• Hawker Hurricane production and variants, Britain and Canada

    From Geoffrey Sinclair@21:1/5 to All on Mon Oct 4 16:37:55 2021
    This message has really two purposes, to test using a new news server after
    the ISP I am using simply terminated the news service, without announcement
    or discussion.

    Secondly to bypass the various web sites with Hawker Hurricane details that
    do not respond when given the following information.

    Main references, RAF Contract Cards and Serial Registers, Ministry of
    Aircraft Production Monthly Statistical Bulletin (March 1942 to December
    1945) and 1945 Statistical Review. British National Archives AIR 19/524, US
    War Production Board report.

    Sensationalist headline, no mark IIE, X, or XI, no Merlin 24 or 27.

    Britain,

    Hawker 1 mark I prototype

    Mark I, Hawker 1,924 December 1937 to February 1941 plus 1 company
    demonstrator G-AFKX, Gloster 1,850 October 1939 to June 1941

    Mark IIA, Hawker 418 August 1940 to April 1941, Gloster 33 in May and June
    1941

    Mark IIB, Hawker 2,051 February 1941 to November 1942, Gloster 867 June 1941
    to March 1942, Austin 300 February 1941 to October 1942

    Mark IIC, Hawker, 4,811 March 1941 to July 1944

    Mark IID, Hawker 296 January to April 1942, August 1942 to February 1943

    Mark IV, Hawker 524 December 1942 to March 1944, Merlin XX engine. Mark IV universal wing a single design able to mount two 250 or 500 lb (110 or 230
    kg) bombs, or two 40 mm (1.57 in) Vickers S guns, or two 40 mm (1.57 in)
    Rolls Royce B.H. type guns, two SBC (small bomb containers) or SCI (smoke curtain installation), or two 45 or 90 gallon drop tanks or eight "60
    pounder" RP-3 rockets.

    Mark V, Hawker 1 prototype, another two converted from Mk IV, and featured a Merlin 27 engine driving a four-bladed propeller, also tested with a Merlin
    32. Though a three bladed propeller was needed to fix problems when carrying the S guns.

    Sea IIc, Hawker 60 in November and December 1942 and April to June 1943.

    Mark IIE This designation was used by the Ministry of Aircraft Production in 1942 and 1943 for mark II factory fitted with wing racks, 270 delivered according to the Ministry, the RAF used the Mk IIBB or CB designation, the trailing B meaning (fighter) bomber. The Mk IIE was not an early mark Mk IV.
    A memo in AIR 20/4572 dated 30 August 1942 notes the mark IIE is the Hurribomber with sixty built to end June 1942, which agrees with the MAP
    total, there are one hundred and sixty eight mark IIE in the monthly
    production reports from March to October 1942, with mark IV production
    starting in December. In October 1943 the cumulative total of mark IIE is adjusted from one hundred and sixty eight to two hundred and seventy. The Serial Registers cover all Hurricane serials have no IIE listed, the (incomplete) Contract Cards have no IIE listed. Nor do the Air Britain
    serials books which use the individual aircraft history cards.

    The designation mark IIE does not appear in the RAF aircraft census AIR 20/1871, instead the February 1943 census reports two hundred and sixty
    eight mark IIBB had been ordered with two hundred and twenty nine delivered, plus others that had been converted. Then in June 1943 the census is amended
    to one hundred and sixty eight IIBB ordered and delivered, agreeing with monthly reports. In November 1943 the census adjusts the figures to two
    hundred and thirty IIBB and forty IICB ordered and delivered, agreeing with
    the new mark IIE total but the Ministry of Aircraft Production grand totals require no IIC built as IIE. The conclusion is all IIE in the monthly
    reports are actually IIE, and the IIE was the Ministry of Aircraft
    Production designation for mark II factory fitted with under wing racks,
    they were not early mark IV.

    AIR 20/1871 notes as of end June 1944 that a nett total of 378 Hurricanes
    had been converted to Sea Hurricane, 479 Hurricane I converted to other
    marks, 97 other marks had been converted to IIA, while 133 IIB, 3,034 IIC
    and 2 IID had been converted to other marks, with a net 66 conversions to
    IICB, 3,132 conversions to IICB and 1 to mark IV.

