Hawker Hurricane: The Wooden Fighter with Guts

60% of kills made in Battle of Britain

The Hawker Hurricane was outdated, outclassed and made of canvas covered wood. It wasn’t as fast as its contemporaries but it was deadly nonetheless. Armed with 8 Browning .303cal machine guns it was responsible for 60% of all planes shot down in the Battle of Britain. It was later upgraded with a new engine and 4 Hispano 20mm cannon. The Hurricane was also famous for getting its pilots back in one piece as it could take immense amounts of damage and still remain airworthy. Exploding enemy cannon fire would not detonate when it hit the canvas/wood frame and would instead pass through the plane. In addition, it could be quickly repaired if damaged, requiring only 3 hours to replace both wings. The Supermarine Spitfire was legendary and sleek, but it is argued that the Hurricane saved the day with its large numbers and reliability as 14,000 had been built. Marmaduke Thomas St. John Pattle, a South African fighter pilot, shot down 41 enemy planes in the Hurricane over Greece in 1941. His Valor was repeated by many other Aces in the outdated Hurricane.

Valor is in you. Set it free.