Jugs over Burma

[Gotthard Heinrici]

Originally Posted by historybuff

Although the Hurricane was a fine aircraft, it was best suited to air-to-air combat. The Thunderbolt was a large, tough superb machine that could take a beating and still come home without much trouble handling it. It had superior range and speed, I believe, and I also believe the radial engine was easier to work with in the conditions it was subject to.

The Jug was a beast of an aircraft but a really useful one at that and given the production of it, it may have helped ease the pressure on British aircraft production to use some US models.

[Warlord]

Just read that by the late months of the war, 1945 that is, 221 Group RAF, the main source of CAS for the XIV Army, had 6 operational Hurricane squadrons to 3 of Thunderbolts, a 2 to 1 ratio. The old workhorse was still there, despite near obsolescense.

Here´s a link to the source in NZETC, volume III of New Zealanders with the RAF:

CHAPTER 16 — Back to Rangoon—the Last Phase | NZETC