Hawker Typhoon: British Fighter-Bomber

Hawker Typhoon on an airstrip on the Continent, possibly of the 2nd TAF (note black spinner which the 2nd TAF painted their spinners black in 1945), circa 1945. Note the pilot in front in khaki battledress as well, for ease of concealment if shot down, and the 'erk' in the background holding a fire extinguisher. The Sabre engine engine used the Coffman starter system, which if it didn't start up the engine the first time, it caused it to burst into flames as it was primed full of petrol! Also, the mismatch of the paint color on the cowling panels. 

 

The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. It was intended to be a medium-high altitude interceptor, as a replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, but several design problems were encountered and it never completely satisfied this requirement.

The Typhoon was originally designed to mount twelve .303 inch (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns and be powered by the latest 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) engines. Its service introduction in mid-1941 was plagued with problems and for several months the aircraft faced a doubtful future. When the Luftwaffe brought the new Focke-Wulf Fw 190 into service in 1941, the Typhoon was the only RAF fighter capable of catching it at low altitudes; as a result it secured a new role as a low-altitude interceptor.

The Typhoon became established in roles such as night-time intruder and long-range fighter. From late 1942 the Typhoon was equipped with bombs, these bomb-carrying aircraft being nicknamed "Bomphoon" by the press. From late 1943 RP-3 rockets were added to its armory. With those weapons and its four 20 mm Hispano autocannon, the Typhoon became one of the Second World War's most successful ground-attack aircraft.

Design and Development

Origins

Even as Hurricane production began in March 1937, Sydney Camm embarked on designing its successor. Camm had contacted the Air Ministry and asked what projects Hawker could consider, number two on their list was a single-engined fighter. Two preliminary designs were similar and larger than the Hurricane. These later became known as the "N" and "R" (from the initial of the engine manufacturers), because they were designed for the newly developed Napier Sabre and Rolls-Royce Vulture, engines respectively. Both engines used 24 cylinders and were designed for over 2,000 hp (1,500 kW); the difference between the two was primarily in the arrangement of the cylinders – an H-block in the Sabre, and an X-block in the Vulture. Hawker submitted these preliminary designs in July 1937, but were advised by the Director of Technical Development to wait until a formal specification for a new fighter to replace the Spitfire and Hurricane was issued. He also cautioned that while they liked the design, they did not think the wing would be stiff enough.

In March 1938, Hawker received the complete Specification F.18/37 and invitation to tender for a fighter which would be able to achieve at least 400 mph (640 km/h) at 15,000 feet (4,600 m), a ceiling of not less than 35,000 ft and specified a British engine with a two-speed supercharger. The armament fitted was to be twelve .303 inch (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns with 500 rounds per gun, with a provision for alternative combinations of weaponry. As well as Hawker, Gloster, Supermarine and Bristol submitted one or more designs each. Two prototypes of both the Type N and R were ordered on 3 March 1938 Camm and his design team started formal development of the designs and construction of prototypes.

A contract for 500 Vulture and 500 Sabre engined fighters to F.9/37 was placed with Hawker on 10 July 1939. The official names 'Tornado' and 'Typhoon' were issued in August and December respectively.

The basic design of the Typhoon was a combination of traditional Hawker construction, as used in the earlier Hawker Hurricane, and more modern construction techniques; the front fuselage structure, from the engine mountings to the rear of the cockpit, was made up of bolted and welded duralumin or steel tubes covered with skin panels, while the rear fuselage was a flush-riveted, semi-monocoque structure. The forward fuselage and cockpit skinning was made up of large, removable duralumin panels, allowing easy external access to the engine and engine accessories and most of the important hydraulic and electrical equipment.

The wing had a span of 41 feet 7 inches (12.67 m), with a wing area of 279 sq ft (25.9 m2). It was designed with a small amount of inverted gull wing bend; the inner sections had a 1° anhedral, while the outer sections, attached just outboard of the undercarriage legs, had a dihedral of 5+1⁄2°. The airfoil was a NACA 22 wing section, with a thickness-to-chord ratio of 19.5% at the root tapering to 12% at the tip.

The wing possessed great structural strength, provided plenty of room for fuel tanks and a heavy armament, while allowing the aircraft to be a steady gun platform. Each of the inner wings incorporated two fuel tanks; the "main" tanks, housed in a bay outboard and to the rear of the main undercarriage bays, had a capacity of 40 imperial gallons (180 L); while the "nose" tanks, built into the wing leading edges, forward of the main spar, had a capacity of 37 imperial gallons (170 L) each. Also incorporated into the inner wings were inward-retracting landing gear with a wide track of 13 ft 6+3⁄4 in.

By contemporary standards, the new design's wing was very "thick", similar to the Hurricane before it. Although the Typhoon was expected to achieve over 400 mph (640 km/h) in level flight at 20,000 ft, the thick wings created a large drag rise and prevented higher speeds than the 410 mph at 20,000 feet (6,100 m) achieved in tests. The climb rate and performance above that level was also considered disappointing. When the Typhoon was dived at speeds of over 500 mph (800 km/h), the drag rise caused buffeting and trim changes. These compressibility problems led to Camm designing the Typhoon II, later known as the Tempest, which used much thinner wings with a laminar flow airfoil.

Prototypes

The first flight of the first Typhoon prototype, P5212, made by Hawker's Chief test Pilot Philip Lucas from Langley, was delayed until 24 February 1940 because problems with the development of the Sabre engine meant a flight engine did not arrive until December 1939. Although unarmed for its first flights, P5212 later carried twelve .303 in (7.7 mm) Brownings, set in groups of six in each outer wing panel; this was the armament fitted to the first 110 Typhoons, known as the Typhoon IA. P5212 also had a small tail-fin, triple exhaust stubs and no wheel doors fitted to the centre-section. On 9 May 1940 the prototype had a mid-air structural failure, at the join between the forward fuselage and rear fuselage, just behind the pilot's seat. Philip Lucas could see daylight through the split but instead of bailing out, landed the Typhoon and was later awarded the George Medal.

On 15 May 1940, the Minister of Aircraft Production, Lord Beaverbrook, ordered that resources should be concentrated on the production of five main aircraft types: the Spitfire and Hurricane fighters and the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, Vickers Wellington and Bristol Blenheim bombers. As a result, development of the Typhoon was slowed, production plans were postponed and test flying continued at a reduced rate.

As a result of the delays the second prototype, P5216, first flew on 3 May 1941: P5216 carried an armament of four belt-fed 20 mm (0.79 in) Hispano Mk II cannon, with 140 rounds per gun and was the prototype of the Typhoon IB series. Specification F.9/37 had been modified to include cannon armament as progress with the Westland Whirlwind cannon fighter (to F.37/35) and Boulton Paul's twin-engined turret fighter (F.11/37) with cannon was slow.

In the interim between construction of the first and second prototypes, the Air Ministry had given Hawker an instruction to proceed with the construction of 1,000 of the new fighters. It was felt that the Vulture engine was more promising, so the order covered 500 Tornadoes and 250 Typhoons, with the balance to be decided once the two had been compared.

It was also decided that because Hawker was concentrating on Hurricane production, the Tornado would be built by Avro and Gloster would build the Typhoons at Hucclecote. Avro and Gloster were aircraft companies within the Hawker Siddeley group. As a result of good progress by Gloster, the first production Typhoon R7576 was first flown on 27 May 1941 by Michael Daunt, just over three weeks after the second prototype.

Type: Fighter-bomber

National origin: United Kingdom

Manufacturer: Hawker Aircraft

Designer: Sydney Camm

Built by: Gloster Aircraft Company

Primary users:

Royal Air Force

Royal Canadian Air Force

Royal New Zealand Air Force

Number built: 3,317

Manufactured: 1941–1945

Introduction date: 11 September 1941

First flight: 24 February 1940

Retired: October 1945

Developed into: Hawker Tempest

Operational Service

Low-level Interceptor

In 1941, the Spitfire Mk Vs, which equipped the bulk of Fighter Command squadrons, were outclassed by the new Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and suffered many losses. The Typhoon was rushed into service with Nos. 56 and 609 Squadrons in late 1941, to counter the Fw 190. This decision proved to be a disaster, as several Typhoons were lost for unknown reasons and the Air Ministry began to consider halting production of the type.

In August 1942, Hawker's second test pilot, Ken Seth-Smith, while deputizing for Lucas, carried out a straight and level speed test from Hawker's test center at Langley, and the aircraft broke up over Thorpe, killing the pilot. Sydney Camm and the design team immediately ruled out pilot error, which had been suspected in earlier crashes. Investigation revealed that the elevator mass-balance had torn away from the fuselage structure. Intense flutter developed, the structure failed and the tail broke away. Modification 286 to the structure and the control runs partially solved the structural problem. (The 1940 Philip Lucas test flight incident had been due to an unrelated failing.) Mod 286, which involved fastening external fishplates, or reinforcing plates, around the tail of the aircraft, and eventually internal strengthening, was only a partial remedy, and there were still failures right up to the end of the Typhoon's service life. The Sabre engine was also a constant source of problems, notably in colder weather, when it was very difficult to start, and it suffered problems with wear of its sleeve valves, with consequently high oil consumption. The 24-cylinder engine also produced a very high-pitched engine note, which pilots found very fatiguing.

The Typhoon did not begin to mature as a reliable aircraft until the end of 1942, when its excellent qualities – seen from the start by S/L Roland Beamont of 609 Squadron – became apparent. Beamont had worked as a Hawker production test pilot while resting from operations, and had stayed with Seth-Smith, having his first flight in the aircraft at that time. During late 1942 and early 1943, the Typhoon squadrons were based on airfields near the south and south-east coasts of England and, alongside two squadrons with the Griffon-engined Spitfire XII, countered the Luftwaffe's "tip and run" low-level nuisance raids, shooting down a score or more bomb-carrying Fw 190s. Typhoon squadrons kept at least one pair of aircraft on standing patrols over the south coast, with another pair kept at "readiness" (ready to take off within two minutes) throughout daylight hours. These sections of Typhoons flew at 500 feet (150 m) or lower, with enough height to spot and then intercept the incoming enemy fighter-bombers. The Typhoon finally proved itself in this role; for example, while flying patrols against these low-level raids, 486 (NZ) Squadron claimed 20 fighter-bombers, plus three bombers shot down, between mid-October 1942 and mid-July 1943.

The first two Messerschmitt Me 210 fighter-bombers to be destroyed over the British Isles were shot down by Typhoons in August 1942. During a daylight raid by the Luftwaffe on London on 20 January 1943, four Messerschmitt Bf 109G-4s and one Fw 190A-4 of JG 26 were destroyed by Typhoons. As soon as the aircraft entered service, it was apparent the profile of the Typhoon resembled a Fw 190 from some angles, which caused more than one friendly fire incident involving Allied anti-aircraft units and other fighters. This led to Typhoons first being marked up with all-white noses, and later with high visibility black and white stripes under the wings, a precursor of the markings applied to all Allied aircraft on D-Day.

Switch to Ground Attack

By 1943, the RAF needed a ground attack fighter more than a "pure" fighter and the Typhoon was suited to the role (and less-suited to the pure fighter role than competing aircraft such as the Spitfire Mk IX). The powerful engine allowed the aircraft to carry a load of up to two 1,000 pounds (450 kg) bombs, equal to the light bombers of only a few years earlier. The bomb-equipped aircraft were nicknamed "Bombphoons" and entered service with No. 181 Squadron, formed in September 1942.

