During World War 2, England desperately needed a replacement for the Hawker Hurricane fighter to maintain aerial superiority over the English Channel. Without such an advantage, it would be impossible to set the stage for D-day and the eventual liberation of France.
Although the aircraft was fitted with one of the mightiest engines of its time, the initial results were highly disappointing. Then, as it made it to the battlefront to conduct its first operations, it further disheartened the Allied leaders. The aircraft turned out to be very difficult and risky to operate, displaying a much higher probability of being taken down or even bursting into flames on its own than other fighters. Soon, Allied pilots started to dread the prospect of flying it, going as far as considering it a suicide mission.
But just as Germany deployed its fastest and more powerful fighter to date, the Focke-Wulf FW 190, and the prospects of maintaining air superiority over the English Channel appeared bleaker by the minute, the Hawker Typhoon and its daring pilots stepped up to meet the threat eye to eye.
Then, almost by mistake, the faulty and hazardous Typhoon was given a different role, completely changing the course of the war…
The Typhoon was originally designed to mount twelve .303 inch (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns and be powered by the latest 2,000 hp engines. Its service introduction in mid-1941 was plagued with problems and for several months the aircraft faced a doubtful future.When the Luftwaffe brought the new Focke-Wulf Fw 190 into service in 1941, the Typhoon was the only RAF fighter capable of catching it at low altitudes; as a result it secured a new role as a low-altitude interceptor.
The Typhoon became established in roles such as night-time intruder and long-range fighter. From late 1942 the Typhoon was equipped with bombs and from late 1943 RP-3 rockets were added to its armoury. With those weapons and its four 20mm Hispano autocannons, the Typhoon became one of the Second World War’s most successful ground-attack aircraft
Sources: YouTube; Wikipedia