    The availability of Merlin 24 and 27 versus Hurricane IV production,
    cumulative official production of Hurricane IV \ Merlin 24 \ Merlin 27, to
    end of month,
    Jul-43 \ 313 \ 16 \ 0
    Aug-43 \ 349 \ 81 \ 0
    Sep-43 \ 384 \ 349 \ 0
    Oct-43 \ 412 \ 514 \ 0
    Nov-43 \ 448 \ 719 \ 69
    Dec-43 \ 464 \ 1296 \ 139
    Jan-44 \ 474 \ 1661 \ 141
    Feb-44 \ 523 \ 2028 \ 141
    Mar-44 \ 524 \ 2315 \ 141

    RAF Squadrons by Jefford, arrival of mark IV
    February 1943, 164 Sqn
    May 1943, 184 Sqn
    June 1943, 137 Sqn
    July 1943, 6 Sqn
    August 1943, 186 Sqn
    October 1943, 42 Sqn
    November 1943, 438 Sqn
    December 1943, 567, 577, 587, 650 Sqn
    January 1944, 439 Sqn
    February 1944, 309, 440, 598 Sqn
    March 1944, 285, 679 Sqn
    April 1944, 63, 291 Sqn
    June 1944, 595 Sqn
    August 1944, 639 Sqn
    September 1944, 351 Sqn
    December 1944, 20 Sqn
    May 1945, 28 Sqn

    Jefford also has Hurricanes marks I, IIB and IV all arriving together at 287 and 289 Sqn in November 1941 which appears to be a typo.

    http://www.rafcommands.com/archive/18854.php The accident report for KX190
    (the 28th mark IV in serial number terms) and the loss report for KZ607
    (189th) both state the engine was a Merlin XX, with KZ607 lost in February 1944.

    As of end July 1943 61 Hurricane IV were with Fighter Command (including 21
    in miscellaneous units), 76 en route to overseas areas, 6 were in the Middle East, 1 in a training unit, 1 with the Admiralty and 7 had been lost. By end October 1943, 111 were with Fighter Command (50 misc.), 21 with the Tactical Air Force, 14 were en route to overseas areas, 63 in the Mediterranean, 36
    in India, 1 in a training units, 1 with the Admiralty and 23 had been lost.

    As of end March 1944 of the 524 new and 1 converted mark IV the RAF had received 62 had been lost or converted to instructional airframes, 144 were overseas, 52 en route or being prepared, 173 with fighter/bomber/2nd TAF commands. While the Ministry of Aircraft Production says no Merlin 24 had
    been exported, versus 108 Merlin 21 and 23 and 115 Merlin 22 (plus 2,240
    Merlin XX). If Hurricane IV were going overseas with Merlin 24 they would
    have needed spare engines yet as of end 1944 two Merlin 24 had been
    exported. Add the end March 1944 stocks of Merlin 24 engines and power
    plants figures, 198 with aircraft constructors, 471 with power plant
    builders, 611 in Maintenance Units, 69 with home commands (as of end
    February), 19 under repair, total 1,371 out of 2,327 built. Not a lot
    available for Hurricanes after the Lancasters had been fitted.

    RAF records show the final 15 mark IV used Merlin XX engines. "Rolls-Royce Merlin production list show that two Mk.27 were built at Derby and then 141
    at Glasgow. A Mk.24 was also converted to a Mk.27. It also states that all Glasgow Mk.27 s were converted to Mk.25s." (131 converted according to MAP, plus 2 more to Merlin 24)

    When the mark V was cancelled the Merlin 27 production was also cancelled. According to the RAF census AIR 20/1871 a total of 384 mark V were ordered
    in June 1943, along with 450 more mark IIC, while the mark IV order was
    reduced from 1,138 to 454. In August 200 more mark V were ordered, along
    with 200 more mark IIC, then in January 1944 the mark V order was cancelled, along with 124 mark IIC, with 70 more mark IV ordered. This explains the limited number of 141 Merlin 27 built, why they were built between November 1943 and January 1944 and why they were bulk converted to Merlin 25. (and
    then used in Mosquitoes)

    There were no Hurricane mark IIE, the mark IV used the Merlin XX, the mark V was to use the Merlin 27, but was tested with the Merlin 32.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Canada, start by noting the Hurricanes built for Britain were incomplete airframes, hence why in 1941 the RCAF had to take Merlin III and propellers from Fairey Battles to make 30 Hurricane I operational.

