Fairey Swordfish | Why pilots loved this "mistake" of an aircraft
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- The Fairey Swordfish TBR is an unlikely hero of World War II. But those who flew it were more than eager to explain why. Representing the pinnacle of pre-war biplane technology, the "Stringbag" was so inherently sound, flexible, and reliable that it remained in operation throughout World War II. While its front-line torpedo strike days were limited, its ability to fly off short decks in appalling weather and at night proved difficult to replace in the anti-submarine role.
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ORIGINAL AUDIO FILES:
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I concur with the interveiwee who explained why it was called the Stringbag. I'm old enough to remember when string bags were used for shopping; they could carry anything. Just as the Swordfish could carry anything : 18 inch torpedo, contact mine, magnetic mine, smoke floats, flare floats, parachute flares, dinghies, bombs from 5 lb to 500 lb, depth charges, RP-3 rockets and ASV radar.
A great tribute to the beloved Stringbag. The butt of many jokes from the uninformed.... a pioneering STOL plane that outlasted the aircraft that was designed to replace it (The Fairey Albacore), and an adaptable master of all trades that ended the war with an anti shipping record second to none. Great to hear the proud gentlemen who had the bravery and courage to serve our country in these British masterpieces!!!
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Try the SBD Dauntless for Ships and tonnage sunk
Designed for purpose not appearance. See also: A-10, PBY Catalina...
@@himoffthequakeroatbox4320 the P-47 Thunderbolt
@@USS_Grey_Ghost Yes, it is a claim I (British) had not heard before...e.g. they didn't call the Dauntless 'Slow But Deadly' for nothing. And what about USN submarines, a record that puts the Kriegsmarine in the shade. All Allied forces were doing a brave and necessary job.
Thank you for this brilliant documentary.
One thing this proves: slow and steady wins the race.
Surprisingly, the swordfish was the most successful carrier strike aircraft type of all time. It sunk more ship tonnage than any other aircraft type.
I have heard this elsewhere, but I have to question the accuracy of this statement. The US Navy in the Pacific theater sunk over 249,903 tonnage just in Japanese aircraft carriers alone by air attacks. If you include other types of Japanese ships such as battleships (the most famous is the world's largest battleship ever built, the Yamato at 65,027 tons), battlecruisers, cruisers, submarines, destroyers, etc. the total number of Japanese ships sank by the US during WW2 is 334 warships. Since ship vs ship action in the Pacific were less common than aerial attack vs ships, a large percentage of the 334 ships were sank by aerial attacks.
@@badwolf7367 If the British had a good dive bomber, then these numbers would have been split between two aircraft types. Japanese tonnage is shared between dauntles, helldiver, devestators, avengers and others. One single british squadron, No 830 sank 110,000 tnnes of shipping between May and november 1941. Then when factoring in the battlefleet sunk at taranto, the numbers begin to stack up.
Most of the tonnage sunk were Italian ships resupplying the afrike corps. The 27 srowdfish operating from Malta Island in the mediteranian were sinking an average of 50,000 tonnes per month. Most sources credit the Swordfish with more than a million tonnes of shipping sunk including 23 warships sunk or damaged. Given the circumstances, this is a plausible number
I suspect that if the British had either the Dauntless or the Avenger instead of the Swordfish, then one of these aircraft types would be holding the record for total tonnage sunk.
One final note, US carrier based aircraft did not account for much of the Japanese merchant fleet. It was US submarines that decimated 90% of the Japanese merchant marine.
@@badwolf7367 Apart from your general inaccuracy, can you pinpoint the one US aircraft that sank more tonnage? When stating the single most successful carrier strike aircraft was the Fairey Swordfish, that is exactly what was meant. Not the collective but the singular...
@@paulbantick8266 Bad Wolfs' comment was driven by the usual American idea that only America was fighting and winning the war despite the fact that the British and Commonwealth forces fought for almost two years before the Yanks were literally forced into action by the Japanese assault on Pearl Harbour. Americans seem to think that they ere fighting solo and don't like to admit they were merely one of the allies involved
@@phillipdavies6548 - The Americans are just angry that the Japanese were inspired to attack Pearl Harbor by the success of the British Swordfish(against the Italian fleet) at Taranto.
I think the Swordfish's success demonstrates that obsolete equipment should never be confused for ineffective equipment.
