HURRICANE THE ILLUSTRATED STORY

THE HAWKER HURRICANE won lasting fame during the Battle of Britain in 1940 - out of every five enemy aircraft shot down, three were dispatched by Hurricanes. It continued to prove its worth, fulfilling an incredible number of contrasting roles from its original concept as a high-speed interceptor fighter, through fighter-bomber, tank-buster to night-fighter, intruder and naval convoy defence fighter. Over 11,700 examples were eventually built of the Hurricane, a versatile and deadly combat aircraft.

In this fully illustrated history, the design, development and production of Sydney Camm's war-winning aircraft are described in detail, with the story behind its conception, all the major characters involved, the trials and testing, and the particulars of its construction. The widely varied operational roles are examined, including its early combat, its actions in the Battle of Britain, its role in the Fleet Air Arm, and campaigns throughout the Second World War. They reveal how the Hurricane rose to each new challenge with which it was presented.

The book concludes with a review of surviving examples of the Hurricane worldwide. A series of comprehensive appendices gives full details of Hurricane production figures, production variants, and operational service with all RAF and Royal Navy squadrons and units. The book contains many historic and previously unpublished photographs.

This in-depth history of an all-time classic combat aircraft, written by an authority on the subject, will appeal to all with an interest in military aviation and the Second World War.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

PHILIP BIRTLES is the author of twenty-eight books on aerospace including Mosquito: The Illustrated History (Sutton, 1998). He is also Chairman and Managing Director of the de Havilland Aircraft Museum Trust Ltd.

Having trained as an engineer in the de Havilland Aeronautical Technical School, his career in the aircraft industry included appointment as PA to John Cunningham (Director and Chief Test Pilot), public relations at Hatfield and Stevenage, and with the BAe Commercial Department on the BAe 146 airliner. He is married and lives in Stevenage.