Help me identify this WW2 RAF plane
Posted by MrThePaul@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 32 comments

My great uncle died in an RAF training accident in March 1943. I'm curious what plane he's leaning against in this picture - we can't see a lot but what we can see feels quite distinctive.
Indifferent_lemon@reddit
As others have said, it's a Hawker Fury II (see the 6 rectangular holes and bumps on top of the nose, and the II was fitted with wheel spats for streamlining) - they were still used as trainers into the early 40s after being withdrawn from front line service. Since the propellor seems to be missing in this pic, it's possible that this one wasn't flying any more and was either being used for parts or as a ground instructional airframe - just a guess though, also possible it was mid-repair after a nose-over from a student pilot, which would be a typical reason to have a pic taken beside it!
As an aside, if you're into aviation history at all, the doomed but extremely brave defence of Yugoslavia using their Furies against the Luftwaffe's 109s and 110s is worth reading about.
Affectionate_Cronut@reddit
That's a Fury Mk.II that's in very rough shape. The fabric on the lower wing is tattered at the trailing edge, and it looks like the engine has been removed as well. Probably used for training mechanics, or was a squadron hack that got parked when it was too worn out to repair.
Adventurous-Sea7617@reddit
Hawker Demon?
Miserable_Theory6774@reddit
hawker fury
Jadams0108@reddit
Normally I’m really good with planes but I’m pretty stumped on this one. It looks a lot like a hawker hind or from the side of the engine and the wings but what’s really throwing me off is the landing gears. I can not find any ww2 era raf biplane that has that half exposed landing gear style, all the ones I know of have the wheels fully exposed
Idontevenlikecheese@reddit
I found photos of Fury MkII that all have the wheel fairings. I think that must be it.
https://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_hawkerfury.html
TwujZnajomy27@reddit
But isn't Furry MkII a WW1 era plane or am I misremembering something
AccomplishedGreen904@reddit
Between the wars
boss_mang@reddit
The link above explains that they were still used for training into WWII
TempoHouse@reddit
And even in combat in the first Finnish war, IIRC
This_Is_TwoThree@reddit
First flight 1931, in front line service until 1939 then used as a trainer.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Fury
Idontevenlikecheese@reddit
No, they were interwar designs from the early 30s. IIRC the Hurricane was the first monoplane design by Hawker, and you can very clearly see the similarities between the Hurricane and the earlier biplane designs like the Fury.
The Fury has much more in common with a Hurricane than with a WW1 Sopwith Camel, for example.
Icy_Huckleberry_8049@reddit
they could have used them for training purposes
Gripe@reddit
Hawker Demon is my guess
shamelesslikealways@reddit
"Great question Paul, I don't have a goddamn clue."
1we2ve3@reddit
Um what’s this from
Pier-Head@reddit
Hawker Fury II because of the spats
Kanyiko@reddit
1+ vote for the Hawker Fury. Even though they had long departed frontline service by this point, they were still being used as "advanced fighter trainers", the last step up from trainers to actual frontline fighters.
Straight-Knowledge83@reddit
The nose is distinctively Hawker
richardelmore@reddit
It looks like a Hawker Fury, I found one photo of a Fury with wheel fairings that look like those here...
Hawker Fury
23karearea32@reddit
Interesting that that aircraft has a V inter-plane strut as opposed to the N type that was more common. I wonder if they toyed with the fairings on multiple models as a part of the development
23karearea32@reddit
Another vote for the Fury, here’s another image of one with the wheel spats what ever it was, it’s likely that your great uncle didn’t fly it, like you said the engine is gone, and the fabric on the wing is in tatters.
MrThePaul@reddit (OP)
To the best of my knowledge he was training to be a navigator and not a pilot, so certainly wouldn't have flown in a single-seater.
ReadyWhippet@reddit
Bit of a left field suggestion, but it could be a Fairey Fantôme.
It was a prototype, and didn't last very long. But as far as I can tell, all the visual details match fairly well.
MrThePaul@reddit (OP)
I don't think it's a Fantôme.
Although in my picture the engine is not present, we can clearly see six evenly spaced holes for the exhausts. Whereas on pictures of the Fantôme the exhausts appear to be unevenly spaced.
ReadyWhippet@reddit
Yes, the Fairey cowlings tended towards a 1, 2, 1 configuration for the exhausts. I couldn't quite make out from your photo whether there were more holes, or just the same hole intersected by the bracing wires.
It's not often this sub gets stumped on an ID question - Well done! 😅
Glenroth35@reddit
Maybe a Fairly Fox?
markbrev@reddit
I’m guessing at a Hawker Fury, but haven’t seen many pictures of them fitted with wheel spats.
MrThePaul@reddit (OP)
https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/tq30o/hawker_fury_raf_montrose_1939/ there's an example here.
Hawker Fury is the best suggestion I've yet had from any source I think...
Southern-Bandicoot@reddit
Hello OP, could you help us out a bit please?
Do you have access to the service records of your Uncle? Normally it's a 1-page document giving dates of posting in and out of units / stations. Many of these units are only given as 3 or 4 letter acronyms.
I have helped friends and colleagues in the deciphering of these service records and am happy to help you, too.
If we know where and when he worked at different locations, that would help immeasurably - especially with the suggestion by a contributer that this aircraft might be a Fantome at Martlesham Heath.
NassauTropicBird@reddit
This is easy
Well shit, I dunno but I did try
Terrible_Log3966@reddit
I'd say Hawker Fury. But I'm not sure which marque