History of 32 Squadron Royal Air
Force. Aviation art prints of 32 squadron based at Biggin Hill during the
battle of Britain,. By aviation artist Kenneth McDonough. This print of 32
squadron. entitled battle for Biggin is available direct form aviation art
prints. com a division of Cranston Fine Arts
Fighter Pilot of 32 Squadron. Air Commodore Peter
Brothers CBE, DSO, DFC* Learnt to fly at the age of 16 and
joined the RAF two years later in 1936. He first saw action in 1940 when
as a Flight Commander in 32 Squadron, based at Biggin Hill, he flew his
Hurricane against the fighters and bombers of the Luftwaffe. He recalls
this as an intensely busy period, during which he shot down an Me109 - his
first enemy aircraft; by the end of August that same year his tally of
enemy aircraft shot down increased to eight. Awarded the DFC, he was
transferred to 257 Squadron where he joined Bob-Stanford Tuck as a Flight
Commander. Promoted in 1941 to Squadron Leader, Pete Brothers then took
command of 457 Squadron RAAF, equipped with Spitfires. A year later when
457 Squadron returned to Australia, Pete took command of 602 Squadron. In
the early autumn of 1942 he went on to become Wing Leader of the Tangmere
Wing, succeeding his old friend, Douglas Bader. By the end of the war Pete
Brothers had amassed 875 operational hours over a 44-month period. He was
credited with having personally shot down 16 enemy aircraft and damaged
many more. He later went on to command 57 Squadron during the Malaya
campaign. Upon return to the UK Pete Brothers joined the V-Force, flying
Valiant-4 jet bombers. He retired in 1973.
Royal Air Force Fighter, the Hawker
Hurricane had a top speed of 320mph, at 18,200 feet and 340mph at 17,500,
ceiling of 34,200 and a range of 935 miles. The Hurricane was armed with
eight fixed wing mounted .303 browning machine guns in the Mark I and
twelve .303 browning's in the MKIIB in the Hurricane MKIIC it had four
20mm cannon.
All time classic fighter the Hurricane was designed in
1933-1934, the first prototype flew in June 1936 and a contract for 600
for the Royal Air Force was placed. The first production model flew ion
the 12th October 1937 and 111 squadron of the Royal Air Force received the
first Hurricanes in January 1938. By the outbreak of World war two the
Royal Air Force had 18 operational squadrons of Hurricanes. During the
Battle of Britain a total of 1715 Hurricanes took part, (which was more
than the rest of the aircraft of the Royal air force put together) and
almost 75% of the Victories during the Battle of Britain
went to hurricane pilots. The Hawker Hurricane was used in all
theatres during World war two, and in many roles. in total 14,533
Hurricanes were built.
Battle for Biggen
by Kenneth McDonough July 1940 Hurricanes from 32 squadron
RAF southbound over Kent to protect their home base, Biggin Hill