No.4-FAIRY SWORDFISH Mks. I/III
-2208-p.jpg?v=CDB34CF9-6520-4DF5-8246-1E2071B3FEC5)
THE 'STRINGBAG'!
It may have looked antiquated, even by WWII standards, but the indomitable Fairey Swordfish torpedo bomber was tremendously successful in the early war years. Battle honours include the raid on the Italian surface battle fleet at Taranto and successful attacks on the German battleship Bismarck crippling her steering ability which ultimately led to her demise under the heavy guns of the Royal Navy. The Fleet Air Arm Museum at RNAS Yeovilton have operated an airworthy Swordfish for many years now and it has become a regular and popular participant in Summer season air displays throughout the UK. The Royal Navy Historic Flight kindly made their prized possession feely available to Linewrights photographers to do a number of walk-arounds in 1988 which resulted in the unique pictorial coverage presented in this book.
The famous Fairy Swordfish torpedo bomber biplane first entered Fleet Air Arm service in July 1936 with No.82 Naval Air Squadron embarking on HMS Glorious, with a further dozen units having been formed by the outbreak of WWII: more were to follow. The slow landing speeds of the Swordfish, combined with its almost 'hands-off' flying characteristics made it the ideal carrier -borne aircraft and it took part in a number of daring sorties during the early war years. With successful attacks on the Italian fleet at Taranto and the crippling of the German battleship Bismarck, the Swordfish has attained almost mythical status over the years following WWII. This Aeroguide provides a concise service history with the aid of over two dozen wartime archive images and more than 73 close-up photos of the airframe zeroing in on engine and cowlings; internal detail and cockpits; struts and fittings; undercarriage and torpedo mounting. A real salivating selection for the modeller! Add to this a two page fully annotated cutaway; 1:72 monotone camouflage pattern in four views plus a further four mono profiles depicting examples from 1937 to 1944 and you have a complete package. Rear cover colour plate is a Mk.I floatplane of No. 820 NAS, HMS Ark Royal in 1939. One copy in good condition.