gloster gladiator norway 1940

Towards the end of the war Gladiators were flown by Meteorological Flight 1566 out of Hiswa, Aden. [5] The Bristol Mercury M.E.30 radial engine, capable of generating 700 hp (520 kW), was selected to power the SS.37, which provided a performance boost over the preceding Gauntlet. The Gladiator was the last British biplane fighter to be manufactured, and the first to feature an enclosed cockpit. [5] However, the Goshawk engine proved to be unreliable, mainly due to its over-complex and underdeveloped cooling system, and unsuited to use on fighter aircraft and this outcome stalled development of the aircraft intended to use it. [16] Between March and April 1937, No. It was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) (as the Sea Gladiator variant) and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. [16] Between March and April 1937, No. 94 Squadron performed various attacks on the Italian forces; typical targets included airfields, supply depots, and aircraft. Italian pilots claimed two No. [44] During the preceding Phoney War, on 24 April 1940 Belgian Gladiators on neutrality patrol shot down a German Heinkel He 111 bomber which subsequently crashed in the Netherlands. ", "Biplane fighter aces: Italy, Capitano Franco Lucchini Medaglia d'Oro al Valor Militare. La campagne de Norvège, qui dura du 9 avril 1940 au 10 juin 1940, fut la première confrontation terrestre directe entre les forces alliées — Royaume-Uni, France et Pologne — et les troupes de l’Allemagne nazie lors de la Seconde Guerre mondiale.. La principale raison ayant conduit l’Allemagne à occuper la Norvège était la dépendance de son industrie vis-à-vis du minerai de … Britain dispatched help to the embattled Greeks in the form of 80 Squadron, elements of which arrived at Trikkala by 19 November. ", "Underwater search for Gloster Gladiator 'Charity'. [73] It was in the latter role that a single 94 Squadron Gladiator, piloted by Gordon Haywood, was responsible for the surrender and capture of the Italian Archimede-class submarine Galilei Galileo. [62] Hope (N5531) was destroyed on the ground by enemy bombing in May 1941. [5] On 12 September 1934, the SS.37 prototype conducted its maiden flight, piloted by Gloster chief test pilot Gerry Sayer. Although the Regia Aeronautica had started with a numerical advantage and air superiority, during the summer of 1940 the situation was reversed, with Hurricanes being delivered as fast as possible and gradually taking over the island's air defence.[57]. Lt Cdr J. C. Cockburn was credited with one destroyed and Blue Section with a "damaged".[32]. [26] Two pilots became aces with this aircraft: Oiva Tuominen (6.5 victories with Gladiators) and Paavo Berg (five victories). [22], Chinese Gladiators scored several more victories over Japanese aircraft from 1938 to 1940 during the Second Sino-Japanese War. 94 Squadron performed various attacks on the Italian forces; typical targets included airfields, supply depots, and aircraft. [21] During that clash, Chinese Gladiators lost two of their number. 239 Squadron, using Gladiators for army cooperation and 804 Naval Air Squadron, outfitted with Sea Gladiators, were also operational during the Battle of Britain.[46]. [19], In October 1937, the Chinese Central Government ordered 36 Gladiator Is, which were delivered in two crated batches to Guangzhou via Hong Kong. ", "Biplane fighter aces, Italy, Capitano Mario Visintini. [20] The Gloster Gladiator had its combat début on 24 February 1938. Folland soon identified various changes to increase the aircraft's suitability to conform with the demands of the specification. On 16 February 1937, K6129, the first production Gladiator, was formally accepted by the RAF; on 4 March 1937, K6151, the last aircraft of the initial batch, was delivered. Watson of the fighter flight shot down an Iraqi Gladiator over Baqubah during a bomber escort mission. "Gladiator, Gauntlet, Fury, Demon". In May 2009, the remains of Charity and others were the subject of an underwater search by NATO minesweepers. [73], On 6 June 1941, the Regia Aeronautica had only two serviceable aircraft remaining: a CR.32 and a CR.42, therefore air superiority was finally achieved by Gladiators and the Hurricanes. Norges største testdatabase for gadgets, teknikk og hjemmeunderholdning! In addition to air defence duties, in the last days of May ground attack missions were also flown by the Gladiators, targeting railway stations, enemy vehicles, and coastal vessels.[38]. The RAF used it in France, Norway, Greece, the defence of Malta, the Middle East, and the brief Anglo-Iraqi War (during which the Royal Iraqi Air Force was similarly equipped). The top scoring Gladiator aces flew it in North Africa and Greece, scoring most of their successes against Regia Aeronautica aircraft. Masfaldi, commanding the 364a Squadriglia. During the Continuation War, against the Soviets, Glosters supported the advance of the Karelian Army around Lake Ladoga. [5], On 3 April 1935, the prototype was transferred to the Royal Air Force (RAF), receiving the designation K5200, and commenced operational evaluations of the type. ", "Biplane Fighter Aces: Squadron Leader William Joseph ‘Bill’ Hickey DFC, RAF no. One of the more notable Gladiator engagements of the whole war occurred on the Albanian border with Greece on 28 February 1941. British troops lined up at Gourock