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#Post#: 13257--------------------------------------------------
Plane of the Week: the Fairey Battle
By: vonofterdingen Date: October 20, 2020, 4:37 pm
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HTML https://i.postimg.cc/zBKcpNN2/ScreenHunter_446.png
The Fairey Battle was one of WW2’s aircraft disappointments.
Intended as the RAF’s go-to light bomber, the Battle as obsolete
by war’s start and crews suffered terrible losses as a result.
Though powered by the Rolls-Merlin engine, the Battle was much
heavier and had nowhere near the performance as Hurricanes and
Spitfires. German fighters took advantage of the Battle’s
weaknesses early in the war during the Battle of France. As a
result, the Battle was quickly withdrawn from service, achieving
only some modest success in East Africa where it fared somewhat
better against CR32 and CR42 biplanes.
From Wikipedia
The Fairey Battle was a British single-engine light bomber
that was designed and manufactured by the Fairey Aviation
Company. It was developed during the mid-1930s for the Royal Air
Force (RAF) as a monoplane successor to the Hawker Hart and Hind
biplanes. The Battle was powered by the same high-performance
Rolls-Royce Merlin piston engine that powered various
contemporary British fighters like the Hawker Hurricane and
Supermarine Spitfire. The Battle was much heavier, with its
three-man crew and bomb load. Though a great improvement over
the aircraft that preceded it, the Battle was relatively slow
and limited in range. With only two .303 in machine guns as
defensive armament, it was found to be highly vulnerable to
enemy fighters and anti-aircraft fire.
The Fairey Battle was used on operations early in the Second
World War. During the "Phoney War" the type achieved the
distinction of scoring the first aerial victory of an RAF
aircraft in the conflict. In May 1940, the Battles of the
Advanced Air Striking Force suffered many losses, frequently in
excess of 50 percent of aircraft sorties per mission. By the end
of 1940 the type had been withdrawn from front-line service and
relegated to training units overseas. As an aircraft that had
been considered to hold great promise in the pre-war era, the
Battle proved to be one of the most disappointing aircraft in
RAF service.
In June 1937, No. 63 Squadron, based at RAF Upwood,
Cambridgeshire, became the first RAF squadron to be equipped
with the Fairey Battle. On 20 May 1937, the delivery of the
first Battle to No. 63 occurred; following further deliveries,
the squadron was initially assigned to perform development
trials. The type holds the distinction of being the first
operational aircraft powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine to
enter service, having beaten the debut of the Hawker Hurricane
fighter by a matter of months.
By May 1939, there were a total of 17 RAF squadrons that had
been equipped with the Battle. While many of these were
frontline combat squadrons, some, under the No. 2 Group, were
assigned to a non-mobilising training role; on the eve of the
outbreak of war, these squadrons were reassigned to operate
under No. 6 Training Group or alternatively served as reserve
squadrons.
The Battle was obsolete by the start of the Second World War,
but remained a front-line RAF bomber owing to a lack of a
suitable replacement. On 2 September 1939, during the "Phoney
War", 10 Battle squadrons were deployed to pre-selected
airfields in France to form a portion of the vanguard of the
British RAF Advanced Air Striking Force, which was independent
of the similarly-tasked Army-led British Expeditionary Force.
Once the Battles arrived, the aircraft were dispersed and
efforts were made to camouflage or otherwise obscure their
presence; the envisioned purpose of their deployment had been
that, in the event of German commencement of bombing attacks,
the Battles based in France could launch retaliatory raids upon
Germany, specifically in the Ruhr valley region, and would
benefit from their closer range than otherwise possible from the
British mainland.
Initial wartime missions were to perform aerial
reconnaissance of the Siegfried Line during daylight, resulting
in occasional skirmishes and losses. On 20 September 1939, a
German Messerschmitt Bf 109 was shot down by Battle gunner Sgt.
F. Letchard during a patrol near Aachen; this occasion is
recognised as being the RAF's first aerial victory of the war.
Nonetheless, the Battle was hopelessly outclassed by Luftwaffe
fighters, being almost 100 mph (160 km/h) slower than the
contemporary Bf 109 at 14,000 ft (4,300 m). That same day, three
Battles were engaged by German fighters, resulting in two
Battles being lost.[24] During the winter of 1939–1940, the
Advanced Air Striking Force underwent restructuring; some of the
Battle-equipped squadrons were returned to the UK while their
place was taken by Bristol Blenheim-equipped squadrons instead.
The activities of the Advanced Air Striking Force were
principally restricted to training exercises during this time.
HTML https://i.postimg.cc/7LpRg6FT/Screen-Hunter-447.png
Upon the commencement of the Battle of France in May 1940,
Battles were called upon to perform unescorted, low-level
tactical attacks against the advancing German army; this use of
the type placed the aircraft at risk of attack from Luftwaffe
fighters and within easy range of light anti-aircraft guns. In
the first of two sorties carried out by Battles on 10 May 1940,
three out of eight aircraft were lost, while a further 10 out of
24 were shot down in the second sortie, giving a total of 13
lost in that day's attacks, with the remainder suffering damage.
