Hurricane Story, The

There are few more enduring symbols of British determination, courage, and strength during World War II than the Hawker Hurricane. Taking to the skies over London, the Hurricanes—and the young men who flew them in deadly conditions—played a crucial role in both keeping up morale and in aggressively hampering German attempts to devastate England from the air. The planes were nimble, reliable, and responsive, and the men who flew them all but fell in love with them—as did the people on the ground, who quickly learned to identify their silhouettes in the skies overhead.

This book celebrates the Hurricane through pictures and stories. Photographs of the airplanes and their pilots in action, many previously unpublished, taken from the collections of the Imperial War Museums and the Royal Air Force Museum are complemented by Paul Gallico’s story of the plane and its pilots. Built around firsthand accounts, Gallico’s narrative brings to life the experience of getting into the cockpit and taking to the sky, knowing that danger and even death might await, but that all of England was counting on you. The result is an unforgettable book, a celebration of mechanical innovation and human bravery.