In the summer of 1940 the fate of Europe hung in the balance. Victory in the forthcoming air battle would mean national survival; defeat would establish German tyranny.
The Luftwaffe greatly outnumbered the RAF, but during the Battle of Britain it was the RAF that emerged triumphant, thanks to two key fighter planes, the Spitfire and the Hurricane. The Hurricane made up over half of Fighter Command's front-line strength, and its revolutionary design transformed the RAF's capabilities.
Leo McKinstry tells the story of the remarkable plane from its designers to the first-hand testimonies of those brave pilots who flew it; he takes in the full military and political background but always keeps the human stories to the fore - to restore the Hawker Hurricane to its rightful place in history.
Hurricane
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Review
'Superb volume . . . great merit of [his] style . . . enthralling . . .'
(Literary Review )A superb volume . . . The great merit of McKinstry's style is that he skilfully mixes the story of the machines with those of the men behind them... enthralling
(Literary Review )As with his earlier books McKinstry interweaves the engineering lore and red-tape disputes behind the aircraft's manufacturing history with first-hand descriptions of its reliability and effectiveness. The tale he has to tell is a powerful one, like the Hurricane itself but once again he has proved himself an ace at the controls
(Daily Express )'Superb'
(Saul David, Daily Telegraph )'McKinstry is brilliant at bringing to life the tales of these machines for a new generation. His book is both worthy tribute and a genuinely page-turning read'
(News of the World )Here the author does for the Hurricane what he has already done for the Spitfire, reminding us of the crucial role that the Hawker Hurricane played in the Battle of Britain...Leo McKinstry is particularly good on the 'bullish' character of Sidney Camm, the Hurricane's designer
(Sunday Telegraph )McKinstry's case is persuasive
(Daily Mail )'Those interested in the history of aviation, and the Second World War more generally, will be delighted with Leo McKinstry's latest book. This is a beautifully crafted and thoroughly researched study of the Hurricane's role . . . One particular strength of the book is that it sets the narrative of the Hurricane's development against the contextual backdrop of the era. Another is that it sheds a light on a cross section of people who were involved with its development and employment, not least its designer, Sit Sydney Camm...Hurricane is a compelling read, and has done precisely what it set out to achieve: to restore the Hurricane to its rightful place in the story of the Second World War'
(BBC History )About the Author
Leo McKinstry writes regularly for the Daily Mail, Sunday Telegraph and Spectator . He has also written five books including a study of the Labour Party and a best-selling biography of the footballing Charlton brothers. Born in Belfast he was educated in Ireland and at Cambridge University.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By J. Farrant
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The author really knows the aircraft he writes about. This book is complementary to his previous well researched publication of the 'Spitfire'.
Perhaps it is understandable that the 'Hurricane' should follow the 'Spitfire' because this is the general view. Few realise that the Hurricane was statistically the more successful of the two aircraft during the Battle of Britain, and had advantages over the Spitfire as the author stresses. Perhaps it was the development limitations in the subsequent period of the War that helped to endorse this rather biased image in the public mind.
This is a highly readable acount of the development of the aircraft and the people involved with the operations. It is essential reading for anyone who has even a mild interest in military history and particularly events in the Second World War.
Perhaps it is understandable that the 'Hurricane' should follow the 'Spitfire' because this is the general view. Few realise that the Hurricane was statistically the more successful of the two aircraft during the Battle of Britain, and had advantages over the Spitfire as the author stresses. Perhaps it was the development limitations in the subsequent period of the War that helped to endorse this rather biased image in the public mind.
This is a highly readable acount of the development of the aircraft and the people involved with the operations. It is essential reading for anyone who has even a mild interest in military history and particularly events in the Second World War.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By John Middleton
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
There is an old saying to the effect that quantity has a quality all of its own, and this was never proved better than by the performance of the Hawker Hurricane during the Battle of Britain. While the Hurricane was slower than the Spitfire - and the German Bf109 - it was rugged, stable, and best of all, available in numbers. While the Spitfire was without a doubt the better plane, it was difficult to build and repair, while the Hurricane was comparatively easy to construct - while it looked a modern monoplane fighter, it was built in the fashion of the older planes of the early 1930's.
McKinstry follows up on his earlier studies of the Spitfire and Lancaster, subtitiling the volume "the plane that won the Battle of Britain". That assertion is at least arguably correct: without the Hurricane available in numbers, with Spitfire production lagging behind orders, the outcome in 1940 might have been different indeed. But it is also clear that 1940 was the high-water mark for the Hurri as a fighter plane": after that it was used as a ground attack plane with tank-busting cannon, bombs and rockets, and in theatres outside Europe, such as North Africa, Malta and Burma, and as a catapult plane fired off merchantmen in the mid-Atlantic with no landing strip to return to!