    In a letter dated 10 December 1941 from the (Canadian) Director General of Aircraft Production reported,

    15 Sea Hurricanes already despatched for the east, 9 Sea Hurricanes tested
    and ready at Fort William while 26 Sea Hurricanes that were missing between them, 24 generator couplings, 11 pairs of wheels, 8 tail wheels (slave (CCF test) equipment can reduce this to 8 pairs and 6 tail wheels). The brakes, being magnesium alloy castings, and the wheels must come from England, generator couplings from Merlin 28 can be used. Some items of service
    equipment are also needed, "secret wireless device" etc.

    Fort William has 60 mark IA airframes (explicitly stated can only take
    Merlin III engines), complete less wheels, brakes, tyres and tubes but
    needing engines, propellers, instruments, and all other appendix A Serial
    1160 Embodiment Loan Equipment. The deficient equipment will have to come
    from Fairey Battles, including a cut down two pitch propeller.

    The mark II in production emerge from the factory in a similar state to the stored mark I. "require from England, wheels, brakes, air compressors and drives and couplers for same, hydraulic pump drives and couplings, airscrews and instruments".

    Official production,
    486 mark I February 1940 to October 1941 (with 11 in August, 0 in September
    and 1 in October 1941)

    414 mark IIB November 1941 to June 1942, 101 February and March 1943, total
    515

    400 mark XII June 1942 to May 1943 (B wings) Merlin 29 engine.

    50 Sea mark I November 1941 to January 1942, survivors of which were later upgraded to mark XII.

    Air 20/2019. Arrivals in Britain were 419 mark I airframes May 1940 to
    August 1941, including L1848, the pre war pattern aircraft returning, 8 more lost at sea, 315 mark II airframes November 1941 to August 1942 plus 118
    mark II Hurricanes fitted with an engine February to April 1942, 132 mark II airframes March to July 1943, 116 mark II with an engine March to June 1943, another 11 mark II lost at sea (8 in 1942, 3 in 1943), all up 419 mark I airframes, 447 mark II airframes, 234 mark II with an engine arrived, total 1,100. All Canadian built Hurricanes were retained in Canada or exported to Britain, many mark II having their B wings replaced by C wings before issue
    to the RAF. The Merlin 28 supplied to Canada for Hurricanes in 1942 lacked accessories, they could not be flown, apart from a few test flights any Hurricane arriving in Britain with a Merlin 28 had it replaced by a Merlin
    XX, the Merlin 28 going to Lancasters.

    The site
    https://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4013coll8/id/3332 will allow you to download the US War Production Board report. Merlin 28
    production began in August 1941, with 32 built by the end of the year. Also
    to end June 1942 about a third of US Merlin production was for Merlin 28 for Britain (the USAAF had all those Merlin P-40) plus 240 Merlin 29 and 7
    Merlin 31, with 544 Merlin 28 engines in stock in Britain out of 819
    produced (and a good 300 on the way, given end July stocks were 833), use
    that as an aid when someone asks for advice on a good reference for Hawker Hurricane production, you can check out the section on Canadian production
    to see if it fits the mark X information in particular.

    Hurricane mark X. Mark number used by some RAF documentation to describe Canadian built mark I, Merlin III engine. Not an official designation. By
    the time Merlin 28 production began in the US 419 Canadian built mark I airframes had arrived in Britain

    Hurricane mark XI. Designation never officially allocated or used.

    Hurricane mark XII (Initially known as IIB (Can)), the designation for Hurricanes fitted with Merlin 29, a total of 400 were built, of which 150
    were shipped to Britain while leaving their Merlin 29 in Canada, also the survivors of 30 RAF order mark I and 50 Sea Hurricane I (all 80 built in Canada) serving in the RCAF had their Merlin III replaced by a 29.

    So the headline is no mark X and XI, a few test flights only were done using
    a Merlin 28.