From September 1943, Typhoons were also armed with four "60 lb" RP-3 rockets under each wing. In October 1943, No. 181 Squadron made the first Typhoon rocket attacks. Although the rocket projectiles were inaccurate and took considerable skill to aim and allow for ballistic drop after firing, "the sheer firepower of just one Typhoon was equivalent to a destroyer's broadside". By the end of 1943, eighteen rocket-equipped Typhoon squadrons formed the basis of the RAF Second Tactical Air Force (2nd TAF) ground attack arm in Europe. In theory, the rocket rails and bomb-racks were interchangeable; in practice, to simplify supply, some 2nd TAF Typhoon squadrons (such as 198 Squadron) used the rockets only, while other squadrons were armed exclusively with bombs (this also allowed individual units to more finely hone their skills with their assigned weapons).

By the Normandy landings in June 1944, 2 TAF had eighteen operational squadrons of Typhoon IBs, while RAF Fighter Command had a further nine. The aircraft proved itself to be the most effective RAF tactical strike aircraft, on interdiction raids against communications and transport targets deep in North Western Europe prior to the invasion and in direct support of the Allied ground forces after D-Day. A system of close liaison with the ground troops was set up by the RAF and army: RAF radio operators in vehicles equipped with VHF radio telegraphy (R/T) travelled with the troops close to the front line and called up Typhoons operating in a "cab rank", which attacked the targets, marked for them by smoke shells fired by mortar or artillery, until they were destroyed.

Analysis of destroyed tanks after the Normandy battle showed a hit-rate for the air-fired rockets of only 4%. In Operation Goodwood (18–21 July), the 2nd Tactical Air Force claimed 257 tanks destroyed. A total of 222 were claimed by Typhoon pilots using rocket projectiles. Once the area was secured, the British "Operational Research Section 2" analysts could confirm only ten out of the 456 knocked out German AFVs found in the area were attributable to Typhoons using rocket projectiles.

At Mortain, in the Falaise pocket, a German counter-attack (Operation Luttich) that started on 7 August threatened Patton's break-out from the beachhead; this counter-attack was repulsed by 2nd Tactical Air Force Typhoons and the 9th USAAF. During the course of the battle, pilots of the 2nd Tactical Air Force and 9th USAAF claimed to have destroyed a combined total of 252 tanks. Only 177 German tanks and assault guns participated in the battle and only 46 were lost – of which nine were verified as destroyed by Typhoons, four percent of the total claimed.

However, after-action studies at the time were based on random sampling of wrecks rather than exhaustive surveys, and the degree of over claim attributed to Typhoon pilots as a result was statistically improbable in view of the far lower known level of overclaim by Allied pilots in air-to-air combat, where claims were if anything more likely to be mistaken. Allied and German witness accounts of Typhoon attacks on German armor indicate that RPs did kill tanks with fair probability. Horst Weber, an SS panzergrenadier serving with Kampfgruppe Knaust south of Arnhem in the later stages of Operation Market Garden, recalled that, during a battle with British 43rd Wessex Division on 23 September 1944, "We had four Tiger tanks and three Panther tanks ... We were convinced that we would gain another victory here, that we would smash the enemy forces. But then Typhoons dropped these rockets on our tanks and shot all seven to bits. And we cried... We would see two black dots in the sky and that always meant rockets. Then the rockets would hit the tanks which would burn. The soldiers would come out all burnt and screaming with pain." Stuart Hills, a tank commander, was in an armored column that was ambushed by a Tiger tank on 2 August 1944. The air officer accompanying them called up four Typhoons off the cab-rank to attack the Tiger and Hills recorded “…the [Typhoons] came in, very low and with a tremendous roar. The second plane scored a direct hit and, when the smoke cleared, we could see the Tiger lying on its side minus its turret and with no sign of any survivors. It was an awesome display of firepower…”

The effect on the morale of German troops caught up in a Typhoon RP and cannon attack was decisive, with many tanks and vehicles being abandoned, in spite of superficial damage, such that, at Mortain, a signal from the German Army's Chief of Staff stated that the attack had been brought to a standstill by 13:00 "due to the employment of fighter-bombers by the enemy, and the absence of our own air-support". The 20 mm cannon also destroyed a large number of (unarmored) support vehicles, laden with fuel and ammunition for the armored vehicles. On 10 July at Mortain, flying in support of the US 30th Infantry Division, Typhoons flew 294 sorties in the afternoon that day. They engaged the German formations while the US 9th Air Force prevented German fighters from intervening. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander, said of the Typhoons; "The chief credit in smashing the enemy's spearhead, however, must go to the rocket-firing Typhoon aircraft of the Second Tactical Air Force ... The result of the strafing was that the enemy attack was effectively brought to a halt, and a threat was turned into a great victory."

Another form of attack carried out by Typhoons was "Cloak and Dagger" operations, using intelligence sources to target German HQs. With medium bombers, 42 Typhoons carried out an attack on 10 June against the headquarters of Panzergruppe West wounding the general, killing several staff officers and disrupting a planned counterattack against the Allied forces. One of the most effective of these was carried out on 24 October 1944, when 146 Typhoon Wing attacked a building in Dordrecht, where senior members of the German 15th Army staff were meeting; 17 staff officers and 36 other officers were killed and the operations of the 15th Army were adversely affected for some time afterwards.

On 24 March 1945, over 400 Typhoons were sent on several sorties each, to suppress German anti-aircraft guns and Wehrmacht resistance to Operation Varsity, the Allied airborne crossing of the Rhine that involved two full divisions of 16,600 troops and 1,770 gliders sent across the river. On 3 May 1945, the Cap Arcona, the SS Thielbek, and the Deutschland, large passenger ships in peacetime now in military service, were sunk in four attacks by RAF Hawker Typhoon IBs of No. 83 Group RAF, 2nd Tactical Air Force: the first by 184 Squadron, second by 198 Squadron led by Wing Commander John Robert Baldwin, the third by 263 Squadron led by Squadron Leader Martin T. S. Rumbold and the fourth by 197 Squadron led by Squadron Leader K. J. Harding.

The top-scoring Typhoon ace was Group Captain J. R. Baldwin (609 Squadron and Commanding Officer 198 Squadron, 146 (Typhoon) Wing and 123 (Typhoon) Wing), who claimed 15 aircraft shot down from 1942 to 1944. Some 246 Axis aircraft were claimed by Typhoon pilots during the war.

3,317 Typhoons were built, almost all by Gloster. Hawker developed what was originally an improved Typhoon II, but the differences between it and the Mk I were so great that it was effectively a different aircraft, and was renamed the Hawker Tempest. Once the war in Europe was over Typhoons were quickly removed from front-line squadrons; by October 1945 the Typhoon was no longer in operational use, with many of the wartime Typhoon units such as 198 Squadron being either disbanded or renumbered.

Captured Typhoons

By 1943, with its change of role to ground attack, the Typhoon was constantly operating over enemy territory: inevitably some flyable examples fell into German hands. The first Typhoon to be flown by the Luftwaffe was EJ956 SA-I of 486 (NZ) Sqn. On 23 March 1943, two aircraft flown by F/O Smith and F/S Mawson were on a "Rhubarb" over France. Just as they were crossing the coast at low altitude, Mawson's Typhoon was hit by light flak. He managed to belly-land in a field near Cany-Barville but the aircraft was captured before he could destroy it. The Typhoon was repaired and test flown at Rechlin a German equivalent to RAE Farnborough, and later served as T9+GK with "Zirkus Rosarius". EJ956 overturned and was written off during a forced landing near Meckelfeld, on 10 August 1944. On 14 February 1944, another Typhoon was captured and later flown in Zirkus Rosarius. JP548 of 174 Squadron force landed after engine failure near Blois, France; the pilot, F/O Proddow, evaded capture. This Typhoon crashed at Reinsehlen on 29 July 1944, killing Feldwebel Gold.

Modifications 1941–1945

As was usual with many front line Second World War RAF aircraft, the Typhoon was modified and updated regularly, so that a 1945 production example looked quite different from one built in 1941. In the last months of the war, a number of older aircraft were taken out of storage and overhauled, sometimes seeing active service for the first time; for example, R7771 was from one of the first production batches, built in 1942 with the car-door canopy and other early production features. This Typhoon was delivered to, and served on the Fighter Interception Unit in 1942. In February 1945 R7771 was listed as being in front line service on 182 Sqn.; by then it was fitted with a clear-view "bubble" hood, rocket rails and other late series features.

Carbon Monoxide Seepage

The first problem encountered with the Typhoon after its entry into service was the seepage of carbon monoxide fumes into the cockpit. In an attempt to alleviate this, longer exhaust stubs were fitted in November 1941 ("Mod [modification] 239"), and at about the same time the port (left) cockpit doors were sealed. The Pilot's Notes for the Typhoon recommended that "Unless Mod. No. 239 has been embodied it is most important that oxygen be used at all times as a precaution against carbon monoxide poisoning." Despite the modifications, the problem was never entirely solved, and the standard procedure throughout the war was for Typhoon pilots to use oxygen from engine start-up to engine shut down. In addition to carbon monoxide seepage, pilots were experiencing unpleasantly high cockpit temperatures; eventually a ventilation tube helped alleviate, but did not solve the problem. In addition two small, rear opening vents were added below the port side radio hatch, just below the canopy.

Tail

A major problem, afflicting early production Typhoons in particular, was a series of structural failures leading to loss of the entire tail sections of some aircraft, mainly during high-speed dives. Eventually a combination of factors was identified, including harmonic vibration, which could quickly lead to metal fatigue, and a weak transport joint just forward of the horizontal tail unit. The loss of the tailplane of R7692 (having only 11 hours of flight recorded) on 11 August 1942, in the hands of an experienced test pilot (Seth-Smith), caused a major reassessment which concluded that the failure of the bracket holding the elevator mass balance bell crank linkage had allowed unrestrained flutter which led to structural failure of the fuselage at the transport joint.

Starting in September 1942, a steel strap was fitted internally across the rear fuselage transport joint, although this was soon superseded by Mod 286 (modification number 286), in which 20 alloy "fishplates" were riveted externally across the rear fuselage transport joint, while internally some of the rear fuselage frames were strengthened. This was a permanent measure designed to stop rear fuselage structural failures and was introduced on the production line from the 820th aircraft; between December 1942 and March 1943, all Typhoons without Mod 286 were taken out of service and modified. Modified balance weight assemblies were fitted from May 1943. Finally the entire unit was replaced with a redesigned assembly from August 1944.

Although these modifications reduced the numbers of Typhoons being lost due to tail assembly failure, towards the end of the Typhoon's life there were more tail failures, this time caused by a change to the undercarriage latch mechanism in late 1944; in high-speed flight the undercarriage fairings were pulled into the slipstream, creating an uneven airflow over the elevators and rudder resulting in tailplane and then rear fuselage structural failure. In total 25 aircraft were lost and 23 pilots killed due to tail failures.

Canopy

The Typhoon was first produced with forward-opening "car door" style cockpit doors (complete with wind-down windows), with a transparent "roof" hinged to open to the left. The first 162 Typhoons featured a built-up metal-skinned dorsal fairing behind the pilot's armored headrest; the mast for the radio aerial protruded through the fairing. From mid- to late 1941 the solid metal aft dorsal fairing was replaced with a transparent structure (later nicknamed "The Coffin Hood"), the pilot's head armor plate was modified to a triangular shape and the side cut-outs were fitted with armored glass; the first production Typhoon to be fitted with this new structure was R7803. All earlier aircraft were quickly withdrawn and modified. From early 1942 a rear-view mirror was mounted in a Perspex blister molded into the later "car-door" canopy roofs. This modification was not very successful, because the mirror was subject to vibration. Despite the new canopy structure, the pilot's visibility was still restricted by the heavy frames and the clutter of equipment under the rear canopy; from August 1943, as an interim measure, pending the introduction of the new "bubble" canopy and cut-down dorsal fairing, the aerial mast and its associated bracing was removed and replaced with a whip aerial further back on the rear fuselage.