Most of this book is about the Battle, and the role the Hurricane played. Prior to that, its development is run through and post-1940 the story is one of decline and obsolescence, at least in the role it was designed for. There are testimonials from pilots about the reliability and sturdiness of the Hurrincane, to which many owe their life. Some pilots preferred Hurricane to Spitfire, and explain why. There is also a bit of the Spitfire snobbery of German pilots exposed - if a single engine plane got you, then it must have been a Spit! Of course, this is true of every soldier since primitive man picked up clubs: in WWII allied troops reported every tank as a Tiger, and each artillery piece an 88.
This is a useful book on the Hurricane, and is just long enough. Hopefully the role of the Hurricane in 1940 will never be forgotten or ignored in favour of the more glamourous Spitfire.
McKinstry follows up on his earlier studies of the Spitfire and Lancaster, subtitiling the volume "the plane that won the Battle of Britain". That assertion is at least arguably correct: without the Hurricane available in numbers, with Spitfire production lagging behind orders, the outcome in 1940 might have been different indeed. But it is also clear that 1940 was the high-water mark for the Hurri as a fighter plane": after that it was used as a ground attack plane with tank-busting cannon, bombs and rockets, and in theatres outside Europe, such as North Africa, Malta and Burma, and as a catapult plane fired off merchantmen in the mid-Atlantic with no landing strip to return to!
Most of this book is about the Battle, and the role the Hurricane played. Prior to that, its development is run through and post-1940 the story is one of decline and obsolescence, at least in the role it was designed for. There are testimonials from pilots about the reliability and sturdiness of the Hurrincane, to which many owe their life. Some pilots preferred Hurricane to Spitfire, and explain why. There is also a bit of the Spitfire snobbery of German pilots exposed - if a single engine plane got you, then it must have been a Spit! Of course, this is true of every soldier since primitive man picked up clubs: in WWII allied troops reported every tank as a Tiger, and each artillery piece an 88.
This is a useful book on the Hurricane, and is just long enough. Hopefully the role of the Hurricane in 1940 will never be forgotten or ignored in favour of the more glamourous Spitfire.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Greyscribe
Format:Paperback
The story of the Hurricane has been told many times and I have read much about it but this book brings all of the background and the politics around the development of the aircraft and sets it in the context of the times. The Hurricane is always overlooked by history, undeservedly so, and this book corrects many of the myths. The book describes the relationship between all of the main players in history leading up to, and through the War. It should be read by all of those who believe that there was only one fighter in the Battle of Britain.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very enjoyable
As a long time aviation fan, from airfix models to joining the ATC Air Training Corps and generally being a lover of flying all my life I found this a very informative and... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mr. M. Regan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great history of the Hawker Hurricane
Great history of the Hawker Hurricane
Years ago I read Paul Gallico's early book on the Hawker Hurricane. Read more
Years ago I read Paul Gallico's early book on the Hawker Hurricane. Read more
Published 5 months ago by John Gough
5.0 out of 5 stars
hurricane: victor of the battle of britain
this book is brilliant! as i already knew a lot about the spitfire i decided to read about the hurricane. i was really impressed with this book. Read more
Published 11 months ago by bookworm
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best
Leo McKinstry's aviation books offer possibly the most balanced view of his topics . Unlike many others they spend as much time discussing the the political, operational and... Read more
Published 14 months ago by VinyltoCD
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Few
Hurricane, one of the three books of Leo Mc KINSTRY explains the saga of the king of the Battle of Britain. Read more
Published 16 months ago by tonio
5.0 out of 5 stars
xmas gift
Great xmas gift for airplane nut. Book arrived quickly despite xmas rush, service very efficient, it's exactly as described and was well packed. Read more
Published 16 months ago by budgie11
5.0 out of 5 stars
hurricane victor of the battle of britain
excellent well written book, I thought I know a great deal about subject as its part of my hobby but there was a great deal of extra info in this book
Published on 6 April 2011 by Mr. Peter Outrim
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Tribute.
This is a magnificent book and pays full and proper tribute to the Hawker Hurricane and those who flew her. Thoroughly recomended.
Published on 17 Mar 2011 by Terry
5.0 out of 5 stars
Happy Hubby and his Hurricane
I bought this book for my husband as he has always had a great interest in Hurricanes (I prefer Spitfires), although he wasn't born until well after the war. Read more
Published on 10 Mar 2011 by Mrs. J. Stewart
3.0 out of 5 stars
Ok but a bit much of a muchness
Oh dear, having read Spitfire and Lancaster I begin to see a sameness to the authors books . Really they. Read more
Published on 7 Nov 2010 by Robtt
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