Talk:Club Run
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Merger proposal
editI believe that these two articles cover very similar topics, and, as such, should be merged. Cnd474747 (talk) 19:11, 5 June 2014 (UTC)
- (The discussion is actually here, if anyone wishes to comment. Xyl 54 (talk) 00:29, 4 February 2015 (UTC)
Hurricanes first, Spitfires later - the real story?
editthe initial club runs were all Hurricanes, but - From early 1942, Spitfires were necessary to counter the more modern Axis fighters. Is that really what the sources say? Or just a previous editors interpretation? It's not wrong, but it isn't necessarily the full story. FYI I do not have access to a source that contradicts the above, but here is my two cents worth.
- In the Battle of France, it was Hurricanes that were deployed to France, with Spitfires offering limited support from bases in England.
- Part of the logic would have been that Hurricanes are more robust, and easier to maintain 'in the field'.
- If you are going to deliver some aircraft in kit form, for assembly on arrival at Malta, the Hurricane is the simpler solution. So, if you are going to concentrate on one type to simplify maintenance, it should be the Hurricane.
- The performance gap between Spitfire and Hurricane was less significant with earlier marks. Later models such as the Spitfire Mk.V came with more powerful Merlin 45 engines, whilst Hawker left the Hurricane pretty much as it was, preferring to concentrate on developing replacement types (e.g. Hawker Typhoon)
- Hurricanes were more naturally at home on aircraft carriers, particularly on the smaller British carriers.
- In 1940/41, when Spitfires were only available in small numbers, they would have been prioritised for saving the mother country, not France, or Malta.
So for all these reasons, the Hurricane was the more natural choice for 1940-41. It was probably a combination of factors that resulted in a move towards shipping Spitfires from 1942 onwards, including the fact that Spitfires were by then rolling out of the factories in large numbers. How much of this is covered in various sources is for other editors to confirm.