That was well said
Wasn’t obsolete-designed only about 5 yrs before the start of WWII.
So true. Obsolete doesn't mean it can't still be lethal
It wasn't obsolete against the German fleets which did not have naval fighter at all. Against the Japanese fleets, it had little hope to slip past fleet defense fighter like the Mitsubishi A6M Zero.
Love the telling of the crash landing in Morecambe Bay. A hilarious crash landing? Who would ave thought it :-)
I know it is an exaggeration, but the Fairey Swordfish was the RN's first helicopter, what other comparison really fits?
Particular in the late part of the war.
It was a great bomber/strike plane in the early part of the war, and the perfect convoj escort ASW plane during the entire war.
It could get into the air with almost no runway (with the right amount of wind).
I have often personally used that ‘helicopter” analogy. It seems to fit well.
Today we do use helicopters to conduct the role of the Swordfish. They can fly a bit faster. But not very much.
@@davidelliott5843 Yep, and they need "almost" the same amount of runway to get up in the air XD
Amazing video, as usual, but this one is special. Great audio and video, they match perfectly.
Clearly the Swordfish wasn't a mistake as it performed admirably in all weathers, and against more modern opposition.
Priceless memories from astonishing men.
One of my all time favourite prop jobs 💯🤟🤠🇬🇧
Listen to Kenneth Morison, at about 19 minutes, as he describes how the observer navigated. Wow!
Never knew about whale spotting in a Swordfish!
People pay for that sort of thing these days! lol
Great video, thanks!
Wonderful channel!!!
The engines stopped ! Don't tell me , that's your department . - We couldn't possibly lose the war with men like that.
Hi Pete Joseph . A suprisingly statistic. More tonnage sunk by Swordfish in WW2 then any allied airplane incl the American planes in Pacific ?
It’s an often cited statistic. A few google searches will reveal them. Probably based in the Swordfish fighting in the Arctic, North Atlantic, Atlantic, Channel, Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean and Indian Ocean for almost two years before the US entered the war - and continuing to fight until the end. The other factor may have been Japan not having all that large a merchant marine.
Thats what O heard or something like that, truely a wonderful aircraft, equally serviced by brave,and enterprising crews.
I'm not a pilot, but I imagine whichever aircraft you fly must be the best, to fly with a machine under your control must've been amazing, now it's all pushbutton, but in those days, you had to physically fly the plane, I imagine flying an F22 raptor must be the top.
It's every bit a British flying icon as the Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito and Lancaster
Probably good they didn't have to go up against Japanese Zeros, but it is a wonderful plane. And actually very successful!
Yet the Grumman Avenger served with the British Pacific Fleet.
1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945
Times change!
Yes they do. I ment no disrespect to the Swordfish but I believe they would have fared about as well as the Douglas Devastator did if faced with the Zero and it's highly skilled pilots in 1942. Love your programs.
My dad was a WW2 veteran. It's great to see those guys telling their own stories. Sadly most of them are gone now.
@@jollyjohnthepirate3168 I fully agree with you. On all counts. The Swordfish was absolutely outclassed on the front line in 1942. But it reprised its role on the second line doing a job that later became the purpose for existence of ship-board helicopters ... recon and anti-submarine platform! And the words of those who were there - while far from perfect - are invaluable nevertheless.
Did that guy say he destroyed 3 British aircraft he’s ace for the other side lol
The Swordfish was so much better than those newfangled F-35s.
What's more useful: A flying Swordfish, or an F-35 'Hangar Queen' ;)
A lot of veterans from the Taranto raid and the Bismarck attack speaking here- plus those from convoy and anti-shipping operations. All very brave men!! Thanks for posting. 👍
To my mind the long and tedious convoy patrols off MAC ships and escort carriers etc, usually in atrocious weather, although far less 'glamorous' than the 'spectaculars' like Taranto or Bismarck actually made a bigger contribution to allied victory. Although 14 U-Boats were sunk directly by Swordfish perhaps even more important was the amount of U-Boat attacks which were abandoned just because of the mere presence of a Swordfish. Another fact I still find amazing is that the Swordfish was responsible for the destruction of more Axis shipping than ANY other allied aircraft. Truly a legend.
@Ivor Biggun Agreed!! IMHO the Swordfish is a truly LEGENDARY aircraft, and has a rugged beauty of her own!! 👍
The Swordfish had an unfair advantage over comparable American Aircraft.
