The Hawker Hurricane was one of World War II’s most famous British fighters. The prototype was first flown in November 1935, and the first production aircraft made its initial flight in October 1937. Within weeks, Hurricanes were being delivered to their operational squadrons. By the time the war broke out in September 1939, the Royal Air Force had taken delivery of about 500 Hurricanes, and production continued.

It saw exemplary service in World War II, accounting for over 60% of the air victories in the Battle of Britain. A total of 1,715 Hurricanes flew with Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain, far in excess of all other British fighters combined. It is estimated that Hurricane pilots were credited with four-fifths of all enemy aircraft destroyed in the period July – October 1940.

Of all the aircraft involved in the Battle of Britain, Hurricane OK-1 made the most impact. ‘One single aircraft. It didn’t shoot down anything during the battle, despite being piloted by an Ace with twenty victories to his name (all during WWI),’ says Jim Schofield, an aviation expert. Source / entire report: ‚theaviationgeekclub‚. Picture: ‚Imperial War Museum‚.