The Whale Has Wings Vol 2 - Taranto to Singapore (38 page)

This describes some of the aircraft in use by the Royal Navy and other air forces during the period covered by this book (1932 - 1941). Only naval aircraft or aircraft encountered in actions in the book have been included.

Aircraft in use by the Royal Navy

Gloster Goshawk Mk III
(fighter)

The Goshawk is a single-engine fighter powered by the improved version of the Bristol Hercules engine. Performance is similar to that of the historic Spitfire at low level, but inferior above 20,000 feet - as was the usual practice with carrier aircraft of the period, performance was optimised for under 20,000 feet (since bombing above this altitude was too inaccurate for success against ships). Armament had increased to 4x20mm cannon over earlier version of the fighter. As with most naval planes, the Goshawk had rather longer range than its land-based equivalents, at the cost of a heavier aircraft (compensated for by the more powerful Hercules engine)

Fairy Swordfish
(TBR - Torpedo, Bomber, Reconnaissance)

Developed in the early 1930's as a private venture, the 'Stringbag' as it was known would be used throughout the war in many different roles. No longer the frontline torpedo/bomber (although it was still to be found used in this role in the more remote theatres), due to its versatility and its ability to operate off of very small carriers in all sorts of weather, it would carry on as the anti-submarine plane on escort carriers and conversions throughout the war.

Martin-Baker Cormorant
Mk III(Divebomber)

Developed in the 1930's, the Hercules-powered Cormorant was the Royal Navies first dedicated dive bomber. Initial versions carried either a 500lb HE bomb (on longer missions) or a 1,000lb against larger targets. With a later-version Hercules (with more power), it could also carry the 1,600lb AP bomb designed for use against battleships and similarly armoured targets

Boulton-Paul SeaLance
(TBR - Torpedo, Bomber, Reconnaissance)

The replacement for the Swordfish, the SeaLance was an interim deign using the Griffon engine. Faster than the Swordfish, it was much more survivable against defended targets. With its increased performance, the Royal Navy carried on development of its aerial torpedoes to allow them to be dropped at a higher speed and from a greater height, also giving the crews more chance of surviving the attack.

Fairy Spearfish
(TBR - Torpedo, Bomber, Reconnaissance)

The replacement for the SeaLance (which had originally been seen as an interim design), this plane was operational in late 1941. Performance was much better, thanks to the powerful Centaurus engine, but the limited availability of the engine limited initial deployment. It was the first carrier-based plane to carry the new, heavy MkXV torpedo, and it could deliver this at over 250kt. It was the first strike aircraft deigned to have an ASV radar equipped as standard, but production issues meant that at first only some aircraft were so fitted.

Gloster Sea Eagle
(fighter)

This fighter started to replace the Goshawk in the autumn of 1941. Powered by the Centaurus engine, it was then the fastest fighter in the world, carrying 4x20mm guns. It could also carry some 1,600lb of bombs, allowing it to act as a naval attack aircraft as well as a fighter. Production was initially limited by low production of the Centaurus, and the weight of the plane meant it only operated off the later or modernised fleet carriers.

Aircraft in use by the RAF

Lockheed
Hudson
(anti-submarine)

The Hudson was a twin-engine light bomber in use by RAF Coastal Command as a reconnaissance and anti-submarine plane. The aircraft was bought from the USA, where it had originally been designed as a civilian aircraft, modified by the RAF to carry bombs and armed with a quadruple 0.303 gun turret.

Hawker Hurricane
(fighter)

The Hurricane was a single-engines fighter powered by the Rolls-Royce Merlin. The first modern monoplane fighter in service in the RAF, its performance was similar to the Goshawk. Initially armed with 8x0.303" guns, by 1940 production aircraft were being armed with 2x20mm cannon and 4x0.303" guns, giving them more destructive power against German bombers. The plane would be one of the two mainstays of fighter command in 1940, before being phased out. The design did not benefit from a more powerful engine, and it was replaced in 1941 by the de-navalised version of the Goshawk, the Sparrowhawk.

Supermarine Spitfire
(fighter)

The Spitfire was one of the great fighter aircraft of WW2. Developed before the war, it only entered service shortly before the conflict started. By 1940, it was already equal in performance to the best German fighters, and by the Battle of Britain was steadily replacing the Hurricane as the RAF frontline fighter. The airframe was far more capable of increasing performance when fitted with more powerful engines, and its development would continue throughout the war. Like the Hurricane, it was initially armed with 8x0.303" guns, but it was also upgraded to cannon by the time the Battle of Britain started.

Short Sunderland
(anti-submarine)

The Sunderland was a long range, heavily armed flying boat, used for anti-submarine patrols. The heavy defensive armament led to it being used in areas like the Bay of Biscay where enemy fighters were encountered, and it was also capable of rescue.

Bristol Beaufighter
(fighter, bomber, torpedo, attack)

The Beaufighter was the first true 'multi-role' plane in service in Britain. A powerful and heavy plane powered by two Hercules engines, it was capable of defending itself against all but the latest enemy fighters. Heavily armed, it was also used as a naval strike plane against light targets, and when carrying a torpedo, against larger ships. Its long range meant it was also used as a reconnaissance aircraft.

Consolidated Catalina
(maritime patrol)

An American designed and built flying boat, this was used as an additional maritime patrol aircraft in the Atlantic and pacific theatres to supplement the limited production of the Sunderland, its long range being very useful in these areas.

Short Stirling
(bomber)

The first four engined bomber designed for the RAF, it suffered from a number of performance issues, in particular its low ceiling of some 16,000 feet made it more vulnerable in operations. As the more capable Halifax was in production, and a long range aircraft was badly needed for convoy protection, many of the Stirlings were reassigned to this job, some being fitted with ASV radar for an additional reconnaissance role.