His Majesty’s government had seen fit to equip their warriors with torpedoes that actually worked.
ouch
@Fidd88 Yet another case of an obstinate "executive" determined not to admit he was wrong and all his juniors were right.Happens in industry and it happens in the military.
Yes, if it wasn't one very senior officer who did the suppression. And yes, there was a degree of "corporate denial" too. But the story I've heard, the complaints went up to the head of the Bureau of Ordnance who had been the head of the torpedo department and hence in charge of the magnetic fuse/pistol development and it was he who overrode the operational skippers, squadron commanders and ComSubPac. He was able to do this largely because each individual attack that failed happened in total isolation thus enabling him to cast doubt on the skills of the sub commanders themselves because there were no witnesses and he had his own (faulty) development test results. His case was aided by the fact that the peacetime skippers had basically been brought up to comply with faulty doctrine and were thus open to criticism for a lack of aggression themselves.
As ComSubPac replaced the older peacetime skippers with younger, more aggressive captains they began to develop the data that disproved the BuOrd's allegation that the skippers themselves were the ones at fault.
I read one book where it was stated that the new skippers were prepared to conduct "illegal" test firings, with the encouragement of their equally new squadron commanders, and this is how they eventually proved the magnetic fuses were a bunch of crock.
Drachinifel has a good video on the subject - The Mark 14 Torpedo - Failure is like Onions [th-cam.com/video/eQ5Ru7Zu_1I/w-d-xo.html]
@Fidd88 Only a pleasure and thanks for taking the time to reply. If you have or find other links to this sorry debacle, I'm always ready to learn more.
But think of all of the money the US saved since there was not one live torpedo expended in practice from 1926 until the beginning of WWII!
No other aircraft could have taken off in gale force winds and 50-foot seas to attack the Bismark. The most remarkable aircraft of WW2?
Exactly. Swordfish looked obsolete but it was the best STOL of its day capable of carrying a torpedo. Doing that from a carrier deck heaving over North Atlantic swells is awesome by any standards.
Absolutely amazing airplane . Talk about versatile . Apparently the Bismarck gunners had real trouble targeting the planes with the AA . On top of that the slow speed and very low approach created havoc with pre prog algorithms anticipating faster more modern aircraft. Quite likely the safest warplane for crew in WW2?
From an admiring Aussie in Qld Australia
@@iananderson1848 I've heard that before but I think the weather conditions had more to do with it. Just trying to lay a gun would have been hard enough, but getting it aimed in the right direction?
@@iananderson1848 Sadly, they were massacred by the _Luftwaffe_ during the Channel Dash of the German Navy in '42. 😢
"Winter flying was ...not Jolly.." - that's got to be my favorite understatment!!
Typical British understatements are a thing of beauty.
Carrier: Why aren't you landing?
Swordfish: I can't catch you, slow down a bit!
Well done to whoever took the time to seek out and record the recollections of these Swordfish veterans. This is fantastic piece of historical documentation
The Imperial War Museum. I really must remember to put the links to the original audio files in every video.
Thanks. It was I , working for the Sound Archive of the I WM 1979 to 2002, on the books. 1976-77 as a freelancer.
i don't normally enjoy these "anecdotes of the war" videos, but this was very well edited, well timed stories and great images, thanks!
Personally I've always felt the traditional documentary style tends to weaken personal testimony somehow. Leaving it all to their own words (yes, edited for narrative flow) seems to emphasize the reality of their experiences and perceptions.
watch all of this channels stuff...it'll change your mind
NOW I understand! After watching numerous videos of WW II USN carriers with their array of aircraft to then see RN carriers sending off these antiques, I was . . . well, aghast! Did the RNAS have no monoplanes? Why wasn't British industry building monoplanes for carrier duty? Unbelievable! And yet, these "antiques" acquitted themselves admirably, indeed, heroically, time after time after time . . . and now, thanks to this amazing video, I know why! Hats off to the Swordfishers, gentlemen! It was great to hear from the people who flew the planes. An absolutely wonderful video! Thank you so much!
'Why wasn't British industry building monoplanes for carrier duty?' Because until May, 1939, the types of aircraft assigned to the Fleet Air Arm were selected by the Royal Navy's most intransigent & implacable enemy.
Which was the British Air Ministry.
