Submarine hunters (1 Viewer)

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I always loved the old stringbag although I think it was as much the skill of the lads behind the stick as the plane but with such a low stall speed
it must have made a really good platform for attacking subs. it didn't do the Italian Fleet much good either at Taranto
 
Two of the very top anti-sub planes:

PBY-5 Catalinas - effective, long range, carried two torpedos and sometimes depth charges or bombs, AND the Brits liked them a lot!

B-24 Liberators - Effective, very long range, radar, search lights, Bombs, Depth charges and torpedos (loadout varied).
 
I always felt the Sunderland made a great contribution, especially the fact they were so big and hard to miss, as far as U-boat gunners went...

It was a shame they weren't more heavily armed, like the Jap 'Emily' [which was a Jap version of the Short aircraft], where even .50 cals like the Catalinas had couldn't have been as effective as 20mm's...

Unfortunately, the bigger the aircraft, the larger the crew-loss if they were shot down...but Sunderlands, and Catalinas overall service was pretty major, the rescue work they did especially, but I take my hat off to the crews, as in reading of their conflicts, the courage they had to take on heavily-armed subs was extaordinary.....they at least could alight on the water if emergency warranted it, something the Wellington, Whitley, Halifax, Liberator Fortesses couldn't do, along with the smaller anti-sub aircraft...

But all these aircraft battled-on, gradually reducing the U-boats from predatory wolves to hunted dogs. The Hunter-killer packs of Corvettes, Frigates and Destroyers certainly played a role here too, particuarly in the convoys, the co-operative venture of these ships and aircraft was the winning formula.....

I feel the Avenger was significant in the PTO, as was the Catalina, and in the ETO, MTO also, as both Allies used them...As I understand it, the Swordfish is really in a class of it's own, the only biplane through the War, and the awesome courage and skill of Taranto, but it's replacement, the Albacore, was useful [although not liked by it's crews], but the Barracuda, for all it's wonky undercarriage, gave good service in the last two years of the War, particuarly in attempted sinkings of the Tirpitz [finally sorted-out by 617 Sqn. Lancasters].......
 

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It may havew been put earlier but the Germans called the Sunderland "The Flying Hedgehog" because it could defend itself well. All an aircraft did if the U-Boat was firing back was stay out of range and bring all it's turrets to bear on the sub. Once the deck party were taking heavy losses. the U-Boat captains decided to get the hell out of there, leaving the aircraft with an immobile U-Boat to depth-charge. The fightback tactics weren't completely succesful
 
mosquitoman said:
It may havew been put earlier but the Germans called the Sunderland "The Flying Hedgehog" because it could defend itself well. l
In one incident a RAAF Sunderland was attacked by 8 Ju88 fighter-bombers, it drove them off after shooting down two of them, with another crash landing on its return to base.
 
Normally when one aircraft saw a group of U--Boats, it radiodedin for other aircraft in the region to come and assist so the flak was divided, one plane could take the flak while the other came in unnoticed
 
mosquitoman,

how does an a/c stay out of range of 20mm yet is still able to fire on the sub with machineguns?

I suggest you read the introduction, as well as the book, Osprey's Sunderland Squadrons of WW2.
 
I don't think the Emily was a copy of the Sunderland. Granted the two types looked similar, but I think any relation was only superficial.

I've never seen any information on a B-24 carrying torps. Can anyone document this?
 
yes the sunderland was feared by german crews 'cos of her ability to defend herself, and she was the largest combat aircraft in the world on her entry into service..............
 
because i wasn't expecting him to say what he did, i was quoting a RAF coastal command video.............
 

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