Buffaloes for Hermes

[Admiral Beez]

The narrow and short T-shaped lifts on HMS Hermes precluded adding any monoplane fighters to her 1940-1941 airgroup. The Fulmar was too long, the Skua was soon to be retired, and the non-folding Martlet and Sea Hurricane too were wide. But there is one fighter the FAA has tried that will fit…. the Buffalo.

Autumn 1940, Britain obtains 36 ex-French or ex-USN naval spec Buffaloes. Twenty-eight of these are crated and shipped to RNAS Wynberg (Cape Town) to await HMS Hermes to complete her deep refit and repairs from her July collision, with the carrier entering service on/about 2 October 1940. Part of the refit also included a crash barrier and outriggers in order to allow deck parking. Hermes is allotted twelve Buffaloes and four Swordfish and assigned to Ceylon for Indian Ocean patrols, setting sail from Simonstown in mid-October. The remaining sixteen naval spec Buffaloes remain crated and are sent, along with additional Swordfish (folded on Hermes' flight deck) to RNAS China Bay (Trincomolee, Ceylon) as spares.

How does Hermes' career in the IPTO change now that she has a fighter squadron? For starters, Hermes fighters will be taking part in attacks on Italian forces in east Africa. There is the issue of a now much thirstier CAG demanding avgas from a very limited supply. Presumably a fighter-equipped Hermes will join Force Z, and if she survives then the ABDA at Java Sea in Feb 1942, Ceylon in March and Coral Sea in May. Hopefully after this Hermes can swap out her Buffaloes for folding Martlets.

What learnings and modifications will the FAA share with their RAF collegues as they begin to receive their Buffaloes in early 1941?

 

[Howard Gibson]

Did the RAF Buffaloes have arrestor hooks? Were the FAA pilots grossly superior to the US Marines on Midway Island? Did the FAA know how to fight Zeros yet? Did the RAF know?

The Fairey Fulmar's combat metrics actually look fairly good, way better than a 280mph aircraft with poor climb and acceleration ought to have done. This reflects the fact that they fought Italian biplanes. The FAA was not being dominated early in the Mediterranean war.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Did the RAF Buffaloes have arrestor hooks? Were the FAA pilots grossly superior to the US Marines on Midway Island? Did the FAA know how to fight Zeros yet? Did the RAF know?

The Fairey Fulmar's combat metrics actually look fairly good, way better than a 280mph aircraft with poor climb and acceleration ought to have done. This reflects the fact that they fought Italian biplanes. The FAA was not being dominated early in the Mediterranean war.

No, the RAF Buffaloes were stripped of their naval gear. I don't expect that FAA Buffalo pilots would be better than those in American service, though they may have two years of combat experience in similarly underpowered, uncompetitive fighters like the Skua and Sea Gladiator. Compared to these two fighters the Buffalo doesn't look so bad.

Trouble with the Fulmar is that it's too big, even when folded to fit into Hermes. Until the folding Martlet is widely available in 1942, the Buffalo is the only monoplane fighter (even if limited) operated by the FAA that will fit on Hermes.

 

[fastmongrel]

Hermes only carried 7000 imp gallons of avgas, that won't go very far amongst 16 aircraft. A refit was planned to increase avgas storage to 13000 imp gallons but even that would be marginal for 16 aircraft.

Argus, Hermes and Eagle should have been turned into razor blades in the early thirties and the tonnage used to build 2 more modern carriers.

 

[Shortround6]

There is the issue of a now much thirstier CAG demanding avgas from a very limited supply.

16 Buffalo fighters did hold 2128 Imp gallons of fuel (133 imp gallons each).

Would also note that the USN had no available Buffaloes in 1940 until late in 1940.

The "French" Buffaloes were actually Dutch machines that the French took over with the fall the Netherlands. The bulk of these wound up in the British inventory with the fall of France.

In the Fall of 1940 Brewster was building F2A-2s for the USN because the Navy only had about 12-13 Buffaloes due to the US government selling the early Buffaloes to Finland.
Vast majority of USN fighters in 1940 (and much of 1941) were Grumman Biplanes.

Of course with the Hermes trying to operate Buffaloes we have the benefit that the fuel shortage will mask the landing gear weakness.

 

[EwenS]

The "French" Buffaloes were actually Dutch machines that the French took over with the fall the Netherlands. The bulk of these wound up in the British inventory with the fall of France.

Those Buffalos came from a Belgian order not Dutch. 40 ordered. 1 en route when the Low Countries were invaded in May 1940 and ended up in France to be captured by the Germans. Next 6 diverted to France on Bearn and ended up on Martinique rotting away. Remaining 33 to Britain.

 

[SaparotRob]

I never knew that the LW had acquired Buffalos. I'm curious as to their impression of it.