@@dovetonsturdee7033 Ahhhh, soooooo! Now I FURTHER understand, Your Admiralship! BUT - even after 1939, and through the end of the war, the Swordfish continued to spear the enemy on land and sea . . . so there must've been SOME decision on the part of the RNAS to keep the Fairey wings flapping.
@@richardcleveland8549 There was no alternative. The Air Ministry had issued Specification M1/30 & S 9/30 for a torpedo bomber & a carrier borne three seater spotter/reconnaissance bomber/two seater torpedo bomber, and chose the Fairey design.
The probability is, however, that had the Fleet Air Arm retained control of their own aircraft procurement, then the navy would have entered WW2 with much better aircraft than it did, and would not have been reduced to purchasing US designs, however excellent they were.
@@dovetonsturdee7033 Ah, the murk gradually clears . . . but, all things considered, despite its shortcomings, the Swordfish had some spectacular successes that newer, more modern planes mightn't have been able to match. I suppose to an American, the Swordfish and their crews represent the best of British pluck -they certainly do to me. Thanks for engaging in this exchange . . .as Bertram Wooster would say, "The scales fell from my eyes!"
The RN also had different strategic thoughts. It wanted its carrier aircraft to fly and fight in bad weather and at night. Biplanes in the late 1930s we’re the only aircraft capable of this. Which is why The Devastator and Kate could not. Even the Avenger was not night capable until after the war.
This is just lovely. It’s wonderful to hear R.A.F. men of my father’s generation (1920.). I wish I could talk to him. I was young when he died.
I bet you're proud of his service to this country now Jon, and rightly so...we SALUTE him !!!
@@williambradley9419 I am proud of him and thank you.
How they managed to find their home ship out in the Atlantic, in poor viability and conditions, always baffled me. Some use given here.
Really good insight into the plane. My father recruited into the Fleet Air Arm, simply following his own father. He ended up as submarine spotter/telegraphist on swordfish flights. All his photos and memorabilia are now at Yeovil Air Museum. He had a great regard for this ‘kite’, the least not being the engine which very rarely stalled, which was a bonus - these admirable crews seldom complained about the cold, but my father, in hindsight, had a few choice words about the cold. As a youth I can still remember his sheepskin gloves and coat. I recall his mentioning the troubles with radio, radar, and Morse tapper. I have to mention he was never anywhere near the Bismarck.
Did your father serve with Denis h dickens?that was my grandfather and he survived the death March though Poland, under captain patch?
Your father and his mates were the epitome of 'hardy souls'.
The Yamato sisters should’ve been thankful that they never had to deal with these.
Chuckling to myself!
@GodBAINS Yt . 6.1M views I have an image of 25mm gun crews on Yamato managing to hit Swordfish (finally, something they can hit) only to have the 25mm shells pass right through the canvas without detonating.
The torpedoes carried by the Swordfish were smaller/lighter than those carried by the TBF Avengers, but at some point it doesn't matter. If you show up with 200 of anything its going to do a lot of damage.
A privilege to hear the stories of these incredible men.I have nothing but pure respect for them.
I remember my father telling me that he flew off the deck of a carrier, not sure which one, in the back seat of a Swordfish. He was a Sgt in the Marines based on the carrier and got offerred a flight by aircrew he was on good terms with. Its incredible to think my father did that, sitting here watching this in 2022, my father died nearly 40 years ago. Its super that the memories of guys who took part in these events have been recorded for us all, for when all these great men pass, so do their memories.
Wow. 8.5 seconds to manually fold the wings on landing. Pretty sharp work.
One of my favourite aircraft from the WW2 era. A great old thing.
It wasn't actually old at the time of combat, it came into service in 1937, a year before the Spitfire came into service.
Crazy.
My goodness, am I pleased that I have found this great channel. Thank you team. Peace be unto you.
it goes to show that designing an airplane that pilots ENJOY flying can sometimes inspire more dedication to the mission at hand than a ship that's "hard mouthed". Fairey was known for their emphasis on handling characteristics, and otherwise let the military client determine the reason and execution of the putative purpose. The Swordfish got it right, the detractors notwithstanding.
To quote a historian in the history channel show “Dogfights”: “Outdated? Yea. Outclassed? No.”
laughing at the "you still train in that sort of thing?" "it's not training, these are frontline aircraft"
Stunning footage, and beautifully put together.
Great tribute to a truely great aircraft.
