The Battle of Britain Five Months That Changed History, May—October 1940 by James Holland (z-lib.org).epub

aircraft was struggling out over the sea, it was best to bail out as soon as
possible.
On 11 June, they had been transferred on to Hurricanes. Tom was not
overly disappointed. It was true the Hurricane climbed at a slower speed,
and Tom disliked the throttle, which he felt was a little flimsy. On the other
hand, the controls felt balanced and the aircraft solid and steady. ‘There was
no question of converting,’ noted Tom about the transition from Spitfires to
Hurricanes. ‘We flew our Hurricanes four times each day from the outset.
With ease and comfort and feeling perfectly at home.’
The squadron became operational on 29 June, and just a few days later,
now operating from Leconfield, Tom’s section was scrambled at around
4.30 p.m.; a bandit had been picked up on the radar and they were to go and
intercept it. Flying out some twenty miles to sea at around 13,000 feet, Tom
felt excited but not the slightest bit apprehensive. Further reports from the
ground controller were received and then to Tom’s amazement he spotted
the Dornier. He was so thrilled he forgot all about his radio, instead waving
his arms and waggling his wings at the section leader, ‘Dobbin’ Young.
Eventually, Dobbin realized what these frantic signals were and
immediately led them into a No. 1 Attack, just as Boozy Kellett had taught
them. However, rather than turning away and exposing himself, the German
pilot headed straight between their legs, then making a dash for some cloud.
The Hurricanes followed, losing him, then spotting him again, before losing
him once more, this time for good. Tom returned exhilarated and
disappointed in equal measure.
By the middle of July, Tom had flown more than 150 hours on Spitfires
and Hurricanes. ‘A’ Flight, of which he was a member, was still flying tight
wingtip-to-wingtip formations and practising the glaringly outdated Fighter
Attacks, and there were other shortcomings too, such as in gunnery. In his
first practice attacking towed drogues, for example, Tom reckoned he had
fired some 10,000 rounds without scoring a single hit. During a second
session, he had been marginally more successful, but his shooting had still
not been up to much. However, impatient though he and the other pilots
might have been to get into the action, this time in Yorkshire was proving
invaluable. By keeping them out of the fray for the time being, Dowding
was giving them a chance; a chance to become thoroughly familiar with the
defence system and, more importantly, with their aircraft. When the battle