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EspañolGLOSTER GLADIATOR
The 'Gloster Gladiator' (or 'Gloster SS.37') was a British-built biplane fighter, used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Royal Navy as well as a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. It was the RAF's last biplane fighter aircraft and was often pitted against more formidable foes during the early days of the Second World War, although it acquitted itself well in combat.
Design and development
The Gladiator was developed from the Gloster Gauntlet as a private venture by Gloster. The aircraft was designed by H.P. Folland's team during 1933 as a Gauntlet derivative to Specification F.7/30. It had an enclosed, single-seat cockpit, cantilever landing gear and a two-blade fixed-pitch propeller driven by a Bristol Mercury air-cooled engine. It first flew in 1934 and entered service in 1937. It was to be the last British biplane fighter and their first fighter with an enclosed cockpit. The Gladiator had a top speed of around 257mph (414 km/h) yet even as it was introduced, the design was being eclipsed by the new generation of monoplane fighters, such as the RAF's new Hurricanes and Spitfires and the Luftwaffe's Messerschmitt Bf 109.
Gladiators were also modified for carrier operations and flown by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA) as the 'Sea Gladiator'. A total of 747 airframes were built (483 RAF, 98 RN; 216 exported to 13 countries, some of them from the total alloted to the RAF[1][2]). Gladiators were sold to Belgium, China, Egypt, Finland, Free France, Greece, Iraq, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, South Africa and Sweden.
Operational history
The Gladiator was largely replaced in frontline RAF service by the Hurricane and Spitfire at the outbreak of the Second World War, although two squadrons were used in the French and Norwegian campaigns. It would however see service in more peripheral campaigns during the early years of the Second World War. The classic biplane fighter was also one of Britain's biggest prewar export successes, seeing service in many countries. The Gloster Gladiator performed reasonably well in limited Finnish service against Soviet fighters during the Winter War, but was found to be outclassed by German fighters in other theatres. Carrier-based Sea Gladiators were more successful, since their slower speed made them more suitable for carrier operations and they were less likely to be facing more modern fighter opposition.
The Finnish Winter War
During the Winter War, the Finnish Air Force obtained 30 Mk II fighters from the UK. The aircraft, which arrived in January and February 1940 had been financed by South Africa and given to Finland. The Finnish Gladiators served until 1945, but they were outclassed by the more modern Soviet fighters during the Continuation War. The aircraft was mostly used for reconnaissance from 1941 onwards. The Finnish Air Force obtained 33 aerial victories with the aircraft type during the Winter War and one victory during the Continuation War. Two pilots became aces with this aircraft alone. These were Oiva Tuominen (6.5 victories with Gladiators) and Paavo Berg (5 victories).
Besides the FAF Gladiators, the Swedish Voluntary Air Force, responsible for the air defence of northern Finland during the later part of the war, was also equipped with Gladiator fighters, designated as J8s (Mk Is) and J8As (Mk IIs) by the Swedes. The Flying Regiment F 19 arrived in Finnish Lapland on 10 January 1940, and remained there until the end of the hostilities. It fielded 12 Gladiator Mk I fighters and five Hawker Hart dive bombers, plus a Raab-Katzenstein RK-26 liaison aircraft and a Junkers F.13 transport plane. The aircraft belonged to and were crewed by the Swedish Air Force, but flew with Finnish nationality markings. The Swedish Gladiators scored eight aerial victories and destroyed a further four aircraft on the ground. (F 19's executive officer Captain Björn Bjuggren wrote in his memoirs that the tracer rounds of the Gladiator's machine guns would not ignite the gasoline when penetrating the fuel tanks of Soviet bombers. Better ammunition would therefore probably have enabled the Swedish pilots to score several more kills.)
The Norwegian campaign
The Norwegian campaign saw both Norwegian and British Gladiators battling the Luftwaffe, with first the Norwegian ''Jagervingen'' fighting in the defence of Oslo on the first day of the German invasion and then British examples trying to provide fighter cover for the allied reinforcements sent to the assistance of the Norwegian government.
Jagervingen
The Gladiator pilots of the Norwegian ''Jagervingen'' (fighter wing) at Fornebu Airport, having seven serviceable planes on the day, managed to shoot down five German aircraft on 9 April 1940, the first day of the invasion of Norway: two Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighters, two He 111 bombers and one Ju 52 transport. One Gladiator was shot down during the air battle, by the future ''Experte'' Helmut Lent, while two were destroyed on the ground, being strafed while refuelling and rearming at Fornebu airport. The four remaining fighters were ordered to land wherever they could away from their Fornebu base. The planes scattered, landing on frozen lakes around Oslo and never returned to battle, being abandoned by their pilots and then wrecked by souvenir searching civilians.[3]
The fuselage .303 inch machine guns
The .303 inch machine guns under each lower wing
No. 263 Squadron
Gladiators were also used by No. 263 Squadron RAF during the remaining two months of the Norwegian campaign. The squadron, having arrived with the carrier HMS ''Glorious'' 24 April, first operated from an improvised landing strip built by Norwegian volunteers on the frozen lake Lesjaskogsvatnet in Oppland in central southern Norway. After less than a week, all the squadron's aircraft were unserviceable and it evacuated back to the UK.
