S! Grunherz
Here we are butting heads again...
I assume people are referring the Soviet Ace Igor Kaberov's autobiography, “Swastika in the Gunsight”, by Igor Kaberov, a autobiography of a Soviet Naval Pilot who flew in the Leningrad area during 1941-1942. His Squadron was equipped with Hurricanes at one stage. Kaberov writes in the manner of a good party member, (he makes much in the autobiography, of the moment when he was first granted membership) so he is quick to comment on the shortcomings of the foreign built aircraft. That would be a given, especially in a biography published when the Communist party was still in power:
“…the name ‘Hurricane’ hardly matched the technical qualities of the machine. The armament on it was now good – two 20mm cannons and two heavy calibre machine guns. One burst and pieces would fly off any aircraft. The armour plating, (taken from our Lagg) was fine… The horizon indicator was also a wonderful instrument. It was easy to fly in the clouds with it. The radio worked magnificently, like a domestic telephone: neither noise nor crackle. But the speed, the speed… No, this aircraft was far from being a hurricane.”
Kaberov had misgivings about the ability of the Hurricane to take on the 109’s. But after a series of fights:
“…it was possible to fight Me109’s with it. And with Junkers, even more so. The cannons made a lot of difference! In a fight with a Messerschmidt, I scored with them – it decided the outcome of the battle.”
When his Squadron finally gave up the Hurricanes he calculated the Kills and Losses which they had inflicted and suffered when equipped with the British Aircraft:
“It turned out that during that time sixty-eight fighters and bombers had been destroyed by us. At the same time, we had lost eleven of our pilots and fourteen machines.”
Even taking into account the overclaiming which all fighter pilots indulge in, (the fighter pilots of all nations overclaim by a factor of at least 50% according to a statistical study) it would seem the Hurricanes with his Squadron were successful.
The Hurricane was the second most common Lendlease variant sent to the Soviet Union, after the P-39. 2,952 Hurricanes were sent. Most were sent in 1941-43. During the early part of the war it was more common than the P-39 or P-40. When compared to the Total production of some Soviet aircraft types, 2952 is not a small number. There were only 3322 Mig-3 fighters produced. (I was mistaken in my first post, confused the Mig-3 figures with the Lagg-3 numbers) (Note this Mig-3 figues do not count the small number of I-230 variants produced)
It is certainly true the Hurricane suffered when used on the Eastern Front. The Merlin XX engine which powered the Hurricane normally ran on 100 octane Aviation gasoline which was not available. Only 95 octane Soviet gas was used. Additonally, the Soviets did not use the WEP on the Hurricane. They removed this boost possibility, and ran as their maximum, Combat Power. As a result the Soviet Hurricanes likely ran lower boost and had less power. However it seem the aircraft was still reasonably combat worthy. Soviet Hurricanes were re-equipped with 2 Shvak 20mm cannon and 2 12.7mm Machine guns, making them the most heavily armed Soviet aircraft on the front at the time. And its wing loading would be superior to any comparable German aircraft.
The Spitfire V and IX were also supplied to the Soviet Union in quite large numbers. Close to 1500 Spifires arrived between 1943 and 1944. These aircraft were equipped with Merlin engines with 2 stage superchargers, and had problems with the Soviet aviation fuel too, nesessitating running at lower boost and no WEP.
As far as the Hurricane being completely outclassed by the Me109E:
The Hurricane was far and away the most numerous aircraft on the British side during the Battle of Britain, and shot down more aircraft than the Spitfires.
Many German pilots had Spitfires on the brain, and generally identified all British fighters as 'Spitfires'.
There was in fact a kind of 'Spitfire Snobbery'.
Peter Townsend, one of the highest scoring British Aces wrote in his autobiography of an incident when he was flying a Hurricane I during the BOB, and shot down an Me109E. He noted where the plane crashed, landed, and took a vehicle out to the crash site. The German pilot was ok, minor scrapes and bruises. Townsend introduced himself as the victorious pilot, and mentioned he was flying a Hurricane. The German pilot then refused to shake his hand, and insisted he had been shot down by a 'Spitfire'.
