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Seldom-seen WWII pix
On 8/16/2015 1:02 AM, Byker wrote:
"Ri©ardo" wrote in message ... Although Swordfish numbered no more than 27 aircraft Maybe on one aircraft carrier, but according to Wikipedia 2,391 were built (692 by Fairey and 1,699 by Blackburn) between 1936 and 1944: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Swordfish Yes, thanks for that - I should have lingered longer over that "27" figure and investigated further. I agree that it is more than likely that this was the complement of a single aircraft carrier. Ri©ardo -- Moving Things In Still Pictures |
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Seldom-seen WWII pix
On 8/15/2015 10:24 PM, Savageduck wrote:
On 2015-08-15 16:53:07 +0000, Ri ardo said: On 8/15/2015 4:50 PM, Charles Lindbergh wrote: On Sat, 15 Aug 2015 15:24:18 +0100, RiĀ©ardo wrote: On 8/9/2015 2:28 PM, Charles Lindbergh wrote: On Sat, 08 Aug 2015 22:07:28 -0700, "Bob (not my real pseudonym)" wrote: On Sat, 08 Aug 2015 13:04:52 +0000, Charles Lindbergh wrote: On Sat, 8 Aug 2015 12:15:23 +0100, RiĀ©ardo wrote: On 8/8/2015 2:35 AM, Byker wrote: Fairey Swordfish - A remarkable aircraft: "Although Swordfish numbered no more than 27 aircraft, they sank an average 50,000 tons (50,800 MT) of shipping every month. During one month, they sank a record 98,000 tons (99,572 MT). Swordfish attacked enemy convoys at night although they were not equipped with night instrumentation. The risky night missions were necessary to avoid German fighters which encircled the island of Malta by day. On June 30, 1940, Swordfish completed a raid attacking oil installations at Augusta in Sicily." http://www.aviation-history.com/fairey/swordfish.html RiĀ©ardo Ricardo, I read the article you posted. I was shocked the Swordfish holds the record for sinking more tonnage than any other allied aircraft during WWII. I am guessing this had a lot to do with circumstance as opposed to any remarkable capabilities of the aircraft, what is your perspective on this? I would suggest the remarkable capabilities of the crews. Yeah, I'm sure that's it! ;-) There's interesting comment today by way of a letter to one of our national newspapers where the Swordfish gets a mention, as does the Pacific War of which little is heard about the substantial British contribution: "Sir, The "Forgotten Fleet" and its aircraft will be remembered today when a vintage Royal Navy Swordfish biplane leads the fly-past over Horse Guards Parade in London as part of events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of VJ Day. The British Pacific Fleet was the largest strike force ever assembled by the Royal Navy*** and it fought alongside the US Navy in 1945. Aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm undertook the largest ever raid in aviation naval history on the oil fields at Palembang in Sumatra, and British naval aircraft carried out raids upon Japan itself. It's most appropriate that a Swordfish, which saw action in every year of the war, will represent not just the forgotten fleet but the oft-forgotten Fleet Air Arm too. We should all take a moment today to remember those who fought the Japanese Empire. Most who survive are nearly 90 years old or more. They deserve our salute. Lt-Cdr Lester May RN (retd) *** To put that into context, Britain provided three-quarters of the warships and landing craft for the D-Day landings in Europe! Interesting article and comments. Is your point that the Brits contributed significantly to the war against Japan? It would be logical for them to have done so considering the Japanese, on 8 December 1941(local time, which was before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor), attacked the British in Malaya. Did I miss your point? In a word, no. But I was also highlighting how large the size of British Pacific Fleet strike force must have been in 1945 when one considers the British contribution to the D-Day landings. It seems the Swordfish was not well represented in the Pacific or South-West Pacific, particularly after the 1942 sinking of HMS Hermes in Ceylon. The