The doughty Hurricane IIB, delivered from March 1941, preceded the unloved Airacobra.
The ground crews of 601 Squadron pose with their new charges, Bell Airacobras, late in 1941. Note the starter trolleys, rear-mounted engines, nose cannon and highly unorthodox positioning of the Squadron emblem on the white rudder stripe. Their first operational flight was made on October 9, 1941.
A trio of 601 Squadron Spitfires LFXVle up from Hendon in July 1947.