Great tribute to a great aircraft and the brave men who flew her .Thank you
Love the stringbag, eventhough they disabled my rudders.
Great video, thanks for sharing!
my dad flew them off escort carriers in the atlantic. loved them.
My dad worked in the factory that made them.
A couple of those pilots relating their stories flew against the Bismark. Daring young fellows.
I will relay those accounts in a future video, for sure.
Great video on an iconic airplane. "War in a stringbag" is one of my all time favourite books.
My father flew the Stringbag out of Blida, in Algeria, often looking for downed crews in The Med. He landed an American air base in Italy and the Yanks asked him if he knew what war was he in?. But he loved them, the reliability of the Pegasus engine and its ability to continue on in a headwind.
I wonder how many people alive today are unaware of their existance due to your father's service in "search and rescue" during WW2. Respects to his memory and service.
P.S When you say your father loved the Swordfish's "ability to continue on in a headwind" I wonder if he meant it remained suspended in mid air motionless in a strong headwind? Or it actually managed to make some headway? (only joking)
Great video! Where enemy fighters weren't a problem, they gave sterling service. Compared its far more aerodynamically advanced contemporary, the Douglas Devastator, the Swordfish's versatility is incredible!
Hopefully, the crews of Stringbags that couldn't catch up to convoys were rescued. That had to be horrific for the crews.
Common thread through all these pilots and crew : BRAVERY !
Thank you for preserving the observations of these gallant heroes. Who knows how much the performance, efficiency, range, and radius of action would have improved if this aircraft had only been fitted with a constant speed propeller? Outmoded at the beginning of hostilities, and irreplaceable for the duration of the war, truly an exceptional machine, flown by extraordinarily brave crews.
Apparently the only RAF aircraft other than the sea harrier to come out on budget.
"Fleet air arm", mate ;-)
The Harrier is just a metal Swordfish. Equally ridiculous in capabilities.
A Swordfish flew over the Festival of the Sea at Portsmouth some 20 odd years ago.
It was barely moving and I thought at the time that the crews who flew them must've has huuuuge balls.
They definitely got my respect.
That's funny because as these pilots keep saying, it's so user-friendly that you're never really in danger.
This entire video is "fun," but it's nothing but "survivor bias." No doubt many of the Swordfish pilots would provide similar accounts, if they hadn't been killed. It was such a slow-moving aircraft that it was doomed when facing basically any enemy fighter airplane, ship-borne AAA guns, or even soldiers with a rifle-calibre machine gun. Note that every Swordfish that attacked the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau during the Channel Dash was shot down. All of them.
I don't mean to sound like a Swordfish hater. No doubt it was great in the typical RN environment of having control of the air around the fleet, especially when hunting U-boats far from land. However, if the RN had sent multiple carriers against the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1942 - 1943, they would have had to replace the Swordfish to avoid them being slaughtered by A6M Zero fighters in carrier vs. carrier battles. The modern equivalent might be the AC-130 gunship. It's a fine platform as long as the enemy cannot get anything into the air around it.
45ft wingspan !! Is that correct ? If it is its bloody enormous.
46 ft wingspan. 45 is close..And yes it is not tiny..
Amazing to think the Swordfish is arguably one of the greatest warplanes ever built.
It's no lie to say that as the swordfish from HMS Ark Royal's 810, 818, 820 Sqds took off to attack Bismarck on 26 May 1941, the inclinometer onboard was showing that the fore end of the flight deck was falling and rising as much as 60 ft between the storm lashed wave crests in the north Atlantic.
That meant that the pilots, unaided by steam catapults, would time their take off run (more of a take off walk tbh) so that they accelerated along the flight deck into the belly of a wave that was as high as a 5 storey building, ready to become airborne as the carrier's bow crested, and before the deck once again crashed into the next trough.
Aircraft held together with doped cloth and wires.... crewed by men with nerves of STEEL. Respect to their memory !!!
My dad was an air frame fitter 810 Sgd HMS Illustrious, the Stringbag was his favourite FAA plane.
I loved that comment about ASV radar. "It was pretty good. I was confident of finding England"!!!!!😀
Just found the channel and subscribed in the first minute.
I enjoyed the stories of the people who actually flew them, having been born in the UK but living in the US most of my life I sometimes miss the stoic understatements British people have.
I hope you do one of the swordfish involvement in the Taranto raid.
