A Revolutionary British Fighter That Exceeded All Expectations
The Development Problem
By 1940, Hawker Aircraft recognized that its heavyweight Typhoon fighter suffered from severe limitations at high speeds. The NACA 22 wing section performed adequately below 400 mph but generated excessive drag near 500 mph, accompanied by buffeting and trim instability. Investigations into a thinner wing design commenced in March 1940, though actual development did not begin until September 1941.
The solution involved a radically redesigned semi-elliptical wing, thinner by five inches at the root, with a revised profile similar to the Spitfire. The maximum depth of the wing section moved from 30 percent to 37.5 percent chord, reducing the thickness-to-chord ratio from 19.5 percent to 14.5 percent at the root. This design necessitated relocating the engine 21 inches forward and installing a 76-gallon fuel tank, while new undercarriage units and the latest Sabre Mark IV engine completed the package.
The Multiple Variants
By August 1942, the redesigned fighter was renamed the Tempest with mark numbers assigned to different engine variants. The engine situation proved complicated: the Sabre IV faced delays, the Bristol Centaurus remained in early development, and the Rolls-Royce Griffon offered an alternative. Originally planned variants were the Mk I (Sabre IV), Mk II (Centaurus IV), Mk III (Griffon IIB), Mk IV (Griffon 61), and Mk V (Sabre II).
Ironically, the Mk V, despite using the standard Sabre II engine, reached flyability first on 2 September 1942 with test pilot Philip Lucas at the controls. Early challenges included establishing appropriate armament—after lengthy debate, the decision settled on four Hispano Mk II 20 mm cannons with 200 rounds per gun.
Entering Service
The first production Tempest V flew on 21 June 1943. By October, testing at Boscombe Down revealed a highly capable fighter despite some handling concerns. Maximum speeds ranged from 376 mph at sea level to 432 mph at 18,400 feet, with notable improvements in roll rate, dive performance, and general handling compared to the Typhoon.
Comparative trials with Allied and German fighters demonstrated the Tempest’s dominance below 20,000 feet, outpacing the Mustang III and Spitfire XIV by 15-20 mph, and the Bf 109G and Fw 190A by 40-50 mph. Its turning abilities compared favorably with the Bf 109, and its acceleration in dives proved remarkable—a critical advantage that would define its combat success.
First Deliveries and Setbacks
Initial recipients were No. 486 Squadron RNZAF and No. 3 Squadron RAF, both stationed at Tangmere. However, a series of unfortunate events delayed operations. Birdstrikes damaged three aircraft during the move to Beaulieu in February 1944; propeller oil seal failures plagued early operations; and an industrial dispute at the factory contributed to slow supply. Additional issues included problematic constant-speed units on the de Havilland propeller and Dowty undercarriage failures.
The three Tempest units (Nos. 3, 56, and 486 Squadrons) eventually concentrated at Newchurch on Romney Marshes in Kent by late April 1944, positioned as air superiority fighters over the anticipated invasion beachhead and as the primary defense against expected flying bomb attacks.
First Combat
The first fully operational flights occurred on 3 May 1944, when Squadron Leader Alan Dredge led eight Tempests on a sweep toward Armentières in northern France. Early operations revealed an intriguing possibility: on the night of 8/9 May, Flying Officer Bob Barckley attacked what he believed was a jet-propelled aircraft south of Le Havre, with his cannon fire apparently sending it down into the sea near Deauville. This encounter likely represented the Tempest’s—and the Allies’—first success against the Fieseler Fi 103 V1 flying bomb in actual combat.
However, operations came at a cost. Engine failures resulted in several forced landings, with some aircraft written off. On 27 May, two Tempests failed to return from a shipping reconnaissance, with causes remaining uncertain—either German fighter interception, mid-air collision, or enemy flak.
D-Day and Air Combat
D-Day operations proved initially disappointing. The Luftwaffe response was less vigorous than anticipated, leaving Tempest pilots to routine patrols and convoy escort duties. A late-evening beachhead patrol led by Wing Commander Roland Beamont encountered no opposition, and nine of the ten Tempests diverted to RAF Ford in West Sussex due to weather and darkness.
On D+2 (8 June 1944), the Tempest achieved its first confirmed kills. Leading No. 3 Squadron on a patrol between Rouen and Lisieux, Beamont spotted five Bf 109Gs in line astern and initiated a diving attack. As he described it:
“At about 500 yards, they saw us coming and broke very sharply to port, with maximum boost exhaust smoke and curling white vortices streaming from their wingtips… I had to throttle back sharply to stabilize below his tailwheel at about 100 yards.”
Beamont’s target streamed smoke and oil, forcing him to break right. His wingman, “Lefty” Whitman, then attacked the aircraft attempting to follow Beamont, reporting: “I saw it burst into flames, and the starboard wing came off, the aircraft flicking over and going down in flames.” Whitman subsequently destroyed a second Bf 109G, while Flight Lieutenant A.R. Moore claimed a third:
“Flames immediately appeared from the starboard side of the cockpit, followed by almost complete disintegration of the cockpit area. It then turned on its back and went straight down in flames.”
The action demonstrated the Tempest’s devastating firepower and accuracy in high-speed diving attacks—qualities that would characterize its combat record throughout the summer of 1944.
Operational Refinement
Subsequent patrols over Normandy encountered primarily anti-aircraft fire rather than fighter opposition. The Tempest’s predicted ditching characteristics, confirmed when Flying Officer Bruce Lawless successfully ditched on 10 June, proved reassuring to pilots operating over the Channel. Although various technical issues—faulty constant-speed units, undercarriage problems, and cannon teething troubles with the new Mark V variant—persisted for several weeks, these were gradually resolved.
By early summer 1944, the Hawker Tempest had transitioned from a promising experimental fighter into a formidable combat aircraft, ready for the expanding air campaign over northwest Europe. Its role would soon shift decisively as the V1 flying bomb bombardment commenced, making the Tempest the primary Allied defense against this new threat.
This article is from the book “Tempest Squadrons of the RAF” by Chris Thomas, available here.
