1940 Spitfire & Hurricane - Battle of Britain's Hardest Day - 18th August 1940

The Imperial War Museum's Supermarine Spitfire Mk.1a, N3200, G-CFGJ flying with Hawker Hurricane Mk. 1, R4118, G-HUPW.
18th August 1940 - 80 years ago today marked a day that came to be known as The Battle of Britain's Hardest Day.
The grim loss and damage statistics for aircraft and aircrew of both sides on this day in 1940 are :-
RAF and RN losses:-
Hurricanes - 32 destroyed, 20 Damaged, 10 pilots killed, 16 wounded.
Spitfires - 7 destroyed, 14 damaged, 1 pilot killed, 3 wounded.
Anson - 1 Destroyed, 1 pilot killed - aircraft collided with or rammed an attacking HE111.
61 various other aircraft destroyed/damaged during attacks on airfields.
Luftwaffe losses:-
Me109 - 18 Destroyed, 5 damaged, 9 pilots killed, 3 wounded, 5 prisoner
Me110 - 14 Destroyed, 3 damaged, 8 pilots killed, 4 prisoners.
Ju88 - 4 Destroyed, 2 damaged, 8 crew killed, 3 prisoners.
Ju87 - 17 destroyed, 7 damaged, 25 crew killed, 8 wounded, 5 prisoners.
Do17 - 8 Destroyed, 9 damaged, 17 crew died, 10 wounded, 7 prisoners.
He111 - 8 Destroyed, 4 damaged, 18 crew killed, 6 wounded, 14 prisoners.
Supermarine Spitfire N3200 was built at Southampton in 1939 and issued to 19 Squadron at RAF Duxford in April 1940.
On 26th May 1940, Squadron Leader Geoffrey Stephenson flew her first and only operation, leading 19 Squadron on a patrol to cover the evacuation of Allied forces from Dunkirk (Operation Dynamo).
After shooting down a Junkers Ju-87 Stuka dive-bomber, Stephenson was himself shot down. He crash-landed on a beach at Sangatte and was captured.
The Spitfire was recovered from the beach in 1986. Though largely intact, very few original parts could be re-used. The Spitfire was restored to flying condition and returned to the air in 2014, before it was donated to IWM in 2015.
Hawker Hurricane Mk.1, R4118, is the only surviving Hawker Hurricane to have been involved in combat during the Battle of Britain.
Delivered new to 605 'County of Warwick' Squadron based at Drem, Scotland on 17th August 1940.
During the Battle of Britain it flew 49 sorties from Croydon and shot down five enemy aircraft.
605 Squadron moved to Croydon on 7th September 1940. During the Battle of Britain, in the hands of Bunny Currant, Archie Milne and Bob Foster, she flew 49 sorties, shooting down or damaging five enemy aircraft before she herself was battle-damaged and moved from the front line for repair.
After extensive work to fix the damage, she was taken on charge by 111 Squadron at Dyce, Scotland in January 1941, where she flew patrols over the North Sea and was again in combat.
With newer types of enemy aircraft entering service by this stage of the war, the Mk 1 Hurricane - work horse of the Battle of Britain - was becoming increasingly obsolete in front-line service and R4118 became a training aircraft with 59 and 56 Operational Training Units.
By December 1943, with the threat of a Japanese invasion of India looming large, R4118 was crated in Cardiff and shipped to India as a training aircraft. She was never used and remained in her packing case in Bombay until 1947, when she was struck off charge and donated to Banaras Hindu University for engineering instruction.
There she stayed, largely forgotten and slowly decaying in the corner of a courtyard, until retired businessman and restoration enthusiast Peter Vacher discovered her in 1995 during a trip to India.
Despite its exposure to the elements, the airframe was still in surprisingly good condition and, after a three-year restoration, the aircraft returned to the skies in December 2004.
Since her debut airshow season in 2005, R4118 has been acquired by Hurricane Heritage, and remains a regular attraction at displays across the country. Whilst her more famous counterpart - the Spitfire - holds a more prominent place in the minds of the public, R4118 and her Hurricane Heritage stable mate Hurricane P3717, serve as a poignant reminder of the nerve, bravery and skill of the young men who flew them. The Hurricane force destroyed more than twice as many enemy aircraft during The Battle of Britain as all of our other defences combined.
The aircraft is now regarded as the most historic British aircraft to have survived in flying condition from the Second World War.
www.hurricaneheritage.com
Filmed during The imperial War Museum Duxford's 'Showcase Day' on 4th August 2020.
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[@baselhammond3317]

One cannot ignore the utmost elegance of that aeroplane, a separate prayer to RJ Mitchell aside the Few from myself.

[@falconeaterf15]

Great planes, great flying, great photography, a great video !

[@HighFlight]

Thanks.👍🙃

[@gregmctevia5087]

Inspiring. Great catch.

[@andrewmontgomery5621]

Winston Churchill:"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

[@kidnamedfinger772]

Very true😔✌️

[@453421abcdefg12345]

A really wonderful video, the landing shots were superb, and no obstructions to spoil the view, was this an air show, or just an air test ? You were certainly in the right place to get the best angle here. Stay safe ! Chris B.

[@HighFlight]

Hi Chris. Many thanks. It was a 'mini airshow' - Duxford call it a 'Showcase Day'. They have two 1 hour flying slots 1200-1300 and then 1400-1500 - using 5 or 6 different aircraft - sometimes more. As it's not a full airshow there is not really a crowd to speak of, just maybe twice as many visiting the museum as on a normal summers day. A much friendlier filming environment. The advantage is that you know in advance which aircraft are scheduled to fly. Today there is supposed to be another one but I've 'scrubbed the mission' as the weather is dire. Best wishes. Steve.