Thanks for the time and effort you put into making this.
I will. But I've done a few on the Swordfish recently. Probably time to diversify a little ...
Always a Swordfish admirer. Remarkable that a biplane incapable of 150 knots would start and end WWII in front line service, and outlive two “successors”.
Great Doco / Looks like a Gentlemans Aircraft.
The Swordfish torpedo damaged the Bismarck's rudder. The Bismarck's anti-aircraft guns could not shoot below zero degrees so the Swordfish could fly very close.
The Bismarck's computer controlled guns couldn't track the slow moving Stringbags either.
Love this video... my fav so far👌👍
This is one of the most interesting videos I've seen on TH-cam. Well done.
Love it! Im still wating for the Martlets to pop up one day 😂
Trying to find enough footage. Otherwise I may just be forced to keep it short.
They were so slow that the automatic antiaircraft guns on the Bismarck couldn't track them. They were responsible for crippling the Bismarck until the RN ships caught up and sank her.
Untrue. When making a torpedo run the aircraft is generally moving toward the target, and as such the angle remains fairly constant.
Begs the question what exactly Bismarck was expecting to shoot at. There are not any single engined naval strike aircraft of the time that are appreciably faster. The TBD Devastator can just do 200mph in a shallow dive but would still slow to under 115 to drop it's torpedo or it would break up on impact with the sea, something that even much faster avengers still had to deal with.
@@sinax8283 I have no idea. It is possible, however, that the designers of the Bismarck had built in a capacity to deal with innovations in enemy aircraft. There is nothing like war for innovations and development. Compare the BF109 at the beginning of the war with the 262 at its end.
@@CorePathway It's not entirely untrue as to the anti aircraft guns couldn't track it. They were tracking it well but the aaa shells were not proximity fused and the gunners misjudged the speed so they shells often exploded so far in front of the swordfish so it wasn't doing much damage to it
@@CorePathway sorry to correct you but you need to read the interviews of the actual pilots who related how the anti-aircraft shells exploded in front of them as they attacked it is true that when you turn final which is a brief second on a torpedo run you are directly at the ship but at that point you are also below aiming point of their anti aircraft guns again because swordfish was so slow and flew so low the bismarcks anti-aircraft aiming systems where ahead of the aircraft when flying at an angle and above it when they turn final on a torpedo from that is from the testimony of the pilots so go argue with them
When I was little we had a vicar who lived at the end of the road who had been a Navy padre during WW2. He told me that when he was been transferred by Swordfish to a carrier it flew so slowly over the deck when coming in to land that you could actually step out of the cockpit and on to the deck while the aircraft was still airborne!
Nice to know that there are a couple of Swordfish still flying in the 21st Century!
My bet, there will be a swordfish flying after the B-52 is retired.
...and I am an American.
Pity they did not just cover the the cockpit, I knew a man who was a gunner on a swordfish and acted as a observer
Simply stunning finishto very high standard
It’s a good day when you upload!
Apologies at the apparent randomness of doing so. It's a matter of investing the time between juggling kids and chasing work ...
Beautiful vid! Great footage of a fantastic plane. Priceless anekdotes too. Appreciate it a lot!
Greets, T.
The ultimate expression of the adage "Adapt, Improvise, and Overcome".
Brilliant video - wish I could like it more than once.
I love to hear the accents and humour of these talented and brave men. Great video.
Thank you for preserving the stories of these heroes.
Glad you like them!
This and the Lysander are pretty cool.
Fantastic aircraft!
Thanks, great first hand accounts.
Imagine a Swordfish stripped of military appurtenances- cleaned up and lightened up and used as a pleasure aircraft...maybe a cover over the aft seating for a family outing. What a splendid mount! A teenage girl could fly the damned thing...and more than one DID, you know....
It was never surpassed as an attack aircraft until they got the F-35.
The aircrews for the out-dated Swordfish exhibited incredible bravery, operating in all kinds of weather, flying slowly into the teeth of triple A.
i recall one pilot saying that it might not have been fast, but the most dangerous part of any mission was getting back to the carrier & the small carriers may pitch up and down quite a bit in stormy weather. the swordfish with its slow landing speed was the best thing to land.
One pilot mentions that in the Bismarck v Swordfish video ... HMS Victorious pitching in the North Atlantic during the hunt!
