The Whale Has Wings Vol 3 - Holding the Barrier (29 page)

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. (This aircraft was also in use by the USN).

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 re-assigned to this job, some being fitted with ASV radar for an additional reconnaissance role.

Heinkel He115 torpedo bomber

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 dive-bomb, 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.

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 front-line 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.

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 in capability.

Mitsubishi G3M  bomber (Nell)

A land-based heavy bomber (medium bomber by allied standards), the Nell was mainly noted for its massive range, which allowed it to appear and attack targets that the Allies (initially at least) thought out of range. Its bomb load was limited (1,800 lb), although it could also carry a torpedo. One of the reasons for its range was the poor protection, a fault which was to prove a setback in combat.

Mitsubishi G4M  bomber (Betty)

The replacement for the Nell, this aircraft had only come into service in 1941. While a somewhat improved aircraft, it was not dramatically better than the Nell (although it was rather tougher, it shared the propensity of catching fire when shot at). The range and performance was on a little better than its predecessors.

Nakajima Ki-27  fighter (Nate)

Used by the Japanese Air force, this fighter was underpowered, under-armed and obsolescent by 1942. While manoeuvrable, its 2x7.7mm mg made it difficult to shoot down the heavy Allied planes, and it was unable to stand up to their heavy armament.

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 fighters carried by 1941.

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter

While this plane was due to be replaced in US service, it was in wide use in the USAAF as well as Allied air forces. A reliable fighter-bomber, its performance was comparable to the Sparrowhawk III and better than the Hurricane.

BoeingB-17 Flying Fortress

This heavy bomber had originally been specified for naval work, and was to be used in thsi role in the Pacific. Its very long range with a reasonable bomb load made it a useful plane, unfortunately the inability to hit moving ships (a failure shared by all high level bombers) limited its usefulness, although its heavy armament and toughness made it a difficult target for the Japanese in the air.

Grumman F4F Wildcat fighter

The standard USN carrier fighter (and Marine Corps fighter) in 1941/2. A heavy and tough fighter capable of taking a lot of damage with a good range, but by 1941 underpowered and less manoeuvrable than the Goshawk III.

Brewster F2A Buffalo fighter

This plane had been superseded by the Wildcat as a front-line fighter in US service, but in 1942 was still in service in the Dutch air

force. As with the Wildcat, it was unable to match the Japanese Zero for manoeuvrability.

Vaught F4U Corsair fighter

This powerful aircraft had been in production for some time by 1941/2, but problems had let to it being refused carrier certification. Once war broke out, this certification was speeded up, but it was in service with the US Marine Corps as a land-based fighter. Its performance was almost as good as the Sea Eagle (and in later versions with a more powerful engine would be just as good), and its range was longer, but it was under-armed with only 6 0.5" mg instead of 4x20mm cannon.

Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber

A modern and tough dive bomber, this was comparable with the Japanese Val and the British Cormorant. It could carry a heavy bomb load (up to 2,000lb), although in practice this was normally limited for carrier use to 1,000lb. The mainstay of the USN dive bomber force in 1941/2, it was a very accurate and damaging weapon in skilled hands.

Douglas TBD Devastator

The mainstay of the USN torpedo/bomber arm in 1941, the plane had been in service since 1939 and its performance had not kept up with comparable aircraft. Compared to the Kate and SeaLance it was slow and underpowered, and would soon be replaced by the Grumman Avenger. Its performance was not helped by the poor performance of the torpedo it carried in its anti-shipping role.