Battle of Britain Aircraft

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German Airfield, France, 1941 propaganda photo of the Luftwaffe, ME 109 fighters on the tarmac

Spitfire, the iconic English fighter plane,designed by Reginald Mitchell, flying over the English coast

H is for Hurricane, British childrens alphabet book from WW II

1 Fighter aircraft
2 Bomber aircraft
3 Full list of aircraft

[edit] Fighter aircraft

The most famous fighter aircraft used in the Battle of Britain were the British Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane and the German Messerschmitt Bf 109E (Emil). Although nowadays the glamorous Spitfire is often thought of as the main British fighter, in fact the Hurricanes were at first more numerous (by a factor of about 5:3) and (especially in the early part of the battle), were responsible for most of the German losses.

The Spitfire and Bf 109E were well-matched in speed and agility, and both were somewhat faster than the Hurricane. The slightly larger Hurricane was regarded as less "twitchy" and provided a more stable gun platform, as Luftwaffe bombers would later find out to their cost. The RAF's preferred tactic was if possible to deploy the Hurricane's concentrated firepower against formations of less-agile bombers, and to pit the Spitfires against the fighter escorts waiting to pounce from higher altitude. The Spitfire’s one-piece sliding moulded canopy gave the best visibility, the pilot having a better chance of spotting an enemy over the Bf 109E and its heavy framed hinged hood. The Emil's main armament was two MG-17 (Maschinengewehr 17) 7.92 x 57 mm machine guns on the engine decking and two Oerlikon / Mauser MG FF 20 x 72RB mm autocannons in the wings. Although the explosive cannon shells had more destructive power, the FF's low muzzle velocity and limited ammunition carried meant the cannon was not markedly superior to the Hurricane and Spitfire's eight proven Browning .303 (7.7 x 56R mm) machine guns.

In terms of manoeuvrability, if flown by experienced pilots, the Bf 109E could out-turn the Hurricane and Spitfire for a short period at all heights however it could not sustain the turn. Most of the time though, the Spitfires and Hurricanes would out-turn the 109s because the Bf 109Es pilots were afraid to push the plane to its limits because the Bf 109E did not give the pilot any warning when it was about to stall, whereas the Spitfire and Hurricane shook violently at that point. The Spitfire's maximum speed was a little faster than the Bf 109E, although both the Spitfire and Hurricane were slower in a power dive and had the drawback of being equipped with a float-type carburettor which cut out under negative 'g' forces. The Bf 109E on the other hand had direct fuel injection, which meant the Bf 109E's main evasive manoeuvre was a nose 'bunt' straight down, the RAF fighters losing ground rapidly as the petrol supply momentarily stopped to the engine and the power cut. (Spitfire and Hurricane pilots overcame this by half rolling prior to diving, 'pushing' fuel into the engine.)

The Emil was smaller than either RAF fighter, but its controllability was decidedly inferior to the 'pilot-friendly' Spitfire and Hurricane, particularly during take-off and landing, and on the ground, where taxiing accidents were common. At high speeds controls tightened considerably , and the Bf 109E needed more strength to throw around the air than either of its main opponents. Attempts to pull high 'g' meant the Bf 109E's leading edge wing slats flicked in and out, resulting in aileron snatching, making aiming at a target in a tight turn very difficult. The Hurricane was the toughest and most durable of the three, and serviceability rates of Hawker's less sophisticated fighter were always higher than the more complex and advanced Spitfire.

Both the RAF fighters were easy to fly and forgiving of both rough handling and novice pilots. The Hurricane was a superbly steady gun platform, and the closely clustered .303 machine guns in each wing proved very destructive. A drawback to the Hurricane was the presence of a fuel tank just behind the cockpit firewall, which could catch fire and within a few seconds severely burn the pilot before he managed to bale out.

[edit] Bomber aircraft

The Luftwaffe made use of these four primary bombers during the Battle of Britain: Heinkel He 111, Dornier Do 17, Junkers Ju 87 'Stuka' and Junkers Ju 88. All of these were level bombers, releasing bombs over the target while flying straight and level, except the Ju 87 Stuka which was a dive bomber. The Heinkel He 111 was used in greater numbers than the others during the conflict and is more well known, partly due to is distinctive wing shape. Each of the level bombers also had a few reconnaissance versions that were used during the battle.

Although successful in previous Luftwaffe engagements, in the Battle of Britain the Ju 87 suffered prohibitive losses early in the conflict because of its slow speed and vulnerability to fighter intercept. The Ju 87s were soon withdrawn from the battle. The remaining three bomber types differed in their capabilities: The Heinkel 111 was the slowest, the Ju 88 was the fastest, and the Do 17 had the smallest bomb load.

All three bomber types suffered heavy losses from British fighters but the Ju 88 disproportionately so. This is perhaps due to its lighter defensive armament and greater reliance on speed to evade interception. Against faster, more modern aircraft such as the Hurricane and Spitfire, as compared to Polish or French defenders, the speed of the Ju 88 was less of an advantage.

Later in the conflict when night bombing became more frequent, all three level bombers were put to use. However, due to its reduced bomb load, the lighter Do 17 was used less than the He 111 and Ju 88 for this purpose.

On the British side, the Vickers Wellington, a heavy bomber, and the Fairey Battle, a light bomber were used against shipping, ports, and factories on the continent. Soon the British switched to night raids after heavy losses were suffered.