Hawker Hurricane Mk II "RAF No.6 Sqn, BP188, Shandur, Egypt, June 1942"

Hawker Hurricane Mk II "RAF No.6 Sqn, BP188, Shandur, Egypt, June 1942"

The Hawker Hurricane is a British fighter aircraft made by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The Hurricane entered squadron service in 1937 and was the workhorse of Britain's air defense during World War II. It became renowned during the Battle of Britain, accounting for 60 percent of the RAF air victories in the battle. The Mk.IID was the tropicalized version mainly used in North Africa after the entry of Italy in the war. Although outclassed in the air by the Luftwaffe's Me-109 and Italy's MC.202, the Hurricane retained an edge in ground-attack role due to its impressive armament. It was nicknamed "Flying Can Openers" due to a pair of 40mm Vickers anti-tank cannon fitted under each wing. This Hurricane Mk.IID, BP188 JV-Z, flown by RAF No. 6 Squadron, was based in Shandur, Egypt.