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Astraeus · 28th September 2019, 08:44

Yes it is true that during the Battle of Britain the Hurricane shot down more than the Spitfire but this does not tell the whole story. Both were essential. They could not initially manufacture the Spitfires quickly enough. The Hurricane was designed using older technology whereas the Sptfire was cutting edge. Both used the same engine the Rolls Royce Merlin which is often missed. It was a brilliant piece of design and manufacture.

As to the battle itself. The Spitfires were usually tasked with battling the fighters where as the Hurricane was usually tasked to shoot down bombers. This of course also doesn't tell the whole story as in air battles things were very confused, happened very quickly and also depended on pilot skill and a large slice of good fortune.

Perhaps the major difference between the two aircraft was how the Spitfire evolved during the war years. There were 24 marks of the Spitfire as opposed to 2 of the Hurricane. At the end of the war as a very much more capable aircraft than it was at the beginning. Faster and larger with a huge increase in general performance in height and raw power. The Hurricane although developed to operate in different roles remained very much the same. Later marks of the Spitfire were a match to the FW 190 the Hurricane never had this ability.

Long and short of the story is that we could not have survived without either one of them. They were both essential. There were of course other factors that resulted in Britain surviving the Battle of Britain. Chain home. (Radar) and the Observer Corps allowed our forces to be used in a more effective way and of course essentially who was in charge Dowding was major, major factor in how the battle went. He is often overlooked. It was all essential.

If you haven't seen it watch the film. I bought the DVD of it and it is very, very good indeed. Alas quite a few of the participants are no longer with us including the Lady pilots who delivered our aircraft. Mary Ellis flew over 1000 aircraft of all types. Amazing! There are quite a few books written about the battle some of which are excellent reads. My favourite by Tom Neil which gives a slightly different slant and conclusions. Worth a read.

Chris

28th September 2019, 08:44	#10
Astraeus Regional Secretary North Scotland MG ZS Exclusive 1.0T Auto 2022 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Tayport Posts: 5,754 Thanks: 1,676 Thanked 1,855 Times in 1,058 Posts	Spitfire and Hurricane Yes it is true that during the Battle of Britain the Hurricane shot down more than the Spitfire but this does not tell the whole story. Both were essential. They could not initially manufacture the Spitfires quickly enough. The Hurricane was designed using older technology whereas the Sptfire was cutting edge. Both used the same engine the Rolls Royce Merlin which is often missed. It was a brilliant piece of design and manufacture. As to the battle itself. The Spitfires were usually tasked with battling the fighters where as the Hurricane was usually tasked to shoot down bombers. This of course also doesn't tell the whole story as in air battles things were very confused, happened very quickly and also depended on pilot skill and a large slice of good fortune. Perhaps the major difference between the two aircraft was how the Spitfire evolved during the war years. There were 24 marks of the Spitfire as opposed to 2 of the Hurricane. At the end of the war as a very much more capable aircraft than it was at the beginning. Faster and larger with a huge increase in general performance in height and raw power. The Hurricane although developed to operate in different roles remained very much the same. Later marks of the Spitfire were a match to the FW 190 the Hurricane never had this ability. Long and short of the story is that we could not have survived without either one of them. They were both essential. There were of course other factors that resulted in Britain surviving the Battle of Britain. Chain home. (Radar) and the Observer Corps allowed our forces to be used in a more effective way and of course essentially who was in charge Dowding was major, major factor in how the battle went. He is often overlooked. It was all essential. If you haven't seen it watch the film. I bought the DVD of it and it is very, very good indeed. Alas quite a few of the participants are no longer with us including the Lady pilots who delivered our aircraft. Mary Ellis flew over 1000 aircraft of all types. Amazing! There are quite a few books written about the battle some of which are excellent reads. My favourite by Tom Neil which gives a slightly different slant and conclusions. Worth a read. Chris Last edited by Astraeus; 28th September 2019 at 08:47..