Hurricane claims question

[Kutscha]

Saw this posted on another board,

Detailed analysis carried out after the war revealed that half of all the enemy aircraft destroyed by the RAF throughout the conflict were victims of the Hurricane. This fact becomes even more impressive when one considers that in Europe the Hurricane was withdrawn from the pure fighter role from 1942 onwards.

from http://www.raf.mod.uk/history_old/hurri1.html

Is this statement a fact?

How reliable is the link?

[Graham Boak]

The figure of 55% was given by Francis K Mason in his work on the Hurricane for Aston Publications. I am not aware of from where he obtained his information.

However: if you compare the intensity of the fighting in the early war years with that in later times, and the length of time that the Spitfire was retained "on the island", the figure may appear rather less surprising. The Spitfire took no part in the Battle of France, and was very much the minor partner in the Battle of Britain. These are almost the only times that RAF fighters were faced with large numbers of enemy "targets" for sustained periods. Two years of defending Malta, the Middle East, and the Far East were in the hands of the Hurricane units.

[Kutscha]

Thanks Graham. Do you have a breakdown of the claims-kills for RAF fighter a/c?

[Graham Boak]

Sorry, no.