No.263 Squadron resumed its Gladiator operations in Norway when having re-equipped in Britain, the squadron returned to the north of Norway on 21 May flying from Bardufoss airfield near Narvik. At the Narvik front No. 263 was reinforced by No. 46 Squadron whose Hurricanes had arrived a few days later, using an airstrip at Skånland. Due to unsuitable ground at Skånland 46 Squadron moved so that both were operating from Bardufoss by 27 May. The squadrons had been ordered to defend the fleet anchorage at Skånland and the military base at Harstad on the island of Hinnøya, as well as the Narvik area after it was recaptured. The action was short but intense before the squadrons, due to the British government's response to the invasion of France were instructed on 2 June to prepare for evacuation.
By then, 263 Squadron had flown 249 sorties and claimed 26 enemy aircraft destroyed. No. 263 Squadron's ten surviving Gladiators were landed on HMS ''Glorious'' on 7 June. ''Glorious'' sailed for home but was intercepted by the German battlecruisers ''Gneisenau'' and ''Scharnhorst''. Despite the valiant defence put up by her two escorting destroyers, HMS ''Acasta'' and HMS ''Ardent'', she was sunk and along with the aircraft from four squadrons. 263 Squadron lost its CO, S/Ldr John W Donaldson, and F/Lt Alvin T Williams along with eight other pilots.[4][5][6][7][8]
No Norwegian Army Air Service aircraft were able to evacuate westwards after the 10 June surrender of the mainland Norwegian forces. Only the aircraft of the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service (one M.F.11 and four He 115s) had the range to fly all the way from their last bases in North Norway to the UK. Two Army Air Service Fokker C.V.Ds did however manage to escape eastwards to Finland before the surrender. Three M.F.11s also flew to Finland, landing on Lake Salmijärvi in Petsamo.[9]
Campaigns in the Mediterranean
In the North African and Greek theatres, Gladiators operated by RAF, Royal Australian Air Force and South African Air Force squadrons achieved some success against the Italian Regia Aeronautica, which was mainly equipped with Fiat CR.32 and Fiat CR.42 biplanes. It suffered heavier losses against the Fiat G.50 and Macchi C.200 monoplanes. The South African ace Marmaduke "Pat" Pattle claimed 15 kills in Gladiators, against Italian fighters over North Africa and Greece, making him the highest scoring RAF biplane ace of World War II.
''Faith'' (serial number N5520), a Gloster Sea Gladiator Mk I, on the ground at an airfield in Malta, in about September 1940. The aircraft has been refitted with a Bristol Mercury engine and three-bladed Hamilton propeller salvaged from a Bristol Blenheim.
A stock of 18 Sea Gladiators from 802 Naval Air Squadron had remained at Malta after HMS ''Glorious'' was sunk in 1940. Three were later shipped out to take part in the Norwegian campaign, and another three were sent to Egypt. In March 1940, it was decided to form the Hal Far Fighter Flight, at RAF Hal Far, to be comprised of RAF and FAA personnel. By April, Malta was in need of fighter protection, and several Sea Gladiators were assembled and test-flown. Some were to be used for normal operations, one was kept for spares and the other was kept in reserve. Since the Bristol Blenheim bomber also used the Mercury engine, one of the aircraft, ''Faith'' had been fitted with parts salvaged from a Blenheim, including an engine and three-bladed Hamilton propeller.
By June, two of the Gladiators had crashed and an additional two were assembled.[10] ''Charity'' was shot down on 29 July 1940 and its pilot, F/O P. W. Hartley, was badly burned. ''Hope'' was destroyed in an air raid on 4 February 1941. The fuselage of the only surviving Gladiator from the Hal Far Fighter Flight, ''N5520'', ''Faith'', was presented to the people of Malta in 1943 and has been preserved in Malta. (The fate of at least five more Gladiators that saw action over Malta is not as well documented).
Greek Gladiators destroyed many Italian aircraft in the 1940-1941 Greco-Italian War, as well as some German aircraft during the 1941 Invasion.
Middle East and Asia
Chinese Gladiators scored several victories over Japanese aircraft between 1938-1940 during the Second Sino-Japanese War when they were used extensively before the start of 1940 by the 28th, 29th and 32nd Squadrons of the 3rd Group. The Chinese pilots considered the Gladiator an excellent fighter in its class. In comparison to its major opponents of the time, such as the Mitsubishi A5M, the Gladiator was only a little slower and superior in all other aspects such as turning rate, etc. However, when newer Japanese aircraft such as the Mitsubishi A6M entered the battles, the Gladiators' days were numbered. A Chinese pilot, John "Buffalo" Wong became the first Gladiator flying ace scoring five victories against Japanese dive bombers and fighters. [11]
Iraqi Gladiators were used against British and Indian forces in the 1941 Anglo-Iraqi War. The Iraqis used them until 1949 for ground attack missions against the Kurds.
Operations elsewhere
Belgian Gladiators suffered heavy losses .
