Quote:
Originally Posted by GnigruH
Sending 18 year olds with only few hours of basic training into battle is a sign of desperation.
Letting foreign experienced veterans fly hurricanes is not. It's opportunism.
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Actually the RAF never sent pilots into combat with only a few hours basic training. The myth that pilots were thrown into Spitfires and Hurricanes with only 10 hours flying time total is ludicrous.
What did happen during the BoB was some pilots only had a few hours on "type". Hence they may have only spent 10 hours in a Spitfire before being assigned an operational unit BUT they still had extensive basic training in trainer aircraft and then aircraft like Gladiators at training squadrons.
The basic training in Gladiators was not just a result of a shortage of Spitfires and Hurricanes. the RAF found that pilots trained in Gladiators were actually more competent than pilots trained in Spitfires as the Spitfire was easier to fly.