Despite bombing from as low as 250 ft (76 m), their attacks were
recorded as having had little impact on the German columns.[26]
During the following day, nine Belgian Air Force Battles
attacked bridges over the Albert Canal that connects to the
Meuse River, losing six aircraft, and in another RAF sortie that
day against a German column, only one Battle out of eight
survived.
On 12 May, a formation of five Battles of 12 Squadron
attacked two road bridges over the Albert Canal; four of these
aircraft were destroyed while the final aircraft crash-landing
upon its return to its base. Two Victoria Crosses were awarded
posthumously for the action, to Flying Officer Donald Garland
and air observer/navigator sergeant Thomas Gray of Battle serial
P2204 coded PH-K, for pressing home the attack in spite of the
heavy defensive fire. The third crew member, rear gunner Leading
Aircraftsman Lawrence Reynolds, did not share the award. Both
fighters and flak had proved lethal for the Battles. Although
Garland's Battle managed to destroy one span of the bridge, the
German army quickly erected a pontoon bridge to replace it.
On 14 May 1940, in a desperate attempt to stop German forces
crossing the Meuse, the Advanced Air Striking Force launched an
"all-out" attack by all available bombers against the German
bridgehead and pontoon bridges at Sedan. The light bombers were
attacked by swarms of opposing fighters and were devastated. Out
of a strike force of 63 Battles and eight Bristol Blenheims, 40
(including 35 Battles) were lost. After these abortive raids,
the Battle was switched to mainly night attacks, resulting in
much lower losses.
A similar situation befell the German Luftwaffe during the
early days of the Battle of Britain, when the Junkers Ju 87
Stuka dive bomber suffered equivalent losses in a similar role.
With the exception of a few successful twin-engine designs such
as the de Havilland Mosquito, Bristol Beaufighter and Douglas
A-20, low-level attack missions passed into the hands of
single-engine, fighter-bomber aircraft, such as the Hawker
Hurricane, Hawker Typhoon and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.
On 15 June 1940, the last remaining aircraft of the Advanced
Air Striking Force returned to Britain. In six weeks almost 200
Battles had been lost, with 99 lost between 10 and 16 May. After
the return from France, for a short period of time, the RAF
continued to rely on the light bomber. Reforming No. 1 Group and
later equipping four new Polish squadrons with the type, it
continued to be deployed in operations against shipping massed
in the Channel ports for Operation Sealion. Their last combat
sortie was mounted on the night of 15/16 October 1940 by No. 301
(Polish) Squadron in a raid on Boulogne, and Nos 12 and 142
Squadrons bombing Calais. Shortly afterwards Battle squadrons of
No. 1 Group were re-equipped with Vickers Wellington medium
bombers. Battles were operated into 1941 by 88 and 226 Squadrons
in Northern Ireland and 98 Squadron in Iceland, for coastal
patrol work.
Meanwhile, the South African Air Force had been supplied with
some Battles. In August 1940, No. 11 Squadron took possession of
at least four, which were flown north to be operated in the
Italian East Africa (Ethiopia, Italian Somaliland and Eritrea)
campaign. They conducted bombing and reconnaissance operations.
Whereas in France the RAF's Battles had encountered modern
German fighters in large numbers, the South Africans faced a
smaller number of Italian biplane fighters (Fiat CR.32 and
CR.42), which enabled the aircrews to contribute more
effectively to the campaign; but not without several losses,
especially when surprised above some predictable targets (air
bases, ports etc.). Italian biplanes dived as fast as possible
over the bombers, trying to shoot them down in the first pass.
[img width=1024
height=491]
HTML https://i.postimg.cc/KjbsHWvG/Screen-Hunter-448.png[/img]
In game…
In game, the Fairey Battle is under powered and under gunned.
It is easy prey to most fighters of its day. The first time I
flew one, it was a Battle of Britain campaign. In the first
mission, I had to escape France across the channel in a Battle
in order to join my Spitfire squadron in England. It took me
many tries to succeed; I almost gave up the campaign right then
and there. Better to escort a Battle than to fly one, unless
perhaps you find yourself in British Somaliland. East Africa
appears to be a theater suitable for antiquities.
#Post#: 13258--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Fairey Battle
By: ben_wh Date: October 20, 2020, 5:18 pm
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Thank you, von, for the write-up.
The Battle actually had reasonable payload capacity for its size
and that stage of the war, but during the Battle of France it
was mostly employed in a mission profile that it was not
designed for - daylight, low-level attack against mobile targets
with strong enemy fighters and flak opposition. There is a book
that attempted a re-assessment of its performance for those
interested:
HTML https://www.amazon.com/Fairey-Battle-Reassessment-its-Career/dp/1781555850
In-game: as von mentioned this plane is for those who want a
challenge in game.
