Hawker Hurricane : livres - histoire et déploiement

Ten Squadrons of Hurricanes

For many years the importance and contribution of the Hawker Hurricane was eclipsed by the Spitfire but statistically the Hurricane was superior in the majority of cases. Thanks to Tommy Sopwith's initiative and gamble the Hurricane was ready at the outbreak of the Second World War and in service throughout.

As this superbly researched book reveals by examining the roles, actions and personalities of ten Hurricane squadrons, this iconic aircraft was not only exceptionally robust but astonishingly versatile. We track its performance from the Battle of France and Britain through the Middle East, Italy and on to Burma. It excelled as day and night interceptor, intruder and importantly as a rocket firing tank buster.

The Hurricane inspired great loyalty among its pilots and their colourful personalities and thrilling experiences make this splendid book an informative and entertaining read.

Hurricane vs Bf 110 - 1940 (Osprey)

The Hurricane was the RAF's first monoplane fighter and saw significant combat during the fight over France and the Battle of Britain. One of its principal opponents in 1940 was the Bf 110 twin-engined, two-seat heavy fighter. Following the invasion of France, these fighters clashed regularly as the RAF's Hurricanes attacked German bomber formations defended by Bf 110. Although the Hurricane had the upper hand when it came to manoeuverability, the Bf 110 outclassed it in terms of fire power, with its mix of machine guns and cannon.
This is the story of the dramatic battles in the skies over France and the Channel as Britain desperately tried to hold back the German onslaught from her shores.

Contents: Introduction - Chronology - Design and development - The Strategic Situation - Technical Specifications - The Combatants - Combat - Statistics and Analysis - Conclusion - Further Reading.

Hurricane Aces 1939-40 (Osprey)

The Hawker Hurricane was the RAF's first monoplane fighter, and it dragged the air force into a position where it could defend Britain in its 'hour of need'. Prior to the Battle of Britain, a number of squadrons equipped with the fighter had seen action firstly in the 'Phoney War', and then during the disastrous campaign in France.
Pilots like 'Cobber' Kain had achieved impressive scores in the face of overwhelming LUftwaffe forces, and although the RAF lost no less than 386 Hurricanes during the Blitzkrieg, it gave many pilots valuable experience.
Hawker fighters outnumbered Spitfires during the Battle of Britain by three to one, and downed far mor aircraft. Overseas, a handful of pilots put up stiff resistance against Germany's Italian ally in Libya and Egypt, and also over Malta.

Contents: The First Ace - 'Phoney War' - Blitzkrieg - The Battle of Britain - Malta and North Africa - Appendices.

Soviet Hurricane Aces of World War 2 (Osprey)

Following the destruction wrought on the Red Army Air Forces during the first days of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, the Soviet Union found itself desperately short of fighter aircraft. Premier Josef Stalin duly appealed directly to Prime Minister Winston Churchill for replacement aircraft, and in late 1941 the British delivered the first of 3360 Hurricanes that would be supplied to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease agreement.

Specifically requested by the USSR, the Hurricanes were quickly thrown into action in early 1942 - the Soviet Air Forces' most difficult year in their opposition to the Luftwaffe. Virtually all the Hurricanes were issued to Soviet fighter regiments in the northern sector of the front, where pilots were initially trained to fly the aircraft by RAF personnel that had accompanied the early Hawker fighters to the USSR.

The Hurricane proved to be an easy aircraft to master, even for the poorly trained young Soviet pilots, allowing the Red Army to form a large number of new fighter regiments quickly in the polar area. In spite of a relatively poor top speed, and only a modest rate-of-climb, the Hurricane was the mount of at least 17 Soviet aces.

Yuriy Rybin is one of Russia's leading researchers in the field of air combat in the Soviet North during World War 2. The author of many articles, several of his features are now the standard works of reference on air combat on the Soviet-German Northern front.

Contents: Hurricane Arrives - Soviet Conversion - Combat Success - Hard Year - Railway Patrols - 1943 - 1944 - Appendices.