Wednesday, March 27, 2019

109 And Hurricane

This is the Heinkel He 162 Volksjager, positioned beneath the other wing of the Lancaster. This jet powered plane was a wood and metal fighter, quickly designed and built, but the program was initiated late in the war and never saw much combat action. This one was captured in Germany at war's end, exhibited in Hyde Park, and sent to Canada, ultimately ending up in the collection of the Aviation Museum.


This is the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the primary fighter in the Luftwaffe during the Second World War, one of the best of its time. This one crash landed near Murmansk, Russia, in 1942, and was acquired by the Museum in the 1990s.


Here we have one of the great Allied fighter planes of the war, a Hawker Hurricane XII. The Hurricane design started in 1934 and would see several variants built over time. They were somewhat outclassed by the 109, but really what won the day was the skill of the pilot. By the end of the Battle of Britain, it was young Allied pilots in Hurricanes and Spitfires who prevailed, and in fact the Hurricane was responsible for the bulk of downed enemy aircraft in that particular fight. This one was built in Canada and used in training and defensive patrol duties during the war.


A statue stands nearby of George Frederick "Buzz" Beurling, a highly decorated Canadian fighter pilot who served with the RAF and the RCAF during the war. He was called the Falcon of Malta for his extraordinary exploits there in 1942 in bringing down Axis aircraft.

34 comments:

  1. Volksjäger, what kind of a name is that, "people hunter", OMG.
    War is mean and stupid but this is really... a bummer.
    I know that many Germans had no chance to choose but some were simply cold and mean.

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  2. Brave people who fought for their country. But war is cruel and sad for everyone concerned.

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  3. The Germans were crazy and gave him a terrible name ... but they were powerful planes!
    The statute is also very nice!

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  4. Far too much of aviation history is bound up with war.

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  5. I didn't realize how much aviation history and advancing of technology comes through war.

    Janis
    GDP

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  6. ...the Hurricane, what a great name for a plane.

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  7. Such a huge collection they have.

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  8. That museum has a huge collection of war planes.

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  9. Fascinating series of historical 'air' photos ~ ^_^

    Happy Moments to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  10. so cute, it makes me feel like the yellow plane will talk with that sort of mouth area. what was that movie? i think it was a pixar movie? i'll have to google it?? ( ;

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  11. More planes that I could ever imagine.

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  12. @Iris: it was a bad time.

    @Nancy: that is true.

    @Ella: his story is quite a fascinating one.

    @David: yes, that is the case.

    @Francisco: thank you.

    @Janis: a lot of it does.

    @Tom: a very good name.

    @Jennifer: definitely.

    @RedPat: it's a big museum.

    @Sami: it really does.

    @Carol: thank you.

    @Beth: I can see that.

    @Red: it's a big collection.

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  13. That Messerschmitt is something to see and that is a lovely statue of "Buzz".

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  14. Great exhibition and I enjoy reading about history.

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  15. Boy, did i have a lot of catching up to do with reading this post and a few previous ones, William. Regretfully, there wasn't enough time for me to comment on every one, but it was interesting to read all the history you provided along with the photos.

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  16. This is quite a collection of planes. So much history.

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  17. We just had an air show here and old and new planes in the air and on the ground.
    This was a wonderful post.

    cheers, parsnip

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  18. The museum has lots of planes with lots of stories. A wonderful place indeed.

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  19. I like the design and the sound of planes like the Spitfire and the Hurricane. Comare that with the F16 and the coming F35 ... ouch!

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  20. @Sharon: they certainly did a hell of a job when they designed the 109.

    @Tamago: so do I.

    @Beatrice: thanks!

    @Michelle: and more to come.

    @Parsnip: thank you.

    @Bill: it is!

    @Jan: I love Spitfires and Hurricanes. I've got a Spitfire coming up tomorrow.

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  21. I can't get over the size of the museum, so many planes and so much history too.

    All the best Jan

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