Starting in January 1943, R8809 was used to test a new, clear, one piece sliding "bubble" canopy and its associated new windscreen structure which had slimmer frames which, together with the "cut-down" rear dorsal fairing, provided a far superior all-around field of view to the car-door type. From November 1943 all production aircraft, starting with JR333, were to be so fitted. However, the complex modifications required to the fuselage and a long lead time for new components to reach the production line meant that it took some time before the new canopy became standard. In order to have as many Typhoons of 2nd TAF fitted before "Operation Overlord" as possible, conversion kits were produced and used by Gloster, Hawker and Cunliffe-Owen to modify older Typhoons still fitted with the car-door canopy.

Long-range Fighter and Fighter-bomber

From early 1943 the wings were plumbed and adapted to carry cylindrical 45 imp gal (200 L; 54 US gal) drop tanks, increasing the Typhoon's range from 690 nautical miles (1,280 km) to up to 1,090 nautical miles (2,020 km). This enabled Typhoons to range deep into France, the Netherlands and Belgium. Some units, such as 609 Squadron and 198 Squadron, were able to achieve notable success in air combat and ground attack operations using these long-range Typhoons.

As production continued, the Typhoon's role changed from a low-level interceptor fighter to a fighter bomber. Racks capable of carrying 500-pound (230 kg) bombs were fitted to the wings from October 1942 and were first used operationally by 181 Squadron. By mid-1943, all Typhoons off the production line were capable of carrying bombs. Bigger, solid rubber, grooved "anti-shimmy" tail wheel tires were introduced in March 1943 on all Typhoons from the 1,001st production aircraft, EK238. The new tires helped to make heavier, bomb-laden Typhoons more manageable during ground maneuvers. With the introduction of the bomb racks, small extensions were added to the cannon shell case ejector slots. These allowed the casings to drop clear of bombs or drop tanks suspended from the wing racks. Because of the vulnerability of the Typhoon's liquid-cooled engine cooling system to ground fire, some 780 pounds (350 kg) of armor was added, lining the sides and bottom of the cockpit and engine compartments, as well as the radiator bath.

With the added weight of the bombs and armor, bigger brake discs were fitted to the main wheels. At first this only applied to "Bombphoons", but eventually all Typhoons used these brakes. After tests conducted in 1943, it was determined that the Typhoon was capable of carrying a 1,000-pound (450 kg) bomb under each wing. With the increased load, it was decided that the extra take-off performance conferred by a four-bladed propeller was an advantage. This led to the adoption of a four-bladed propeller unit (de Havilland or Rotol) from early 1944. Coinciding with the new propeller, it was also decided that the larger tailplanes of the Hawker Tempest were to be fitted when tests showed that they improved the handling characteristics of the Typhoon when carrying 1,000-pound (450 kg) bombs. Problems were experienced with oil seal leaks from the new propeller unit and a growing number of Typhoons were held in Maintenance Units (MUs) awaiting the arrival of new seals from the U.S. Some 200 Typhoons were manufactured with the new Tempest tails and the three-bladed propeller. A modification program was inaugurated but it took several months before a majority of operational Typhoons had the four-bladed propeller and enlarged tailplane.

In June 1943, Hawker fitted a Typhoon with four steel "Mark I" rocket rails under each wing. Trials at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A & AEE) and Air Fighting Development Unit (AFDU) showed that the combination of the RP-3 rocket and the stable, high-speed platform of the Typhoon was promising. Carrying the eight rails and rockets, it was found that the top speed was reduced by 38 mph (61 km/h), with no adverse handling effects. As a result, the Mk I rails and RP-3s were first fitted to production aircraft of 181 Squadron in October 1943. At first attempts were made to arm Typhoons with either bombs or rockets depending on requirements but it was soon decided that squadrons would specialize. By D-Day, the 2nd TAF was able to field 11 RP ("Rockphoon") Typhoon squadrons and seven "Bombphoon" squadrons.

Later in 1944, attempts were made to increase the firepower by "double banking" rockets on each rail, enabling the Typhoon to carry 16 rockets. The problems involved in operating Typhoons from 2nd TAF airstrips meant that this was not much used, although some Typhoons did fly operationally with 12 rockets, using double-banked rockets on the inner rails. When extra range was required, Typhoons could also operate carrying a drop tank and two rockets outboard of the tank under each wing. From December 1944, aluminum "Mark III" rails, which weighed 240 pounds (110 kg) per set, replaced the steel Mk Is, which weighed 480 pounds (220 kg).

In late 1943, Mk III IFF replaced the Mk I and the tailplane tip to fuselage Identification friend or foe (IFF) aerials were replaced by a "bayonet" aerial under the wing's center section. A Beam Approach Beacon System (Rebecca) transponder unit was fitted in 1944, with the associated aerial appearing under the center section.

Once Typhoons started operating from forward landing grounds in Normandy, it was found that the dust clouds stirred up by propeller wash consisted of over 80 percent of hard, abrasive material which was damaging the Sabre engines. The sleeve valves in particular were subject to excessive wear and it was calculated that engines would last for three take-offs. As a result, a "dome deflector" was designed and manufactured at great speed by Napier, and within a week most Typhoons had been fitted with it. In operational service these mushroom-shaped air filters, which became red hot, had a propensity for being blown off the air intake at high speed whenever a Sabre engine backfired. They were soon replaced by drum-shaped filters designed by the RAE and Vokes. These had "cuckoo clock" doors in front, which swung open with the pressure changes caused by engine backfires. This standardized filter became Typhoon Mod.420.

At the end of June 1944, a decision was taken to fit tropical air filters as standard, similar to those fitted to the three Typhoons which had been sent to North Africa in 1943. One thousand sets of the filters were to be manufactured and fitted to front line Typhoons as Mod. 421. It was estimated that these could be fitted to all Typhoons on the production lines by the end of September. Research shows that late Typhoons starting in the RB--- series were fitted with the filters, as were some rebuilt aircraft from earlier production batches. Mod. 421 appeared as a streamlined rectangular "hump", just behind the main radiator fairing and between the inner wheel doors, where the updraught carburetor intake was located.

A small, elongated oval static port appeared on the rear starboard fuselage in late 1944. This was apparently used to more accurately measure the aircraft's altitude.

One Typhoon, R8694, was used by Napier for trials with the more powerful Sabre IV, cooled using an annular radiator and driving a four-bladed propeller. The new engine and radiator arrangement required substantial modifications to the forward fuselage and engine bearer structures. Although a maximum speed of 452 mph (727 km/h) was claimed by Napier, it was decided that the modifications would not be worthwhile, mainly because of the promising development of the Tempest, and because the disruption to Typhoon production would not be sufficiently outweighed by any benefit achieved.

Sub-variants

In 1943, one Typhoon, R7881 was converted to a prototype night fighter (N.F. Mk. IB), fitted with aircraft interception radar (A.I.) equipment, a special night-flying cockpit and other modifications. Also in 1943, five Typhoons were modified to "Tropical" standard by fitting of an air filter in a fairing behind the main radiator housing. Three underwent trials in Egypt with No. 451 Squadron RAAF, during 1943.

The Typhoon FR IB was developed in early 1944 and was used as a tactical reconnaissance fighter. In this version the port inner cannon was removed and three (one forward-facing 14-inch (360 mm) and two vertical five-inch) F24 cameras were carried in its place. Few FR IBs were built, and most served with 268 Squadron, starting in July 1944. The aircraft was never popular with the pilots, who preferred the older Mustang Is and IAs, and the inherent engine and airframe vibrations meant that photos were invariably blurred. As a consequence of these problems, the FR IB was phased out in January 1945.

Naval Designs

In 1941, as Blackburn's specification N.11/40 high performance base defense fighter (that was carrier transportable) was delayed, the Admiralty looked at navalized version of the Typhoon as an alternative. The Hawker P.1009 design modified for the purpose had a new center section, extending the wingspan to over 45 ft (14 m), and thus increasing the wing area; the wings themselves were to be folding units, which swung and folded parallel to the fuselage, with the leading edges pointing upwards, much as did the Grumman F6F Hellcat. The rear fuselage was to be longer and a v-style arrestor hook and associated catapult-launching gear was to be fitted. However it was not thought that the redesign and production would be any faster than proceeding with the N.11/40 and the Hawker "Sea Typhoon" submission was not taken up. The N.11/40, after changes to its role and Centaurus engine replacing the Sabre entered service postwar as the Blackburn Firebrand.

A Typhoon (DW419) was later allocated for carrier trials when the idea for using Typhoons (or Tempests) as carrier aircraft due to their stronger construction over the Seafires then in use came up in November 1942. DW419 crashed in February 1943; by December the view was that the Typhoon was not suited to carrier use due to long take-off run and high stall speed.

Flight Characteristics

Flight Lieutenant Ken Trott flew Typhoons with 197 Squadron and recalled:

Rather a large aircraft shall we say, for a single-engine fighter. Terrific power. Quite something to control. I liked it from the point of view of speed and being a very stable gun platform. You could come in on a target at 400 mph [640 km/h] and the thing was as steady as a rock.

In early March 1943, at Tangmere, the then new Squadron Leader of 486 (NZ) Squadron, Des Scott, flew a Typhoon for the first time:

She roared, screamed, groaned and whined, but apart from being rather heavy on the controls at high speeds she came through her tests with flying colours ... Applying a few degrees of flap we swung on down into the airfield approach, levelled out above the runway and softly eased down on to her two wheels, leaving her tail up until she dropped it of her own accord. We were soon back in her bay by the dispersal hut, where I turned off the petrol supply cock. After a few moments she ran herself out and with a spit, sob and weary sigh, her great three-bladed propeller came to a stop. So that was it: I was drenched in perspiration and tired out...

The performance limitations for speed were noted on the pilot's notes, published by the Air Ministry. Indicated airspeed for diving was set at 525 mph (845 km/h). The Typhoon could, if needed, be flown at 300 mph (480 km/h) with the cockpit "hood" open. Flight with undercarriage and flaps down could be made without incident, at the respective speeds of 210 and 155 mph (338 and 249 km/h). Owing to stability problems, when the aircraft was carrying bombs, the speed could not exceed 400 mph (640 km/h).

Notes for the management of the fuel system stated that indicated airspeeds (IAS) in excess of 380 mph (610 km/h) were not advisable when fitted with auxiliary drop tanks. Tanks were jettisoned at about 200 mph (320 km/h), but in an emergency, a release at 350 mph (560 km/h) was permitted. Tanks were to be ejected in straight and level flight only. General flying ability was positive. The maximum climbing rate was 185 mph (298 km/h) up to 16,000 ft (4,900 m) reducing speed by 3 mph (4.8 km/h) per 1,000 ft (300 m) above this mark. In stability terms, the aircraft was stable "directionally" and "laterally" but slightly unstable longitudinally, except at high speed, when it was just stable. Aileron control was light and effective up to maximum speed, but at very low speed response was sluggish, particularly when carrying ordnance. The elevator control was rather light and should not be used harshly. There was a tendency to "tighten up" in a looping aircraft. If "black out" conditions were accidentally induced in steep turns or aerobatics, the control column was to be pushed forward "firmly".

Stalling speeds were quite low. The typical Typhoon trait, as with most aircraft at the time, was to drop a wing sharply with flaps either up or down. The stalling speeds varied. The various loads depended on external fittings. All-up weight plus two 500 lb (230 kg) bombs (12,155 lb or 5,513 kg in total) with flaps up could induce a stall at 90–100 mph (140–160 km/h). With flaps down, stall was initiated at 70–75 mph (113–121 km/h). Normal all-up weight (11,120 lb or 5,040 kg) would see stall at 80–90 (130–140) and 65–70 mph (105–113 km/h) respectively. With all ammunition and nearly all fuel expended (9,600 lb or 4,400 kg) stall occurred at 75–80 (121–129) and 65–70 mph (105–113 km/h).

