Hello, and thank you for listening to The History of World War II, Episode 42, testing

Britain's defenses and resolve.

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force, the Hocker Hurricane.

On August 8, 1940, fighter command had 30 squadrons with the Hocker Hurricane 1s, 19 squadrons

of the Super Marine Spitfire 1, two squadrons of the two-seat Bolton-Paul Defiant Turin

Fighter, and six squadrons of twin-engine Bristol blemens.

And with the first phase of seed line, Adler talked about to be launched.

There was no time for changes.

Fortunately, advances in the mid-30s in aerodynamics, aeronautical engineering, and power

plant development, meant major improvements in RAF aircraft performance and combat ability.

These advancements allowed the designers at Super Marine and Hocker to develop fighter

aircraft beyond the official specification requests of the air ministry.

The Hocker Hurricane design was a little older than the Spitfires, about six months older,

but because of this, there were a larger number of them built.

By 1940, the hurricane was rugged, easy to fly, and could sustain heavy damage, and still

bring its pilot home.

This last aspect was proven countless times in the battle.

In essence, it was perfect for dealing with German bomber formations that were being protected

by German fighters.

The design of the Hocker Hurricane began in 1934, and a test model first flew in November

of 1935.

Science adding the relatively new design aspects of an enclosed cockpit and retractable undercarriage,

...