According to Stephen Bungay (via Mason I think) Fighter Command had,on 1st July 1940,640 serviceable aircraft and 1103 aircrew available. Of these 338 were Hurricanes and 200 Spitfires.
The rest,102 Defiants,Blenheims and their crews ,remember the Blenheim had a crew of three and the Defiant two to be deducted from the overall total,are frankly irrelevant to the BoB. Why Dowding did not retrain these men in the face of pilot shortages for single engined/single seat fighters that developed in early September we will never know.
On 1st September 1940 the totals are 648 serviceable aircraft and 1142 aircrew. Of which 351 were Hurricanes (net gain of 13) and 207 Spitfires (net gain of 7). This reflects the fact that British aircraft production always kept pace with losses.
In the eighteen weeks between July and the beginning of November 1940 there were only three weeks when there was a net loss of Hurricanes and only four weeks when there was a net loss of Spitfires.
Another reason why we won.
Cheers
Steve
The rest,102 Defiants,Blenheims and their crews ,remember the Blenheim had a crew of three and the Defiant two to be deducted from the overall total,are frankly irrelevant to the BoB. Why Dowding did not retrain these men in the face of pilot shortages for single engined/single seat fighters that developed in early September we will never know.
On 1st September 1940 the totals are 648 serviceable aircraft and 1142 aircrew. Of which 351 were Hurricanes (net gain of 13) and 207 Spitfires (net gain of 7). This reflects the fact that British aircraft production always kept pace with losses.
In the eighteen weeks between July and the beginning of November 1940 there were only three weeks when there was a net loss of Hurricanes and only four weeks when there was a net loss of Spitfires.
Another reason why we won.
Cheers
Steve