British Pacific Fleet (BPF) had 6 fleet carriers and 9 escort carriers many of these only moved to the East and Pacific in 1944 and 1945 after Mediterranean and North Atlantic convoy operations had been dialed back. HMS Colossus, Joined the BPF in June 1945, the Swordfish was withdrawn from service in May 1945. She carried 24 Corsairs and 18 Barracudas. HMS Formidable, refitted at Scapa Flow January 1945 with 36 Corsairs and 18 Avengers. Joined BPF April 4, 1945 in the Phillipines. No Swordfish onboard, they were being phased out. HMS Glory, commisioned 2 April 1945, assigned directly to the BPF with Barracudas, and Corsairs onboard. No Swordfish. She took the Japanese surrender at Rabaul. HMS Illustrious, after Taranto and her Indian Ocean cruise, returned to Scapa Flow and refitted. In 1943 her Swordfish were replaced with Barracudas. Two squadrons of Corsairs were added to supplement the Martlets on board. She was assigned to the BPF in November 1944. During the Battle for Okinawa she was so battle damaged she was withdrawn from service and returned to the UK in June 1945. HMS Implacable, was never armed with Swordfish, she was armed with Fairy Fireflies, Barracudas, and Seafires when she was still part of the Home Fleet. In March 1945 she was refitted with 12 Fireflies, 48 Seafires and 21 TBF Avengers and joined the BPF on 8 May 1945 (V-E Day). HMS Indefatigable, joined the BPF in November 1944 with 6 PR Hellcats, 40 Seafires, 12 Fireflies and 21 Avengers onboard. She joined the USN 5th Fleet in March 1945 for the Okinawa invasion. She was the first BPF carrier hit by kamakazis. She lost 25 of her Seafires on that operation. HMS Indominable, she was part of the Eastern Fleet in 1944, and after December 1944 attacks on Sumatra joined the BPF in January 1945. In the East and with the BPF, she flew 39 Hellcats and 21 Avengers. HMS Venerable, commissioned January 1945, and assigned directly to the BPF with 21 Corsairs and 18 Barracudas onboard. She never had Swordfish at anytime. HMS Vengance, commissioned 1945, and joined the BPF in July 1945, but never got out of Sydney before the war ended. Her 24 Corsairs and 18 Barracudas did not fly any combat missions. she was too new to have ever flown Swordfish. HMS Victorious. Her Swordfish played an important part in the sinking of the Bismark. In December 1942 she was loaned to the USN and refitted in Norfolk VA. where she was armed with Wildcat (FAA Martlet) and Avengers. In 1944 she returned to the Home Fleet and Barracudas were added. In June 1944 she joined the Eastern Fleet, and joined the BPF in November 1944 with 36 Corsairs, 15 Avengers and 1 Walrus. The 9 BPF Escort carriers were built in Tacoma Washington, and Birmingham, Alabama and carried a mixture of 24 aircraft made up from Martlets, Corsairs, Sea Hurricanes, and a small representation of Avengers. Some of the escort carriers which had been on North Atlantic convoy duty carried Swordfish before transfer to the BPF, but not in the Pacific. The bottom line here is the role the Swordfish played with the BPF was minimal particularly since the last operational Swordfish Squadron was disbanded in May 1945, with the last Swordfish coming off the production line in August 1944. By then most RN carriers were replacing, or had replaced Swordfish with Barrcudas and Avengers. Thank you for that, although I was not suggesting otherwise. The Swordfish was peripheral to later events and, indeed, was obsolescent - at best - when it did achieve its major glories! However, the fact that it still turns out for ceremonial duties indicates that there's some life in the old girl yet. -- Moving Things In Still Pictures |
#13
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Seldom-seen WWII pix
On Sat, 15 Aug 2015 15:24:18 +0100, Ri©ardo
