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Supermarine Spitfire

"Never in the field of conflict was so much owed to so many by so few". In this famous statement Sir Winston Churchill must have referred not only to the pilots of the British fighter command during the Battle of Britain but to the legendary Spitfire as well. Designed by Reginald Mitchell, it reached production in 1938 and fulfilled its destiny by being matched against the Messerschmidt Bf109 in the Battle of Britain. No aircraft achieved such fame in all its variants as the Spitfire. No other aircraft of the war has such an aura of the glamour and mystique as the Spitfire. It was one of the first truly modern aircraft to emerge during WWII. Constant improvements in power, armament and engineering during the war gave the Spitfire a margin of superiority over its adversaries. |
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Hawker Hurricane

The first monoplane fighter of the Royal Air Force. The Hurricane with its fabric covered tail section will forever be associated with the Battle of Britain. A distinction it shares with the famous Spitfire. Never intended as a dog fighter, the Hurrican's value lay in its great versatility. It performed superbly, taking on the German bombers while the faster Spitfire occupied the Escorts. |
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Boulton Paul P.82 Defiant

The Defiant was a clean and pleasant aircraft. From the start of the "Night Blitz" it operated successfully at night without radar. The Defiant was a fighter with a crew of two and heavy turret. It served well against the Bf 109s and JU 88s. Later it was equipped with radar that made it even more formidable. Later in the war it served in air sea rescue. One of its most interesting variants was when it carried a jamming system to confuse the German air defenses. It was one of the first electronic warfare aircraft. |
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Messerschmidt Bf 109E

First flown in 1935, some 35,000 Bf109s were produced. It was one of the greatest combat aircraft in history. During the Battle of Britain its main adversary was the British Spitfire. In evolution, the aircraft was constantly improved. The Bf109 was the mainstay of the Luftwaffe in the Air Battle of Europe. It combined speed and armament including a cannon that fired through the propeller hub. From July through October of 1941 during the Battle of Britain the official loss of aircraft was in 915 British vs. 1733 German Aircraft. |
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Junkers JU 87 Stuka

The Stuka enjoyed a reputation that struck terror to those on the ground beneath it. The JU-87 was possibly the most effective tactical bombing machine of World War II and spearheaded the "Blitzkreig" battle tactics of the German Army in the early part of the war. During the Battle of the Britain the superiority of the British fighters forced the Stuka to be withdrawn to the Eastern front used in close support of ground troops in a theater where the Germans enjoyed air superiority. The JU87 remained in the German Air arsenal and in production until 1944. Over 5,700 Stukas were built. |
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Messerschmidt Bf110 Destroyer

The Bf110 was designed to meet a request from the Luftwaffe for a strategic long range fighter. It proved too heavy and not maneuverable enough to compete with Spitfire or even the Hurricane. Soon the Bf109 was having to escort the escort fighter. Later variants were packed with radar and night fighting equipment. These models played a major part in the night battles over the Reich against the British. During the Polish campaign, the Bf110 was impressive in a close support role. Able to inflict heavy damage on ground troops while destroying aerial opposition they encountered, the Bf110 proved to be tough and versatile plane, especially as a night fighter. |
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