@@ArmouredCarriers This might possibly be an exaggeration of the times but my RAF father said that in some circumstances green water came over the bows of an aircraft carrier.
@@20chocsaday Not an exageration at all. You will find footage in some of my videos where this was happening. The North Atlantic weather is why the UK invented those closed "Hurricane bows" and was reluctant at first to use deck parks (and remained reluctant to do so in the North Atlantic long after using them in the Med and Pacific).
Heck even Eagle in the 50s had a fair rise and fall in dodgy weather....there is a photo kicking around showing the bow completly out of the water launching a Wyvern off the cat and Eagle had a 36ft draught! visiting the dining hall in the bows in roughers was interesting as going up a ladder when the bow dropped you come up top to the deck above like a cork from a champers bottle..on the bow going up it was an effort!! Good ship was Eagle....
Great film. Pity there was no mention of the critical contribution by Swordfish in the destruction of the Bismarck though.
I'll probably do an episode on that event at some point. This was more focused on the aircrew's relationship with the machine.
Such a brilliant effort. I'm entranced.
Excellent again...how about the Hellcat?
Yes. The challenge is sufficient video to support the audio. And time. But it will be done!
@@ArmouredCarriers You could combine the Wildcat and Hellcat?? Thanks for these videos.
These videos you have put together marrying the memories of the men who flew these planes in wartime conditions with the relevant moving pictures showing many times exactly what is being talked about is truly remarkable. So many wartime documentaries use video that isn't related to the subject or is from a propaganda piece recreated afterwards but not your channel. I can't imagine the amount of work that goes into creating these educational and entertaining videos. Bravo!
Thanks. It's often a matter of luck how much relevant clips I find to pair with the narratives. Where I can't, that's when I am forced to use those "propaganda pieces", films and - when there's no other choice - Computer Generated footage.
Good to hear John Moffat again :)
Meeting a Swordfish crew member would have left me starstruck.
I worked with one in the late 1980s, he was a superb mathematician and utterly calm at all times. He was an expert yachtsman too.
My father-in-law was an observer in the Fleet Air Arm towards the end of WWII and flew in one of these as well as the Baracuda
Its tires hit the deck on the 4th wire and was completely stopped 2' past the 6th wire...that's incredible
The ONLY people who said the Swordfish was a mistake were the ones who were jealous that their aircraft did not have the same capabilities!
And the guy in the video who said they were so good they can't possibly have been deliberately designed that way ...
The swordfish only looks like a "mistake" as it was designed to be a floatplane! Artillery spotting for warships (HMS Hood and HMS Malaya both used Swordfish spotter floatplanes) that could fire but not aim over the horizon.(no radar in the early thirty's) It's rugged design ( designed to take the stress of catapulting, landing in the sea and being winched back on board ship) made it well suited to later adaptation's. The first time you see a swordfish with it's original float's, well, it just looks right. Some great interview's though. Thanks
Wonderfully entertaining video! I love the comments of these veterans who braved the war in this seemingly antiquated, superbly suitable warplane. Though born fourteen years after WWII, I can well appreciate their affection for the Stringbag. Of the several types I’ve flown, my all-time favorite is the Cessna Caravan, a similarly large and lumbering, yet nimble and reliable workhorse that’s pure joy to fly. Like the Swordfish, you climb up into it, fly it through the worst weather imaginable and then land with barely a rollout. Had I been a Brit back then, I’d have loved to fly that beast, too!
An unsung hero that more than did it's job, as did their brave pilots.
Multirole is sometimes... a dream. But there is the Swordfish!...
"As you could put anything in it, the Swordfich was a stringbag" :)
I remember reading Battle Picture Library comics as a kid in the 80s. Any story involving a Stringbag was always respectfully presented.
Battle
Commando
Warlord
Now you're talking 👍
@@stephenchappell7512 There was another magazine like Commando out at the time, Air***** something or other ???
@@larry4789
I've just tried searching and the only
thing I can come up with is 'Air War Stories' it doesn't ring a bell for me but it might be what you're looking for ?
@@larry4789 War Picture Library sounds familiar.
Given the regard thst the UK's politicians show to its defence budget, it's only a matter if time before the Queen Elizabeth and PoW are kitted out with a squadron of Swordfish bombers.
Oh well; at least they will have a low radar signature.
the most stress free deck landings Ive ever seen
Multiple spinning propellor blades on a crowded flight deck - brave men.