Hawker “Hurricane” Mark II

Hawker “Hurricane” Mark II Royal Air Force Summer 1940

Designed by Sydney Camm, the Hurricane prototype first flew on November 6, 1935. Powered by the famous Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, it was the first RAF monoplane fighter with an enclosed cockpit and retractable undercarriage; its first fighter capable of a level speed in excess of 300 mph; and its first eight-gun fighter. During the Battle of Britain, the Royal Air Force employed 32 squadrons of Hurricanes, compared with 19 squadrons of the more famous Spitfires.