Headcorn Aero-Legends Battle of Britain airshow 24-26 June 2022

 

Aero Legends have put on another super little show from Headcorn, opened by the Red Arrows on Friday afternoon. A few of my images from the flight line and more great shots by my friends Matt (Hayward), Colin Brown and Alfred Cassell.

The show opened on the Friday lunch time with the Red Arrows. the Strikemaster duo cancelled for the weekend and the BBMF Lancaster also cancelled again ..due to high crosswinds at Scampton. 'Sally B' again graced the show, operating out of Lydd. I had no idea that this aircraft - now flying for over 40 years in the UK - is owned through this period by a Danish woman, Emmy Sallingboe; hence the name..

..and the show was filmed by Planes TV ....see the 'takeoffs' selection below...a single click to view here..

Superrmarine Spitfire T.9 NH341 'Elizabeth' and Spitfire Mk IV TD314 'St George', respectively flown by Charle Brown and Antony "Parky' Parkinson, chase a Buchön in a mock dogfight over Headcorn airfield at Saturday's  display.  (Ian Andrews)

And also on this blog - highlights from last year's Headcorn air show 

https://falkeeinsgreatplanes.blogspot.com/2021/07/more-great-shots-from-aero-legends.html

More Hurricanes shot down in France - ebay photo find #91

18 May 1940
229 Squadron B Flight

Hurricane P2729 Shot down in combat with Bf109s of II./JG2 between Brussels and Antwerp and possibly that claimed by Lt. Hepe of 5./JG2 11:50 am Pilot Officer M.A. Bussey baled out and captured. Aircraft a write off

Hurricane P2676 Shot down in air combat with Bf 109s of II./JG 2 between Brussels and Antwerp and possibly that claimed by Fw. Harbauer of 4./JG 2 11:57 am. Pilot Officer D de C. C. Gower baled out unhurt. Aircraft a write-off.

Hurricane (no serial) Exploded under attack by Bf 109s of II./JG 26 shortly after takeoff at 3:30 pm Flight Lieutenant F. E. Rosier baled out badly burnt, admitted to field hospital in Frevent. Aircraft a write-off.

More Hurricanes shot down in France on this blog
https://falkeeinsgreatplanes.blogspot.com/2018/09/beute-flugzeuge-hurricanes-lost-in.html

abgeschossener Engländer! Beute Flugzeuge - Hurricanes lost in France - ebay photo find #87

currently on offer via Oliver Rogge's Ebay sales site, see link below

on offer here

"Adstantes" - a history of 111 squadron -recommended aviation books

Privately published history of one of the RAF's leading fighter squadrons, first to put the Hurricane into service in early 1938. The unit's 'JU' codes also appeared on the Spitfire V in overall black night fighter camouflage. Following the Battle of Britain the unit subsequently went out to North Africa  and fought over Sicily and southern Italy.

During the Cold War period the unit's black Hunters acquired a certain notoriety.

Sadly the book is replete with typos and other errors and only very few personal accounts but still well worth getting hold of..

Ebay photo find # 31 -Rumanian Hurricane, Sukhoi Su 2

Shown here courtesy of Marco at koelsch333 Ebay sales

Rumanian Hawker Hurricane Mk. I Escadrilla 53

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Foto-rumanische-Hawker-Hurricane-Mk-I-Escadrilla-53-Flugzeug-Luftwaffe-Rumanien-/361243102128?pt=Militaria&hash=item541bc44bb0

Sukhoi Su 2; note Bf 110 left background

Lend-lease Hurricanes

Rare views of Hurricane IIb (or 'c') with a tropical sand filter and four 20mm Hispano cannons delivered to the Soviets and now displayed at Revda in the Kola Peninsula and painted as BM951, although that is not its true identity. It is in the markings of one Captain Yakovlenko who was shot down and killed in 1941. The scheme is apparently based on photographs of similar Hurricanes, although this is perhaps not evident from my perusal of Yefim Gordon's 530-page 'Soviet Air Power in WWII'. The Hurricane was of course the most numerous British type in Soviet service - more than 3,000 in total- and the exploits of the RAF's 151 Wing  in the Far North earned the admiration and the recognition of their Soviet colleagues, including an 'Order of Lenin' for WC Sherwood.

" unlike US aircraft, many Hurricanes arrived incomplete and/or needed repairs. Some had as much as 100 hours on the clock. What particularly annoyed the Soviet workers unpacking the crates was the Finnish swastika painted on some of the aircraft....Soviet pilots were taught to engage enemy aircraft in the horizontal plane and were thus quick to appreciate the Hurricanes' small turning radius which was superior both to the Me 109 and the MiG-3 and Yak 1...the Hurricanes' combat capabilities in the East were hampered though by shortages of spares, especially propellers - their wooden props were easily splintered and damaged by loose stones on take off and enemy bullets....."  ( ! )