wrote: On 8/9/2015 2:28 PM, Charles Lindbergh wrote: On Sat, 08 Aug 2015 22:07:28 -0700, "Bob (not my real pseudonym)" wrote: On Sat, 08 Aug 2015 13:04:52 +0000, Charles Lindbergh wrote: On Sat, 8 Aug 2015 12:15:23 +0100, Ri©ardo wrote: On 8/8/2015 2:35 AM, Byker wrote: Fairey Swordfish - A remarkable aircraft: "Although Swordfish numbered no more than 27 aircraft, they sank an average 50,000 tons (50,800 MT) of shipping every month. During one month, they sank a record 98,000 tons (99,572 MT). Swordfish attacked enemy convoys at night although they were not equipped with night instrumentation. The risky night missions were necessary to avoid German fighters which encircled the island of Malta by day. On June 30, 1940, Swordfish completed a raid attacking oil installations at Augusta in Sicily." http://www.aviation-history.com/fairey/swordfish.html Ri©ardo Ricardo, I read the article you posted. I was shocked the Swordfish holds the record for sinking more tonnage than any other allied aircraft during WWII. I am guessing this had a lot to do with circumstance as opposed to any remarkable capabilities of the aircraft, what is your perspective on this? I would suggest the remarkable capabilities of the crews. Yeah, I'm sure that's it! ;-) There's interesting comment today by way of a letter to one of our national newspapers where the Swordfish gets a mention, as does the Pacific War of which little is heard about the substantial British contribution: "Sir, The "Forgotten Fleet" and its aircraft will be remembered today when a vintage Royal Navy Swordfish biplane leads the fly-past over Horse Guards Parade in London as part of events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of VJ Day. The British Pacific Fleet was the largest strike force ever assembled by the Royal Navy*** and it fought alongside the US Navy in 1945. Aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm undertook the largest ever raid in aviation naval history on the oil fields at Palembang in Sumatra, and British naval aircraft carried out raids upon Japan itself. It's most appropriate that a Swordfish, which saw action in every year of the war, will represent not just the forgotten fleet but the oft-forgotten Fleet Air Arm too. We should all take a moment today to remember those who fought the Japanese Empire. Most who survive are nearly 90 years old or more. They deserve our salute. Lt-Cdr Lester May RN (retd) *** To put that into context, Britain provided three-quarters of the warships and landing craft for the D-Day landings in Europe! Ri©ardo Hear, hear! |
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Seldom-seen WWII pix
On Sun, 16 Aug 2015 10:21:45 +0100, Ri©ardo
wrote: On 8/15/2015 10:24 PM, Savageduck wrote: On 2015-08-15 16:53:07 +0000, Ri ardo said: On 8/15/2015 4:50 PM, Charles Lindbergh wrote: On Sat, 15 Aug 2015 15:24:18 +0100, Ri©ardo wrote: On 8/9/2015 2:28 PM, Charles Lindbergh wrote: On Sat, 08 Aug 2015 22:07:28 -0700, "Bob (not my real pseudonym)" wrote: On Sat, 08 Aug 2015 13:04:52 +0000, Charles Lindbergh wrote: On Sat, 8 Aug 2015 12:15:23 +0100, Ri©ardo wrote: On 8/8/2015 2:35 AM, Byker wrote: Fairey Swordfish - A remarkable aircraft: "Although Swordfish numbered no more than 27 aircraft, they sank an average 50,000 tons (50,800 MT) of shipping every month. During one month, they sank a record 98,000 tons (99,572 MT). Swordfish attacked enemy convoys at night although they were not equipped with night instrumentation. The risky night missions were necessary to avoid German fighters which encircled the island of Malta by day. On June 30, 1940, Swordfish completed a raid attacking oil installations at Augusta in Sicily." http://www.aviation-history.com/fairey/swordfish.html Ri©ardo Ricardo, I read the article you posted. I was shocked the Swordfish holds the record for sinking more tonnage than any other allied aircraft during WWII. I am guessing this had a lot to do with circumstance as opposed to any remarkable capabilities of the aircraft, what is your perspective on this? I would suggest the remarkable capabilities of the crews. Yeah, I'm sure that's it! ;-) There's interesting comment today by way of a letter to one of our national newspapers where the Swordfish gets a mention, as does the Pacific War of which little is heard about the substantial British contribution: "Sir, The "Forgotten Fleet" and its aircraft will be remembered today when a vintage Royal Navy