Hawker Hind
The rapidly changing world of the 1930s forced the British government to take stock of its defences in relation to the growing military capability of Germany. In 1933 Winston Churchill warned Parliament of Germany's latest path and by 1935 expansion programmes for the British armed forces had been agreed. The Hind light bomber was one of the types produced for quick delivery to the RAF, based on the Hart and therefore needing little new development, although a number of improvements were introduced as the result of long experience with the Hart.
The first prototype was in fact a modified Hart and first flew on 12 September 1934 at Brooklands. Production covered no less than 528 aircraft, although with the delivery of modern monoplane bombers a number of the final Hinds on the production lines for the RAF were completed as dual-control trainers, a new role which many were eventually to fulfil. Records show that from even the first batch of 20 Hinds, General Aircraft was later to convert nine into trainers.
The Hind went into service in November 1935 and eventually equipped 20 RAF bomber squadrons. A number were also sold to foreign customers including Afghanistan, the Irish Free State, Latvia, Persia (Iran), Portugal, South Africa, Switzerland, and Yugoslavia. By 1937, the Hind was being phased out of frontline service, replaced by the Fairey Battle and Bristol Blenheim, and with many of the Auxiliary Air Force squadrons changing role to fighter or maritime patrol units. At the outbreak of the Second World War, 613 Squadron remained retained the Hind in the Army co-operation role before re-equipping the Hawker Hector in November 1939. The Hind found a new career in 1938 as a training aircraft representing the next step up from basic training on Tiger Moths. It continued in use as an intermediate trainer during the Second World War.
Hind trainers were also operated by Canada and New Zealand.
In 1941, Hinds flew combat missions in their original role as light bombers. South African Hinds were employed against Italian forces in Kenya, Yugoslav Hinds were used against the Germans and Italians while Iranian Hinds were used briefly when invading Allied British and Soviet contingents attacked Iran.
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