Posted on 08/19/2003 12:01:01 AM PDT by SAMWolf
Didn't I just read something about that. lol.
You might not need it but I bet a lot of folks would want to be there with you. ;)
LOL. I just happen to have one. Let me know when you find them.
Outstanding work this AM . . . another example of an overrated "Monty".
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Air Power |
The Hurricane was the first monoplane fighter produced by Hawker, and was available in substantial numbers at the beginning of World War II. Hurricanes played a decisive role in the Battle of Britain and went on to fly on more fronts than any other British fighter. Canadian Car and Foundry manufactured 1 451 Hurricanes between 1938 and 1943. With increasingly heavy armament, Hurricanes served to the end of the war. Hurricanes were used in Canada for training and coastal patrols.
Hurricanes equipped 26 RAF squadrons at the beginning of the Battle of Britain and shot down more enemy aircraft than all other defences combined. The RCAF received its first Hurricanes in August 1939, including those flown by Number 1 Squadron RCAF in the Battle of Britain. Later in the war, Sea Hurricanes were launched by catapult from ships at sea to defend convoys against air attack. A "tank buster" version with 40mm cannon was used in North Africa.
The Hurricane was designed to Air Ministry Specification F.36/34, the prototype making it's first flight on November 6th, 1935. Put into production in 1936, the first production Hurricane I flew in October, 1937.
Although it was no longer in production when the war ended the Hurricane was still in service as a first-line aircraft. It served on seventeen battle fronts - in the British Isles, France, Norway, North Africa, Sicily, Italy, The Middle East, The Far East, Russia, in the Battles of the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Northern Convoys, to mention the most important - as a fighter, fighter-bomber, an R.P. fighter, a "tank buster", a catapault fighter, and a carrier fighter. In 1944-45, equipped with rocket projectiles (R.P.), the Hurricane was used with great effect against enemy shipping in the Adriatic, and as a fighter-bomber it served with distinction in Burma.
Well over 14,000 Hurricanes were built, the last one being delivered from the Hawker factory in September, 1944.
Hurricane Mk I
Rolls-Royce Merlin II or Merlin III engine. Armament consisted of eight .303-in Browning machine guns, four in each wing. Originally had fabric covered wings, two blade wood fixed-pitch airscrew and was without armour or self-sealing tanks. In 1939 the Mk. I was fitted with either the D.H. or Rotol constant-speed airscrew, ejector exhaust stacks, metal covered wings, armour, etc. In the Battle Of Britian the Hurricane Mk. I accounted for more enemy aircraft than any other type of aircraft and altogether in the first year of the war Hurricane squadrons accounted for more than 1,500 confirmed victories over the Luftwaffe, almost half the total of enemy aircraft destroyed by the RAF in that period. In 1940 the Mk. I was fitted with air cleaner and desert equipment for service in the Middle East.
Hurricane Mk. II
Rolls-Royce Merlin XX engine with two-speed supercharger. Except for slight alterations to the wings to cater for increased armament, a new engine mounting for the longer engine and strengthening of the fuselage and landing-gear to take care of the increased power and weight, no other structural changes were necessary.
Specifications:
Manufacturer: Hawker
Primary Role: Fighter
Power plant: One Rolls-Royce (Packard) Merlin XX V-engine with 1,280 HP
First flight Prototype: 6.11.1936
Date deployed: October 1937
Number built: 12,870 (+ 1,451 in Canada)
Dimensions:
Wingspan: 40 ft 12.2 m
Length: 32 ft 3 in 9.8 m
Height: 13 ft 1 1/2 in 4 m
Weights: empty 4,982 lb 2,259 kg / max. 6,665 lb 3,023 kg
Performance:
Speed cruising: 206 mph / max. 348 mph
Initial: climb rate 2,707 ft/min
Ceiling: 34,000 ft
Range: 460 mi
Armaments:
8 x machine gun (12x m.g. Hurricane IIb) or 4x cannon;
up to 226 kg in bombs
All photos Copyright of British WWII Aircraft
I'm spoiled rotten here at the Foxhole. :)
We've been having SERIOUS network issues here at work for 2 days solid now, thanks to that worm virus and now the 2nd generation version "Welchia".
Hard to get a project done when you average maybe 3 minutes connection time per hour.
Fortunately, the "internet" portion of our network seems to be working normally. (more freep time.. LOL)
The British were in an impossible situation. The Americans were pressing for a second front landing in France, and, with the Russians were questioning the resolve of the British to fight. The surrender of Singapore, and then of Tobruk, to numerically inferior forces only heightened the suspicions of Britain's allies. A major raid was required, first to prove Britain's desire to fight, and second, to prove the techniques required for an invasion landing.
The British had three preliminary plans available to them, Operations, RANSACK, IMPERATOR, and RUTTER. Both RANSACK and IMPERATOR were corps sized operations requiring several days ashore. The British, however, had only enough landing craft to land a brigade. RANSACK was considered to be too large to be successful, and IMPERATOR, which included a penetration to Paris, as too risky. By default RUTTER was chosen.
Having approved the operation, command was given to South-East Command (SECO), GOC, General Montgomery. The original plan of flank landings over two tides was amended to a frontal assault during a single tide. Having decided on a general plan the time had come to choose the formations to take part in the assault. Canadian troops had arrived in Britain in 1940. They had been kept defending England from invasion since that time. Unlike the Australians, New Zealanders, or South Africans, Canadian soldiers had yet to see combat. Their general officers had been pressing for involvement in some operation if only to gain experience. This seemed to be the perfect opportunity for them. Based on results from recent exercises, the 2nd Canadian Division was chosen to provide the units for the assault.
The frontal assault had already been decided upon, as had the objectives of the raid. The Canadian staff only filled in the operational details. The original plan also called for an airborne assault on the batteries defending the Dieppe area, and a bombardment by heavy bombers to suppress fire from the beaches. In the later stages of planning the aerial bombardment was cancelled.
On the day the operation was to be launched the weather was unsuitable for parachute operations. The operation was first delayed, then cancelled as the weather did not improve. Disappointed by the cancellation and desperate for a raid, Montgomery's advice that the raid be cancelled for all time was ignored. There was insufficient time before the planned landings of Operation TORCH to train troops and launch a new operation. It was decided to relaunch RUTTER under the name of Operation JUBILEE. The same Canadian units that had trained for RUTTER would be used, but this time Commandos would be used instead of parachute troops.
Looks like Mongomery didn't have anything to do with the planning and it was like him to not want to launch an attack without everything being "perfect". But his name does come attached to the Dieppe Raid.
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