in Scotland before embarking for Norway, 20 April 1940. [45], The Gloster Gladiator was in operational service with 247 Squadron, stationed at RAF Roborough, Devon during the Battle of Britain. [94], As late as mid-1941, the RAF Chief-of-Air Staff offered 21 Gloster Gladiators gathered from various meteorological and communications flights in the Middle East, as well as five from a Free French unit, to AOC Singapore in order to strengthen the colony's defences against the emerging Japanese threat. [63], The first aerial combat between the biplanes took place on 14 June over Amseat. [68] (39029), No. Folland soon identified various changes to increase the aircraft's suitability to conform with the demands of the specification. A total of 747 aircraft were built (483 RAF, 98 RN), 216 being exported to 13 countries, some of which were from the total allotted to the RAF. [82], On 2 May 1941, in response to a blockade established by increasing numbers of Iraqi forces on RAF Habbaniya and demands from the revolutionary Iraqi government, a preemptive RAF attack was launched to break the encirclement. [7][8], In spring 1934, Gloster embarked on the construction of a single SS.37 prototype. The bomber, V4+DA of Kampfgeschwader 1, had been damaged by French fighters at Maubeuge, France, and chased across the Belgian border. [5] In September 1935, a follow-up order of 180 aircraft was also received from the Air Ministry;[11] this order had the proviso that all aircraft had to be delivered before the end of 1937. Six days later, the Fiat CR.42s intercepted an RAF Hawker Audax and clashed with escorting Gladiators in what was to prove the final air-to-air combat of the brief campaign. The South African ace Marmaduke "Pat" Pattle (who served with the RAF), claimed 15 kills in Gladiators during the North African and Greek Campaigns, making him the highest-scoring RAF biplane ace of the war. [31] On 10 April 1941, 804 NAS took off from Hatston, in Orkney, to intercept a group of approaching German aircraft. ", "Biplane Fighter Aces from the Second World War. Italian pilots claimed two No. In a confused battle, both sides lost one aircraft shot down and one severely damaged. 72 operated the type until April 1939, longer than any other home-based frontline unit. With the increased tension, the base was reinforced with another six Gladiators on 19 April, flying in from Egypt. [5] Initially powered by a 530 hp (400 kW) Mercury IV engine, the prototype was quickly re-equipped with a more powerful 645 hp (481 kW) Mercury VIS engine. [22], Chinese Gladiators scored several more victories over Japanese aircraft from 1938 to 1940 during the Second Sino-Japanese War. [39][40][41], Belgian Gladiators suffered heavy losses to the Germans in 1940, with all 15 operational aircraft lost,[42][43] while only managing to damage two German aircraft. The Norwegian Campaign saw both Norwegian and British Gladiators battling the Luftwaffe, with the Norwegian Jagevingen fighting in the defence of Oslo on the first day of Operation Weserübung, the German invasion. Graffer, was shot down during a combat where seven aircraft were downed, four of them British. ", "Flight Lieutenant Marmaduke Thomas St. John Pattle, D.F.C. There was a brief flicker of flame and the last Italian aircraft to be shot down over East Africa spun into the ground and burst into flames near Ambazzo. The top ace was Flight Lieutenant Pat Pattle, from No. [16], By September 1937, all eight Gladiator squadrons had achieved operational status and had formed the spearhead of London's air defences. On 6 November 1940, in the first hour of the British offensive against Ethiopia, the Fiat CR.42 fighters of the 412a Squadriglia led by Capt. Folland. [70] However, the Gladiator, optimised for dogfighting, met with only little success against the relatively fast Italian bombers, shooting down only a handful of them and suffering almost as many losses in the process, which could be one of the reasons for its quick retirement from first-line duty; the CR.42 on the other hand was successful against early British bombers, shooting down a hundred of them with minimal losses. Each issue features the latest news and in-depth features, plus firsthand accounts from pilots putting you in the cockpit. The Italian pilot took off to strafe British airfields at Dabat and Adi Arcai. On 5 April, German forces invaded Greece and quickly established air superiority. The fate of at least five more Gladiators that saw action over Malta is not as well documented. 1/48 Merit, Gloster Gladiator Mk.II, GL-264 of 2/LeLv 16, Hirvas Air Base, Summer 1942. The month-long Syria-Lebanon Campaign in June–July 1941 saw heavy fighting both in the air and on land, until the Vichy French authorities in Syria surrendered on 12 July 1941. It was under Finnish insignia that the Gladiator achieved its last air victory. [16] Initial service with the type proved the Vickers guns to be problematical; the Gladiator was quickly armed with .303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns, which were substantially more popular, leading to the other guns often only being resorted to if deemed necessary. Those old Gladiators aren't made of stressed steel like a Hurricane or a Spit. On 21 December, 20 Gladiators intercepted a force of 15 CR.42 Falcos, shooting down two with two losses. 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