Operators

Australia

Canada

New Zealand

United Kingdom

Surviving Aircraft

Only one complete Hawker Typhoon still survives: serial number MN235. Originally on display at the National Air and Space Museum (part of the Smithsonian Institution) in the United States, it was presented to the Royal Air Force Museum London in Hendon, North London in commemoration of the RAF's 50th Anniversary in exchange for a Hawker Hurricane. The aircraft was on loan to the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa, Canada. It was briefly on show in the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight hangar at RAF Coningsby, but returned to the Royal Air Force Museum London in November 2018.

Several other partial airframes are extant:

Typhoon Ib EJ922, previously privately owned, bought by Hawker Typhoon Preservation Group, UK, for incorporation into RB396.

Typhoon Ib JP843, Typhoon Legacy Co. Ltd., Canada, undergoing long term airworthy restoration; formerly of the Roger Marley Collection.

Typhoon Ia JR505, Brian Barnes Collection, UK.

Typhoon Ib RB396/G-TIFY, Hawker Typhoon Preservation Group, undergoing airworthy restoration by Airframe Assemblies on the Isle of Wight and the Aircraft Restoration Company at Duxford.

An unidentified cockpit section is on display at the Imperial War Museum Duxford, and another – the only known original "car door" example – is subject to a static restoration by the Jet Age Museum in Gloucester.

A Hawker Typhoon replica on display at the Mémorial de la Paix at Caen, France, was constructed using some original components.

Memorial

On 9 June 1994, in recognition of the aircraft and crew's role in the liberation of Normandy, a Typhoon memorial was dedicated by Major M. Roland Heudier at Noyers-Bocage, France. Also present at the ceremony were General Yves Paul Ezanno DFC and bar and Squadron Leader Denis Sweeting, both former Squadron Leaders of No. 198 Squadron RAF.

Specifications (Typhoon Mk Ib)

Crew: One

Length: 31 ft 11.5 in (9.741 m)

Wingspan: 41 ft 7 in (12.67 m)

Height: 15 ft 4 in (4.67 m)

Wing area: 279 sq ft (25.9 m2)

Airfoil:

root: NACA 2219

tip: NACA 2213

Empty weight: 8,840 lb (4,010 kg)

Gross weight: 11,400 lb (5,171 kg)

Maximum takeoff weight: 13,250 lb (6,010 kg) with two 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs

Powerplant:

1 × Napier Sabre IIA, IIB or IIC H-24 liquid-cooled sleeve-valve piston engine, 2,180 hp (1,630 kW)

Sabre IIB: 2,200 hp (1,600 kW)

Sabre IIC: 2,260 hp (1,690 kW)

Propellers: 3 or 4-bladed de Havilland or Rotol constant-speed propeller

Maximum speed: 422 mph (679 km/h, 367 kn) at 12,500 ft (3,800 m) with Sabre IIA & 4-bladed propeller

Stall speed: 88 mph (142 km/h, 76 kn)

Range:

510 mi (820 km, 440 nmi) with two 500 lb (230 kg) bombs

690 mi (1,110 km) "clean"

1,090 mi (1,750 km) with two 45 imp gal (200 L; 54 US gal) drop tanks.

Service ceiling: 31,800 ft (9,700 m)

Rate of climb: 2,740 ft/min (13.9 m/s) F.S supercharger at 3,700 rpm and 14,300 ft (4,400 m)

Wing loading: 40.9 lb/sq ft (200 kg/m2)

Power/mass: 0.20 hp/lb (0.33 kW/kg)

Guns: 4 × 20 mm (0.787 in) Hispano Mk II cannon

Rockets: 8 × RP-3 unguided air-to-ground rockets.

Bombs: 2 × 500 lb (230 kg) or 2 × 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs

Bibliography

Air Ministry. Pilot's Notes for Typhoon Marks IA and IB; Sabre II or IIA engine (2nd edition). London: Crecy Publications, 2004.

Beevor, Antony. Arnhem: The Battle for the Bridges, 1944. London: Penguin Books, 2019.

Bentley, Arthur L. "Typhoon (article and drawings)." Scale Models Magazine Vol. 6, No. 74, November 1975.

Buttler, Tony (2004). Fighters & Bombers 1935–1950. British Secret Projects 3. Hinckley, UK: Midland Publishing.

Caldwell, Donald. JG26 Luftwaffe Fighter Wing War Diary: Volume Two: 1943–45. Mechanicsburg, PA, USA: Stackpole Books, 2012.

Copp, T. Montgomery's Scientists: Operational Research in Northwest Europe: The Work of No. 2 Operational Research Section with 21 Amy Group June 1944 to July 1945 . Ontario, Canada: The Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies, 2000.

Darlow, Stephen. Victory Fighters: The Veterans' Story. London: Bounty Books, 2005.

Grey, Peter and Sebastian Cox. Air Power: Turning Points from Kittyhawk to Kosovo. London: Frank Class Publishers, 2002.

Hills, Stuart. By Tank Into Normandy. London: Orion Books, 2003.

Mason, Francis K. Hawker Aircraft Since 1920 (3rd revised edition). London: Putnam, 1991.

Mason, Francis K. The Hawker Typhoon and Tempest. London: Aston Publications, 1988.

Meekcoms, K. J and E. B Morgan. The British Aircraft Specifications File. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1994.

Moore, Perry. Operation Goodwood, July 1944: A Corridor of Death. Solihull, UK: Helion & Company Ltd, 2007.

Ramsay, Winston G. (ed). The Blitz Then and Now Volume 3: May 1941 – May 1945. London: Battle of Britain Prints International Limited, 1990.

Scott, Desmond. Typhoon Pilot. London: Leo Cooper, 1992.

Shores, Christopher and Chris Thomas. Second Tactical Air Force Volume One. Spartan to Normandy, June 1943 to June 1944. Hersham, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Publishing Ltd., 2004.

Shores, Christopher and Chris Thomas. Second Tactical Air Force Volume Two. Breakout to Bodenplatte, July 1944 to January 1945. Hersham, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Publishing Ltd., 2005.

Shores, Christopher and Chris Thomas. Second Tactical Air Force Volume Three. From the Rhine to Victory, January to May 1945. Hersham, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Publishing Ltd., 2006.

Shores, Christopher and Chris Thomas. Second Tactical Air Force Volume Four. Squadrons, Camouflage and Markings, Weapons and Tactics. Hersham, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Publishing Ltd., 2008.

Sortehaug, Paul. The Wild Winds, The History of Number 486 RNZAF Fighter Squadron with the RAF. Dunedin, New Zealand: Otago University Press, 1998.

Thomas, Chris. Hawker Typhoon (Warpaint Series No. 5). Husborne Crawley, Bedfordshire, UK: Hall Park Books Ltd., 2000.

Thomas, Chris. Typhoon Wings of 2nd TAF 1943–45 (Combat Aircraft No. 86). Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2010.

Thomas, Chris. Typhoon and Tempest Aces of World War 2 (Aircraft of the Aces No. 27). Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 1999.

Thomas, Chris and Christopher Shores. The Typhoon and Tempest Story. London: Arms and Armour Press, 1988.

Zetterling, Niklas. Normandy 1944: German Military Organization, Military Power and Organizational Effectiveness. Canada: J.J. Fedorwicz Publishing Inc., 2000.

Further Reading

Badsey, Stephen. Normandy 1944: Allied Landings and Breakout (Campaign). London: Osprey Military, 1990.

Bone, Matt (October 2022). "Hell's Teeth: The Hawker Typhoon & the RP-3 Rocket Projectile". The Aviation Historian (41): 38–47.

Clarke, R.M. Hawker Typhoon Portfolio. Cobham, Surrey, UK: Brooklands Books Ltd., 1987.

Darling, Kev. Hawker Typhoon, Tempest and Sea Fury. Ramsgate, Marlborough, Wiltshire, UK: The Crowood Press Ltd., 2003.

Franks, Norman L.R. Royal Air Force Losses of the Second World War. Volume 2. Operational Losses: Aircraft and crews 1942–1943. Hinckley, Leicestershire, UK: Midland Publishing Limited, 1998.

Franks, Norman L.R. Royal Air Force Losses of the Second World War. Volume 3. Operational Losses: Aircraft and crews 1944–1945 (Incorporating Air Defence Great Britain and 2nd TAF). Hinckley, Leicestershire, UK: Midland Publishing Limited, 1998.

Halliday, Hugh A. Typhoon and Tempest: the Canadian Story. Charlottesville, Virginia: Howell Press, 2000.

Hannah, Donald. Hawker FlyPast Reference Library. Stamford, Lincolnshire, UK: Key Publishing Ltd., 1982.

James, Derek N. Hawker, an Aircraft Album No. 5. New York: Arco Publishing Company, 1973. (First published in the UK by Ian Allan in 1972.)

Mason, Francis K. "The Hawker Typhoon." Aircraft in Profile, Volume 4. Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1966.

Rawlings, John D.R. Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. Somerton, UK: Crecy Books, 1993.

Reed, Arthur and Roland Beamont. Typhoon and Tempest at War. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan, 1974.

Rimell, Ken. Through the Lens: The Typhoon at War, A Pictorial Tribute. Storrington, West Sussex, UK: Historic Military Press, 2002.

Scutts, Jerry. Typhoon/Tempest in Action (Aircraft in Action series, No. 102). Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1990.

Shores, Christopher. Ground Attack Aircraft of World War Two. London: Macdonald and Jane's, 1977.

Thomas, Chris and Mister Kit. Hawker Typhoon(in French). Paris, France: Éditions Atlas, 1980.

Townshend Bickers, Richard. Hawker Typhoon: The Combat History. Ramsgate, Marlborough, Wiltshire, UK: The Crowood Press Ltd., 1999.

Typhoon at War DVD, IWM footage.

Wilbeck, C.W. Sledgehammers: Strengths and Flaws of Tiger Tank Battalions in World War II. Bedford, Pennsylvania: The Aberjona Press, 2004.

 

Hawker Typhoon Mk.Ib, serial number EK183 coded US-A of No. 56 Squadron, RAF. 

 

A Royal Air Force Hawker Typhoon Mk.IB (EK183, "US-A") of No. 56 Squadron RAF at RAF Matlaske, Norfolk (UK), on 21 April 1943. This aircraft was flown by Squadron Leader T.H.V Pheloung (Oamaru, New Zealand). (RAF photo) 

 

A Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, registration EK139, 'HH-N', 'Dirty Dora', of No 175 Squadron, Royal Air Force, undergoing servicing in a blast-walled dispersed revetment at RAF Colerne in Wiltshire. Two dummy bombs for practice loading on to the wing racks can be seen in the foreground. (Imperial War Museum photo TR 1091) 

 

Prototype Hawker Typhoon P5212 taken before its first test flight (24 February 1940). The prototype had a small tail unit and a solid fairing behind the cockpit, which was fitted with "car door" access hatches. (Hawker -Siddeley Aircraft, British Air Ministry photo) 

 

Second prototype Hawker Typhoon P5216 shows RAF camouflage scheme, with yellow undersurfaces used by prototypes, modified exhaust stubs and 4 cannon armament. 1941. The retractable tailwheel and main wheels now had doors fitted. Six exhaust stubs and the later standardized four cannon armament were other changes from P5212. (Hawker -Siddeley Aircraft, British Air Ministry photo) 

 

Royal Air Force Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs of No. 198 Squadron RAF, taxi out for a sortie from their dispersal at B10/Plumetot, Normandy. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 471) 

 

3 in, 60 pdr SAP, RP-3 Rocket Projectiles being loaded onto the steel Mk. I launch rails of an RAF Hawker Typhoon, circa 1944. A pair of 20mm cannon barrels are visible above the launch rails. The large hinged gun bay doors are open. The weathered Invasion stripes are on upper and lower wing surfaces, indicating this photo was taken some time in June 1944. (Imperial War Museum photo) 

 

Brand-new Hawker Typhoon at Hucclecote. (RAF photo) 

 

Exhibiting its aggressive lines to advantage, Typhoon IB JP853/SA-K of No. 486 (NZ) Squadron RAF displays for the photographer during a visit to Tangmere, 27 October 1943. One of the Typhoon's problems, especially during its first months of service, was that it was frequently mistaken for the FW190. After various experiments the identification markings shown here, consisting of 12in black and 24in white bands, were adopted. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 11578) 

 

Hawker Typhoon MN235 at the Royal Air Force Museum London; the only surviving Typhoon.  

