Hurricane: The Illustrated History

by Philip J. Beirtles

In this fully illustrated history, the design, development and production of Sudney Camm's war-winning aircraft are described in detail, including particulars of its construction. The widely varied operational roles during the Second World War, both at home and overseas, are examined, and reveal how the Hurricane rose to each new challenge with which it was presented. The book concludes with a look at the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and a review of surviving examples of the Hurricane production figures, production variants, and operational service with all RAF and Royal Navy squadrons and units. This in-depth history of an all-time classic combat aircraft, will appeal to all with an interest in military aviation and the Second World War.

Hardcover

First published April 25, 2002

Reviews

[Robert Hepple · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hurricane – The Illustrated History tells the story of the development and operational use of the Hawker Hurricane, supported by a large number of illustrations. Unfortunately, ii is marred by a number of questionable statements in the text as well as appalling caption errors on some of the illustrations. This is particularly annoying as the illustrations themselves are mostly well chosen, apart from one that is not of Hurricanes at all despite the caption stating otherwise. The text varies a lot – the technical stuff about Hurricanes is fine in itself, but the historical background details that place operational use in context is questionable at times with some terrible mistakes in the description of warfare in the Mediterranean and North Africa. I find this difficult to reconcile with the seemingly impeccable aviation credentials of the author, and also in the light of having read and enjoyed others of his works. Not recommended, there are other much better books on this subject.