foxypar4 posted a photo:
The name of the Hurricane will forever be linked with the Battle of Britain, in which, with its partner the Spitfire, it added one of the most glorious chapters in the annals of the Royal Air Force. During that fateful engagement of 1940, Hurricane pilots shot down more enemy aircraft than all other defences, air and ground, combined. Later the Hurricane added its laurels in defence of Malta, in the Western Desert and in Burma; indeed no other Allied aircraft ever fought in as many theatres as did the Hurricane.
The project began life as a private venture, intended to meet the requirements of Specification F.36/34, issued in early 1935. The first prototype, K5083, was ordered on 21 February 1935, and made its maiden flight in the hands of Group Captain PWS Bulman on 6 November that year. The Hurricane, as it came to be named, was a winner from the start, and in June the Hawker Board of Directors decided to prepare for production of 1,000 aircraft on their own authority. This action galvanised the Air Ministry into action and in very short time an official contract for 600 Hurricanes was placed.
The first production Hurricane was flown on 12 October 1937. The first Hurricanes in service had two-blade fixed-pitch propellers. This was soon improved by the substitution of a de Havilland two-position three-blade metal propeller and, in 1939, the excellent Rotol constant-speed propeller.
The Hawker-type fusalage, which had featured in all, Hart variants and Furies since the 1920s, was retained in the Hurricane in preference to modern but complicated metal fuselage, in order to speed production of Hurricanes. By August 1940, the height of the Battle of Britain, a total of 2,309 Hurricanes had been delivered and 32 squadrons equipped, as against 19 Spitfire squadrons. At the outbreak of the war, Hurricanes were chosen to accompany the RAF bomber squadrons to France. The first enemy aircraft shot down by RAF fighters on the Western Front was by a Hurricane. The type was also involved in the desperate fighting in Norway.
On 2 August 1940 Hurricanes of No.261 Squadron were flown off the carrier H.M.S. Argus to relieve the hard pressed Sea Gladiators in the defence of Malta against attacks by the Italian Air Force. These were among the first Hurricanes to operate in the Mediterranean theatre, and joined a handful of Hurricanes which had been flown out to Malta from Britain the previous month via France and North Africa.
No Account of the Hurricane would be complete without reference to the work of the Merchant Ship Fighter Unit which, in 1941, helped to protect vital convoys in the Atlantic from attacks by the enemy maritime bombers. These Hurricanes, mostly time expired machines, were equipped to be catapulted from the decks of merchant ships and the pilot later parachuting into the freezing sea to await rescue.
In the late 1944 the 12,711th and final Hurricane built in Britain (there were also over 1,400 built in Canada) was completed.
From www.maltaaviationmuseum.com
foxypar4 posted a photo:
Spitfire Mk.IX, EN199, on display at the Malta Aviation Museum, was first flown at Eastleigh on 28 November 1942 and taken on charge by 12 Maintenance Unit on 1 December, moving to 82 MU on the same day. Eight days later it moved to 47 MU followed by a move to Glasgow two days later. Here it was loaded on MV Marsa and shipped together with others to Gibraltar where it arrived by 13 January 1943 and later reassembled.
The aircraft was flown to the North Africa front on 29 January 1943. Here it was flown by Wing Commander R. Berry D.F.C., whose initials are now the codes worn on the fuselage and Squadron Leader C. F. Gray, Commanding Officer No.81 Squadron. EN199 took part in the Allied OPERATION TORCH landings and the subsequent Tunisian campaign and fought until the Axis surrender on the Cape Bone peninsula.
Following damage, EN199 was issued to No.154 Squadron which had moved from North Africa to Malta from where it took part in OPERATION HUSKY, the invasion of Sicily. The aircraft moved to the Italian mainland taking part in further operations, probably joining No.1435 Squadron when the Mark Vs were replaced by IXs. It was photographed at Brindisi in the Spring of 1944 and again later with No.225 Squadron.
From 11 October 1945 up to 3 January 1946 the aircraft was recorded as taking part in Meteorological Flights with Air Sea Rescue & Communications Flight, Hal Far. It then moved to Luqa with No.73 Squadron. Whilst at Luqa it was blown into a quarry during a gale. EN199 was struck off charge and later presented to the Boy Scout Movement based at Floriana. A few years later the aircraft was transported from the Scouts' Island Headquarters by Civil Defence Staff to their Headquarters and school at Ghargur. From Ghargur it was taken to the new rescue training wing at Targa Gap in April 1956 where it languished in a disrespectful state.
From www.maltaaviationmuseum.com
Starlightworld posted a photo:
For Nick in thanking him a lot for so lovely words! Thanks my friend, it's a pleasure also for me. A big big embrace, hope you like it.
*Starlight*
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Ho molti scatti di questa bellissima serata qui a Malta. La precedente vagabondavo lungo il porto senza la macchinetta e li guardai semplicemente, seduta su di una panchina pensando...che spettacolo !! ..e... se questo è un normale festeggiamento, cosa fanno i maltesi a Capodanno????!!... ed è curioso anche notare che durante i fuochi d'artificio le persone continuavano a camminare senza fermarsi neanche un secondo a guardare o parlavano tranquillamente tra loro ignorandoli completamente... si, è l'ordinario. Questa è la risposta anche al veder i cannoni sparare da La Valletta. Le persone non sapevano il perchè, perchè semplicemente questo è lo spirito di Malta, qui è sempre festa...strana filosofia, ma mi piace!.. Così il giorno dopo ci godemmo tutti la seconda notte di botti dal terrazzone della nostra stanza, con un bellissimo colpo d'occhio. Un ora di fuochi, così grandi e differenti fra loro...per cosa?... non lo so, ma mi è piaciuto molto :)! Grazie Malta!
Buon giorno!!.. e buon lunedì a tutti.
*Starlight*
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I have several shot of this beautiful evening here on Malta. The previous one I was walking along the little port and didn't have camera with. I only watch at fireworks sitting on a bench and thought ...what a spectacle !!..and..if it was a normal celebration what inhabitant do for the New Year Eve?????!!...... and It's curious also to see that during fireworks people didn't stop at all to watch at, or continued the conversation ingnoring it completely... yes, it's daily. This is the answer, also to the cannon fire on La Valletta. People didn't know why because it's the spirit of Malta, it's always a festivity here...strange philosophy but I like it ! So the day after we got the second fireworks night on the terrace of our room that has a so great point of view. One hour of it...and so large fireworks, so different each other... for what?... I don't know but I liked it. :)! Thanks Malta !
Buon giorno e buon lunedì a tutti!!
*Starlight*
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