    In August 1941 Canada ordered 400 Hurricanes, 100 for the Netherlands East Indies, 300 for China, this changed to 72 for the Netherlands East Indies,
    328 for the USSR, to use Merlin 28 and US built propellers and shipped
    across the Pacific. By the time production started it was 400 RCAF, but in
    1943 it was 250 RCAF and 150 RAF, the 150 giving rise to the claim of the
    mark XI (Merlin 28 RCAF equipment), these PJ serial airframes were stripped
    so as to be the same standard as mark II production.

    In early 1942 the prototype Netherlands East Indies version flew as HC3-287,
    ex AM270, its ultimate fate is unclear. The RAF also allocated then used
    AM270 for a Catalina, replacing Hurricane serial AM270 with AP138, hence why Canada officially produced 1,451 Hurricanes despite 1,450 being ordered by Britain and Canada.

    The other Canadian production anomalies are AM321 and AM322 which have no
    known records, when comparing the total production figures less British
    imports less lost at sea 3 aircraft are unaccounted for as of June 1942.
    Like a number of earlier mark I two 1943 mark II imports were not delivered
    to the RAF, which ties in with the officially cancelled JS372 and JS373.
    While AM270 being present before the switch from IIB to XII production means one early RAF order Hurricane had not been officially produced by June 1942, which turns out to be AG341, number 477 in RAF serial number order, but
    about the last one built using RAF taken on charge and delivery dates.

    In mid 1941 the plan was to retain 100 Hurricanes in Canada for training purposes, the final 59 Hurricane I (to August 1941) then the 1 built in
    October were put into storage. Of these 30 were allocated to the RCAF
    initially flew as mark I and survivors were ultimately upgraded to mark XII, while some months after the first mark II had arrived in Britain the
    remaining 30 stored airframes arrived but were counted and used as mark II
    by the RAF. It appears they were upgraded to mark II before export.

    Geoffrey Sinclair
    Remove the nb for email.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Keith Willshaw@21:1/5 to Geoffrey Sinclair on Mon Oct 4 21:53:30 2021
    On 04/10/2021 06:37, Geoffrey Sinclair wrote:
    This message has really two purposes, to test using a new news server
    after the ISP I am using simply terminated the news service, without announcement or discussion.

    Secondly to bypass the various web sites with Hawker Hurricane details
    that do not respond when given the following information.

    Main references, RAF Contract Cards and Serial Registers, Ministry of Aircraft Production Monthly Statistical Bulletin (March 1942 to December 1945) and 1945 Statistical Review. British National Archives AIR 19/524,
    US War Production Board report.

    Sensationalist headline, no mark IIE, X, or XI, no Merlin 24 or 27.

    Britain,

    Hawker 1 mark I prototype

    Mark I, Hawker 1,924 December 1937 to February 1941 plus 1 company demonstrator G-AFKX, Gloster 1,850 October 1939 to June 1941

    Mark IIA, Hawker 418 August 1940 to April 1941, Gloster 33 in May and
    June 1941

    Mark IIB, Hawker 2,051 February 1941 to November 1942, Gloster 867 June
    1941 to March 1942, Austin 300 February 1941 to October 1942

    Mark IIC, Hawker, 4,811 March 1941 to July 1944

    Mark IID, Hawker 296 January to April 1942, August 1942 to February 1943

    Mark IV, Hawker 524 December 1942 to March 1944, Merlin XX engine. Mark
    IV universal wing a single design able to mount two 250 or 500 lb (110
    or 230 kg) bombs, or two 40 mm (1.57 in) Vickers S guns, or two 40 mm
    (1.57 in) Rolls Royce B.H. type guns, two SBC (small bomb containers) or
    SCI (smoke curtain installation), or two 45 or 90 gallon drop tanks or
    eight "60 pounder" RP-3 rockets.

    Mark V, Hawker 1 prototype, another two converted from Mk IV, and
    featured a Merlin 27 engine driving a four-bladed propeller, also tested
    with a Merlin 32. Though a three bladed propeller was needed to fix
    problems when carrying the S guns.

    Sea IIc, Hawker 60 in November and December 1942 and April to June 1943.

