[Graham Boak]

Cherrypicking Jukka: the equivalents of the Hercules and the Centaurus are the R2340 and R2800. Neither had particularly difficult or extended development histories, both had exemplary war records. The R3350 was a 4-row radial "corncob" of double the power and later in concept - although earlier than the Centaurus into service. Which I think supports my point not yours. Did Fedden ever propose a massive 4-row radial?

Tom: Shores does not support emotive and slanderous comments such as you produce. Not getting the armour to the Mediterranean operations does not imply any deliberate obstructionism. I find it difficult to conceive of RAF officers on their tour of staff duty at the Ministry deliberately cancelling deliveries of armour to Hurricane units - on the grounds presumably that they enjoyed the idea of extra casualties, or perhaps just because they never did like old Bloggs since that rugger match at Cranfield..........

I suggest that the additional weight of armour was additional to that concurrently in production on the Mk.II. This would exclude the rear pilot's armour and for that matter the armoured windscreen. Taking the differences back to prewar Mk.1s is just fatuous.

As is comparing the finest of German 1945 types with an aircraft that had already been in service for three years, with a replacement in service alongside it and production running down. In any war, airforces will have a mix of the latest and earlier types. Compare like with like.

Few have doubted the accuracy of the Hurricane IId. Some have suggested that the claims were overinflated, but that is true of all areas of combat. What was clearly in doubt was its survivability and hence overall efficacy. You are repeating arguments that have been countered, and continue to misrepresent officers who dedicated their careers to close partnership between the Army and the RAF.

Do you really think that Tedder, in his position as head of the Desert Air Force in 1942, was in a position to call for the specification, design, development, placing into production and then service, of some wonderful aircraft combining the precision of the Ju 87, the armour of the Il 2, and the performance of the Ta 152? All in less than two years? Such a chimera would be impossible in any timescale: any decent compromise impossible in that one. Tedder, much more so than Coningham in his lower position, could have been one of the influences on the production schedules that led to the 1944 order of battle, but he could not start with a clean sheet and had to deal with the options available.