Hawker Typhoon 

At 06:44 in the video, it shows my father, P/O Roy Payne landing his 609 Squadron RAF Typhoon PR-H at Biggin Hill, with the wheels up. He had previously suffered a puncture during takeoff. Dated 30 October 1942

I personally knew a Typhoon pilot, F/Lt Jack H Hilton, RCAF. So many great stories from him. Rest easy sir, you are missed. 🇨🇦

I love the Hawker company for it's contribution to aerospace history. Sir Sydney Camm had a part to play in many of the finest British aircraft ever made including the Hurricane, Typhoon, Tempest, Sea Fury, Hunter, and my personal favourite the Harrier. That the Typhoon made a transition from a dangerous untrusted fighter plane to a versatile, liked fighter-bomber is a remarkable story in itself.

Didnt realize these planes were such stinkers in the beginning. Love their design and glad it all worked out.

The real problem with the Typhoon was the wing (NACA-22 Series). The chord-width was too wide and at speeds over 400 mph experienced compressibility effects. During dives approaching 500 mph, a very sharp increase in drag was experienced and the aerodynamics changed which affected pitch and made the machine nose-heavy. The wing section that was eventually adopted for development had its point of maximum thickness at 37.5% of the chord. The thickness/chord ratio was 14.5% at the root and 10% at the tip making the new wing 5 inches thinner at the root than the original. The wing area was increased and an elliptical planform was adopted. The thinner wing was more efficient at high speeds, but had far less space for fuel, so a fuselage tank was added which extended the length of the aircraft by 21 inches ahead of the c.g. The inevitable compensation for this was a scalloped larger fin and tail plane, which improved stability. This series of modifications resulted in a faster, much lighter handling and responsive aircraft. Initially called the Typhoon II, it eventually was renamed the Tempest - an aircraft that realized the potential and the promised performance of the design.

Always loved the Typhoon and the Tempest. That huge scoop under the engine always looked so cool to me when I was a kid.

My dad flew one in ww2, he loved it and its rockets and its speed.

Only about 100 Typhoons had 12 machineguns. The remaining 3,000+ that were produced had 4 20mm cannons. It should be noted that the Typhoon was developed into the Tempest. The MkV Tempest had the same engine as the Typhoon, a stretched fuselage and a new laminar flow wing. These improvements brought up the top speed to about 440mph.

I am the proud son of Flying Officer Brian Leonard John Foley, who flew with the 609 and 175 Squadrons RAF. He flew the Hurricane and the 'Tiffy" on various sorties including 'D' Day and was shot down on the 27th August 1944, after a successful attack with 5 other pilots on German logistics. He remained a POW until the Russian forces swept through in 45, and released all those amazing souls. He passed away in 2011, and i miss him so dearly. What a wonderful and courageous man as were the other 'Unsung heroes!' God bless them all!

Many a brave young man helped save the world in that plane …….. Thank you .

The propeller from my uncle's typhoon is part of a war memorial in the dutch town of Sevenum. He belly landed the plane in Germany in Oct 1944 and made his way back to base safely via Dutch Resistance. He was shot down a few months later near Osnabruck and murdered by the German Home Guard. WO Frederick William 'Billy' Cuthbertson. Brave young men!!

The refined version of this, the tempest V, was an extremely successful fighter. Had even better performance at low-medium altitude than the mustang

If I recall correctly Roland Beaumont's book discusses the tail failures typically in power dives, and the cause being air compressibility against the tail surfaces, basically in a power dive the aircraft was getting closer to the speed of sound and air was behaving more like a liquid, I seem to remember problems with prop shafts breaking as well for similar reasons. These effects were unknown until the typhoon so it puts it in a different light than a faulty design... they were discovering things that would assist with later super sonic aircraft development. I seem to remember the typhoon was quite successful against the V1 buzz bombs as well.

Sooo much better now you have slowed down the narration - thank you!

The Hawker Typhoon is one of my all time favourite aircraft. As a ground attack aircraft it was in a class of its own. It looked good too

After spending WWII on his Royal Navy destroyer, my late father stayed on after the war to ferry surrendered U-Boats from their pens in Norway to Scapa Flow. There, the crewless submarines were used as targets for rocket firing Typhoons. He said it was quite a spectacle.

The first fighter-bomber in the world? That's a bold claim... gonna have to call BS on that one chief. Reggiane 2001's were being used as fighter-bombers as early as 1941.

The Napier Sabre was probably the most complicated engine to reach service, including the P&W 4360. Napier was 24 cylinder, sleeve valve, H configuration all running in formation.

Pierre Closterman's book is superb regarding the Typhoon and Tempest during the final years of the war. Dark Skies seem to over labour the drawbacks of the Typhoon and the reluctance of pilots to fly it. Both the Typhoon and Tempest were used to great success after D Day and through to the surrender in Europe. being used as far north as Denmark.

Despite its initial problems, it ended up as an extremely effective ground attack aircraft and the use of the “cab rank” system for calling in CAS was the pioneer of what has become a crucial warfighting tactic to this day. It was armed with 4 x 20mm cannons, which are more effective than .50bmg ....even 8 of them, (don’t agree? Look up Project GunVal to see why no American fighter was ever armed with .50’s after the end of the Korean War in 1953) and 8 x 60lb rockets do a damn sight more damage than 6 x 3.5 bazookas tied together in three’s. The systematic destruction of German armour and infantry in the Falaise pocket is a grim testament as to just how effective the Typhoon was.

"first fighter-bomber in the world" is a bold and likely false statement. Lots of fighters were fitted with all manner of ground attack weapons (guns, bombs, or rockets) long before the Typhoon started doing it.

It’s incredible how many different aircraft took part and how quickly they were manufactured during this period!

It’s amazing seeing the Tempest II/Sea Fury and P47Ns - stunningly capable airplanes with the pinnacle of radial engines.

I built 1/72 and 1/48 scale Typhoons. They were one of my fav ww2 planes

Sir Sydney Camm was a genius. Anyone not familiar with his work may wish to marvel at his biplanes, monoplane and jets. Was the Typhoon the first "fighter bomber"? Many others such as the Sopwith Camel, Snipe and Westland Whirlwind could claim that title. My favourite aeroplane, the Hawker Hurricane lead the way for many of the ground attack methods employed by the allies. Let's also not forget the Typhoon's successor the Tempest, that was a beast.

I love watching the Dark Skies docs,they are well presented and documented and always keep you interested-the hawker typhoon had it's faults but it eventually became an excellent ground attack aircraft

I'm pretty sure that the title of the first true fighter-bomber in the world belongs to the De Havilland Mosquito, which entered full service in the summer of 1941. It too was fitted with AG missiles (along with four .303 machine guns and four 20mm cannons in the nose, plus the ability to carry a 4,000 lb load), and it was tasked (along with many other roles, such as a night-fighter) to attack ground-based targets, such as enemy radar installations, airfields, and eventually V-1 launch sites along the coast. In fact, at the time the Mosquito was one of the few aircraft capable of chasing down V-1s en route to London, having claimed about 632 of the during their months of operation. The Mosquito frustrated the Germans to no end as the Luftwaffe found it almost impossible to catch and shoot down, even by the dreaded Focke Wulf FW 190. When the Mosquito entered service it was the fastest plane in the world and remained as such until early 1944.

Dark Skies should do one on the Fairey Swordfish. It may have been outdated by the time WW2 came along but its achievements such as the Taranto raid and it's part in sinking the Bismark are amazing stories. It was the little plane that punched way above its weight.

The British 'deficit' over the Channel lasted approximately a year. The FW 190 started appearing in small numbers from summer 1941 and in mass from Operation Cerberus and completely outclassed the Spitfire V. The Spitfire IX appeared in mass at the Dieppe raid in August 1942 and could more than hold its own with the FW190. The subsequent Spitfire XIV could out dogfight any piston engined aircraft of any nation during WWII

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved the Typhoon. It just has such an aesthetic that screams “Power”. Anytime I see it now, I always associate it with Normandy and helping close the page on that campaign. Our British brothers did so much damage in these over at the Falaise Gap. They were masters at spotting and swarming the horse carts, tractors and trucks falling back and from Vire, Falaise and Argentan. The aircraft was the perfect 20mm Hispano platform and delivered glowing hot metal shot glasses with devastating authority.

fw190 really had a great impact on allied warbirds development

In my youth, building model airplanes was my passion. The Hawker Typhoon was one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing this but I would love to hear more about this plane.

the FW 190 entered service in 1941. The Typhoon didn't "completely change the course of the war", but was a really useful aeroplane once the initial problems were solved.

There is a Typhoon being constructed and returned to the sky to remember the brave crews that flew and serviced these incredible aircraft. RB396 is the main donor, but as with all vintage aircraft, much of it will be new.

I love the playing of "HaTikvah" during the video. Well done and interesting video.

Some inaccuracies: 1. The Fw-190 was used as a Channel fighter bomber from 1942, not 1943. 2. The Typhoon was not the first fighter bomber (see 1, for one example). It wasn't even Hawker's first monoplane fighter bomber, which was the Hurricane as 'Hurribomber' as Mark II and IV. 3. Typhoons did not 'exchange MGs for rockets'. For one thing, they were all armed with cannon by that point. Secondly the fit was rockets or bombs, cannon always present. 4. The Sabre was not 2500 hp initially, nor in any production version used on the Typhoon, with 2200 hp being the usual value, depending on subversion of Sabre and fuel quality.

Regarding 11:00 No, the war could never taken a very different turn from the moment the USSR and USA were involved, from that moment onwards it all became a question of how much time and how much blood would be spilled until the end.

Great short documentary on one of the most overlooked British fighters of WW2. Some interesting facts that I was unaware of too. Thanks.

Great improvment from earlier videos regarding speed of presentation. Clear, cohesive and to the point. Keep up the good work.

"Ma Vlast" playing in the background was almost a distraction from your narration. Loved it.

I bought the current car I have because to me the bottom of the grill looks like the scoop on the Typhoon...no kidding one of my flying faves

Excellent video, i had NO IDEA the typhoon had so many problems, I heard of the wing problems but nothing else.. Germany had the 210, Britain had the Typhoon .. Prototypes always essential.

I built the Guillow's balsa and tissue, rubber band powered model of the Typhoon, decades ago as a teenager. It was GREAT, a rock-steady flyer, durable, and awesome looking. Still a favorite

A wonderful brute of a plane.what wasnt mentioned was its 4 .20mm cannon which proved devastating in combat,and the aircrafts ability to absorb ridiculous amounts of punishment. Hail the mighty typhoon!

Despite its challenges, this fighter still remains my favourite European theater fighter of WWII

Then refined in to the Tempest V, Tempest II and finally the Sea Fury

I never really knew or cared about the Typhoon until I player IL2 Sturmovik: Normandy. The Typhoon flies like a jet with the acceleration and climb rate. I bought the game for the Mosquito but the Typhoon is by far my favorite plane in the game.

This was the best video of yours I have seen to date.

The terms English and British are not interchangeable and haven't been for 300+ years, thanks.

My father fought in Europe in the infantry. He would tell of just having the Typhoons show up would cause pandemonium on the German side. He recalled how they were being stopped by 2 German Panther tanks. The Typhoons dove down rocketed the tanks and when done one of them waged his wings to them. The Canadian infantry loved the Typhoon pilots.

Never really knew about this aircraft and the history behind it. This was a very informative video and I thank you for that. Seems I will have to buy a model of this and add it to my collection. Glad it found it's place where it excelled. Well documented. Cheers

Really good presentation- excellent narration. One of the best RU-vid channels - very professional and always informative and entertaining

The major issue with the Typhoon, which is completely omitted in this video, was that its wing design led to a profound drop off in performance at altitude. Hence, it couldn't really perform as a fighter. However, it performed exceptionally well at low altitude, which is why it made such a good ground-attack plane.

Another great video!! A great example of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, the troubled initial service and how those issues were overcome and then the switch to a highly successful fighter bomber contrast sharply with the Germans and aircraft such as the Messerschmitt 210 and Hienkel he177. Another fine example of British ingenuity from world war 2.

Met a Typhoon Pilot name Jack Hilton Amazing man with some great stories. He wrote a book about his time in the RCAF before he passed, highly suggest picking up a copy.

The narrators voice and cadence is spot on. Damn good job. Proud subscriber.

Another superb aircraft review. Many thanks.

The Typhoon’s successor was the Tempest which featured a redesigned tail and a new main wing which turned it into one of the best fighters of the war. It was the speedier Tempest that was actually used to chase down V-1 buzz bombs as well as the Spitfire Mk XIV. It is also debatable whether the Napier-Sabre was more powerful than The Bristol Centaurus radial engine or the R.R. Griffon.

Wow! The British dropped the ball on this plane compared to the Hurricane & spitfire. It appears that they rushed this into service before thorough testing. Once the bugs and unnecessary deaths were eliminated the Typhoon settled into its best performance. Thanks.

"The ground-breaking engine would burst out in flames when fired up"...Love the dialogue..!

at last the admission that the RAF had the fastest fighter of the war. 500 mph at low level is astounding , not in a dive as many others could be in level low level flight , now the Hawker tempest was another fast fighter used in ground attacks as well, but my favorite is still the Mosquito.

I love watching these videos and learning about all these aircraft. It's amazing how much influence a few minor changes can have on an aircraft's capabilities. If it were up to me, I would have reduced the size of the engine, and reinforced the tail better. But maybe then it would not have become a capable strike aircraft. PS: Interesting choice of background music.

Amazing aircraft, with the amazing men that flew this near 500 mph monster! My father, Flying Officer Brian Leonard John Foley RAF 175 Squadron, 414398 flew the 'Tiffy' during the Europe campaign, including 'D' day. He was shot down 27th August 1944, remained missing for several weeks, until located by the Red Cross. He previously flew Hurricanes, but raved about the 2400 hp Tiffy, and the men that flew same! God bless them all!

I was the Senior Operations Officr on 3 Sqn Royal Air Force, when it flew Harriers, and was the sqn historian. 3 Sqn flew the Typhoon and was one of the first to do so. The first sortie into Europe by 3 Sqn Typhoons resulted in 4 of the 6 Typhoons being shot down by Fw 190s, as it proved to be no match for the German aircraft when it was used as a fighter. It did find it's role as a low level fighter bomber and fighter at low level, but as a fighter at anything above a few thousand feet it was outclassed by the Fw 190.

Another great video, thanks. BTW, the RAF pilot you mention as an "Officer Pilot" would be actually a "Pilot Officer" kind of like saying Colonel-Lieutenant instead of Lieutenant-Colonel. Cheers!

Once the Typhoons (and USAAF P47s) were equipped with rockets, this is what broke the back of the German Panzer Divisions as they tried to retreat out of the Normandy and Caen AOs. Asking German Panzer and Grenadiere about their Normandy experiences, almost to a man they said "when the weather was clear and the "JABOS" appeared we found out just how dangerous it was for us". ("JABO" is an Abkürzung or abbreviation of the German word "Jagdbomber" or Fighter bomber...their name for Allied ground attack planes)

Interesting, with such a significant aircraft, so few remain. Excellent video.

I first knew about the Sabre engine many years ago in my university book about internal combustion engines. It was described as the ultimate ic aero engine. The ingenuity of Napier guys and their unsurpassed creation still amazes me. I would give my kidney to be able to see one of them still flying!

A Typhoon firing all its rockets had the equivalent striking power as a battery of 5-inch naval guns

A lot of the commentary it total rubbish. My dad flew the Typoon and really liked it. There were 27 lost from structural failure out of 3,400 constructed

As a boy I read and re-read Desmond Scott's "Typhoon Pilot" about 486NZ Squadron's war. An iconic and underrated aircraft.

One of my favourite fighters thanks to a Comic I got in Normandy as a child. Absolutely gorgeous planes!

So in the long run, Hawker was the better aircraft manufacturer in the war, over Supermarine, since it was Hawker who developed the Harrier, the last best British aircraft fighter

Nice video, I never knew about the engine fires or the monoxide poisoning before. Merry Christmas 🌲👍

I really appreciate the narration. I hate new documentaries trying to mimic "reality TV".

When I finished training and finally started working as a family doc back in 1984, one of my older colleagues was a fellow who had flown the Hawker Typhoon in WWII with 440 Squadron RCAF, part of No. 143 Wing RCAF. I learned from other veterans that the guy was known as one of the more daring or "risk insensitive" pilots who was known to wait until the last possible second to unleash the RP-3 rockets against ground targets, thus ensuring hits and destroyed targets. After getting to know the guy a bit, I asked him about that reputation. "Well", he said with a wry smile, "I never expected to survive the war, especially flying that bloody thing".

Would be great to see something similar done for the Hawker Tempest :)

I don't want to hear any more blasphemy about the 'British Channel'. It's the English Channel. Thanks.

This channel gets better and better. Sweet.

my father George martin flew a Typhoon on DDay. Was shot down over Normandy and rescued by the French Résistance. At St Pierre’s Des Ifs- do incredibly proud of him and the family who risked their lives to harbour him whilst gestapo were in the same house! .

I was sure you would mention Clostermann "le grand charles", a famous typhoon...

The attrition rates of pilots in Typhoon squadrons in the 2nd TAF were very high. Lost a relative flying a Typhoon with 263 Squadron this month in 1944. The aircraft and aircrew don't get the recognition for the strategic impact they had 1943-1944.

The FW 190 was like a German zero ! I hadn't noticed that before. What a great channel this is! 👍

Excellent historical explained of creation of Hawker typhoon, Excellent explained of it's characteristics, its struggles against Germany 🇩🇪 airforce during 2WW...it's first usage of Rocket 🚀 throwing during Famously occasion DD- day of 2WW...thanks for sharing

Typhoon was a very bigger, heavier, faster and powerful aircraft than other single engine types in service in the RAF. Its take off speed was close to the hurricane's economic cruise. In any case, a combat aircraft is a dangerous machine to fly compared to a civil aircraft. And the Typhoon was pushing the limits further. The Typhoon was a huge step forward in anything. So pilots had to learn how to master such a big aircraft. The RAF had to learn methods to fly and operate such big and heavy fighters. Concerning the technical difficulties, this advanced aircraft encoutered new types of aerodynamic problems because she could reach speeds that were never approached before. This caused unexpected stress on the airframe (tail) and Hawker took time to identify that. But the fix was easy. About the engine, it was one of or the highest power to weight ratio engine of its time. To achieve this, many extreme options were selected by Napier such as valveless cylinders with oscillating jackets (aka sleeve valve). These jackets were the main problem of this engine and the solution came unexpectly from a contractor. They remarked that the jackets made by one of their contractor were more reliable along time and lasted longer than their home made jackets. Finally the reason was identified : Napier made his oscillating liners by stamping and deburring, which always left tiny shards of metal on the intake and exhaust cutouts.These shards burned with each explosion in the cylinder and gradually the openings widened, and at After a while, the cylinders were no longer airtight, causing loss of power, igniting the lubricant and ultimately the entire engine. Mechanics had to replace the cylinder's jackets very often, (24 of them by engine) this was an endless and frequent operation that severly impacted the Typhoon fleet availability. The subcontractor made the openings in the liners by milling which left no splinters and the openings made in this way grew much more slowly. Jackets made in this way lasted much longer. This machining method was generalized and improved, which solved the main problem with the Sabre engine. And Oscillating jackets ketp being used later and after the war in successful british engines such as the Bristol Hercules series. About the power of the Sabre that equiped the british fighters : About 2200hp for take off 2800hp in emergency (write off the engine after that) But, more important, the engine was capable of maintaining a high power output at all levels up to 6000m. Interesting to notice, the Sabre and the RR Griffon had similar displaments of about 2,240 cubic inches (37 litres) Read : "Rendez-vous avec la chance" Raymond Lallemant (Typhoon pilot - Squadron 609) Éditions Robert Laffont, Paris, 1962 available also in the collection "Jai lu leur aventure" This book was translated into English title : "Rendezvous with Fate"

The Sabre was eventually type tested at 3500hp. The tail problems mostly stem from elevator flutter, which was little understood at that time.

Outstanding coverage of a great plane. Well Done Sir.

One of my favourite Airfix/Frog models of the sixties, brilliant.

One of the early problems with the Typhoon was the tail falling off and the plane got a bad reputation so that Spitfire pilots were not happy to convert to them. One day Diana Barnato Walker, an Air Transport Auxiliary delivery pilot was delivering a Typhoon to a squadron and barrel rolled it over the runway. Some pilots then revised their views about the aircraft.

But is it correct to claim that "Typhoon was the first aicraft which could use rocket ammunition effectively"? What about russian I-16, Il-2 and their RS-82 and RS-132 rockets?

A superb autobiography by someone who actually flew the Spitfire, this plane and the Hawker Tempest is The Big Show by Pierre Clostermann who, in spite of his name was a French pilot who flew for the RAF in WW2. Imagine, if you will, sitting in an airplane (in this case the Tempest) which would burst into flames and explode before you had the remotest chance of escaping if you got the starting sequence wrong. He did this and describes this in great detail (although none of his airplanes exploded !). The Big Show is also one of the best accounts of any of the many thousands of servicemen who wrote about WW2 and lived through it.

That was very informative? I never had a clue that they had that many problems, with The Hawker Typhoon. Thank you.

FW-190 A.K.A. The Butcher Bird. Now you need to follow up with the Hawker Tempest. Please.

The FW190 was introduced in 1941, and was initially countered by the Spitfire Mk8 and Mk9.

I used to read comics of the Typhoons and Nighthawks (mosquitoes), with a torch under my blankets after I was sent to bed.. lol

It looks like your quality of your videos are getting much better Congratz

None of the Allied ground attack aircraft proved, on post-war analysis, to have been particularly good tank killers. Most of the German armour destroyed during their abortive Mortain (Normandy) breakout was nailed by American anti-tank guns. But, that wasn't the point, the Typhoon was remarkably good at chewing up the soft parts of armoured columns - fuel and ammo trucks, repair workshops, recovery tractors and commanders' vehicles - and those humans not killed by the Typhoons were all practically paralysed with shell-shock for days afterwards. The Germans had name for ALL Allied ground attack aircraft. 'TAIFUN....'

One of the original prototypes was fitted with the Rolls Royce Vulture Engine and was called the ‘Tornado’. The Vulture was a troublesome engine that was developed by bolting 2 Peregrine (another troublesome engine) engines together around a common crankshaft. Combining 2 problematic engines together did not fix the problem, but compounded it. The Vulture killed the Tornado, and later killed the Avro Manchester bomber. This bomber later was reborn when it was fitted with upgraded Merlin engines, and became the Avro Lancaster….

Excellent video as always - I really enjoy Dark Skies!

The Typhoon and theThunderbolt . Great British and American ground attack fighters over Europe. Not enough about the typhoons. Thanks for the video.