AA36509

Hakwer Typhoon Mk IB 247 (China-British) Squadron, No. 124 Wing, 2nd TAF, RAF Eindhoven, December 1944

Limited Edition

The Hawker Typhoon was something of a low-level airborne battering ram and was to take a withering toll of German armour in the last months of WWII. This particular aircraft was flown by former Battle of Britain 'Ace' Sqn. Ldr. Basil Gerald 'Stapme' Stapleton and featured some distinctive fuselage artwork. It depicted a burning eagle of the Reich, with a Typhoon rocket sticking in it - a unique emblem. Unfortunately, the aircraft made a forced landing in enemy territory in December 1944, following a flak strike.

Introduced into service in 1941, the Hawker Typhoon was designed to be the RAF's new ultimate interceptor fighter. Superseding the Hawker Hurricane it was hoped that the Typhoon, together with the Spitfire, would be a powerful and effective opponent of the Luftwaffe. However, it was not to be. Initially plagued by mechanical woes from the engine and suffering from a deficit in performance at high altitude, the Typhoon instead found fame as a low level attack aircraft, a role to which it was well-suited with its powerful engine allowing it to carry a load of up to two 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs – giving the aircraft the nickname "the Bombphoon".