Some say the Hurricane won the Battle of Britain, allowing Great Britain to continue the fight against Nazi Germany. The Hurricane made use of construction methods from its biplane predecessors, including a fabric-covered tail. Because of its simplicity and adaptability, the Hurricane would serve in every major theater of air warfare in World War II.
Which British fighter won the Battle of Britain? The Supermarine Spitfire is more famous, but the Hurricane destroyed more German aircraft. The Hurricanes were often dispatched to fight against lumbering bombers, while the Spitfires often took on the more agile fighters. Historians still debate which aircraft was more important to victory.
This Mk.XIIA was manufactured by Canadian Car & Foundry Company at Fort William, Ontario. It was powered by a U.S.-built Packard Merlin XXIX engine.
History of the Artifact
This aircraft was manufactured as a Sea Hurricane—designed to be launched from merchant ships on a one-way mission to protect a convoy. It was delivered to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) on January 22, 1942, but never saw combat. Later, it was converted to a Mk.XIIA Hurricane. After the fighter was involved in a crash landing, it was discarded by the RCAF. After it was recovered from a farm in Ontario, Canada, Hawker Restorations Ltd. rebuilt the fighter at Milden, England. The first flight of the restored aircraft took place March 15, 2006 at Wattisham, England.
Did you know?
The Hawker Hurricane was RAF’s first monoplane fighter.