Swordfish biplane leads the fly-past over Horse Guards Parade in London as part of events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of VJ Day. The British Pacific Fleet was the largest strike force ever assembled by the Royal Navy*** and it fought alongside the US Navy in 1945. Aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm undertook the largest ever raid in aviation naval history on the oil fields at Palembang in Sumatra, and British naval aircraft carried out raids upon Japan itself. It's most appropriate that a Swordfish, which saw action in every year of the war, will represent not just the forgotten fleet but the oft-forgotten Fleet Air Arm too. We should all take a moment today to remember those who fought the Japanese Empire. Most who survive are nearly 90 years old or more. They deserve our salute. Lt-Cdr Lester May RN (retd) *** To put that into context, Britain provided three-quarters of the warships and landing craft for the D-Day landings in Europe! Interesting article and comments. Is your point that the Brits contributed significantly to the war against Japan? It would be logical for them to have done so considering the Japanese, on 8 December 1941(local time, which was before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor), attacked the British in Malaya. Did I miss your point? In a word, no. But I was also highlighting how large the size of British Pacific Fleet strike force must have been in 1945 when one considers the British contribution to the D-Day landings. It seems the Swordfish was not well represented in the Pacific or South-West Pacific, particularly after the 1942 sinking of HMS Hermes in Ceylon. The British Pacific Fleet (BPF) had 6 fleet carriers and 9 escort carriers many of these only moved to the East and Pacific in 1944 and 1945 after Mediterranean and North Atlantic convoy operations had been dialed back. HMS Colossus, Joined the BPF in June 1945, the Swordfish was withdrawn from service in May 1945. She carried 24 Corsairs and 18 Barracudas. HMS Formidable, refitted at Scapa Flow January 1945 with 36 Corsairs and 18 Avengers. Joined BPF April 4, 1945 in the Phillipines. No Swordfish onboard, they were being phased out. HMS Glory, commisioned 2 April 1945, assigned directly to the BPF with Barracudas, and Corsairs onboard. No Swordfish. She took the Japanese surrender at Rabaul. HMS Illustrious, after Taranto and her Indian Ocean cruise, returned to Scapa Flow and refitted. In 1943 her Swordfish were replaced with Barracudas. Two squadrons of Corsairs were added to supplement the Martlets on board. She was assigned to the BPF in November 1944. During the Battle for Okinawa she was so battle damaged she was withdrawn from service and returned to the UK in June 1945. HMS Implacable, was never armed with Swordfish, she was armed with Fairy Fireflies, Barracudas, and Seafires when she was still part of the Home Fleet. In March 1945 she was refitted with 12 Fireflies, 48 Seafires and 21 TBF Avengers and joined the BPF on 8 May 1945 (V-E Day). HMS Indefatigable, joined the BPF in November 1944 with 6 PR Hellcats, 40 Seafires, 12 Fireflies and 21 Avengers onboard. She joined the USN 5th Fleet in March 1945 for the Okinawa invasion. She was the first BPF carrier hit by kamakazis. She lost 25 of her Seafires on that operation. HMS Indominable, she was part of the Eastern Fleet in 1944, and after December 1944 attacks on Sumatra joined the BPF in January 1945. In the East and with the BPF, she flew 39 Hellcats and 21 Avengers. HMS Venerable, commissioned January 1945, and assigned directly to the BPF with 21 Corsairs and 18 Barracudas onboard. She never had Swordfish at anytime. HMS Vengance, commissioned 1945, and joined the BPF in July 1945, but never got out of Sydney before the war ended. Her 24 Corsairs and 18 Barracudas did not fly any combat missions. she was too new to have ever flown Swordfish. HMS Victorious. Her Swordfish played an important part in the sinking of the Bismark. In December 1942 she was loaned to the USN and refitted in Norfolk VA. where she was armed with Wildcat (FAA Martlet) and