    Mark IIE This designation was used by the Ministry of Aircraft
    Production in 1942 and 1943 for mark II factory fitted with wing racks,
    270 delivered according to the Ministry, the RAF used the Mk IIBB or CB designation, the trailing B meaning (fighter) bomber. The Mk IIE was not
    an early mark Mk IV. A memo in AIR 20/4572 dated 30 August 1942 notes
    the mark IIE is the Hurribomber with sixty built to end June 1942, which agrees with the MAP total, there are one hundred and sixty eight mark
    IIE in the monthly production reports from March to October 1942, with
    mark IV production starting in December. In October 1943 the cumulative
    total of mark IIE is adjusted from one hundred and sixty eight to two
    hundred and seventy. The Serial Registers cover all Hurricane serials
    have no IIE listed, the (incomplete) Contract Cards have no IIE listed.
    Nor do the Air Britain serials books which use the individual aircraft history cards.

    The designation mark IIE does not appear in the RAF aircraft census AIR 20/1871, instead the February 1943 census reports two hundred and sixty
    eight mark IIBB had been ordered with two hundred and twenty nine
    delivered, plus others that had been converted. Then in June 1943 the
    census is amended to one hundred and sixty eight IIBB ordered and
    delivered, agreeing with monthly reports. In November 1943 the census
    adjusts the figures to two hundred and thirty IIBB and forty IICB
    ordered and delivered, agreeing with the new mark IIE total but the
    Ministry of Aircraft Production grand totals require no IIC built as
    IIE. The conclusion is all IIE in the monthly reports are actually IIE,
    and the IIE was the Ministry of Aircraft Production designation for mark
    II factory fitted with under wing racks, they were not early mark IV.

    AIR 20/1871 notes as of end June 1944 that a nett total of 378
    Hurricanes had been converted to Sea Hurricane, 479 Hurricane I
    converted to other marks, 97 other marks had been converted to IIA,
    while 133 IIB, 3,034 IIC and 2 IID had been converted to other marks,
    with a net 66 conversions to IICB, 3,132 conversions to IICB and 1 to
    mark IV.

    The availability of Merlin 24 and 27 versus Hurricane IV production, cumulative official production of Hurricane IV \ Merlin 24 \ Merlin 27,
    to end of month,
    Jul-43 \ 313 \ 16 \ 0
    Aug-43 \ 349 \ 81 \ 0
    Sep-43 \ 384 \ 349 \ 0
    Oct-43 \ 412 \ 514 \ 0
    Nov-43 \ 448 \ 719 \ 69
    Dec-43 \ 464 \ 1296 \ 139
    Jan-44 \ 474 \ 1661 \ 141
    Feb-44 \ 523 \ 2028 \ 141
    Mar-44 \ 524 \ 2315 \ 141

    RAF Squadrons by Jefford, arrival of mark IV
    February 1943, 164 Sqn
    May 1943, 184 Sqn
    June 1943, 137 Sqn
    July 1943, 6 Sqn
    August 1943, 186 Sqn
    October 1943, 42 Sqn
    November 1943, 438 Sqn
    December 1943, 567, 577, 587, 650 Sqn
    January 1944, 439 Sqn
    February 1944, 309, 440, 598 Sqn
    March 1944, 285, 679 Sqn
    April 1944, 63, 291 Sqn
    June 1944, 595 Sqn
    August 1944, 639 Sqn
    September 1944, 351 Sqn
    December 1944, 20 Sqn
    May 1945, 28 Sqn

    Jefford also has Hurricanes marks I, IIB and IV all arriving together at
    287 and 289 Sqn in November 1941 which appears to be a typo.

    http://www.rafcommands.com/archive/18854.php The accident report for
    KX190 (the 28th mark IV in serial number terms) and the loss report for
    KZ607 (189th) both state the engine was a Merlin XX, with KZ607 lost in February 1944.

    As of end July 1943 61 Hurricane IV were with Fighter Command (including
    21 in miscellaneous units), 76 en route to overseas areas, 6 were in the Middle East, 1 in a training unit, 1 with the Admiralty and 7 had been
    lost. By end October 1943, 111 were with Fighter Command (50 misc.), 21
    with the Tactical Air Force, 14 were en route to overseas areas, 63 in
    the Mediterranean, 36 in India, 1 in a training units, 1 with the
    Admiralty and 23 had been lost.

