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syscom3
Pacific Historian
Bristol Blenheims are leaving their nest in France for a reconnaissance in German skies on April 22, 1940.
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The photo caught the ghost mechanic and his pet goat. This was considered a myth until this picture surfaced. The blackbirds would not work in that hangar at night for fear of being yelled at by the ghost, or being rammed by his poltergeist goat.
Ahh. That's why the soup tasted a bit...off.
Wasn't the I-153While true that the FAA did use the Swordfish till the end of WW2 in CVEs, it was for a very specific role in ASW in the north atlantic, capable of delivering a heavy punch with RP and guided by onboard ASV radar.
Of course the airplane's slow speed made it possible to takeoff and land on decks that were pitching so violently, other, more "modern," aircraft couldn't even takeoff. With a landing speed was around 40 knots, which meant they practically hovered onboard a carrier that was making 20 knots into a headwind and loitier time of some 4 hours*.
The Avenger carried also ASV & RP for ASW duty but with a landing speed of some 80 knots and some 3 hours of loitier time*.
So in the dark and foggy North Atlantic, for ASW service, with a pitching and rolling deck, with no worry for enemy aircraft, the Swordfish was decidedly a very good option.
*Data from Gemini AI quick search, so apply salt as needed.
They are. But I think in the early days of Operation Barbarossa the Nazis did destroy a number of I-153s.Those are captured machines used by Finland.
Imperial Japanese Army Type 97 light bomber Mitsubishi Ki-30 fly for the bombing of Jiyuan during the Sino-Japanese War on April 27, 1940 in Henan Province, China.