At the outbreak of World War II, only 111 Squadron and a handful of others were equipped with the Hurricane. Thanks to sudden massive orders and a well-organized Hawker sub-contracting production to Gloster and General Aircraft, more squadrons rapidly became operational. Cutting their teeth during the Battle of France, it was during the Battle of Britain that the type excelled and came to form the backbone of Fighter Command. While the Hurricane was steadily overtaken by the Spitfire in the fighter defence role, it remained the fighter of choice in North Africa and the Far East. Despite a large number being shot down in these far-flung conflicts, many received hasty repairs and returned to the fray while more fragile designs were permanently grounded. The Hurricane may not have been the prettiest or, the best-performing aircraft but, as Francis Mason stated: 'The Royal Air Force was glad to get the Spitfire...it had to have the Hurricane!'

Author Biography

Martyn Chorlton was born in the north Cambridgeshire fens during the late 1960s, joining the RAF as an Air Photographer in 1984. After tours in Germany and Northern Ireland, his service came to an end in 1997 and, a few years later, cut his writing teeth on an Airfield Focus. To date he has 14 published books under his belt. In 2004 he launched Old Forge Publishing, which has now produced another 17 books. That same year he also began freelancing for the aviation magazine fraternity and has continued this ever since. Currently, Martyn is a regular contributor to Aeroplane Monthly, Jets, Airfix and Aviation Classics. Simon Smith was born in 1960 in Aldershot, England. The son of a military man, and brought up in an era of classic war films such as Zulu and The Battle of Britain, Simon quickly developed an interest in history and the armed forces. He has worked on a number of military uniform books over the past few years, covering subjects from the Roman Army to the armies of World War I. As a break from the commercial work, Simon began painting historical military and aviation canvases and was soon elected a full member of the Guild of Aviation Artists. Simon has won the Guild's Nockolds trophy a number of times and in 2010 won both the Cross and Cockade World War I aviation art award and the Flypast magazine award for excellence in aviation art.