Avengers. In 1944 she returned to the Home Fleet and Barracudas were added. In June 1944 she joined the Eastern Fleet, and joined the BPF in November 1944 with 36 Corsairs, 15 Avengers and 1 Walrus. The 9 BPF Escort carriers were built in Tacoma Washington, and Birmingham, Alabama and carried a mixture of 24 aircraft made up from Martlets, Corsairs, Sea Hurricanes, and a small representation of Avengers. Some of the escort carriers which had been on North Atlantic convoy duty carried Swordfish before transfer to the BPF, but not in the Pacific. The bottom line here is the role the Swordfish played with the BPF was minimal particularly since the last operational Swordfish Squadron was disbanded in May 1945, with the last Swordfish coming off the production line in August 1944. By then most RN carriers were replacing, or had replaced Swordfish with Barrcudas and Avengers. Thank you for that, although I was not suggesting otherwise. The Swordfish was peripheral to later events and, indeed, was obsolescent - at best - when it did achieve its major glories! However, the fact that it still turns out for ceremonial duties indicates that there's some life in the old girl yet. And I am fascinated to learn that BPF escort carriers were built about 100km from my home. Not that I was around at the time... |
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Seldom-seen WWII pix
On 8/16/2015 12:13 PM, Bob (not my real pseudonym) wrote:
On Sun, 16 Aug 2015 10:21:45 +0100, Ri©ardo wrote: On 8/15/2015 10:24 PM, Savageduck wrote: On 2015-08-15 16:53:07 +0000, Ri ardo said: On 8/15/2015 4:50 PM, Charles Lindbergh wrote: On Sat, 15 Aug 2015 15:24:18 +0100, Ri©ardo wrote: On 8/9/2015 2:28 PM, Charles Lindbergh wrote: On Sat, 08 Aug 2015 22:07:28 -0700, "Bob (not my real pseudonym)" wrote: On Sat, 08 Aug 2015 13:04:52 +0000, Charles Lindbergh wrote: On Sat, 8 Aug 2015 12:15:23 +0100, Ri©ardo wrote: On 8/8/2015 2:35 AM, Byker wrote: Fairey Swordfish - A remarkable aircraft: "Although Swordfish numbered no more than 27 aircraft, they sank an average 50,000 tons (50,800 MT) of shipping every month. During one month, they sank a record 98,000 tons (99,572 MT). Swordfish attacked enemy convoys at night although they were not equipped with night instrumentation. The risky night missions were necessary to avoid German fighters which encircled the island of Malta by day. On June 30, 1940, Swordfish completed a raid attacking oil installations at Augusta in Sicily." http://www.aviation-history.com/fairey/swordfish.html Ri©ardo Ricardo, I read the article you posted. I was shocked the Swordfish holds the record for sinking more tonnage than any other allied aircraft during WWII. I am guessing this had a lot to do with circumstance as opposed to any remarkable capabilities of the aircraft, what is your perspective on this? I would suggest the remarkable capabilities of the crews. Yeah, I'm sure that's it! ;-) There's interesting comment today by way of a letter to one of our national newspapers where the Swordfish gets a mention, as does the Pacific War of which little is heard about the substantial British contribution: "Sir, The "Forgotten Fleet" and its aircraft will be remembered today when a vintage Royal Navy Swordfish biplane leads the fly-past over Horse Guards Parade in London as part of events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of VJ Day. The British Pacific Fleet was the largest strike force ever assembled by the Royal Navy*** and it fought alongside the US Navy in 1945. Aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm undertook the largest ever raid in aviation naval history on the oil fields at Palembang in Sumatra, and British naval aircraft carried out raids upon Japan itself. It's most appropriate that a Swordfish, which saw action in every year of the war, will represent not just the forgotten fleet but the oft-forgotten Fleet Air Arm too. We should all take a moment today to remember those who fought the Japanese Empire. Most who survive are nearly 90 years old or more. They deserve our salute. Lt-Cdr Lester May RN (retd) *** To put that into