 

Hawker Typhoon replica on show at the Mémorial de Caen, Normandy. (Urban, February 2005) 

 

Hawker Typhoon. 

 

'Destroyed German MT and SP guns during their attempt to escape RAF Typhoons', 1944. (Photograph by Major Wilfred Herbert James Sale, MC, 3rd/4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters), World War Two, North West Europe (1944-1945), 1944) 

 

'A victim of a Typhoon', 1944. (Photograph by Major Wilfred Herbert James Sale, MC, 3rd/4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters), World War Two, North West Europe (1944-1945), 1944) 

 

'German tanks caught by a Typhoon', Normandy, 1944. (Photograph by Major Wilfred Herbert James Sale, MC, 3rd/4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters), World War Two, North West Europe, 1944) 

 

ROYAL AIR FORCE: 2ND TACTICAL AIR FORCE, 1943-1945. (CL 2103) Airmen of No. 2777 Field Squadron, RAF Regiment, mount guard from their Humber light reconnaissance car over a dispersal area at B89/Mill, Holland.  Manning the Bren gun turret is Leading Aircraftman L Bassett of Hook, Hampshire.  The aircraft in the dispersal are Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs of No. 257 Squadron RAF. (Imperial War Museum photo) 

 

Ground crew of No. 3208 Servicing Commando, insert collapsible tubes from a pre-heating van into the air intake and radiator of a Hawker Typhoon Mark IB in the snow at B58/Melsbroek, Belgium.  

 

Hawker Typhoon fighter-bombers of No. 59 OTU at RAF Acklington where pilots were trained to fly the Typhoon. 

 

Hawker Typhoon IB s/n EK183. (SDASM Archives) 

 

Hawker Typhoon IB. (SDASM Archives) 

 

Hawker Typhoon IB. (SDASM Archives) 

 

Hawker Typhoon IB. (SDASM Archives) 

 

Hawker Typhoon IB. (SDASM Archives) 

 

Hawker Typhoon IB. (SDASM Archives) 

 

Hawker Typhoon IB. (SDASM Archives) 

 

Hawker Typhoon. (Flight illustration) 

 

Pilot entering Hawker Typhoon. 

 

Hawker Typhoon of No. 257 Squadron, s/n R8656, codes FM-L, having its 20mm cannons reloaded at Warmwell. 

 

A Hawker Typhoon is pushed back into what is left of a hangar in occupied Europe in 1945. 

 

Hawker Typhoon Mk IB, s/n DN406 coded PR-F of No. 609 Squadron at Manston, 14 May 1943.

 

Hawker Typhoon Mk IB, s/n DN406 coded PR-F of No. 609 Squadron at Manston, 14 May 1943. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 9824)

 

A puff of smoke signals the start of the powerful Napier Sabre engine of this early Hawker Typhoon. Later models had the much sleeker teardrop canopy. 

 

Hawker Typhoon, codes HF-L. 

 

A Hawker Typhoon Mark IB of No. 56 Squadron RAF runs up its engine in a revetment at Matlask, Norfolk, before taking off on a 'Rhubarb' (a harassing fighter operation) over Holland. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 9250) 

 

A Royal Air Force Hawker Typhoon single seat fighter-bomber is made ready for a raid with ground crew installing rockets and mechanics making last minute checks on the engine, June 1944. 

 

Hawker Typhoon. (SDASM Archives) 

 

Hawker Typhoon, s/n EK183. 

 

Hawker Typhoon being prepared for a flight. (SDASM Archives) 

 

Hawker Typhoon. (SDASM Archives) 

 

The results of a raid by German fighters on the airfield in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, on 1 January 1945. 

 

Pilots of No. 266 (Rhodesia) Squadron in March 1945. 

 

Hawker Typhoon, RCAF. 

 

Pilots join ground crews in moving a Hawker Typhoon Mark IB of No. 182 Squadron RAF which had become bogged down at B6/Coulombs, Normandy. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 890) 

 

Sergenat W. Page of Coulsdon, Surrey, and Leading Aircraftman G. Skelsey of London fit a long-range fuel tank to a Hawker Typhoon Mark IB of No. 137 Squadron RAF at B78 Eindhoven, Holland. The tanks enabled the Typhoons to carry out strikes deeper into German territory, at the expense of a reduced weapons load of two, instead of four, rocket projectiles carried under each wing. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 1725) 

 

A Hawker Typhoon Mark IB of No. 439 Squadron RCAF taxis through a water splash at B78/Eindhoven, Holland, while leaving its dispersal loaded with two 1,000-lb bombs for an attack on a rail target behind the German lines. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 1961) 

 

Armorers attach the nose and tail units onto a cluster projectile containing 26 x 20-lb anti-personnel bombs, fitted under the wing of a Hawker Typhoon Mark IB of No. 439 Squadron RCAF at B78/Eindhoven, Holland. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 1959) 

 

Rear fuselage and fin of the Hawker Typhoon from the RAF manual. 

 

Hawker Typhoon, RCAF. 

 

Hawker Typhoon IB, coded US-A (second in line), serial number EK183, of No. 56 Squadron RAF.  

 

Lieutenant Harvey Mace of the 357th Fighter Group with a Hawker Typhoon coded SA-L and an Avro Anson of No. 486 Squadron. 

 

Typhoon JP736 of No 175 Squadron with black and white identification stripes under the wings, c. 1943. (RAF photo)

 

Hawker Typhoon of No. 440 Squadron RCAF. (Canadian Forces photo)

 

Early production Typhoon with 45-gallon drop tanks and unfaired cannon; the shallow gull shape of the wing can be seen in this view. January 1943. (Canadian Forces photo)

 

A 1943 photo of a Hawker Typhoon, sporting identification stripes due to similarities with the Fw 190.

Hawker Typhoon.

 

RAF pilot with a Hawker Typhoon.

 

Hawker Typhoon Mk IB of the RCAF in 1945.

 

RAF pilots with a Hawker Typhoon.

 

Hawker Typhoon taking off.

 

Hawker Typhoon Mk IB serial number RB402 coded 5V-P of No. 439 (Sabre-Toothed Tiger) Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) landing at B100/Goch, Germany, during the final stages of World War II. (Imperial War Museum photo MH 6864)

 

Hawker Typhoon.

 

Hawker Typhoons lining up for takeoff.

 

Hawker Typhoon.

 

A Hawker Typhoon half-rolls over Thorney Island, Hampshire, after taking off to attack enemy communications targets on the French coast, watched by ground crew working on Typhoons in a dispersal on the airfield. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 13346)

 

Hawker Typhoon, RCAF.

 

Hawker Typhoon being readied for a mission.

 

A Hawker Typhoon Mk 1B in fighter pen at North West corner of RAF Duxford. The evidence suggests that this is a 'Bombphoon' of No. 181 Squadron; formed at Duxford on 1 September. No. 181 Squadron pioneered the use of the Typhoon as a low level bomber or 'Bombphoon'. The black and white stripes painted on the underside of the wings - sometimes referred to as 'Dieppe stripes' - were actually introduced following the failed Dieppe Raid of 19 August 1942. Originally only black stripes were painted on but white stripes were added by December 1942 for greater recognition by other RAF aircraft who had mistaken the Typhoon for the German Focke-Wulf 190. Duxford's original Typhoon Wing - 56, 609 and 266 Squadrons - had all left Duxford by late September 1942. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 18271)

 

Typhoon Mark IB, MN234 'SF-T', of No 137 Squadron RAF with a full load of 60-lb. rocket-projectiles beneath the wings, ‘running up’ on an engine test at B78/Eindhoven, Holland. (Imperial War Museum photo MH 6862)

 

Typhoon FR Mark IB, EK427 ‘S’, on the ground at No. 5 Maintenance Unit, Kemble, Gloucestershire. One of approximately 60 Typhoons modified for the fighter-reconnaissance role with the 2nd Tactical Air Force in 1944, EK427 served with Nos. 4 and 268 Squadrons RAF. (Imperial War Museum photo ATP 13583C)

 

Typhoon Mark IA, R7648 ‘US-A’, flown by the Commanding Officer of No. 56 Squadron RAF, Squadron Leader H S L "Cockie" Dundas, taking off from Snailwell, Suffolk. (Imperial War Museum photo IWM FLM 1480)

 

Typhoon Mark IB, MN304 ‘FJ-N’, of No. 164 Squadron RAF, begins its take-off run at Thorney Island, Hampshire, for a sortie over France. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 13344)

 

Typhoon Mark IB, JP853 ‘SA-K’, of No. 486 Squadron RNZAF based at Tangmere, Sussex, in flight. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 11583)

 

The fifth production Typhoon Mark IA, R7580, parked at Duxford, Cambridgeshire, while being tested by the Air Fighting Development Unit. The following month it joined No. 56 Squadron RAF, the first operational unit to be equipped with the type. (Imperial War Museum photo HU 48147)

 

Typhoon Mark IB, DN604 ‘PR-F’ “Mavis”, of No. 609 Squadron RAF, on the ground at Manston, Kent. The aircraft displays a score tally of 18 locomotives destroyed in ground attacks on the fuselage side (Imperial War Museum photo CH 9822)

 

Flight Lieutenant Walter Dring, commander of ‘B’ Flight, No. 183 Squadron RAF, with his Typhoon Mark IB, R8884 ‘HF-L’, in a dispersal at Gatwick, Sussex. (Imperial War Museum CH 9289)

 

The Hawker Typhoon's devastating rocket armament was effective against tanks, gun emplacements, buildings and railways. Coastal shipping was another target, including this unfortunate tug caught in the Scheldt estuary in September 1944. In this case the shell splashes from the aircraft's four 20mm cannon assist the pilot in correcting his aim before unleashing a salvo of RPs. (Imperial War Museum photo C 4641)

 

A Hawker Tempest V (foreground) and Hawker Typhoon of No 486 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force based at Castle Camps airfield, Cambridgeshire. (Imperial War Museum CH 13977)

 

Tail of Hawker Typhoon s/n DN406, codes PR-(?). (Imperial War Museum photo CH 9826)

 

Hawker Typhoon s/n JP504, codes OV-Z. (Imperial War Museum photo 11592)

 

Nose of a Hawker Typhoon. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 9947)

 

Hawker Typhoon of a Southern Rhodesian fighter squadron. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 12013)

 

Flight Lieutenant Walter Dring, commander of ‘B’ Flight, No. 183 Squadron RAF, with his Typhoon Mark IB, R8884 ‘HF-L’, in a dispersal at Gatwick, Sussex. (Imperial War Museum CH 9286)

 

