Spitfire/Hurricane,Can You Tell The Difference?

That’s an interesting reply Andy, from the man himself,I can see exactly where he is coming from,good that he sees the funny side.Thank you for posting it.

I just had a reply from Robert Forsyth which he is happy for me to post here:

“I’ve been dining out on this since the summer and have a had a good laugh (well, it was either that or cry). I would have mentioned it the other night to you, but forgot.

Early this year, I was approached and commissioned by a production company to write the text for a short piece on the Spitfire – something I’d never done before. I did it and thoroughly enjoyed it and was actually very pleased with it. I was also paid for it (a good sign). I had never written anything for this company before. I was not required to do anything else and had no other involvement (i.e., photos or layouts or anything like that – just the text). I was informed the piece was to be used in something called a ‘bookazine’ which was to appear in W.H.Smith etc.

The company producing the publication was Go Entertainment, a London-based company who produce all those big DVD box sets on things like ‘Hitler’s War’, ‘The Eastern Front’, ‘The SS’, as well as railway subjects and book/DVD comboes on Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra etc etc. I never had any previous contact with them and was never consulted by them at any point, nor was I shown any proofs at any stage.

The next thing that happened was this big box was delivered by Postman Pat back in the summer and it was this big, fancy-looking box on the Spitfire – not a bookazine (there was also a DVD). I opened the box and the first thing I saw was a photo of Hurricanes, on the book cover, on the box lid, on the reverse of the book. Somehow, possibly, with one exception they have managed to avoid more Hurricanes inside the book, but as you can imagine, I lost interest shortly after that. The only other thing that dismayed me is that the captions appear to have been written by a child. But then I don’t know what market-level Go Entertainment were aiming at.

I would advise you and your colleagues to be cautious if they are approached by this company. Please feel free to post this verbatim to your colleagues. They may also care to write to Go Entertain to point their error out to them. When I did, I was informed by a member of their Production Staff that there was nothing they could do and that they weren’t really worried as they handled so much work. Ho-hum. I have the book on display in my office and it makes me smile every time I look at it.”

So there is the answer, guys!

It really is a shame for Robert, because he has written some truly superb books – particularly on Luftwaffe aircraft – and is involved with a whole range of high quality publications.

If it is the Robert Forsyth I think it is, then I was chatting with him over dinner only last night!

I’m about to e-mail him…..

This is a bit odd. If I Google robert forsyth “spitfire the pursuit of excellence” I get no results?

Who’s Who?

Ah Yes, very good.
Or the……The Hurricane looks like a Defiant!

The way I tell them apart is that a Spitfire looks like a Seafire and a Hurricane looks much like a Sea Hurricane.

Wrong ID

How does that old joke go…. That “Fokker” was a Messerschmidt!

spit/hurri etc shackletons at gibraltar in the early 40s !

having pointed out inconsistencies in choice of a/c in historical circumstances i did notice that in the film THE SILENT ENEMY screened this week on UK tv GIBRALTAR appeared to have had a delivery of AVRO SHACKLETONS …….

hardly a high note in the career of LAURENCE HARVEY

but who would notice when the film creaked from one cliche to another anyway

a devil may care diver , a handful of matelots smoking on the dockside , DAWN ADAMS as the dragon WREN , SID JAMES , a litter of puppies , sentimental portrayal of italians

how could HARVEY bring himself to be involved in such trash ?

With due credit to Paul178:

Here’s the miscreant! Hands on head – aaaarrrgghhhh – so that’s a spitfire!

Yep they’ve done that before – only it’s now much worse and heads must roll!

Never let your mac man choose your images! I did once and was similarly embarrassed!

Last year there was a formation of “spitfire” mk 1.5s in the top right corner!

Achtung Spit-cane?

As a kid my dad made me know what a Hurricane and Spitfire look like. I would be in trouble if I got it wrong! Dad used his Aeroplane Spotter’s to teach me.
Dave

Sounds like you had a proper father!

One of my best memories of my dad was me (at about 7) asking him what was the difference between a B-24 and B-25. They sure looked like in side view drawings.
“The B-24 has four engines” was his reply.

Never forgot that. 🙂

Reminds me of the training film in a Piece of Cake..

To me there both beautiful in there own right but a way of distinguishing them……………Ones a legend and the others a leg end? you can pick your own description…………

Its only the title heading thats wrong !!!!
The A team were busy in France well before the BoB.
The Hurricane,a fighter that fought on all fronts.

Love the ‘green house, Hurricane description, Trolly Aux!

Thats exactly what I say to my 5 yo daughter to help her out.

These are things a youngster needs to know.

Thats proberly why i’m not a great lover of Spitfires. Its a nice aeroplane and like to see them. but I cant understand why people rave over them. Think I might get shot now!

Dave

You are not alone, Only prints and paintings of Hawker Hurricanes hang on the stairwell, To me they just look the part. My ears finely tuned to the sound of Peter Teichmans Hurricane based just a few miles away, I never dash out in the garden to look at anything else.

30 Hurricanes under the ground in Burma might have raised an interest with me!

Think I might get shot now!

Dave

Practicing my aim…:dev2:

As a kid my dad made me know what a Hurricane and Spitfire look like. I would be in trouble if I got it wrong! Dad used his Aeroplane Spotter’s to teach me. Thats proberly why i’m not a great lover of Spitfires. Its a nice aeroplane and like to see them. but I cant understand why people rave over them. Think I might get shot now!

Dave

It Is EASY….
Spitfire = BLISTER

Hurricane = GREENHOUSE

Reduced to a tenner see

http://www.bhs.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=34096&storeId=13077&productId=6368524&langId=-1&categoryId=&searchTerm=Books&pageSize=40