Belgian Hurricanes

[robert]

Hi,

I`m interested in ultimate fate of following Belgian Hurricanes:
- H28
- H24
- H37
- H38
- H39
Who knows the details?

Regards

Robert

[Alain57]

Hi Robert ,

Perhaps this can help you :

10/05/1940
Schaffen airfield
Hurricane Explosion off fuel tank
L-1994
2/I/2Aé
H-24
Sgt Libert ( WIA )


3/03/1940
Bierset (Airfield)
Hurricane
Turned over during landing
2/I/2Aé H-39
Cpt Van Den Hove D'ersenrijk (WND)

[Ex Shack]

Hi Robert
From Battle of France- Then and Now by Peter Cornwell.
28/2/40, H28 written off after a landing accident at Schaffen
Regards
Dick

[robert]

Hi,

thanks for your information`s. So we can assume that H-37 and H-38 were lost either on 10th or 11th May 1940?

Regards

Robert

[Ex Shack]

Hi Robert
Just in case you don't already have the information. B-of-France has 9 Hurricanes as hit on the ground on 10/5/40 at Schaffen- H20, 21, 22, 27, 30, 31, 32, 34, and 42. 8 were written off and the 9th destroyed the following day. It also records H23 and H29 as being caught on the ground at Le Culot on 11/5/40 with one written off and the other abandonned when a withdrawal was made to Belsele. The book does not mention H24 at Schaffen on 10/05 but does mention the wounding of Sgt Libert
Regards
Dick

[Mirek Wawrzynski]

Hi
Some about the fate of Belgian Hurricanes you may see and check in my book: Hurricanes in Foreign Service, printed in Poland in 2001. The first chapter pp. 3-8 is focused exacly about this - Belgian Hurricanes 1939-1940. There are 15 b&w photos of them too.

The main text is in Polish, but there is at the end of it quite long English summary - p. 59-64.
I have see on the web scanned it a few years ago, but I do not remeber exactly where, the English summary was also put in one web aviation forum too later, when disccution about foreign Hurricanes had began.

Regards,
Mirek Wawrzyński,
an author of Hurricane in Foreign Service (Hurricane w obcej służbie)

PS
3 Belgian survived first early German air attack (2 servicable took off shortly before air attack + 1 damaged later - was flyable: H-23 + H-?? + H-29) of 11 servicable on 10 V. Next day they were finnished on the second airfiled about 16.30 by Me 109s of I/JG 27.

If I am right rember H-42 was not yet put on the inventory of Belgian squadron. He was standing still separatly to the rest unit. It was the first one produced under British licence in Belgium.

[Stig Jarlevik]

Alain

For what its worth, but reverse the digits in H.24 and you get H.42....

Cheers
Stig

[Pieter H]

after the attack on Schaffen on May 10 only three Hurricanes were left: H-23 and H-34 flew to Beauvechain, followed later that day by the repaired H-29. In two attacks on May 11 all three were damaged, two completely, one damaged. That latter one was finally destroyed by Belgian personnel upon the transfer to Belsele on the evening of May 11.
The H-36 was not yet fully assembled at the Etablissements Aeronautique at Evere and transported to Bordeaux by train. This makes me suspect the H-37 and 38 were not yet delivered and in even less usuable state.
H-25 had nosed over on December 1 and probably still in repair,
H-26, -33 and -35 were damaged on March 2 and probably still in repair on May 10 since not listed on any operational list. The H-39 was written off per the same date.
h-28 was written off on Feb 28 after a landing crash.
I have one statement saying that on May 10 there were not 11 but 12 Hurricanes operational, with the H-41 standing separate from the rest.

Overall this leaves as unconfirmed the H-24, 37 and 38, and a question mark for the 41. Other than that all 23 from H-20 to H-42 are accounted for.

Pieter

[robert]

Hi Pieter,

thanks for such detailed information!

Regards

Robert

[Pilot]

This topic give some answer on the some images related to this plane in Belgian service.