Swordfish vs Bismark Question

[Brett G]

I've looked high and low, but to know avail.
What type of Swordfish attacked the Bismark? MkI or MkII? I'd like to build a model of one, but need to know where to start.

 

[RCAFson]

I've looked high and low, but to know avail.
What type of Swordfish attacked the Bismark? MkI or MkII? I'd like to build a model of one, but need to know where to start.

MkI. The MkII had metal skinned lower wings and appeared in 1943.

 

[ClayO]

MkI. The MkII had metal skinned lower wings and appeared in 1943.

Metal wings on a biplane? In 1943? My question was, why? At first I assumed it was used as a trainer, but no - I learned it served in antisubmarine duties, among others, to the end of the war.

I read that part of the Swordfishes' success in the attack on the Bismark was that they flew too low and too slow for the antiaircraft guns to get a good shot at them. This seems possible, but sounds a lot like one of those legends that get repeated until they're accepted as truth. Can anybody confirm or disprove it?

 

[fastmongrel]

Metal wings on a biplane? In 1943? My question was, why? At first I assumed it was used as a trainer, but no - I learned it served in antisubmarine duties, among others, to the end of the war.

I read that part of the Swordfishes' success in the attack on the Bismark was that they flew too low and too slow for the antiaircraft guns to get a good shot at them. This seems possible, but sounds a lot like one of those legends that get repeated until they're accepted as truth. Can anybody confirm or disprove it?

Just a myth I am glad to say.

When Bismarck was laid down the Swordfish was the latest FAA torpedo bomber, designing guns that couldn't hit the opposition's main torpedo bomber is madness. All torpedo bombers of the late 1930s had to drop the torpedo at about 100 to 130 knots andt about 100feet altitude

 

[RCAFson]

Metal wings on a biplane? In 1943? My question was, why? At first I assumed it was used as a trainer, but no - I learned it served in antisubmarine duties, among others, to the end of the war.

I read that part of the Swordfishes' success in the attack on the Bismark was that they flew too low and too slow for the antiaircraft guns to get a good shot at them. This seems possible, but sounds a lot like one of those legends that get repeated until they're accepted as truth. Can anybody confirm or disprove it?

The Mk II had metal skinned lower wings to allow them to fire ASW rockets.

The Swordfish were attacking in very poor visibility and where possible used a steep diving approach. For a very good account see:

The Story of the Torpedoing of the Bismarck

 

[fubar57]

WARPAINT SERIES No.12 "FAIREY SWORDFISH" by W.A. HARRISON​

 

[fastmongrel]

Quite a lot of the Swordfish was metal skinned. The fuselage forward of the air gunners position was metal plus iirc the upper wing center section was metal. The framework was metal and despite what the interwebs says no wood.

 

[ClayO]

The Mk II had metal skinned lower wings to allow them to fire ASW rockets.

The Swordfish were attacking in very poor visibility and where possible used a steep diving approach. For a very good account see:

The Story of the Torpedoing of the Bismarck

Thanks for that - it's the most detailed and dramatic telling that I've seen.

 

[tyrodtom]

The whole story about the Bismarck's AA not being able to track the Swordfish because they were too low or too slow is nonsense.

I can't believe anyone would put a warship to sea that couldn't take on PT boats, they fly both lower and slower than any torpedo plane, and probably didn't give a real good radar return either.

 

[Greyman]

Yeah it makes no sense as the one type of target you'd most want to be able to hit was one that was heading straight at you, which would be barely 'moving' at all.

 

[swampyankee]

The whole "Swordfish was too slow to be tracked" meme doesn't pass a logical smell test. Germany would be developing their AA fire control when just about all carrier aircraft were biplanes and torpedoes had to be dropped low and slow. The Germans weren't so stupid as to design a fire control system that would not work against aircraft in service when it was being developed.

 

[SaparotRob]

I've heard that about the Swordfish too. Doesn't make any sense. Think of all of the trainees that wouldn't be able to hit a target on a firing range with logic like that.