    As of end March 1944 of the 524 new and 1 converted mark IV the RAF had received 62 had been lost or converted to instructional airframes, 144
    were overseas, 52 en route or being prepared, 173 with
    fighter/bomber/2nd TAF commands. While the Ministry of Aircraft
    Production says no Merlin 24 had been exported, versus 108 Merlin 21 and
    23 and 115 Merlin 22 (plus 2,240 Merlin XX). If Hurricane IV were going overseas with Merlin 24 they would have needed spare engines yet as of
    end 1944 two Merlin 24 had been exported. Add the end March 1944 stocks
    of Merlin 24 engines and power plants figures, 198 with aircraft constructors, 471 with power plant builders, 611 in Maintenance Units,
    69 with home commands (as of end February), 19 under repair, total 1,371
    out of 2,327 built. Not a lot available for Hurricanes after the
    Lancasters had been fitted.

    RAF records show the final 15 mark IV used Merlin XX engines.
    "Rolls-Royce Merlin production list show that two Mk.27 were built at
    Derby and then 141 at Glasgow. A Mk.24 was also converted to a Mk.27. It
    also states that all Glasgow Mk.27 s were converted to Mk.25s." (131 converted according to MAP, plus 2 more to Merlin 24)

    When the mark V was cancelled the Merlin 27 production was also
    cancelled. According to the RAF census AIR 20/1871 a total of 384 mark V
    were ordered in June 1943, along with 450 more mark IIC, while the mark
    IV order was reduced from 1,138 to 454. In August 200 more mark V were ordered, along with 200 more mark IIC, then in January 1944 the mark V
    order was cancelled, along with 124 mark IIC, with 70 more mark IV
    ordered. This explains the limited number of 141 Merlin 27 built, why
    they were built between November 1943 and January 1944 and why they were
    bulk converted to Merlin 25. (and then used in Mosquitoes)

    There were no Hurricane mark IIE, the mark IV used the Merlin XX, the
    mark V was to use the Merlin 27, but was tested with the Merlin 32.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Canada, start by noting the Hurricanes built for Britain were incomplete airframes, hence why in 1941 the RCAF had to take Merlin III and
    propellers from Fairey Battles to make 30 Hurricane I operational.

    In a letter dated 10 December 1941 from the (Canadian) Director General
    of Aircraft Production reported,

    15 Sea Hurricanes already despatched for the east, 9 Sea Hurricanes
    tested and ready at Fort William while 26 Sea Hurricanes that were
    missing between them, 24 generator couplings, 11 pairs of wheels, 8 tail wheels (slave (CCF test) equipment can reduce this to 8 pairs and 6 tail wheels). The brakes, being magnesium alloy castings, and the wheels must
    come from England, generator couplings from Merlin 28 can be used. Some
    items of service equipment are also needed, "secret wireless device" etc.

    Fort William has 60 mark IA airframes (explicitly stated can only take
    Merlin III engines), complete less wheels, brakes, tyres and tubes but needing engines, propellers, instruments, and all other appendix A
    Serial 1160 Embodiment Loan Equipment. The deficient equipment will have
    to come from Fairey Battles, including a cut down two pitch propeller.

    The mark II in production emerge from the factory in a similar state to
    the stored mark I. "require from England, wheels, brakes, air
    compressors and drives and couplers for same, hydraulic pump drives and couplings, airscrews and instruments".

    Official production,
    486 mark I February 1940 to October 1941 (with 11 in August, 0 in
    September and 1 in October 1941)

    414 mark IIB November 1941 to June 1942, 101 February and March 1943,
    total 515

    400 mark XII June 1942 to May 1943 (B wings) Merlin 29 engine.

