Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Wishlist => Topic started by: Simba on June 19, 2010, 08:45:40 AM
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Once more unto the breach, dear friends - gimme a Fairey Swordfish, then we can close up the wall with our English dead. I would've thought there'd be a good number of German and not a few American AH fighter pilots who'd like that to happen, so how about it, HT?
;)
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Please bring on the stringbag! Taranto, the Channel Dash and raiding Italian convoys from Malta, here we come!! Did any swordfish see action in Norway 1940 or with the BPF? :pray
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The Commanding Officer of HMS Furious, Captain T.H. Troubridge, ended his official report on the conduct of his Swordfish crews during the Norwegian campaign of 1940 with this summary:
'It is difficult to speak without emotion of the pluck and endurance of the young officers and men, some of them Midshipmen, who flew their aircraft to such good effect . . . all were firing their first shots in action, whether torpedo, bomb or machine gun; many made their first night landing on 11 April and, undeterred by the loss of several of their shipmates, their honour and courage remained throughout as dazzling as the snow-covered mountains over which they so triumphantly flew.'
Swordfish operated as dive-bombers against German forces during the BEF's retreat to Dunkirk; 825 Naval Air Squadron's new CO, Lt-Cdr. Eugene 'Winkle' Esmonde led them in to the attack, then displayed courage of a different kind by protesting in writing to Their Lordships of the Admiralty that his men were being killed to no good purpose by being ordered to carry out missions for which they had not been trained. What a man.
The Swordfish didn't serve operationally with the British Pacific Fleet of 1944-45 - but it did so everywhere else Royal Navy aircraft carriers saw action, including the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and, coldest of all for the poor sods in their open cockpits, the convoys to Russia.
:salute
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The Commanding Officer of HMS Furious, Captain T.H. Troubridge, ended his official report on the conduct of his Swordfish crews during the Norwegian campaign of 1940 with this summary:
'It is difficult to speak without emotion of the pluck and endurance of the young officers and men, some of them Midshipmen, who flew their aircraft to such good effect . . . all were firing their first shots in action, whether torpedo, bomb or machine gun; many made their first night landing on 11 April and, undeterred by the loss of several of their shipmates, their honour and courage remained throughout as dazzling as the snow-covered mountains over which they so triumphantly flew.'
Swordfish operated as dive-bombers against German forces during the BEF's retreat to Dunkirk; 825 Naval Air Squadron's new CO, Lt-Cdr. Eugene 'Winkle' Esmonde led them in to the attack, then displayed courage of a different kind by protesting in writing to Their Lordships of the Admiralty that his men were being killed to no good purpose by being ordered to carry out missions for which they had not been trained. What a man.
The Swordfish didn't serve operationally with the British Pacific Fleet of 1944-45 - but it did so everywhere else Royal Navy aircraft carriers saw action, including the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and, coldest of all for the poor sods in their open cockpits, the convoys to Russia.
:salute
Thank you very much for this information. I can't think of Esmonde without thinking of his sacrifice during the Channel dash. Perhaps one day we'll fly our stringbags over Norway escorted by Gloster Galdiators? :salute
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Bump! - A genuine treasure the swordfish saw action almost everywhere the British fleets went. - Also remembered for the attack on the Bismark that damaged (locked) the battleship's rudder. Five aircraft got damaged.
As an alternative consideration the Gloster Gladiator - Well remembered are the navy version, the Sea Gladiators "Faith", "Hope" and "Charity" in the early defense of Malta. I went to have a look at "Faith" in the National War Museum on Malta. Incidentally a great Island to visit. Many buses are from the '50's and still running and for such a small place they even have an Aviation Museum (http://www.maltaviationmuseum.com/index.asp)
A second world war biplane would be good!
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Wasn't there a much more recent thread on this? I'm sure I saw one about 2 weeks ago or so.
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Wasn't there a much more recent thread on this? I'm sure I saw one about 2 weeks ago or so.
Where did you see it?
I did a search for the Swordfish to avoid starting a new one - this seemed appropriate given the thread title!
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Wasn't there a much more recent thread on this? I'm sure I saw one about 2 weeks ago or so.
Nope, was for a different plane by Fairey
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Please bring on the stringbag! Taranto, the Channel Dash and raiding Italian convoys from Malta, here we come!! Did any swordfish see action in Norway 1940 or with the BPF? :pray
I know they did help sink H.M.S. Bismark.
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H.M.S. Bismark.
:O
Bismarck - Most definately not H.M.S. (apparently I missed the "c" to in an earlier post)
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:O
Bismarck - Most definately not H.M.S. (apparently I missed the "c" to in an earlier post)
sorry about that
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Ouch he got PNG'ed
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simba :salute so kool to hear from you again.
bortas
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simba :salute so kool to hear from you again.
bortas
look at the post date
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look at the post date
didnt notice that thank you my old wing co. so your the post police? lol
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regardless be a good a/c to see I'm all for it.
and a gloster gladiator wouldn't be bad. :D
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An old thread yes, but it's no Point of starting a new one on the same topic..
I Think that the Swordfish would be a fun plane to have, especially the Mk II. w rockets. It could definetly find good use as a spotter/GV-hunting Aircraft. With 1500lbs of bombs or 8 rockets it can be a great tank killer, 6x 250 lbs bombs is a very good loadout for the role.
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I'd take up the stringbag, but there is also a case to be made for the Gladiator and the Fiat CR.32
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Would love to have them as well, altough they would only be used in scenarios, the swordfish can atleast hunt GV.s but a Gladiator is way to slow for the MA.