#35, Hawker Hurricane: Actually Won the Battle of Britain
The Supermarine Spitfire gets the glory, but the Hawker Hurricane scored 60% of all Luftwaffe kills during the Battle of Britain. There were simply more Hurricanes available, 32 squadrons versus 19 Spitfire squadrons, and RAF Fighter Command's tactical doctrine typically sent Hurricanes against the bomber formations while Spitfires tangled with the escorting Bf 109s. The Hurricane was the workhorse that actually broke the Luftwaffe's offensive in the summer of 1940.
The Hurricane was also simpler to build, easier to repair, and more forgiving to fly than the Spitfire, critical advantages when pilot training programs were producing replacement pilots as fast as possible. Its fabric-covered fuselage and thick wings could absorb bullet damage that would cripple the Spitfire's stressed aluminum skin. Cannon rounds often passed through the fabric without detonating. Over 14,500 Hurricanes were built, and they served in every theater of the war, including as catapult-launched convoy defenders in the Battle of the Atlantic. In military aviation history, the Hurricane is the most underrated fighter ever built.