Aircraft in use by the Luftwaffe

Heinkel He115
(torpedo)

Developed shortly before the start of the war, the He115 was a fast, twin engine floatplane designed to carry torpedoes and mines. Intended to fly from coastal bases, it was fast for the time and had a long range. However it was never manufactured in large quantities and its weak defensive armament made it vulnerable to fighters

Messerschmitt Me109
(fighter)

This single-engine fighter was the Luftwaffe's frontline fighter during the first part of the war. Agile and fast, it was the equal of the Spitfire (and in some respects its superior) at this time. Its main disadvantage was its short range and the delicate landing gear - although a version was produced for use on the German carriers, development shows a disheartening number of landing accidents.

Junkers Ju87 (Stuka)
(dive bomber)

This aircraft was the iconic dive bomber of the war. A simple aircraft, its ability to dive extremely steeply made it very accurate. The early versions were limited in bomb load, but later versions with a more powerful engine had both a longer range and the ability to deliver a 500kg bomb at effective ranges. Fortunately for the Royal Navy the Luftwaffe neglected the anti-shipping role before the war, and so early attacks by the Stuka were often ineffective.

Junkers Ju88
(bomber)

Probably the best light/medium bomber of the early part of the war, this twin engine plane was fast and could carry a useful bomb load. Its performance was affected by the requirement that it be able to divebomb, a task it was never suited for (the Stuka being far more effective).

Heinkel He111
(bomber)

The standard Luftwaffe medium bomber of the early War years, this twin-engined level bomber was ineffective against ships at sea.

Messerschmitt Me110
(escort fighter)

A heavy twin-engine fighter, in some respects it resembled the Beaufighter. However its role was quite different. Intended as a long-range fighter to protect bombers, it was found incapable f protecting itself against the modern RAF and FAA single-engine fighters. It was also employed as a light fast bomber carrying one or two 250kg bombs.

Focke-Wulf Fw 190
(fighter)

This plane was introduced in 1941 as a replacement for the aging Me109. In fact the Me109 stayed in production throughout the war. A radial engine fighter, its heavy armament and high performance made it a dangerous threat to allied aircraft, and its performance was superior to the current RAF Spitfire MkV when it came into service.

Aircraft in use by the Italian Air Force

Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero
(bomber)

This was a three-engined bomber designed in the 1930's. It had a good performance for the time, and was the main Italian bomber of the war. One feature found useful by the crews in its naval use was that the wooden framework allowed the aircraft to often remain afloat for some 30 minutes. By 1940 its limited defensive armament was ineffective against the modern FAA fighters, making it very vulnerable.

Macchi C.200 Saetta (Mc200
) (fighter)

The frontline fighter for Italy at the start of the war, this plane had excellent manoeuvrability but was slower than the equivalent RAF and FAA fighters, and poorly armed - 2x0.5" guns were not adequate, especially against the robust naval fighters it was to encounter. It also suffered from the common land-based fighter problem of limited range.

Macchi C.202 Folgore
(Mc202) fighter

Introduced in 1941 after it was clear that the current Italian fighters were inferior to allied designs, this was a light and agile fighter. While more heavily armed than earlier designs, (2x7.7mm, 2x12.7mm guns), its armament was still inferior to alied designs, and had difficulty causing enough damage to the heavy allied aircraft. Rather rushed into service, the design had numerous problems that delayed its effective use.

Aircraft in use by the Japanese Air Force

Mitsubishi A5M Type 96 fighter
(Claude)

A very light and agile fighter used by the Japanese Navy. By the end of 1941 it was being replaced by the Zero. Its main problems were its slow maximum speed (slower than attack aircraft like the Beaufighter), and poor armament (2x7.7mm machine guns) which made it difficult to do sufficient damage to the more strongly built allied aircraft.

Mitsubishi A6M Zero-Sen Type Zero fighter
(Zero)

Probably the best Japanese naval fighter of the war, the Zero had only been operation since July 1940. Again a light and very manoeuvrable design, it was much faster than the Claude, and with a considerably heavier armament (2x7.7mm and 2x20mm cannon), it was far more dangerous to allied fighters.

Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa Type 1 fighter
(Oscar)

A fighter used by the Japanese army, the plane was very agile, but again had a poor maximum speed and armament (2x0.5" guns).

Aichi D3A Type 99 dive bomber
(Val)

Introduced to service in 1940, this was the dive bomber in use by the Japanese Navy when war with Japan started. Roughly comparable in performance with the Cormorant or Ju87, its main limitation was that it was designed to carry a 250kg bomb, which was of limited effectiveness against battleships or the Royal Navy's heavily protected fleet carriers.

Nakajima B5N Type 97 TBR
(Kate)

The standard torpedo bomber in use by the Japanese Navy at the start of the war, this plane was one of the best torpedo planes in service. Broadly comparable with the SeaLance.

All Japanese planes were lightly built by comparison with Western designs. The advantage of that was it allowed them a much longer range, a very important characteristic in the vast Pacific theatre. The drawback was that this made them relatively fragile, especially to the heavy armament some of the allied fighter carried by 1941.

Aircraft Carriers in service

Royal Navy

HMS Eagle

26,000t displacement, speed 22.5 kt ; 5x4" guns, approx 10x20mm
. Normal aircraft complement 21

HMS Hermes

13,000t displacement, 25kt ; 4x4" guns, approx 10x20mm. Normal aircraft complement 20

HMS Argus

14,500t displacement, 20kt ; 6x4" guns, approx 12 20mm. Normal aircraft complement 20