The Hurricane had to endure most of WW II the shadow of its better known cousin, the Spitfire, but its legacy speaks for itself — 55% of the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) planes shot down in the Battle of Britain during WW II were by Hurricanes. The workhorse of the Royal Air Force, Hurricanes made up 32 squadrons total, compared to 19 for the Spitfires. It was slower than its cousin, and less flashy, but back when its design was still being worked out, the desire for the Hurricane was durability, not speed.

On this day, November 6, in 1935, the first prototype Hawker Hurricane took to the skies. This was the first biplane to be built by Britain, and the first one to break the 300 mph barrier. The RAF was duly impressed with its performance, ordering 600 units.

Thousands more hurricanes were built before the end of the war, with upgrades and modifications for different tasks and theatres of war. Some were changed for catapult launches from the decks of ships; a dozen or so were outfitted with radar for night fighting (although they never saw action). Russia received shipments totalling 3,000 planes. Altogether some 14,000 flew during WW II.