Shortround6
Major General
You might want to argue with this site. Hawker Hurricane in Combat
". Four Hurricane squadrons were sent to France soon after the start of the war, and another three were rushed across after the German attack in 1940. The Hurricane squadrons suffered huge losses during the fighting in France and the Low Countries. Seven Hurricane squadrons took part in the battle of France. They lost nearly 200 aircraft (72 destroyed, 120 damaged and abandoned during the final retreat from France), from a total force that had numbered 500 aircraft at the outbreak of the war. However, the Luftwaffe also suffered heavily during the fighting in France, and had not entirely recovered by the time of the battle of Britain. The Germans recorded losing 299 aircraft to RAF fighters (this will include some lost to Spitfires over Dunkirk and some to Gloster Gladiators, but most will have been lost to the Hurricane)."
I would note that for 7 squadrons to shoot down even 400 aircraft would be a kill rate of fantastic proportions in the time involved. This reckoning also does not count kills by the Defiant or Blenheim fighters during this period.
" More than half of all German aircraft lost during the battle were shot down by Hurricane pilots. The Hurricane was the most numerous British fighter during the battle."
The Spitfire is generally credited with shooting down a higher percentage of German aircraft per number of planes deployed (like per 100 in active squadrons) and even more importantly, lasting longer. New pilots, on average, lasted days longer in Spitfires than in Hurricanes before being shot down.
Because the Hurricane outnumbered the Spitfire by a fair margin during this time the total number of German aircraft shot down by the Hurricane does exceed that of the Spitfire.
Granted this is just one website but attempts to rehabilitate the Hurricane (or at least claim it was better than most accounts say) are going to need much more than vague estimates.
". Four Hurricane squadrons were sent to France soon after the start of the war, and another three were rushed across after the German attack in 1940. The Hurricane squadrons suffered huge losses during the fighting in France and the Low Countries. Seven Hurricane squadrons took part in the battle of France. They lost nearly 200 aircraft (72 destroyed, 120 damaged and abandoned during the final retreat from France), from a total force that had numbered 500 aircraft at the outbreak of the war. However, the Luftwaffe also suffered heavily during the fighting in France, and had not entirely recovered by the time of the battle of Britain. The Germans recorded losing 299 aircraft to RAF fighters (this will include some lost to Spitfires over Dunkirk and some to Gloster Gladiators, but most will have been lost to the Hurricane)."
I would note that for 7 squadrons to shoot down even 400 aircraft would be a kill rate of fantastic proportions in the time involved. This reckoning also does not count kills by the Defiant or Blenheim fighters during this period.
" More than half of all German aircraft lost during the battle were shot down by Hurricane pilots. The Hurricane was the most numerous British fighter during the battle."
The Spitfire is generally credited with shooting down a higher percentage of German aircraft per number of planes deployed (like per 100 in active squadrons) and even more importantly, lasting longer. New pilots, on average, lasted days longer in Spitfires than in Hurricanes before being shot down.
Because the Hurricane outnumbered the Spitfire by a fair margin during this time the total number of German aircraft shot down by the Hurricane does exceed that of the Spitfire.
Granted this is just one website but attempts to rehabilitate the Hurricane (or at least claim it was better than most accounts say) are going to need much more than vague estimates.