Malta Hurricanes

[Jonny]

So far as I know, Hurricanes reached Malta before any Spifires arrived.

I can't find any good pics of any of the aircraft!

Were they Mk 1s or 2s? What was the sub-type, e.g. IIa / IIb?

Did they have the 'Trop' carb. intake?

What was the overall colour? Ive seen the restored airframe in Malta (an incredible job!) and it's TLS but were all Malta based Hurricanres in this colour scheme?

Any & all help & advice very welcome!

Jonny

[Ed Russell]

This excellent book

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234948836-new-malta-book-released-no-place-for-beginners/

will help!

[Troy Smith]

So far as I know, Hurricanes reached Malta before any Spifires arrived.

yes, in 1940 things were a bit desperate, but leaving the defence of Malat to forgottn Sea Gladiator's is the stuff of legend, and there were Hurricane, well, a few by late 1940, but by 1941 the RAF 'needed' all the available Spifires to waste on fighter sweeps in France, where the Luftwaffe were so concerned by the RAF 'non stop offensive' that they withdrew most of the jagdschwader leaving JG2 and JG 26 to do the job....

I think like 80 squadrons of Spitfire's by 1942 and very few where they might have done some good...like the Middle or Far East....I digress.

Malta got a lot more Spitfires when Keith Park [of 11 group BoB fame, ie the man who actually won it] took over and instead of saying 'send more fighter's' said 'Send Spitfires'

I can't find any good pics of any of the aircraft!

there aren't many, but...well, see below. Note the search term I used.

Were they Mk 1s or 2s? What was the sub-type, e.g. IIa / IIb?

all of the above, plus IIc's . Depends when.

Did they have the 'Trop' carb. intake?

some did.

What was the overall colour? Ive seen the restored airframe in Malta (an incredible job!) and it's TLS but were all Malta based Hurricanres in this colour scheme?

Most seem to have been TLS, but discussion here suggest that the undersides would be Sky Blue, not Sky

read this thread for more

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234957356-sky-blue-what-is-it-good-for/

but a few had desert finish, and some got a local repaint. Tony O Toole's book is good, but only goes up to Sep 41. Colours are discussed, and there are a fair amount of photos.

Right, I just google imaged 'Hawker Hurricane Malta' and in tow places got the below, and there are more....OK, being a Hurricane anorak i can do this and know what is a Malta Hurricane photo... but did you try this?

there are a few here, captioned as such http://www.wwiivehicles.com/unitedkingdom/aircraft/fighter/hawker-hurricane-mk-ii.asp

a IIA in crashed in italy, but flying from Malta

a very famous pic of a IIA flown by naval personnel, and probably repainted in grey or blue uppers, there are much better copies of this pic BTW

crashed IIb at Hal Far

this is a IIB

IIC

Note non standard roundel. Discussed in Tony's book.

more here

http://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Hurricane/Hawker-Hurricane.html

hover mouse of pics for captions or scroll through the pics

here's a Malta Mk I, very famous oft reproduced image. All the Mk Is have the DH prop shown AFAIK when delivered, some got the later Rotol 'bullet' prop usually associated with the Mk II

Hawker Hurricane MkI Trop RAF 261Sqn J Sgt F N Robertson P3731 Malta 1941-01

Note on the photos, Malta has harsh sunlight, some the planes faded quickly, and most the pics above have had filters used, or orthochromatic film [makes blue light and turns yellow and red black, see HU-P pic for this] and are often a bit overexposed.

So judging colours become very tricky. BEWARE of profiles! Never trust a profile without a supporting photo

here's one from the IWM again search 'hawker hurricane malta'

here's a really clear shot

Hawker Hurricane Mark IIA, Z2961 'K', of the Malta Night Fighter Unit being refuelled and re-armed at Ta Kali, Malta.

i'd presume from same series

Hawker Hurricane Mark IIs of the Malta Night Fighter Unit wait at readiness at Ta Kali, Malta.

You may want to ask for more specifics on any photo's that are of interest.

HTH

T

[Test Graham]

I like Tony's book too, but there are others from Grub Street. Malta: The Hurricane Years by Chris Shores et al, and Hurricanes over Malta by Brian Cull. These are aimed more at an operational history than a guide for modellers.

Troy slightly understates the supply: the first batch of Huricanes for Malta was passing through France in May 1940, and there are photos of one such (ferry tanks and all) in German hands after an airfield accident. Quite a lot had been delivered by the end of 1940.

[Jonny]

Thank you very much, EVERYONE!

I'd seen some of the pics before but not all - and I had Google'd 'Hawker Hurricane Malta' too!

Now to try to choose one! lol

Thanks again,

Jonny

[Edgar]

Malta got a lot more Spitfires when Keith Park [of 11 group BoB fame, ie the man who actually won it] took over and instead of saying 'send more fighter's' said 'Send Spitfires'

That's a little simplistic; Park took over on July 14th., by which time Malta had already received 213 Spitfires, with another 32 also on their way, arriving on the 15th. From mid-March, 1942, the only single-engine fighters, sent to Malta, were Spitfires. Edited March 24, 2014 by Edgar

[Test Graham]

Almost but not quite true, as although there were no more deliveries ex-UK or Gibraltar, with the advance of the 8th Army 229 Squadron and its Hurricanes (Mk.IIc) were sent from North Africa. This was after the HMS Eagle deliveries but before the two large Operations Calendar and Bowery using the USS Wasp. 229 suffered heavily: there is a photo of one aircraft showing it with only two cannon, the others having been deleted to reduce the deficit in performance. This was taken on their departure, 27th May, in what is described as an assortment of Hurricanes, presumably among the worst of the serviceable survivors on Malta. Not all of them made it to North Africa.

I believe it was Hugh Pughe Lloyd who finally insisted on Spitfires.

[occa]

This blog should have the lists of all deliveries to Malta, one just needs to scroll down to the bottom and read through:

http://maltagc70.wordpress.com/

It's a very interesting story anyways.

[gingerbob]

Good heavens, easier said than done! I remember seeing that when it started, but I couldn't even get to "the bottom" before I gave up.