Irish Gladiators shot down several British barrage balloons that had broken from their moorings. For a short time in 1940 an order was given to Irish fighter pilots to use their aircraft to block the runways of airfields. They were then to use rifles and shoot at any invaders.[12]
Irish Gladiators also overflew the site of the sinking of the liner SS ''Athenia'' in 1939 and offered the help of the Irish military. The flight was fired upon by Royal Navy ships in attendance, consequently, the Irish Gladiators withdrew without pursuing the matter further.
Variants
;SS.37
:Prototype.
;Gladiator I
:Version powered by a single 840 hp (627 kW) Bristol Mercury IX air-cooled radial piston engine. The aircraft was designated 'J 8' in Swedish Air Force service. Delivered 1937-38. 378 built.
;Gladiator II
:Version powered by a single Bristol Mercury VIIIA air-cooled radial piston engine. The aircraft was designated 'J 8A' in Swedish Air Force service. 270 built.
;Sea Gladiator Interim
:Single-seat fighter biplane for the Royal Navy, 38 built. Fitted with arrestor hooks. Serial numbers N2265 - N2302.
;Sea Gladiator
:Single-seat fighter biplane for the Royal Navy, 60 built. Fitted with arrestor hooks and provision for dinghy stowage. Serial numbers N5500 - N5549 and N5565 - N5574.
Operators
Main articles: Operators of the Gloster Gladiator
Gladiator in pre-Second World War RNoAF colours
Swedish Voluntary Air Force Gladiator fighter from the air squadron F 19, with Finnish Air Force markings
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Survivors
Gladiators have been preserved at the Shuttleworth Collection, Gloucestershire Aviation Collection (in Bedfordshire, UK), National War Museum (in Fort St Elmo, Malta) and the RAF Museum (in Hendon and Cosford, UK). One Swedish Gladiator Mk I is preserved in Winter War markings at Flygvapenmuseum in Malmslätt, Sweden.
Quotations
Specifications (Gloster Gladiator Mk I)
References
1. Mason 1964, p. 128
2. Spencer 2003, p. 10,12
3. The Gloster Gladiator in the Norwegian Army Air Service (Hærens Flygevåpen)
4. RAF – Squadron history.
5. Rawlings, John D R. ''Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft''. London: Macdonald & Co.,1969. ISBN 0-356-02629-9.
6. Norway
7. RAF Museum web site
8. New Zealand Electronic Text Centre.
9. Finnish Air Force Aircraft of WWII
10. Crawford 2002, p. 59-66.
11. ''Chinese biplane fighter aces - "Buffalo" Wong Sun-Shui''. Håkans Aviation page. [4] Access date: 7 July 2007
12. Fodor 1982, p. 134.
----
★ Belcarz, Bartłomiej and Pęczkowski, Robert. ''Gloster Gladiator, Monografie Lotnicze 24''. Gdańsk, Poland: AJ-Press, 1996. ISBN 83-86208-34-1. (Polish)
★ Bierman, John and Smith, Colin. ''The Battle of Alamein: Turning Point, World War II''. New York: Viking, 2002. ISBN 0-670-03040-6.
★ Crawford, Alex. ''Gloster Gladiator''. Redbourn, UK: Mushroom Model Publications, 2002. ISBN 83-916327-0-9.
★ Fodor, Denis J. ''The Neutrals'' (Time-Life World War II Series). Des Moines, Iowa: Time-Life Books, 1982. ISBN 0-80943-431-8.
★ Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon. ''WW2 Aircraft Fact Files: RAF Fighters, Part 1''. London: Macdonald and Jane's, 1978. ISBN 0-354-01090-5.
★ Harrison, W.A. ''Gloster Gladiator in Action''. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron Signal, 2003. ISBN 0-89747-450-3.
★ Mason, Francis K. ''The Gloster Gladiator''. London: Macdonald, 1964.
★ ______. ''The Gloster Gladiator''. Leatherhead, UK: Profile Publications, 1966.
★ ______. ''British Fighters of World War Two, Volume One''. Windsor, Bershire, UK: Hilton Lacy Publishers Ltd., 1969. ISBN 0-85064-012-1.
★ Poolman, Kenneth. ''Faith, Hope and Charity: Three Biplanes Against an Air Force''. London: William Kimber and Co. Ltd., 1954. (First pocket edition in 1958.)
★ Rawlings, John D.R. ''Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and Their Aircraft''. London: Macdonald and Jane's, 1969. (Second edition 1976.) ISBN 0-354-01028-X.
★ Spencer, Tom. ''Gloster Gladiator, Warpaint Series No.37''. Luton, UK: Warpaint Books, 2003. ISSN 1361-0369.
★ Thomas, Andrew. ''Gloster Gladiator Aces''. Botley, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2002. ISBN 1-84176-289-X.
External links
★ RAF Museum
★ BoB net
★ Warbirds Resource Group
★ Fleet Air Arm Archive
★ The Gloster Gladiator Web Page
★ aeroflight
★ maltaaviationmuseum
★ Faith, Hope & Charity
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