Swordfish, Gladiator dodge ?
- Thread starter DSV1
- Start date
Biplanes were often very manuverable, I'll read an account by a former Swordfish pilot who stated that two modern (ww2 modern) were needed to knock down a single Swordfish. A single fighter would find itself zooming past as the swordfish out turned it.
Plus in the case of the Swordfish, it was a plane that often got home with a hell of a lot of bits shot out of it.
Plus in the case of the Swordfish, it was a plane that often got home with a hell of a lot of bits shot out of it.
The limitations on biplane fighters were speed and armament. They could turn very quickly in a dogfight, their vulnerability was to high speed passes by monoplane fighters, and their lack of range, and their low operational ceiling.
Note the Swordfish served through the whole war, and scored more U-boat kills than anything else.
However there is a reason they were replaced. They are slow enough that enemy monoplane fighters can usually choose when to engage them, and this holds in VaS. Bi fighters are best used in an escort rather than interceptor role.
Note the Swordfish served through the whole war, and scored more U-boat kills than anything else.
However there is a reason they were replaced. They are slow enough that enemy monoplane fighters can usually choose when to engage them, and this holds in VaS. Bi fighters are best used in an escort rather than interceptor role.
Hmm, yes, so it doesn't really enter into discussions regarding Me-109's does it? 
Another suggestion regrading the "dodge" roll was to NOT allow its use if the aircraft under fire was engaged in making a bombing or torpedo attack at the time (since "dodging" is tricky to do when trying to line up for a bomb or torpedo run) - either that or (a) increasing the roll significantly or (b) applying a negative modifier for aircraft using evasive movement during an attack.
Another suggestion regrading the "dodge" roll was to NOT allow its use if the aircraft under fire was engaged in making a bombing or torpedo attack at the time (since "dodging" is tricky to do when trying to line up for a bomb or torpedo run) - either that or (a) increasing the roll significantly or (b) applying a negative modifier for aircraft using evasive movement during an attack.
Sturmgrenadier
Mongoose
The Swordfish were actually too slow for the predictors on some ships iirc. So the guns were firing ahead of the planes.
EvilGinger
Mongoose
Citing war in a string bag a memoir of a swordfish pilot from the HMS Illustrious supports this and I would be inclined to give the Sword fish a better dodge against AA fire than against other aircraft.
As for gladiators I suspect that they where used for want of anything better certainly and where probably a better match for Italian aircraft than German. It is to be noticed that the defenders of Malta certainly replaced them as soon as they got other fighters
As for gladiators I suspect that they where used for want of anything better certainly and where probably a better match for Italian aircraft than German. It is to be noticed that the defenders of Malta certainly replaced them as soon as they got other fighters
The story that Bismarck's AA FC system couldn't cope with slow moving targets is something of an urban myth (albeit frequently repeated and in many quarters taken as gospel), generated as one possible explanation as to why it was so inefefctive against apparently "easy" targets. More thorough analysis of the FC system however showed that it was just very poorly designed and would have been just as ineffective against more speedy targets.
