledgeable.
Stephen
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Chris,
PLEASE give us a link to where these articles are housed! I would also like to read the Hitler Jungen article.
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Sent it in a PM. :)
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Sent it in a PM. :)
Thanks, out.
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Anytime. :)
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Great post! I would agree that the Hurricane doesn't get near enough credit for the war. It was an excellent fighter, and while it may not have been the fastest or most maneuverable fighter in england's arsenal, it was easier to produce and maintain, and was overall an exceelent plane.
I'll also be glad to read about the p-39. That was an excellent design, and would have made an excellent interceptor if the powers that be didn'[t try to cut corners with it. What a waste of an otherwise amazing design.
Persoanlly, I'd like to see lots on the Hellcat, though. That's my fav plane of all time, and I beleive it contributed the most in the war in the pacific,and overall would argue it was the best fighter in the US in WWII. It wasn't the best at anything, but it did everything exceedingly well.
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I will get to the F6F eventually Clark.:)
Have to cover it, wildcats, and many Japanese designs also, as well as Soviet and Italian aircraft.
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I've had the opportunity of seeing many of these planes at both National Air and Space Museums last week. I'll try to post pictures soon.
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That would be Great Kmelew.
Stephen
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That would be Great Kmelew.
Stephen
Per your request.
WARNING--IMAGE HEAVY
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/Kmelew/8548241lg.jpg)
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/Kmelew/8548409lg.jpg)
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Nice pics. And a Corsair! :o Can't remember if that is on Chris SI's list. Hope so.
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I will cover it eventually, but its not on the reprint list.
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Oh, and since kmelew didn't caption the pics, let me list the types, from the top:
1.SBD Dautless(above) A4 Skyhawk(grey plane on left) F4F Wilcat (right)
2. Spitfire Mk IX (B-17 mural in the background was paiont by aviation artist Keith ferris)
3. P-51D Mustang
4. A6m2 Zero model 52
5. Macchi 202 Falco
6. F -80 Shooting Star
7. Me 262
6. Hurricane Mk II
7. F6F Helcat
8. B-29 Superfortress
9. OS2U Kingfisher
10. B-29, the famous 'Enola Gay' the Hiroshima bomber
11. Hurricane again
12. P- 38 Lightning, either a J or L
13. KI - 84 Hayate (Frank)
14. Hurricane again
15. Rufe Floatplane
16. Okha (Cherryblossom) suicide bomb
17. Heinkal jet bomber
18. Folke Wulfe FW - 190
19. F4U Corsair
20. P - 40E Warhawk
21. Not sure what that yellow guy is
22. P-40 Again
23. Corsair again
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Oh, and since kmelew didn't caption the pics, let me list the types, from the top:
21. Not sure what that yellow guy is
Sorry I didn't caption the pictures...I wanted to get them posted ASAP (and the Photobucket site was not cooperating)
The yellow guy is an F8F Bearcat. Originally designed as a carrier fighter, it didn't arrive in the Pacific until after the war. It became very popular with racers.
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I thought so, but didn't want to look like a boob saying so if it wasn't!