THE HURRICANE AND THE SPITFIRE:
PRODUCTION, OPERATIONAL STRENGTH AND LOSSES
Table 1: Production per week, June–November 1940
|
Date |
Hurricanes |
Spitfires |
|
1–7 June |
87 |
22 |
|
8–14 June |
79 |
22 |
|
15–21 June |
67 |
25 |
|
22–28 June |
75 |
21 |
|
29 June–5 July |
68 |
26 |
|
6–12 July |
65 |
32 |
|
13–19 July |
57 |
30 |
|
20–26 July |
67 |
41 |
|
27 July–2 August |
65 |
37 |
|
3–9 August |
58 |
41 |
|
10–16 August |
54 |
37 |
|
17–23 August |
43 |
31 |
|
24–30 August |
64 |
44 |
|
31 August–6 September |
54 |
37 |
|
7–13 September |
54 |
36 |
|
14–20 September |
56 |
38 |
|
21–27 September |
57 |
40 |
|
28 September–4 October |
58 |
34 |
|
5–11 October |
60 |
32 |
|
12–18 October |
55 |
31 |
|
19–25 October |
55 |
25 |
|
26 October–1 November |
69 |
42 |
|
Total |
1,367 |
724 |
Table 2: Operational strength: number of squadrons, July–October 1940
|
Date |
Hurricane squadrons |
Spitfire squadrons |
|
14 July 1940 |
||
|
10 Group |
2 |
2 |
|
11 Group |
12 |
7 |
|
12 Group |
6 |
5 |
|
13 Group |
5 |
5 |
|
Total |
25 |
19 |
|
1 September 1940 |
||
|
10 Group |
4 |
4 |
|
11 Group |
14 |
6 |
|
12 Group |
6 |
6 |
|
13 Group |
9 |
2 |
|
Total |
33 |
18 |
|
30 September 1940 |
||
|
10 Group |
6 |
3 |
|
11 Group |
13 |
7 |
|
12 Group |
6 |
6 |
|
13 Group |
9* |
3 |
|
Total |
34 |
19 |
|
28 October 1940 |
||
|
10 Group |
6 |
3 |
|
11 Group |
13 |
8 |
|
12 Group |
7 |
6 |
|
13 Group |
7** |
3 |
|
Total |
33 |
20 |
Table 3: Operational losses per week, July–November 1940 (aircraft totally destroyed)
|
Date |
Hurricanes |
Spitfires |
|
10 May–29 July |
173 |
110 |
|
30 July–5 August |
2 |
9 |
|
6–12 August |
47 |
25 |
|
13–19 August |
84 |
38 |
|
20–26 August |
39 |
33 |
|
27 August–2 September |
96 |
48 |
|
3–9 September |
86 |
53 |
|
10–16 September |
50 |
24 |
|
17–23 September |
21 |
19 |
|
24–30 September |
60 |
29 |
|
1–7 October |
17 |
19 |
|
8–14 October |
21 |
19 |
|
15–21 October |
18 |
14 |
|
22–28 October |
22 |
16 |
|
29 October–4 November |
17 |
11 |
|
Total |
753 |
467 |
|
(as percentage) |
61.7 |
38.3 |
Sources:
Table 1: PRO AIR 22/293, ‘Weekly Output of Fighters’.
Table 2: PRO AIR 16/365, ‘Fighter Command, Operational Strength of Squadrons and Order of Battle’.
Table 3: PRO AIR 22/262, ‘Daily Returns of Casualties to RAF Aircraft’, 25 June–29 September 1940.
SINGLE-ENGINED FIGHTER PILOT STRENGTH,
RAF AND GERMAN AIR FORCE
Table 1: Fighter Command pilot strength
|
Week ending |
Establishment |
Operational strength |
|
30 June 1940 |
1,482 |
1,200 |
|
27 July 1940 |
1,456 |
1,377 |
|
17 August 1940 |
1,558 |
1,379 |
|
31 August 1940 |
1,558 |
1,422 |
|
14 September 1940 |
1,662 |
1,492 |
|
28 September 1940 |
1,662 |
1,581 |
|
19 October 1940 |
1,714 |
1,752 |
|
2 November 1940 |
1,727 |
1,796 |
Table 2: German Air Force, single-engined fighter pilot strength
|
Date |
Fully operational pilots |
|
1 June 1940 |
906 |
|
1 August 1940 |
869 |
|
1 September 1940 |
735 |
|
1 November 1940 |
673 |
Sources:
Table 1: PRO AIR 22/296, ‘Personnel: Casualties, Strength and Establishment of the RAF’.
Table 2: C. Webster and N. Frankland, The Strategic Air Offensive against Germany (4 vols, London, 1961), vol. 4, p. 501; W. Murray, Luftwaffe: Strategy for Defeat 1933–1945 (London, 1985), p. 54. For September, Webster and Frankland give a figure of 688 operational pilots.