'Shot down and in the drink'

23rd August 1940: A Hurricane pilot describes the experience of baling out of a burning plane, hoping to be rescued from the English Channel

A Hawker Hurricane MkIIC in flight, roughly twice as many Hurricanes as Spitfires flew in the battle. At the beginning of July, the RAF had 344 Hurricanes, 226 Spitfires, and 24 Defiants operational facing over 2,000 Luftwaffe aircraft.