Nice idea Pollux. Fascinating.
The Bishop. A piece which is versatile. Can go any where do anything.
The Mosquito of course.
Why. A Tactical and Strategic role. It could bomb, accurately, it could lay markers for the heavy bombers.
Built basically of ply and balsa wood.
Over 8000 produced. Mostly in Canada.
Goring why can you not produce a Mosquito he said.
It bombed at low level accurately hitting the target.
Lancs were lost on average every 20 sorties. Mosquitos 100.
Lancs were inaccurate. Mosquitos very accurate.
It could evade German fighters as it was faster despite being a bomber and having two crew members.
It could provide diversity raids to fool German night fighters. It provided photographic intelligence information.
It could fly from aircraft carriers. It scared the German hierarchy. It sunk submarines. It performed special duties.
It bombed, tactically, the Amiens prison and enable many resistance prisoners to escape.
It also provided the film 633 squadron a film about the heavy water in Norway. Plus a lot of other things.
Produced on spec by De Havillands. What courage what an aircraft
The Pawn.The poorest the weakest of the lot.
The Swordfish.
A remarkable aircraft should have been useless before WW11 began.
The pilot and crew open to the elements all weathers.
Bi plane slow. A machine gun to defend.
Against the odds it incapacitated the Bismark allowing the RN to sink it
It sank a great percentage of the Italian Navy at Taranto. The enemy lost 50% of its capital ships in one night.
It was employed on the MAC, Merchant Aircraft Carriers, merchant ships with a flight deck
It kept down submarines below the surface which slowed their speed.
It attacked submarines and sank them
It sank more enemy shipping than the whole of the British aircraft put together.
It has the most bloody rigging imaginable. Evidenced by me.
So there the fastest and the slowest of British aircraft during WW11. A just most magnificent pair.
Swordfish max speed 139 MPH.
Mosquito maxspeed 415mph
Laurie