context, Britain provided three-quarters of the warships and landing craft for the D-Day landings in Europe! Interesting article and comments. Is your point that the Brits contributed significantly to the war against Japan? It would be logical for them to have done so considering the Japanese, on 8 December 1941(local time, which was before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor), attacked the British in Malaya. Did I miss your point? In a word, no. But I was also highlighting how large the size of British Pacific Fleet strike force must have been in 1945 when one considers the British contribution to the D-Day landings. It seems the Swordfish was not well represented in the Pacific or South-West Pacific, particularly after the 1942 sinking of HMS Hermes in Ceylon. The British Pacific Fleet (BPF) had 6 fleet carriers and 9 escort carriers many of these only moved to the East and Pacific in 1944 and 1945 after Mediterranean and North Atlantic convoy operations had been dialed back. HMS Colossus, Joined the BPF in June 1945, the Swordfish was withdrawn from service in May 1945. She carried 24 Corsairs and 18 Barracudas. HMS Formidable, refitted at Scapa Flow January 1945 with 36 Corsairs and 18 Avengers. Joined BPF April 4, 1945 in the Phillipines. No Swordfish onboard, they were being phased out. HMS Glory, commisioned 2 April 1945, assigned directly to the BPF with Barracudas, and Corsairs onboard. No Swordfish. She took the Japanese surrender at Rabaul. HMS Illustrious, after Taranto and her Indian Ocean cruise, returned to Scapa Flow and refitted. In 1943 her Swordfish were replaced with Barracudas. Two squadrons of Corsairs were added to supplement the Martlets on board. She was assigned to the BPF in November 1944. During the Battle for Okinawa she was so battle damaged she was withdrawn from service and returned to the UK in June 1945. HMS Implacable, was never armed with Swordfish, she was armed with Fairy Fireflies, Barracudas, and Seafires when she was still part of the Home Fleet. In March 1945 she was refitted with 12 Fireflies, 48 Seafires and 21 TBF Avengers and joined the BPF on 8 May 1945 (V-E Day). HMS Indefatigable, joined the BPF in November 1944 with 6 PR Hellcats, 40 Seafires, 12 Fireflies and 21 Avengers onboard. She joined the USN 5th Fleet in March 1945 for the Okinawa invasion. She was the first BPF carrier hit by kamakazis. She lost 25 of her Seafires on that operation. HMS Indominable, she was part of the Eastern Fleet in 1944, and after December 1944 attacks on Sumatra joined the BPF in January 1945. In the East and with the BPF, she flew 39 Hellcats and 21 Avengers. HMS Venerable, commissioned January 1945, and assigned directly to the BPF with 21 Corsairs and 18 Barracudas onboard. She never had Swordfish at anytime. HMS Vengance, commissioned 1945, and joined the BPF in July 1945, but never got out of Sydney before the war ended. Her 24 Corsairs and 18 Barracudas did not fly any combat missions. she was too new to have ever flown Swordfish. HMS Victorious. Her Swordfish played an important part in the sinking of the Bismark. In December 1942 she was loaned to the USN and refitted in Norfolk VA. where she was armed with Wildcat (FAA Martlet) and Avengers. In 1944 she returned to the Home Fleet and Barracudas were added. In June 1944 she joined the Eastern Fleet, and joined the BPF in November 1944 with 36 Corsairs, 15 Avengers and 1 Walrus. The 9 BPF Escort carriers were built in Tacoma Washington, and Birmingham, Alabama and carried a mixture of 24 aircraft made up from Martlets, Corsairs, Sea Hurricanes, and a small representation of Avengers. Some of the escort carriers which had been on North Atlantic convoy duty carried Swordfish before transfer to the BPF, but not in the Pacific. The bottom line here is the role the Swordfish played with the BPF was minimal particularly since the last operational Swordfish Squadron was disbanded in May 1945, with the last Swordfish coming off the production line in August 1944. By then most RN carriers were replacing, or had replaced Swordfish with Barrcudas and Avengers. Thank you for that, although I was not suggesting otherwise. The Swordfish was peripheral to later events and, indeed, was obsolescent - at best - when it did achieve its major glories! However, the fact that it still turns out for ceremonial duties indicates that there's some life in the old girl yet. And I am fascinated to learn that BPF escort carriers were built about 100km from my home. Not that I was around at the time... :-) -- Moving Things In Still Pictures |
