Book Review of Single 3, Hawker Hurricane I
Authors: Dariusz Karras & Karolina Hotda
Mushroom Model Publications Book (MMP)
ISBN: 978-83-65958-60-0
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $11.99
ISBN: 978-83-65958-60-0
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $11.99
HISTORY:
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF).
It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by the Supermarine Spitfire's role during Battle of Britain in 1940, but the Hurricane inflicted 60 percent of the losses sustained by the Luftwaffe in the engagement, and fought in all the major theatres of the Second World War.
The Hurricane originated from discussions between RAF officials and aircraft designer Sir Sydney Camm about a proposed monoplane derivative of the Hawker Fury biplane in the early 1930s.
Despite an institutional preference for biplanes and lack of interest from the Air Ministry, Hawker refined their monoplane proposal, incorporating several innovations which became critical to wartime fighter aircraft, including retractable landing gear and the more powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin engine.
The Air Ministry ordered Hawker's Interceptor Monoplane in late 1934, and the prototype Hurricane K5083 performed its maiden flight on 6 November 1935.
In June 1936, the Hurricane went production for the Air Ministry; it entered squadron service on 25 December 1937.
Its manufacture and maintenance was eased by using conventional construction methods so that squadrons could perform many major repairs without external support.
The Hurricane was rapidly procured prior to the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, when the RAF had 18 Hurricane-equipped squadrons in service.
The aircraft was relied on to defend against German aircraft operated by the Luftwaffe, including dog-fighting with Messerschmitt Bf 109s in multiple theatres of action.
The Hurricane was developed through several versions, into bomber-interceptors, fighter-bombers, and ground support aircraft as well as fighters.
Versions designed for the Royal Navy known as the Sea Hurricane had modifications enabling operation from ships.
Some were converted as catapult-launched convoy escorts. By the end of production in July 1944, 14,487 Hurricanes had been completed in Britain and Canada.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter
National origin: United Kingdom
Manufacturer: Hawker Aircraft
Designer: Sydney Camm
First flight: 6 November 1935
Introduction to service: 25 December 1937
Primary users: Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force
Produced: 1937–1944
Number built: 14,487 ( in UK and Canada)
THE BOOK:
Mushroom Model Publications (MMP) is based in the UK. All their books are printed by Stratus in Poland in the English language.
Stratus also does their own line of books in both Polish and English.
The book is soft cover of 24 pages in 8 1/4" x 11 3/4" page format.
The cover is bright yellow, with a color illustration of a top view of a Hawker Hurricane I that is RAF dark-green and RAF dark-earth over under suface that is white and aluminum dope. It has a large black number "8" outlined in light-blue on the sides of the rudder. Finish Air Force insignia of a white circle with a blue swastika on it on the sides of the fuselage and the tops and bottoms of the wings.
The wing tips are yellow on the bottom. There is a wide yellow fuselage stripe behind the Finish swastika insignia and a yellow tip of the nose. It has a black serial no. HC458 behind the fuselage swastika.
It was with Ltm. Aarne Arte, 1/Lentolaivue 10, Utti Airfield, September 1941.
The left wing of the Hurricane on the cover is bent around the book and partially on the back cover.
The book contains 6 1/72nd scale line drawings of the Hurricane I and illustrations of the bulkheads inside the fuselage.
There are 4 1/48th scale line drawings of the aircraft which also show the bulkheads.
There are 6 black and white photos showing the whole plane and 26 more that are walk-around types, showing various parts of it and 5 black and white photos out of a maintenance manual that names the parts showing.
There are 5 color photos of the cockpit interior and dashboard.
A color illustration of the dashboard is included with a list of names of the various instruments.
At the back of the book is 6 color profiles of the cover art scheme (already described above)
This is one great book. Highly recommended.
I want to thank Casemate publishers, who sent me this review sample and Dr. Roger Wallsgrove head-editor of MMP for this book sample.
Casemate is the N.American distributor for MMP books and they sent me this sample.
All MMP titles can be seen on Casemates web site at:
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF).
It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by the Supermarine Spitfire's role during Battle of Britain in 1940, but the Hurricane inflicted 60 percent of the losses sustained by the Luftwaffe in the engagement, and fought in all the major theatres of the Second World War.
The Hurricane originated from discussions between RAF officials and aircraft designer Sir Sydney Camm about a proposed monoplane derivative of the Hawker Fury biplane in the early 1930s.
Despite an institutional preference for biplanes and lack of interest from the Air Ministry, Hawker refined their monoplane proposal, incorporating several innovations which became critical to wartime fighter aircraft, including retractable landing gear and the more powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin engine.
The Air Ministry ordered Hawker's Interceptor Monoplane in late 1934, and the prototype Hurricane K5083 performed its maiden flight on 6 November 1935.
In June 1936, the Hurricane went production for the Air Ministry; it entered squadron service on 25 December 1937.
Its manufacture and maintenance was eased by using conventional construction methods so that squadrons could perform many major repairs without external support.
The Hurricane was rapidly procured prior to the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, when the RAF had 18 Hurricane-equipped squadrons in service.
The aircraft was relied on to defend against German aircraft operated by the Luftwaffe, including dog-fighting with Messerschmitt Bf 109s in multiple theatres of action.
The Hurricane was developed through several versions, into bomber-interceptors, fighter-bombers, and ground support aircraft as well as fighters.
Versions designed for the Royal Navy known as the Sea Hurricane had modifications enabling operation from ships.
Some were converted as catapult-launched convoy escorts. By the end of production in July 1944, 14,487 Hurricanes had been completed in Britain and Canada.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter
National origin: United Kingdom
Manufacturer: Hawker Aircraft
Designer: Sydney Camm
First flight: 6 November 1935
Introduction to service: 25 December 1937
Primary users: Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force
Produced: 1937–1944
Number built: 14,487 ( in UK and Canada)
THE BOOK:
Mushroom Model Publications (MMP) is based in the UK. All their books are printed by Stratus in Poland in the English language.
Stratus also does their own line of books in both Polish and English.
The book is soft cover of 24 pages in 8 1/4" x 11 3/4" page format.
The cover is bright yellow, with a color illustration of a top view of a Hawker Hurricane I that is RAF dark-green and RAF dark-earth over under suface that is white and aluminum dope. It has a large black number "8" outlined in light-blue on the sides of the rudder. Finish Air Force insignia of a white circle with a blue swastika on it on the sides of the fuselage and the tops and bottoms of the wings.
The wing tips are yellow on the bottom. There is a wide yellow fuselage stripe behind the Finish swastika insignia and a yellow tip of the nose. It has a black serial no. HC458 behind the fuselage swastika.
It was with Ltm. Aarne Arte, 1/Lentolaivue 10, Utti Airfield, September 1941.
The left wing of the Hurricane on the cover is bent around the book and partially on the back cover.
The book contains 6 1/72nd scale line drawings of the Hurricane I and illustrations of the bulkheads inside the fuselage.
There are 4 1/48th scale line drawings of the aircraft which also show the bulkheads.
There are 6 black and white photos showing the whole plane and 26 more that are walk-around types, showing various parts of it and 5 black and white photos out of a maintenance manual that names the parts showing.
There are 5 color photos of the cockpit interior and dashboard.
A color illustration of the dashboard is included with a list of names of the various instruments.
At the back of the book is 6 color profiles of the cover art scheme (already described above)
This is one great book. Highly recommended.
I want to thank Casemate publishers, who sent me this review sample and Dr. Roger Wallsgrove head-editor of MMP for this book sample.
Casemate is the N.American distributor for MMP books and they sent me this sample.
All MMP titles can be seen on Casemates web site at: