Little known is the fact that the Hurri had a faster rate of climb than the Spit and could turn inside both the Spit and the 109. As stated, it was also more rugged and survivable than either of them. I love Tuck's observations on the Hurricane: that it was really down to the skill of the pilots when came to Hurri vs. 109. And that was from a man who flew all three types (Hurri, Spit, 109) during the war.

Interestingly enough, Sidney Camm and Reginald Mitchell both saw the technological threat from Germanyicon before Fighter Command really acknowledged it and kicked into gear. They both began their designs on their own, Camm's being evolutionary and Mitchell's being revolutionary. The Britishicon Government's resistance to procuring their planes put both companies in financial peril, as did the U.S. Government's reluctance once the B-17 Flying Fortress was developed. in all three cases there was a sense that the designers knew they had something their government badly needed but had to fight to get accepted.

Bob