The Story of the Nearly Forgotten WWII Friendly Fire Incident of Spitfires Shooting Down Hurricanes

The Story of the Nearly Forgotten WWII Friendly Fire Incident of Spitfires Shooting Down Hurricanes

The Spitfire and the Hurricane are remembered as the defenders of Britain during the summer of 1940. Yet, their first combat encounter did not come against an enemy force. On September 6, 1939—just days after Britain declared war—Spitfires shot down Hurricanes in a tragic case of mistaken identity. This little-known event occurred in the tense first week of the war, when radar technology was still unreliable and both pilots and commanders were o…