Picture of Hawker Hurricane Mk IIc WW2 Fighter

The prototype Hurricane, designed by Hawker's Chief Designer Sydney Camm, first flew in on 6th November 1935 and went into service two years later as RAF's first monoplane fighter, it has never had the same romance or glamour as associated with the Spitfire, unfair really as it was this rugged RR Merlin powered fighter that really won the Battle of Britain (July to October 1940). 1,720 Hawker Hurricanes took part in the Battle of Britain and claimed 80% of all enemy aircraft shot down by Fighter Command's aircraft in this life or death struggle.

The Hawker Hurricane MkI hade been powered by a relatively old single-speed supercharged Merlin design, during 1940 the new Merlin XX (Mk.20) engine went into production, if incorporated a new two-speed supercharger, which could have its impeller-speed ratio changed by the pilot in response to the ambient air pressure, this resulted in an improved power to altitude performance curve, Hawker Hurricanes fitted with the new Merlin XX engines were designated Hurricane Mk II's.

Hawker Hurricane MkII's had various changes made to their wings dependent on the role and environment they were to be used in, the Mk 2A had 8 machine guns, the Mk 2B had 12 machine guns, the Mk 2C had four 20mm Hispano cannon and two under wing 225kg bombs, the Mk 2D had twin 40mm Vickers anti-tank cannon, eventually a universal wing version was introduced, the Hawker Hurricane MkIV.

Hawker Hurricane Mk IIc Specifications:

• Crew: Pilot only

• Length: 32 ft 3 in (9.84 m)

• Wingspan: 40 ft 0 in (12.19 m)

• Height: 13 ft 1½ in (4.0 m)

• Empty weight: 5,745 lb (2,605 kg)

• Loaded weight: 7,670 lb (3,480 kg)

• Engine: 1× Rolls-Royce Merlin XX liquid-cooled V-12, 1,185 hp (883 kW) @ 21,000 ft (6,400 m)

• Maximum speed: 334 mph (505 km/h) at 21,500 ft (5,400 m)

• Range: 600 miles (965 km)

• Service ceiling: 36,000 ft (10,970 m)

Hawker Hurricane IIC Armament:

• 4× 20 mm Hispano Mk II cannon

• 2× 500 lb bombs or 2× 250 lb bombs

There were 14,533 Hurricanes built, 4,700 examples being Mk IIc's like the aircraft pictured above, PZ865, which was the last Hawker Hurricane built, this Mk IIc rolled off the production line at Langley, Buckinghamshire, in the summer of 1944 inscribed on both sides of the fuselage 'The Last of the Many', appropriate for the aircraft flown by so many of 'the few'. The aircraft was mothballed by Hawkers until used as a company test aircraft. In 1950, registered as G-AMAU, HRH Princess Margaret entered PZ865 in the Kings Cup Air Race, Piloted by Group Captain Peter Townsend, where it obtained second place.

WW2 fighter aces who flew Hurricane's to victory include these pilots (victories only whilst flying Hurricanes)

American pilots:

• Lance Wade (11 aircraft)

Australian pilots:

• Leslie Clisby (16 aircraft) - Richard Cullen (9 aircraft)

British pilots:

• Frank Carey (28 aircraft)

• James Lacey (23 aircraft)

• Geoffrey Allard (23 aircraft)

• Thomas Dalton-Morgan (22 aircraft)

• Michael Crossley (22 aircraft)

• William David (20 aircraft)

• William David (20 aircraft)

• Herbert Hallowes (20 aircraft)

• Archie McKellar (20 aircraft)

• Roy Dutton (19 aircraft)

• Alfred Marshall (19 aircraft)

• Ernest Mason (18 aircraft)

• Thomas Neil (17 aircraft)

• Reginald Llewellyn (16 aircraft)

• Count Manfred Czernin (15 aircraft)

• Newell Orton (15 aircraft)

• James Storrar (15 aircraft)

• Christopher Currant (15 aircraft)

• Alfred Marshall (15 aircraft)

• John Kilmartin (14 aircraft)

• James MacLachlan (13 aircraft)

• Robert Stanford Tuck (12 aircraft)

• Douglas Bader (11 aircraft)

Canadian pilots:

• Mark Brown (18 aircraft)

• William McKnight (16 aircraft)

• Vernon Woodward (15 aircraft)

Czech pilots:

• Karel Kuttelwascher (18 aircraft)

• Jozef Frantisek (17 aircraft)

New Zealand pilots:

• Edgar Kane (17 aircraft)

South African pilots:

• Marmaduke Pattle (26 aircraft)

• Albert Lewis (18 aircraft)