    50 Sea mark I November 1941 to January 1942, survivors of which were
    later upgraded to mark XII.

    Air 20/2019. Arrivals in Britain were 419 mark I airframes May 1940 to
    August 1941, including L1848, the pre war pattern aircraft returning, 8
    more lost at sea, 315 mark II airframes November 1941 to August 1942
    plus 118 mark II Hurricanes fitted with an engine February to April
    1942, 132 mark II airframes March to July 1943, 116 mark II with an
    engine March to June 1943, another 11 mark II lost at sea (8 in 1942, 3
    in 1943), all up 419 mark I airframes, 447 mark II airframes, 234 mark
    II with an engine arrived, total 1,100. All Canadian built Hurricanes
    were retained in Canada or exported to Britain, many mark II having
    their B wings replaced by C wings before issue to the RAF. The Merlin 28 supplied to Canada for Hurricanes in 1942 lacked accessories, they could
    not be flown, apart from a few test flights any Hurricane arriving in
    Britain with a Merlin 28 had it replaced by a Merlin XX, the Merlin 28
    going to Lancasters.

    The site https://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4013coll8/id/3332
    will allow you to download the US War Production Board report. Merlin 28 production began in August 1941, with 32 built by the end of the year.
    Also to end June 1942 about a third of US Merlin production was for
    Merlin 28 for Britain (the USAAF had all those Merlin P-40) plus 240
    Merlin 29 and 7 Merlin 31, with 544 Merlin 28 engines in stock in
    Britain out of 819 produced (and a good 300 on the way, given end July
    stocks were 833), use that as an aid when someone asks for advice on a
    good reference for Hawker Hurricane production, you can check out the
    section on Canadian production to see if it fits the mark X information
    in particular.

    Hurricane mark X. Mark number used by some RAF documentation to describe Canadian built mark I, Merlin III engine. Not an official designation.
    By the time Merlin 28 production began in the US 419 Canadian built mark
    I airframes had arrived in Britain

    Hurricane mark XI. Designation never officially allocated or used.

    Hurricane mark XII (Initially known as IIB (Can)), the designation for Hurricanes fitted with Merlin 29, a total of 400 were built, of which
    150 were shipped to Britain while leaving their Merlin 29 in Canada,
    also the survivors of 30 RAF order mark I and 50 Sea Hurricane I (all 80 built in Canada) serving in the RCAF had their Merlin III replaced by a 29.

    So the headline is no mark X and XI, a few test flights only were done
    using a Merlin 28.

    In August 1941 Canada ordered 400 Hurricanes, 100 for the Netherlands
    East Indies, 300 for China, this changed to 72 for the Netherlands East Indies, 328 for the USSR, to use Merlin 28 and US built propellers and shipped across the Pacific. By the time production started it was 400
    RCAF, but in 1943 it was 250 RCAF and 150 RAF, the 150 giving rise to
    the claim of the mark XI (Merlin 28 RCAF equipment), these PJ serial airframes were stripped so as to be the same standard as mark II
    production.

    In early 1942 the prototype Netherlands East Indies version flew as
    HC3-287, ex AM270, its ultimate fate is unclear. The RAF also allocated
    then used AM270 for a Catalina, replacing Hurricane serial AM270 with
    AP138, hence why Canada officially produced 1,451 Hurricanes despite
    1,450 being ordered by Britain and Canada.

    The other Canadian production anomalies are AM321 and AM322 which have
    no known records, when comparing the total production figures less
    British imports less lost at sea 3 aircraft are unaccounted for as of
    June 1942. Like a number of earlier mark I two 1943 mark II imports were
    not delivered to the RAF, which ties in with the officially cancelled
    JS372 and JS373. While AM270 being present before the switch from IIB to
    XII production means one early RAF order Hurricane had not been
    officially produced by June 1942, which turns out to be AG341, number
    477 in RAF serial number order, but about the last one built using RAF
    taken on charge and delivery dates.

    In mid 1941 the plan was to retain 100 Hurricanes in Canada for training purposes, the final 59 Hurricane I (to August 1941) then the 1 built in October were put into storage. Of these 30 were allocated to the RCAF initially flew as mark I and survivors were ultimately upgraded to mark
    XII, while some months after the first mark II had arrived in Britain
    the remaining 30 stored airframes arrived but were counted and used as
    mark II by the RAF. It appears they were upgraded to mark II before export.

    Geoffrey Sinclair
    Remove the nb for email.

    Its nice to see a reference to the Hurricane which which played largely uncredited part in the Battle of Britain and North Africa. My dad served
    in North Africa with the army and he said no sight at both first and
    second Alamein cheered them up as much as Hurribombers putting the fear
    of god into the tanks of the Afrika Corps.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)