#16
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Seldom-seen WWII pix
On 8/16/2015 12:05 PM, Bob (not my real pseudonym) wrote:
On Sat, 15 Aug 2015 15:24:18 +0100, Ri©ardo wrote: On 8/9/2015 2:28 PM, Charles Lindbergh wrote: On Sat, 08 Aug 2015 22:07:28 -0700, "Bob (not my real pseudonym)" wrote: On Sat, 08 Aug 2015 13:04:52 +0000, Charles Lindbergh wrote: On Sat, 8 Aug 2015 12:15:23 +0100, Ri©ardo wrote: On 8/8/2015 2:35 AM, Byker wrote: Fairey Swordfish - A remarkable aircraft: "Although Swordfish numbered no more than 27 aircraft, they sank an average 50,000 tons (50,800 MT) of shipping every month. During one month, they sank a record 98,000 tons (99,572 MT). Swordfish attacked enemy convoys at night although they were not equipped with night instrumentation. The risky night missions were necessary to avoid German fighters which encircled the island of Malta by day. On June 30, 1940, Swordfish completed a raid attacking oil installations at Augusta in Sicily." http://www.aviation-history.com/fairey/swordfish.html Ri©ardo Ricardo, I read the article you posted. I was shocked the Swordfish holds the record for sinking more tonnage than any other allied aircraft during WWII. I am guessing this had a lot to do with circumstance as opposed to any remarkable capabilities of the aircraft, what is your perspective on this? I would suggest the remarkable capabilities of the crews. Yeah, I'm sure that's it! ;-) There's interesting comment today by way of a letter to one of our national newspapers where the Swordfish gets a mention, as does the Pacific War of which little is heard about the substantial British contribution: "Sir, The "Forgotten Fleet" and its aircraft will be remembered today when a vintage Royal Navy Swordfish biplane leads the fly-past over Horse Guards Parade in London as part of events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of VJ Day. The British Pacific Fleet was the largest strike force ever assembled by the Royal Navy*** and it fought alongside the US Navy in 1945. Aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm undertook the largest ever raid in aviation naval history on the oil fields at Palembang in Sumatra, and British naval aircraft carried out raids upon Japan itself. It's most appropriate that a Swordfish, which saw action in every year of the war, will represent not just the forgotten fleet but the oft-forgotten Fleet Air Arm too. We should all take a moment today to remember those who fought the Japanese Empire. Most who survive are nearly 90 years old or more. They deserve our salute. Lt-Cdr Lester May RN (retd) *** To put that into context, Britain provided three-quarters of the warships and landing craft for the D-Day landings in Europe! Ri©ardo Hear, hear! Thank you Bob. -- Moving Things In Still Pictures |
#17
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Seldom-seen WWII pix
In article ,
"Byker" wrote: "Ri©ardo" wrote in message ... Although Swordfish numbered no more than 27 aircraft Maybe on one aircraft carrier, but according to Wikipedia 2,391 were built (692 by Fairey and 1,699 by Blackburn) between 1936 and 1944: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Swordfish I think the allusion to 27 Swordfish is about those based on Malta in 1940-1941 |
#18
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Seldom-seen WWII pix
"Daniel GREGOIRE" wrote in message
... I think the allusion to 27 Swordfish is about those based on Malta in 1940-1941 Mention "Malta" and the three Gloster Gladiators come to mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjh34Hq0Gpg |
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