Flight Lieutenant Walter Dring, commander of ‘B’ Flight, No. 183 Squadron RAF, with his Typhoon Mark IB, R8884 ‘HF-L’, in a dispersal at Gatwick, Sussex. (Imperial War Museum CH 9285)

 

Hawker Typhoon Mk. IB. (Imperial War Museum photo 9314)

 

Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, MN606, of No. 247 Squadron RAF, being overhauled by a Repair and Salvage Unit in a dispersal wrecked by the retreating Luftwaffe at B78/Eindhoven, Holland. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 1441)

 

Portrait of Wing Commander Walter Dring DSO DFC wearing uniform and standing in front of a Hawker Typhoon. Pastel illustration by William Dring. (Imperial War Museum Art.IWM ART LD 4733)

 

Hawker Typhoons of a Southern Rhodesian fighter squadron in formation. (Imperial War Museum photo 12011)

 

Hawker Typhoon, April 1943. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 9263)

 

Hawker Typhoons carrying two 1,000-lb. bombs. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 13520)

 

Ground crew working on a Hawker Typhoon Mk. IB, pause to watch another Typhoon do a low pass. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 9252)

 

Ground crewman working on a Hawker Typhoon, April 1943. (Imperial War Museum 9251)

 

A Hawker Typhoon prototype, P5219, with a Rolls-Royce Vulture X engine. Prototype to Specification F.18/37, later to be known as the Tornado, first flown October 1939. (Imperial War Museum photo ATP 10280E)

 

Armorers fit two extra 60-lb rocket-projectiles to the four normally carried on the wing rails of Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, MN178 'PR-V', of No. 609 Squadron RAF at B77/Gilze-Rijen, Netherlands. The ability of the Typhoon to carry twelve instead of eight RPs was, however, little-used. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 3838)

 

Armorers fit two extra 60-lb rocket-projectiles to the four normally carried on the wing rails of Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, MN178 'PR-V', of No. 609 Squadron RAF at B77/Gilze-Rijen, Netherlands. The ability of the Typhoon to carry twelve instead of eight RPs was, however, little-used. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 3839)

 

A pilot of No. 175 Squadron RAF scrambles to his waiting Hawker Typhoon Mark IB at B5/Le Fresne-Camilly, following a call from the Group Control Centre ordering an air strike. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 570)

 

Nose of Hawker Typhoon. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 11573)

 

Original wartime caption: Hawker Typhoon, one of the fastest fighter 'planes ever produced, has been in service with the R.A.F. for several months during which it has shown itself master of anything the Luftwaffe can produce, both in attack and defense. Typhoons have taken heavy toll of FW.190 "tip and run" raiders and have made many devastating low-level attacks on enemy transport in occupied Europe. Typhoon is a single seat, low-wing monoplane of all metal construction powered with a Napier Sabre sleeve-valve engine of 24-cylinders. It has a wing span of 41 ft. 7 ins. and an overall length of 31 ft. 11 ins. Typhoon Mark 1A is armed with 12 - 0.303 Browning machine guns [6 in each wing]. Britain's fighter pilots appreciate the Typhoon's combination of size and strength with speed and maneuverability. It is a fine instrument in fine hands. Ground view of a Typhoon. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 9819)

 

Armorers at Thorney Island assemble the Typhoon's most fearsome weapon, the 3in rocket projectile, 15 June 1944. The Typhoon normally carried eight RPs, fitted with 60lb high-explosive/semi-armor-piercing heads. Rockets had four times the destructive power of the equivalent weight of bombs, but required a great deal of skill to aim accurately. The Typhoon's internal armament of four 20mm cannon was retained, adding further weight to the aircraft's devastating broadside. (Imperial War Museum photo HU 86313)

 

Testing the cannons of a Hawker Typhoon during a night time firing. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 9510)

 

Another view of a Hawker Typhoon during a night time firing. The Typhoon Mk. IB can fire off 80 shells in two seconds from its 20mm guns. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 9508)

 

An engineer wearing white overalls at work under the propeller of a Typhoon aircraft standing on an airfield. A second engineer lies on the wing on the left, also at work. Oil on canvas painting by Elsie Dalton Hewland, 1943. (Imperial War Museum photo Art.IWM ART LD 3032)

 

Hawker Typhoon Mk. IB, s/n JR128, codes HF-L of No. 183 Squadron, RAF. (World War Photos)

 

With its rocket rails empty, a No 175 Squadron Typhoon, HH-B, taxis between the trees at Le Fresne-Camilly (B-5) after returning from a close-support sortie, 1 August 1944. By this date communications with the ground forces had been improved, and standing patrols of Typhoons ('cab ranks') could be called down when needed by forward controllers manning mobile 'visual control posts' in the front line. (Imperial War Museum photo IWM FLM 1455)

 

Ground crew of No 168 Squadron, RAF work on a Hawker Typhoon in the snow at Eindhoven, 10 January 1945. (Imperial War Museum photo FRE 12534)

 

Ground crews loading 3-inch rocket projectiles onto Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, MN317 ZY-B, of No. 247 Squadron RAF at B2/Bazenville, Normandy. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 157)

 

Hawker Typhoon Mk IBs of No. 137 Squadron RAF on the ground at B78/Eindhoven, Holland, as another Typhoon flies over. In foreground, Typhoon Mk IB coded SF-K. (Imperial War Museum photo MH 6863)

 

'Babs VI', a Typhoon of No 174 Squadron, coded XP-K, was photographed at Volkel on 9 February 1945, the day after it was written off in a wheels-up landing. Like so many aircraft crashes, this one was down to engine failure rather than enemy action. (Imperial War Museum photo MH 27462)

 

Ground crew show off their stock of liberated 'smokes' as they decorate a 500 pound bomb at Eindhoven (B-78), October 1944. The Typhoon in the background, MN816, was on strength with No 438 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force. (Imperial War Museum photo HU 87718)

 

A No 174 Squadron Typhoon in a sorry state at Volkel. This aircraft, bearing fuselage codes XP-P, is believed to have been hit by flak on 22 February, and was wrecked on return to base. Note the wing armament access panels hanging open, and the No 274 Squadron Tempest parked in the background. (Imperial War Museum photo MH 27463)

 

Part of a vertical photographic-reconnaissance aerial showing two Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs of No. 146 Wing attacking a farmhouse west of Kalkar, Germany, which was being used as an enemy strongpoint. The strongpoint is at bottom right: the first attacking Typhoon has just fired rocket projectiles towards the target, the smoke trails of which can been seen passing under the aircraft in the center of the photograph. The second Typhoon is starting its attacking run at top center. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 2021)

  

Part of a vertical photographic reconnaissance aerial showing two Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs of No. 146 Wing attacking a farmhouse west of Kalkar, Germany, which was being used as an enemy strongpoint. The strongpoint is at bottom right: the first attacking Typhoon has just fired rocket projectiles towards the target, the smoke trails of which can been seen passing under the aircraft in the center of the photograph. The second Typhoon is starting its attacking run at top center. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 2022)

 

 Assembling Hawker Hurricanes, and a single Typhoon at left center coded DP-N: swinging the compasses and making test flights. Oil on canvas painting by Elsie Dalton Hewland, 1943. (Imperial War Museum photo Art.IWM ART LD 3286)

 

Three stills from camera gun footage shot from a Hawker Typhoon of No. 198 Squadron RAF during a low-level attack on shipping in Boulogne harbor, showing a Typhoon attacking a vessel with bombs and cannon fire. (Imperial War Museum photo C 4102A)

 

The Typhoon of Squadron Leader Denis Crowly-Milling of No 181 Squadron being bombed up for the cameras during a press visit to Tangmere, June 1943. The Typhoon in the background is coded EL-B. (Imperial War Museum photo HU 87560)

 

Squadron Leader J. M. Bryan, Commanding Officer of No. 198 Squadron RAF, inspects the damaged starboard wing of his Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, JR366, at Manston, Kent, after returning from a 'Roadstead' mission on 27 September 1943. The operation involved an attack on three flak ships off the Dutch islands. Anti-aircraft fire from the vessels exploded cannon shells in the starboard ammunition pan of Bryan's aircraft, blowing off the panel and holing the wing. Bryan returned unhurt and made a safe landing at base, but two other Typhoons were shot down. (Imperial War Museum hoto CE 108)

 

A portrait of a pilot, wearing a Mae West, standing next to a Hawker Typhoon fighter aircraft. Pilot has been identified as Flight Lieutenant Harrison 'Moose' Mossip, No. 1 Squadron RAF, and the aircraft as Typhoon JP677 JX-C, autumn 1942. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 21358)

 

Armorers clean out the cannon of a No 245 Squadron Typhoon (JR311/MR-G) at Westhampnett, 18 January 1944. Like most Typhoon squadrons, No 245 had converted to the fighter-bomber role and was now taking part in an intensive period of dive-bombing attacks against 'Noball' targets (V-1 flying-bomb storage and launch sites) in northern France. Rangers and medium-bomber escorts were also regular activities. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 12253)

 

Pilots of No. 245 Squadron RAF walk past their Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs to their dispersal hut at Westhampnett, Sussex, on completion of a sortie against a flying bomb launching site.in northern France ('Noball'). Three of the Typhoons wear cowling covers with 'chimneys' for the insertion of a heater, in order to aid the engine start. In the background is a Hawker Hurricane, used by the Squadron as a communications and training aircraft. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 12255)

 

Flight Lieutenant Raymond 'Cheval' Lallemant's reputation as an admirer of all things equestrian was reflected in this shot set up in front of a Typhoon at Martragny (B-7) on 30 July 1944. The 24 year old Belgian was a flight commander with No 198 Squadron at this time, and was soon to command No 609. Badly burned in a crash in August, 'Cheval' did not return to operations until March 1945. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 993)

 

Still from film shot from a Hawker Typhoon Mark IB of No. 609 Squadron RAF, showing one of the Typhoon's rocket projectiles heading towards a train under attack in the railway station at Frielingen, west of Soltau, Germany, (Imperial War Museum photo C 5223)

 

Still from film footage shot from a Hawker Typhoon Mark IB flown by the Commanding Officer of No. 609 Squadron RAF, showing smoke rising from a burning German vehicle after being attacked successfully by Typhoons near Vimoutiers. (Imperial War Museum photo C 4575)

 

Still from camera footage shot from a Hawker Typhoon Mark IB of No. 263 Squadron RAF during an attack on an enemy headquarters and observation post southwest of Goch, Germany. A Typhoon is seen (top right) firing its rocket projectiles into the smoke-covered target area. (Imperial War Museum photo C 5042)

 

Luftwaffe night-fighter ace Heinz Vinke made the fatal mistake of flying in daylight on 26 February 1944. His Messerschmitt Bf 110G was caught at 1,000ft near Dunkirk by two Typhoons of No 198 Squadron and blasted out of the sky. This gun sequence, taken from Flying Officer George Hardy's aircraft, shows the Messerschmitt's starboard engine exploding, shortly before it dived to its destruction in the English Channel. (Imperial War Museum photo C 4212 A)

 

A section of Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs of No. 175 Squadron RAF take off from B5/Le Fresne Camilly, Normandy, watched by armorers at work on another Typhoon of No. 245 Squadron RAF. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 449)

 

Typhoons undergoing maintenance and repair at Melsbroek (B-58), near Brussels, 10 September 1944. An aircraft from No 247 Squadron (foreground, coded ZY-L) and a No 181 Squadron machine (coded EL-U) are parked in front of an elaborately camouflaged hangar at the former Luftwaffe bomber base. The Germans had gone to great lengths to disguise the airfield, fabricating fake houses, shops and even a chateau, all of which had failed to protect it from air attack. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 3979)

 

Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, JP672 coded EL-U, of No. 181 Squadron RAF is serviced outside a hangar, elaborately camouflaged as domestic buildings by the former German occupants, at B58/Melsbroek, Belgium. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 3981)

  

Still from film shot by a Hawker Typhoon Mark IB of No. 263 Squadron RAF, during attacks by aircraft of No. 146 Wing on enemy strongpoints south of Kalkar, Germany. Rocket-projectiles fired by the Typhoon can be seen heading towards a fortified farmhouse. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 2031)

 

A Hawker Typhoon Mark IB of No. 143 Wing taxis past dispersed Supermarine Spitfire Mark IXs along the ice-covered runway at B78/Eindhoven, Holland, for an early-morning sortie. Note the ground crewman sitting on the Typhoon's wing to guide the pilot, whose forward vision was obscured by the aircraft's nose. Note the ground crew member riding the starboard wing to guide the pilot on the ground. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 1768)

 

Two armorers of No 440 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force, trudge through the mud of an airfield near Eindhoven to re-arm a Hawker Typhoon fighter-bomber, coded I8-R. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 1598)

 

Three stills from camera gun footage shot from a Hawker Typhoon as it attacked a locomotive standing in a siding near Iseghem, Belgium. (Imperial War Museum photo C 3809A)

 

 Burnt-out Focke-Wulf in the foreground and three Hawker Typhoon aircraft at Antwerp, 1944. Watercolor painting by Walter Thomas Monnington, 1944. (Imperial War Museum photo Art.IWM ART LD 5515)

 

Aircraft of the Empire Central Flying School lined up for display at Hullavington, Wiltshire. In the front row, right to left: De Havilland Mosquito, Hawker Typhoon, Supermarine Spitfire, Percival Proctor, Grumman Avenger, Hawker Hurricane and three Miles Masters. In the back row, right to left: Avro Anson, Airspeed Oxford, De Havilland Tiger Moth, Avro Lancaster, Miles Magister, Vickers Wellington, Douglas Boston, North American Mitchell, Miles Master and Short Stirling. In the foreground is a GAL Hotspur glider. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 11722)

 

Part of a railway train carrying 120 flying bombs to their launch sites, which was attacked and destroyed by Hawker Typhoons at Schulen, Belgium, on 1 September 1944. This close up of the wrecked trucks shows the remains of the anti-aircraft gun platform, or 'flak' truck. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 1153)

 

A formation of Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs of No. 84 Group flying past in salute at a Dutch airfield, during a tribute to their co-operation with the Canadian Army, attended by General H. D. G. Crerar, G.O.C. 1st Canadian Army and Air Vice-Marshal E. C. Hudlestone, Air Officer Commanding No. 84 Group RAF. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 2789)

 

Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, MN851 coded BR-H, of No. 184 Squadron RAF, taking off on a sortie from B5/Camilly, France. (Imperial War Museum IWM FLM 1452)

 

Hawker Typhoon Mk IB, RB389 coded ‘I8-P’, “'Pulverizer IV'”, of No 440 Squadron RCAF, armed with 1,000-lb MC bombs under each wing, taxiing out for a sortie at B100/Goch, Germany. (Imperial War Museum photo MH 6865)

 

Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs of Nos. 181 and 137 Squadrons RAF, lined up at B106/Twente, Holland. (Imperial War Museum photo MH 6861)

 

Still from camera gun footage shot from a Hawker Typhoon Mark IB flown by Flying Officer C. Detal of No. 609 Squadron RAF, showing cannon shells striking a parked Junkers Ju 88 during a low-level attack on Roye airfield, south of Amiens, France. (Imperial War Musum photo C 4101)

 

Six stills from camera gun footage shot from a Hawker Typhoon Mark IB of No. 266 Squadron RAF, showing the shooting down in flames of a Messerschmitt Bf 109G which was taking off from an airfield in northern France. (Imperial War Museum photo C 4140A)

 

Smoke rising up in the distance after a Hawker Typhoon attack as landing craft move in during the landing by Royal Marine commandos on the island of Walcheren at Westkapelle the most western point of the island, during the final phase of the battle to free the Belgian port of Antwerp. (Imperial War Museum photo A 26262)

 

A Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs of No. 198 Squadron RAF, taxi through clouds of dust on the perimeter track at B10/Plumetot, Normandy. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 472)

 

Two Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs of No. 174 Squadron RAF raise the dust as they take off from B5/Le Fresne Camilly, Normandy. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 450)

A Hawker Typhoon Mark IB of No. 56 Squadron RAF being serviced at Matlask, Norfolk. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 9249)

Engine fitters prepare to change the propeller of a snow-covered Hawker Typhoon Mark IB in a dispersal at B78/Eindhoven, Holland. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 1797)

Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs of No. 121 Wing assembled at B2/Bazenville, Normandy, for close-support operations. Second from the right, fitted with a four-bladed propeller, is MN666 coded C-G, the personal aircraft of Wing Commander C. L. Green, the wing leader. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 153)

Wing Commander R. E. P. Brooker, the No. 123 Wing Leader, takes off from Thorney Island, Hampshire, in his Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, MN570 'B', with seven more Typhoons of No. 198 Squadron RAF, on a sortie over the Normandy beachhead. They attacked and destroyed several German armored vehicles on the Caen-Falaise road. (Imperial War Museum photo IWM FLM 3107)

Flight Sergeant J. S. Fraser-Petherbridge of No. 198 Squadron RAF takes off from Thorney Island, Hampshire, in Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, MN293 coded TP-D on a sortie over the Normandy beachhead to search for enemy transport. His was one of eight Typhoons led by Wing Commander R. E. P. Brooker, which attacked and destroyed several German armored vehicles on the Caen-Falaise road. (Imperial War Museum photo IWM FLM 2572)

Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs of No. 609 Squadron RAF start their take off run at Thorney Island, Hampshire, at the start of a sortie by No. 123 Wing to attack enemy radar sites on the Normandy coast. Typhoons of No. 198 Squadron RAF wait their turn including, on the right, their new Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader I. J. Davies, who replaced Squadron Leader J. Niblett, killed on a similar sortie the previous day. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 20542)

Airmen of No. 419 Repair and Salvage Unit, aided by an AEC mobile crane, remove damaged Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, MN413 coded I8-T, of No. 440 Squadron RCAF from the landing strip, following a wheels-up landing at B9/Lantheuil, Normandy, on 1 August 1944. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 652)

An armorer attaching the electrical plugs which fire the 3-inch rocket projectiles on the rocket-rails of a Hawker Typhoon Mark IB of No. 121 Wing at B5/Le Fresne Camilly, Normandy. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 445)

A still from camera gun footage taken from Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, MN494 coded PR-N, of No. 609 Squadron RAF, flown by Warrant Officer J. D. Buchanan while attacking German 'Freya' and 'Wurzburg Riese' radar installations at Cap de la Heve, le Havre, France, with rocket and cannon fire. (Imperial War Museum photo HU 93013)

Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, MN627 coded SF-N, of No. 137 Squadron RAF undergoes engine maintenance outside a hangar, elaborately camouflaged as domestic buildings by the former German occupants, at B58/Melsbroek, Belgium. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 3980)

A Supermarine Spitfire Mark IX raises the dust as it taxis past a Hawker Typhoon Mark IB of No. 181 Squadron RAF, at an advanced landing ground - probably B2/Bazenville - in Normandy. The Spitfire is fitted with a 45-gallon 'slipper' fuel tank. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 182)

Rocket projectiles released from a Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, flown by Squadron Leader J. C. Wells, Commanding Officer of No. 609 Squadron RAF, head for the former Hotel Imperial, during an attack on German radar stations and associated buildings at Berck-sur-Mer, France. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 32)

The aftermath of an attack by Hawker Typhoons of No. 121 Wing on German armored vehicles which had massed at Roncey, southeast of Coutances, Normandy, to counterattack American forces on 29 July 1944. The wrecked vehicles include a PzKpfw IV tank and two SdKfz 251 half-track armored personnel carriers. The graves of some of the occupants can be seen on the left. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 631)

Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, JP853 ‘coded SA-K’, of No. 486 Squadron RNZAF based at Tangmere, Sussex, in flight. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 11576)

Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs of No. 183 Squadron RAF, prepare to leave their dispersals round the perimeter track at Cranfield, Bedfordshire, during Exercise SPARTAN. The aircraft are wearing the temporary markings allotted to ‘Eastland’ forces during the maneuvers. (Imperial War Museum CH 18119)

A road near Chambois, south-east of Trun, Normandy, filled with wrecked vehicles and the bodies of retreating German soldiers following an attack by Hawker Typhoons of 83 Group. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 910)

Still from gun camera footage taken from a Hawker Typhoon Mark IB flown by Pilot Officer Rutherford of No. 182 Squadron RAF, showing rocket projectiles exploding among buildings on Carpiquet airfield, near Caen, France. (Imperial War Museum photo C 4461)

Group Captain D. J. Scott, leader of No. 123 Wing (wearing Mae West), converses with another RAF officer on arriving at B53/ Merville, France, watched by an interested group of local boys. Behind them, Scott's Hawker Typhoon Mark IB receives attention from mechanics. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 1117)

Flying Officers Spain and Spencer of No. 257 Squadron RAF wait on standby in their Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs, and attended by their ground crews, at Warmwell, Dorset. The further aircraft is JP494 coded FM-D. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 11993)

Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, JP963 'TP-T', of No. 198 Squadron RAF, parked by the perimeter track at B10/Plumetot, Normandy, as a bomb disposal squad explodes German mines in the background. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 473)

A Douglas Dakota of RAF Transport Command lands at snow-covered B78/Eindhoven, Holland, as ground crew inspect Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, MN659 coded I8-E, of No. 440 Squadron RCAF, which suffered a collapsed undercarriage on landing after a sortie. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 3810)

Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, MN529 coded BR-N, of No. 184 Squadron RAF raises clouds of dust as it takes takes off from B2/Bazenville, Normandy, on a sortie armed with rocket projectiles. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 147)

Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, MN875 'EL-B', No. 181 Squadron RAF, loaded with rocket projectiles and overload fuel tanks, taxying at B86/ Helmond, Holland. A member of the ground crew can be seen sliding off the starboard wing after guiding the pilot to the main runway. (Imperial War Museum photo IWM FLM 1461)

Six stills from camera gun footage taken from Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, EJ917, of No. 266 Squadron RAF flown by Flight-Sergeant D. Erasmus, showing his shooting down of a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 which had just shot down 266's Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader A. S. MacIntyre, in a dogfight over the Brest peninsula, France. (Imperial War Museum photo C 3847A)

Wing Commander J. R. Baldwin, leader of No. 146 Wing, with his Hawker Typhoon Mark IB at B3/Sainte Croix-sur-Mer. Baldwin joined the RAFVR and served as a ground crewman in France during 1940. After bomb disposal duties in the United Kingdom, he transferred to aircrew and joined No. 609 Squadron RAF, flying Typhoons, in 1942. After steadily building up his victory score, he became Commanding Officer of No. 198 Squadron RAF in November 1943, leaving them in April 1944 for a staff appointment at No. 11 Group, Fighter Command. He was promoted as wing leader of 146 Wing in June 1944 and on 13 July destroyed a Messerschmitt Bf 109 to bring his score to 16.5 victories. He spent the rest of the war on ground attack duties and in 1945 was promoted to Group Captain, commanding No.123 Wing. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 743)

Rocket-firing Typhoons at the Falaise Gap, Normandy, 1944. Oil on canvas painting by Fank Wootton, 1944. (Imperial War Museum photo Art.IWM ART LD 4756)