Cheers,
#Post#: 13261--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Fairey Battle
By: cafs Date: October 20, 2020, 7:52 pm
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Nice post, Von. The problem with the Battle came more from
despair than a correct tactical use.
Thanks for the book tip, Ben, it looks good.
#Post#: 13262--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Fairey Battle
By: DHumphrey Date: October 20, 2020, 10:41 pm
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Another well done article Von ... excellent work !!! :)
This aircraft is an excellent mudmover ... does a fine job
working over vehicle convoys. :)
#Post#: 13267--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Fairey Battle
By: Beowolff Date: October 21, 2020, 7:45 am
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Excellent review of this old plane! Good job!
I actually sort of like this antique... you see one of the first
aeronautical books that I got hold of as a kid featured this
plane and even though I read of it's many failures (well, the
tactical use of it being the 'real' failures) and few successes
I was sort of hooked by it's graceful outlines from those old
photo's of it. I.E. it appealed to me somehow. (I know, I
know...odd, isn't it, how planes...like cars...can just appeal
to one without reason and or justification! Ha!)
Anyway, yes... as Von duly noted, this plane will (normally) get
you killed trying to fight in it. A simply recon or bomb run is
almost certain death unless accompanied by a squadron of
souped-up Spitfire pilots. And even with those Spit pilots
you're likely not going to survive. It did do pretty well in
the lesser known/lesser read about combat areas, but even then
it was only marginal. It just wasn't the plane of the day,
---one of those 'too little too late' types that would have been
crackerjack a few years earlier but by the time they appeared
for combat they had been simply outclassed by better machines.
Couple that with High Command's inability to SEE their faults or
to use common sense in using them and they were DOOMED. I pity
the poor pilots that had to fight in them.
A bit sad really (my opinion.)
Anyway... thank you, Von for an excellent article about an old
plane I became infatuated with at around 12 years old. (And
brother, that was a LONG time ago! LOL!)
;D
Beo
#Post#: 13271--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Fairey Battle
By: vonofterdingen Date: October 21, 2020, 2:06 pm
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Yes, 12 years old was a long time ago. I often wonder how fun
this game would have been if I had it back in that time. Then, I
was mostly building Revelle model kits.
#Post#: 13276--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Fairey Battle
By: Beowolff Date: October 21, 2020, 4:02 pm
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[quote author=vonofterdingen link=topic=1863.msg13271#msg13271
date=1603307203]
Then, I was mostly building Revelle model kits.
[/quote]
Me too, ---er, well when I could scrape up the cash to buy
one...lol.. which wasn't often. ??? [font=verdana]Not much
cash to be made living on an old hard scrabble farm during the
fifties/sixties![/font]
I did occasionally get a few nice model kits from relatives at
Christmas (never at birthday as it was 'apparently' too close to
Christmas for gifts of any kind... (big sigh!). That was at
11/12/13... before that we (me and my older sis) were lucky to
get ONE thing for Christmas. Ha!
My first car model was a 57 Chevy Belair... I botched it as I
had no prior model experience but my cousin (much older) helped
me straighten it out and it looked great after his help on it.
I didn't get a 'real' airplane model kit until I was likely
14/15 (had a sacker job for a bit at a local grocery store IN
TOWN so couldn't keep the job for long due to getting there and
back.) The airplane kits simply weren't available in my tiny
home town! It was a P-38 Lightning and yes, I screwed it up
too, lol, but managed to fix it on my own with copious amounts
of paint to cover up the smudges...ha!
:D :D :D
Beo
#Post#: 13283--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Fairey Battle
By: vonofterdingen Date: October 21, 2020, 5:43 pm
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You could always tell a model that I made. It seemed like every
damn time I would get glue on my fingers then pick up the
cockpit glass or windshield.
#Post#: 13345--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Fairey Battle
By: cafs Date: October 24, 2020, 9:27 am
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[quote author=vonofterdingen link=topic=1863.msg13271#msg13271
date=1603307203]
Yes, 12 years old was a long time ago. I often wonder how fun
this game would have been if I had it back in that time. Then, I
was mostly building Revelle model kits.
[/quote]
Me too, good times. My collection top more than 150 kits, from
planes, ships, guns/howitzers and armored-cars, mostly WW2 and
from Revell and Airfix.
#Post#: 13352--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Fairey Battle
By: larsresult Date: October 24, 2020, 2:40 pm
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My first kit back in ahem '59 was the Airfix 1/72nd Spitfire 9
with ace Johnny Johnson markings. I remember clearly the four
leaf clover stick on fuselage badge. My future brother-in-law
then bought me the Airfix 1/72nd Fokker Dr1 which was all red
plastic and an easy make. I think my first turreted aircraft
build was the B17G, again Airfix.
A few years ago I helped my great nephew build a Revell 1/72nd
Avro Lancaster. Due to less steady hands and poorer eyesight I
cocked up the engines, resulting in glue all over one and no
prop movement on another. I told him it was battle-damaged. lol.
I never built a Fairey Battle though, or a Fairey Fulmar for
that matter.
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