Although there were many more Hawker Hurricanes than Supermarine
Spitfires engaged in the epic conflict fought over southern England in summer 1940, the public’s
imagination was captured by the shapely and charismatic Spitfire. According to
legend, however, the Hurricane executed far greater damage on the enemy than all
other defences combined, and was therefore the unsung hero of our ‘Finest Hour’.
New research, though, confirms that the Spitfire, although less in number, was
in fact supreme, and destroyed an equal number of enemy machines to the more
numerous Hurricane force.
Featuring interviews with pilots who flew to war in both Spitfires
and Hurricanes, and following a detailed analysis of combat reports and casualty
records, Dilip Sarkar shatters the myth and argues a persuasive case proving
that the Hurricane was markedly inferior to the Spitfire during the Battle of
Britain – which could have been won by Spitfires, but not Hurricanes, alone. A
controversial thesis likely to provoke lively debate, the evidence presented by
this retired police detective and expert aviation historian is nonetheless
indisputable.
