Will Hunter
Airman
G'day,
Me and my mate 'Winjeel' are putting together some very early Hurricane models for CFS3. He 'pushes the polygons', I paint the textures, AvHistory.org does the flight dynamics modelling.
These are the original Mark I Hurricanes with the Watts fixed pitch, two bladed props, fabric skinned wings and different shaped gun bays etc.
Anyhow, we've been working through RAF Battle of France Hurricane. Done Paul Richey's for No.1 Sqn., 'Cobber' Kain's for No.73 Sqn., John ****'s for No.87 Sqn. and 'Dickie Lee's for No.85 Sqn.
Now I'm nearly finished a Belgian Hurricane skin. I'm trying to get some information about the Belgian Air Force's use of Hurricanes.
I've been searching the web and found a few interesting things but not much.
I have a Hurricane book that says the Belgians Air Force were very interested in having .05 inch machine gunes for their Hurricanes. They were planning a four gun armament for their order of Hurricanes. (Two .303s and two .05s) However, due to a delay in the manufacture of European .05 inch guns the standard British armament was installed.
Adolf Galland in his 'First and the Last' book claimed he and his wingman attacked a Belgian Squadron of Hurricanes on May 12th 1940, who 'ran away' but not before he knocked two of them down. He claimed a third Belgian Hurricane the next day.
Other sources claim most of the Hurricanes were destroyed on the ground two days earlier!
"Belgian Hawker Hurricane: Contract for 80 aircraft placed with Avions Fairey SA on behalf of the AeM (Belgian Air Force) in 1938. Similar to Hawker Hurricane I but with wing armament of four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) FN-built Browning guns. Three built and two flown by May 1940, when German invasion terminated production. Nineteen British-built Hawker Hurricane Is (including four which force-landed in Belgium in 1939) on AeM charge in May 1940. They saw no action."
Galland's claim in his book clearly upset Belgian pilot Willy Coppens who wrote this:
Alternate Views on Adolf Galland's WW2 Kills
Was Galland mistaken or lying?
Just how many Hurricanes were there in Belgium on May 12th 1940?
Will.
Some screenies of the Belgian Hurrie so far. Winjeel is going to add a little pitot tube on the port side, forward of the cockpit yet.
Me and my mate 'Winjeel' are putting together some very early Hurricane models for CFS3. He 'pushes the polygons', I paint the textures, AvHistory.org does the flight dynamics modelling.
These are the original Mark I Hurricanes with the Watts fixed pitch, two bladed props, fabric skinned wings and different shaped gun bays etc.
Anyhow, we've been working through RAF Battle of France Hurricane. Done Paul Richey's for No.1 Sqn., 'Cobber' Kain's for No.73 Sqn., John ****'s for No.87 Sqn. and 'Dickie Lee's for No.85 Sqn.
Now I'm nearly finished a Belgian Hurricane skin. I'm trying to get some information about the Belgian Air Force's use of Hurricanes.
I've been searching the web and found a few interesting things but not much.
I have a Hurricane book that says the Belgians Air Force were very interested in having .05 inch machine gunes for their Hurricanes. They were planning a four gun armament for their order of Hurricanes. (Two .303s and two .05s) However, due to a delay in the manufacture of European .05 inch guns the standard British armament was installed.
Adolf Galland in his 'First and the Last' book claimed he and his wingman attacked a Belgian Squadron of Hurricanes on May 12th 1940, who 'ran away' but not before he knocked two of them down. He claimed a third Belgian Hurricane the next day.
Other sources claim most of the Hurricanes were destroyed on the ground two days earlier!
"Belgian Hawker Hurricane: Contract for 80 aircraft placed with Avions Fairey SA on behalf of the AeM (Belgian Air Force) in 1938. Similar to Hawker Hurricane I but with wing armament of four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) FN-built Browning guns. Three built and two flown by May 1940, when German invasion terminated production. Nineteen British-built Hawker Hurricane Is (including four which force-landed in Belgium in 1939) on AeM charge in May 1940. They saw no action."
Galland's claim in his book clearly upset Belgian pilot Willy Coppens who wrote this:
Alternate Views on Adolf Galland's WW2 Kills
Was Galland mistaken or lying?
Just how many Hurricanes were there in Belgium on May 12th 1940?
Will.
Some screenies of the Belgian Hurrie so far. Winjeel is going to add a little pitot tube on the port side, forward of the cockpit yet.