Hawker Hurricane 1:33 Scale

[Tim Crowe]

Thank you for your kind words. They are appreciated



I didn't think any Hurricanes flew at D-Day too. Thought they would have all converted to Typhoons by then

I agree the wings need a little more dihedral. But it is what it is.

Tim

[douglasmarrel]

People are interested in build logs even if you aren't going to finish At least I am. You can always learn things and techniques!

[Mike1158]

I do know the US Marines were flying 12 gun Hurricanes as far as I can remember during the North African landings and possible into Italy.

[Don Boose]

I assume that the model designer was working from photographs and other historic material and that Hurricane IV DR-B of No. 1555 Air Observation Flight actually was painted in D-Day colors and is likely to have actually flown over France during the Normandy operation, since the air observation flights worked in close cooperation with ground forces in combat. I can't put my hand on the article just now, but I know that some U.S. pilots (including Navy pilots) flew Spitfires and other aircraft during D-Day on observation and artillery spotting duties. Their aircraft definitely had invasion stripes.

So far, I have been unable to find documentary evidence, but here are two on-line discussions of Hurricanes in D-Day markings, including several aircraft of No. 1697 (Air Despatch Letter Service) Flight, one of which was the first Allied aircraft to land in Normandy; at least one squadron hack (No. 137 Squadron, which apparently retained at least one of its Hurricane IVs after it converted to Typhoons [see John Rawlings, Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft, London: MacDonald and Janes, 1969, p. 278); and several that were assigned to No. 83 (bomber) Operational Training Unit.
D-Day Hurricanes + invasion stripes
Hawker Hurricane and D Day - Real Aviation - Britmodeller.com

I hope that someone knows or can find out more about 1555 Flights activities so we can learn more about the background of the prototype for Tim's magnificent Hurri.

Mike - Please give us more information on U.S. Marines flying operationally in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. This is new to me and I want to know more! Up to now, I believed that the only Marines in the MTO and Europe were staff officers or served aboard ships, although there might have been some Marine aviators assigned to the D-Day air observation flights. Maybe one of them flew Tim's airplane!

Don

[Mike1158]

Don, the information is in the Aircraft Publication where aproximately four Hurricanes are known to have flown in the Torch landings, I have seen another publication which struck me as odd at the time but that was back when I was at school, it was one of the 12 gun variant of which there were few.

I cannot attach a picture of the less than pristine example in the item, for some reason the site refuses any picture I attempt to attach, I will try to attach the publication itself, they are a long time pout of print and I bought lots of them.

No, will not have that either, will look at something else.

Microsnot OneDrive. https://onedrive.live.com/?id=3B9C5A...9C5A96AA152674

You can download the profile from there, pages 6-9.

[Don Boose]

Thanks, Mike. I actually have that Profile Publication. Did a quick look through and found the info on the U.S. Navy-flown Hurricane used in TORCH. Interesting stuff. I am in the middle of an on-line forum for my elective on Pacific War Strategy that is taking most of my waking hours, but when the dust settles, I will try to find the article on U.S. D-Day air observers and dig a little deeper on Yanks in Hurries.

Apologies for the hi-jack, Tim, but it was generally on the topic of Hurricanes with D-Day stripes.

And regarding the 20mm armament of Tim's Hurricane: the air observation aircraft were fully-equipped fighters and the pilots were fighter pilots re-trained as observers (they were a kind of early version of MISTY Fast FACs). One problem was that the pilots had a strong desire to shoot things up and had to be admonished to stay focused on the air observation task.

Don

[Mike1158]

Last thread hijack for the time being, a reply I received from the USMC museum.

There have been a couple of English aircraft which the Corps has flown over years, but I can find no evidence/documentation that the USMC ever flew Hawker Hurricanes (of any model). I suppose that it is possible that a Hurricane Mk II with the armament load you described was flight tested by the Bureau of Aeronautics and that a Marine test pilot made some of the test flights, but I do not believe that the Corps ever operationally used the Hurricane.

The best known Marine Corps – British aircraft connections is of course the Hawker Siddeley AV-8A Harrier, but there was at least one other instance - in WWI, the USMC sent four squadrons to France to help the US Navy attack German sub pens in France. This missions didn’t pan out and US War Department wasn’t able to provide enough American produced Dayton-Wright Dh.4 aircraft, so the Marines struck a trade deal whereby they provided much needed Liberty engines to the British and received a number of Dh.9s in return (and the ability to fly interdiction missions with a pair of RAF squadrons).

[cafe]

Originally Posted by Don Boose

but I know that some U.S. pilots (including Navy pilots) flew Spitfires and other aircraft during D-Day on observation and artillery spotting duties. Their aircraft definitely had invasion stripes.

The US Navy unit VCS-7 flew the Spitfire V during operation Overlord. They carried invasion stripes and RAF markings.

http://spitfiresite.com/2010/04/spit...e-us-navy.html

[Don Boose]

Many thanks, Mike and Carlos, I hope that Tim will tolerate, if not welcome, these additions to his thread. I think they add some valuable information.

VCS-7 is the outfit I was talking about, Carlos. No.1555 Air Observation Flight, the unit that flew Tim's Hurricane, was a similar organization, but spotted for ground artillery (and maybe close air support aircraft?) rather than naval gunfire.

Don

[dje]

nice build tim, guess this is one of the good/have to modelik kit