Fw 200 vs. Allied Convoys (1 Viewer)

Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules

I recall the book mentions that several squadrons of Beaufighters, Hampdens and Hurricanes, with RAF (Hampdens were crewed by Australians) were sent to Murmansk. There can be only reason the Beaus were sent north....to provide NF protection for the port. They did not provide fighter cover for the convoys I know that.

During the winter Murmansk would have a month or two of darkness I believe, so that NF would be all the more important.
 
The RN did not provide carrier based aircover for the convoys until well into '43, and found the best poor weather aircraft to be the venerable Swordfish. It was found to be an ideal poor weather aircraft, and with its ASV radars could have some chance of electronic detection, even in conditions of poor visibility. The most common fighters were Wildcats by that stage. It was found that even just a few aircraft could break up Luftwaffe attacks and prevent the LW strike aircraft fom reaching the targets. LW losses were low, but their effectiveness also plummetted after carrier based aircover was provided.

With the obvious exception of PQ-18. in Sept 1942, which had HMS Avenger and her Sea Hurricanes.
 
USN CVEs were found to be unsuited to this type of work. The main problem was in their crew training....they simply could not operate effectively in the poor weather. Poor weather flying and carrier ops was something the RN had been training for since the '30s. Its a skill you simply cannot acquire in a short period of time. Even in the '70's USN CAGs were not strong or well trained in poor weather flying

Probably because the cream of the crop was urgently needed in the Pacific.

As for USN bad weather training capabilities in the 70's? I wouldn't make a statement like that.
 
There were twelve USN escort carriers that I know of that operated in the Atlantic, and none of them operated on the Arctic Runs, ever.

As for the comment about USN capabilities in the '70s, I admit it was a bit out there, and more than a little tongue in cheek. USN did by then have a credible all weather capability, but ther was one year at RIMPAC that they did not do so well, and it was all to do with the weather
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back