Change those five squadrons to Spitfires and that might still have an important effect on the rate of losses.
According to Allied Fighters of World War II it was 2,309 Hurricanes and 1,383 Spitfires delivered to 7th August 1940, when there were 32 Hurricane and 18½ Spitfire squadrons. At the same time there were also 2 Defiant squadrons and according to Bowyer in Aircraft of the Few 162 Lysanders in 9 squadrons or the equivalent of 13½ single seat fighter squadrons which had 12 aircraft each instead of 18.Change those five squadrons to Spitfires and that might still have an important effect on the rate of losses.
The only problem I see with the Harrow as an airliner is that it was cloth skinned rather than metal. That's fine for a bomber of the time (it makes repairing it easier) but not for an airliner, still I don't suppose it would be too difficult to use aluminium sheets instead of linin ones.
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IIRC the exact quote was along the lines of, "A Spitfire pilot had the same probability of shooting down an enemy aircraft as a Hurricane pilot, but a Hurricane pilot was twice as likely to be shot down than a Spitfire pilot."IIRC the SOP of the time was for the Spitfires to take on the escort and the Hurricanes concentrate on the Bombers, that might account for both the disparity in kill ratio (it probably being easier to kill a bomber rather than a fighter) and the loss ratio, as if the Spitfires fail to hold al the escort off then the Hurricanes could well be bounced when at a height disadvantage.
The first part of that statement is correct. However, the Air Defence of Great Britain had been transferred from the RN to the Army well before the air raids of 1917 that precipitated the formation of the Smuts Committee. As far as I can remember it was the end of 1915. At that time the authorised strength of the RFC was 70 service squadrons and 10 of them were assigned to home air defence. The ground organisation of AA guns and searchlights operated by the Royal Navy were transferred to the Royal Garrison Artillery and Royal Engineers respectively and expanded.The formation of a committee which ended up forming the RAF came about as a reaction to Zeppelins and bombers attacking Britain. The only defense that had been assigned to defend Britain from air attack was the RNAS which had been assigned to defend naval installations, only.
So probably no Imperial Air Policing at all.It has been suggested that the Imperial Air Policing policy was necessary in justifying the very existence of the RAF, being the cheapest way to suppress dissent in the Empire.