Flying Officer J. R. Cullen of No. 486 Squadron RNZAF, standing in front of his Hawker Tempest Mark V at Castle Camps, Cambridgeshire. Cullen became a successful Operation DIVER pilot with the Squadron, shooting down around 16 flying bombs launched against the United Kingdom. Between February and October 1945 he commanded No. 183 Squadron RAF, flying Hawker Typhoons. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 13967)

Still from film shot by a Hawker Typhoon of No. 181 Squadron RAF while attacking trucks in railways sidings at Nordhorn, Germany, showing a salvo of 60-lb rocket projectiles heading for the target, which has already been hit. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 2362)

Still from camera-gun footage shot from a Hawker Typhoon Mark IB flown by Flying Officer W. V. Mollett of No. 266 Squadron RAF, showing the shooting down of a Junkers Ju 52/3mg6e minesweeping aircraft of the Minensuchgruppe off Lorient, France. Cannon shells from Mollett's aircraft are striking the sea and the fuselage of the Ju 52, which crashed into the sea shortly afterwards. Mollet shared the destruction of the Ju 52 with Flying Officer N. J. Lucas, also of 266 Squadron. (Imperial War Museum photo C 4095)

Nine Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs (JP919 nearest) presented to the RAF by the Brazilian "Fellowship of the Bellows" and officially handed over to No. 193 Squadron RAF by the Brazilian Ambassador, Dr J. J. Moriz de Aragao at Harrowbeer, Devon. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 11393)

Still from camera gun footage shot from a Hawker Typhoon Mark IB flown by Flying Officer J. M. G. "Plum" Plamondon RCAF of No. 198 Squadron RAF, as he shot down a Junkers Ju 88 during a sortie over northern France. Cannon shells strike the fuselage of the Ju 88 which burst into flames and crashed from 50 feet shortly after. (Imperial War Museum photo C 4162)

Ground crew watch Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs of No. 175 Squadron RAF as they taxi out for a sortie at B5/Le Fresne Camilly, Normandy. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 403)

Hawker Typhoon pilots of No. 121 Wing, back from their operational sorties are interrogated at their open air headquarters in a Normandy orchard adjoining the advanced landing ground at B2/Bazenville. Bending over the table at right is Squadron Leader M. R. Ingle-Finch, Commanding Officer of No. 175 Squadron RAF. Behind him, wearing sun glasses is Squadron Leader W. Pitt-Brown, Commanding Officer of No. 174 Squadron RAF (Imperial War Museum photo CL 164)

Ground crew enjoying a game of cricket as others service a Hawker Typhoon Mark IB of No. 174 Squadron RAF outside a canvas hangar at B5/Le Fresne Camilly, Normandy. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 407)

Armorers of No. 121 Wing fit fins to 3-inch rocket projectile bodies at B5/Le Fresne Camilly, Normandy. Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, JR501 coded HH-R, of No. 175 Squadron RAF stands parked behind the trees. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 443)

Soldiers of the Pioneer Corps laying prefabricated bitumised strips (PBS) for a new runway at B10/Plumetot, Normandy, as a Hawker Typhoon of No. 198 Squadron RAF takes off on the airstrip. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 468)

An Army Liaison Officer (7th from left), aided by photographs and a scale model, briefs Hawker Typhoon pilots of No. 123 Wing at B77/Gilze-Rijen, Netherlands, for an attack on the Headquarters of General Blaskowitz, the Commander-in-Chief of German Army Group H. To the ALO's right, holding a cigarette to his mouth, stands Wing Commander J. Button, the 123 Wing leader. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 3828)

Typhoon IB R8752 of No 1 Squadron, written off after crash-landing in a field near its base at Lympne on 2 June 1943. Flight Sergeant W. H. Ramsey hit a telegraph pole over France, but managed to bring his badly damaged aircraft home. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 18509)

Squadron Leader R. P. Beamont, Commanding Offier of No. 609 Squadron RAF, sitting in the cockpit of his Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, R7752 coded PR-G, at Manston, Kent. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 18112)

Armourers fitting 500-lb MC bombs to Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, JP802 coded MR-M, of No. 245 Squadron RAF at Westhampnett, Sussex, for an attack on a flying-bomb launching site in northern France ('Noball'). (Imperial War Museum photo CH 12252)

Pilot Officer C. E. Benn RCAF of No. 182 Squadron RAF kneels beside the damaged port wing of his Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, JR427 coded XM-S, at B6/Coulombs, Normandy. Benn had been attacking enemy tanks east of Vire when he flew into intense anti-aircraft fire which tore a 3-foot hole in his port wing, shot away the pitot head of his aircraft, put the instruments out of commission, and blew holes in the fuselage and cockpit canopy, narrowly missing Benn's head. In spite of the damage Benn secured hits on the enemy tanks and, led by his flight commander, Flight Lieutenant P H Strong, was able to make a safe landing at Coulombs. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 852)

King George VI and his entourage of senior RAF officers walk over to Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, MN454 coded HF-S, of No. 183 Squadron RAF, while inspecting aircraft and equipment which will be used in the forthcoming invasion of Normandy at Northolt, Middlesex. MN454 was flown by the Commanding Officer of 183 Squadron, Squadron Leader the Hon. F. H. Scarlett. Behind the King's party is a Supermarine Spitfire Mark IX of No. 222 Squadron RAF. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 13240)

Under the supervision of their flight-sergeant, armourers of No. 609 Squadron RAF lift 3-inch rocket projectiles fitted with 60-lb warheads for loading onto the Squadron's Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs at Thorney Island, Hampshire. Behind them stands JR379 coded PR-L which has already been armed. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 13345)

Squadron Leader K. K. Majumdar of No. 268 Squadron RAF sitting in the cockpit of his Hawker Typhoon FR Mark IB at B43/Fort Rouge, France. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 1176)

Wing Commander M. N. Crossley standing in front of a Hawker Typhoon at Gravesend, Kent. In 1940 Crossley shot down 22 enemy aircraft over France and during the Battle of Britain while flying with No. 32 Squadron RAF, latterly as its Commanding Officer. He led a wing of Supermarine Spitfires in 1941, and was then posted to the united States as a test pilot for the British Air Commission. He returned to England in 1943 to lead the proposed Detling Wing, but his operational flying career was cut short when he contracted tuberculosis. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 9170)

Ground crew take over Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, DN374 coded US-A, of No. 56 Squadron RAF, in order to prepare it for another sortie, as the pilot, Flying Officer R. Poulter, unbuckles himself from the cockpit on his return to Matlaske, Cornwall. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 18274)

Still from camera gun footage taken from Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, EJ917, of No. 266 Squadron RAF flown by Flight-Sergeant D. Erasmus, showing his shooting down of a Focke Wulf Fw 190 which had just shot down 266's Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader A. S. MacIntyre, in a dogfight over the Brest peninsula, France. Here a major hit on the port wing starts an explosion in the fuel tanks which engulfs the whole aircraft. (Imperial War Museum photo C 3849)

The Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, accompanied by senior Army and RAF officers, examines a Hawker Typhoon Mark IB of No. 609 Squadron RAF during a tour of inspection of No. 123 Wing at B77/Gilze-Rijen, Netherlands. (Imperial War Museum photo B 12269)

Hawker Typhoon pilots of No. 181 Squadron RAF leave the briefing tent at B2/Bazenville, for a midday sortie over the Normandy battlefield. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 175)

Hawker Typhoon pilots of Nos. 121 and 124 Wings discuss operations at B2/Bazenville, Normandy, on the evening of 14 June 1944. In the foreground, standing on the left, are five pilots of No. 175 Squadron RAF, including the Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader M. R. Ingle-Finch (fourth from left): on the right stand members of No. 181 Squadron RAF with their commander, Squadron Leader C. D. 'Kit' North-Lewis sitting on the far right. In the farthest group, those identified include Wing Commander C. L. Green (wearing helmet) leader of No. 121 Wing, and Squadron Leader W. Pitt-Brown, commander of No. 174 Squadron RAF (on the right, wearing a lanyard). In the background, Supermarine Spitfire Mark IXs of No. 66 Squadron RAF stand at their dispersal points. (Imperial War Museum photo CL 151)

Still from film footage shot from a Hawker Typhoon of No. 181 Squadron RAF, showing a rocket projectile fired from the aircraft, heading towards German motor transport trying to escape through the Argentan-Falaise gap on a road near Livarot, Normandy. (Imperial War Museum photo C 4571)

Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs of No, 164 Squadron RAF, ready to take off from Thorney Island, Hampshire, to attack radar sites on the Normandy coast. (Imperial War Museum photo CH 20541)

Head and shoulders portrait of Mr Sydney Camm, Chief Designer in the Hawker Aircraft Company, responsible for the Typhoon, Britain's newest fighter plane now in production for the Royal Air Force. It is the most formidable fighter in the world and has a phenomenal climbing speed. (Imperial War Museum photo HU 90326)

 Napier Sabre II, the 2200-hp inline H-24 liquid-cooled sleeve-valve piston engine beast powering the Hawker Typhoon. 

Ground staff prepare to load a Hawker Typhoon with bombs, c. 1940. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

Ground crew arm a Hawker Typhoon fighter-bomber, circa 1943. (Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

L-R, Flight Lieutenant Paul Cooreman (1916 - 1989), Sub-Lieutenant Charles Demoulin, Flying Officer Pierre Leopold Soesman (1922 - 1944), Flight Lieutenant Jacques Legrand and Flying Officer Charles Detal (1914 - 1944) from Belgium and pilots of the Hawker Typhoon ground attack fighter/bomber aircraft of No 609 (West Riding) Squadron RAF, Second Tactical Air Force (2TAF) return from a mission over France circa March 1944 at RAF Manston in Kent, England. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images).

Hawker Typhoon Mk1b single-seat fighter-bombers of No.193 Squadron from 146 Wing, Second Tactical Air Force of the Royal Air Force are being re-armed with a payload of bombs before an operation on 22 December 1944 at an airfield somewhere in the Netherlands. Fellowship of the Bellows. (Photo by Reg Speller/Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images).

Hawker Typhoon Mk. IB single-seat fighter-bombers of No.193 Squadron from 146 wing, Second Tactical Air Force of the Royal Air Force are being re-armed with a payload of bombs before an operation on 22 December 1944 at an airfield somewhere in the Netherlands. Fellowship of the Bellows. (Photo by Reg Speller/Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images).

Patricia Annette Blackwell of the Air Transport Auxiliary inspects a new Hawker Typhoon on a British airfield, before delivering it to an operational airfield during World War II, circa 1942. (Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Close up view of twin 20mm Hispano Mk II autocannon guns mounted to the wing of a Hawker Typhoon single seat fighter bomber prior to a test flight over England during World War II on 6th October 1942. (Photo by Reuben Saidman/Popperfoto via Getty Images)

Hawker Typhoon single-seat fighter-bomber ground-attack aircraft under construction for service with Royal Air Force on 1 March 1942 at the Gloster Aircraft Company aircraft assembly plant at Brockworth in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. The Hawker Typhoon first entered service with the RAF in September 1941. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images).

A British Royal Air Force Hawker Typhoon single seat fighter-bomber is made ready for a raid with ground crew installing rockets and mechanics making last minute checks on the engine, June 1944. (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)

Pilots of No 198 Squadron RAF Second Tactical Air Force (123 Wing) study maps in front of their Hawker Typhoon IA fighter-bomber on 16 June 1944 at RAF Thorney Island, Chichester, West Sussex, England. (Photo by PNA Rota/Getty Images)

An RAF pilot chalks up the score of his Hawker Typhoon Mk. IB aircraft on the Squadron board. (Photo by PA Images via Getty Images)

Hawker Typhoon Mk. IB. (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

Hawker Typhoon Mk. IB. (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

Hawker Typhoons US-Y, US-H and US-C of No. 56 Squadron, RAF. (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)