Gloster Gladiator
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The Gloster Gladiator was a biplane fighter, used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy (as well as a number of other air forces), during World War II. The aircraft had a top speed of around 414 km/h. Gladiators were also modified for carrier operations and flown by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm as the Sea Gladiator. It was the RAF's last biplane fighter aircraft.
It had an enclosed, single-seat cockpit, cantilever landing gear and a 2-blade fixed-pitch propeller driven by a Bristol Mercury air-cooled engine. A total of 756 airframes were built (480 RAF, 60 RN; 216 exported to 13 countries). Gladiators were sold to Belgium, China, Egypt, Finland, Greece, Iraq, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, `South Africa and Sweden.
History
The Gladiator was developed from the Gloster Gauntlet. It first flew in 1934 and entered service in 1937. Even as it was introduced, the design was being eclipsed by the new generation of monoplane fighters, such as the RAF's new Hurricanes, the Spitfire and Messerschmitt Bf 109.After World War II began, the Gladiator was used by the air forces of Finland, France and Norway. It 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.
Despite this, the planes of the Norwegian Jagervingen (fighter wing) at Fornebu Airport, consisting of seven functional Gladiators, managed to shoot down a total of five German aircraft on April 9 1940, the first day of Weserübung. During that day, the Luftwaffe lost two Messerschmitt Bf-110 fighters, two He-111 bombers and a Ju-52 transport. One Norwegian fighter was shot down during the air battle, by the future Experte Helmut Lent, while two were destroyed on the ground, while refueling and rearming, at Fornebu airport. The four remaining fighters were ordered to land wherever, just not on their Fornebu base. The fighters scattered, landing on frozen lakes around Oslo and never returned to combat.
The Gladiators were also used by two RAF fighter squadrons, during the remaining two months of the Norwegian campaign. No Norwegian Army Airforce aircraft were able to evacuate after the June 10 surrender of the mainland Norwegian forces. Only aircraft of the Norwegian Naval Airforce had the range to fly all the way from their last bases in Northern Norway to the UK.
In the North African and Greek theatres, RAF Gladiators 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.#redirect
During the siege of Malta, the entire island of Malta was protected by a small force of Gladiators, giving rise to a myth that only three Sea Gladiator aircraft, named Faith, Hope and Charity formed the entire air defence of the island.#redirect In fact, more than three aircraft were operational, though mot always at the same time; others were used for spare parts[link]. A stock of 18 aircraft from No. 802 Squadron FAA had remained at Malta, after HMS Glorious was sunk, in 1940. The three Sea Gladiators were part of the Hal Far Fighter Flight, which was comprised of both RAF and FAA personnel. (Hope was destroyed in an air raid, on 4 February 1941. Charity was shot down on 29 July 1940 and its pilot, F/O P.W. Hartley RAF, was badly burned. The fuselage of Faith has been preserved in Malta.)
In the Far East, the Gladiator fared little better against Japanese aircraft than it had against the Germans and the Italians. It played a part in the short-lived defence of Singapore.
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 Gladiator was exported for use by the air forces of 13 other countries.
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).
Variants
- SS.37
- Prototype.
Quotes
- Anonymous Maltese
- * "[The Gladiators] worked miracles and must have frightened the Italians." (1 - p.37)
Notable Gloster Gladiator pilots
Specifications (Gloster Gladiator Mk.I)
Operators
- Belgium, China, Egypt, Eire (Ireland), Finland, Greece, Iraq, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Sweden, United Kingdom (Fleet Air Arm, Royal Air Force),
Units using the Gloster Gladiator
Royal Air Force
- No. 1 Squadron RAF
- No. 3 Squadron RAF
- No. 6 Squadron RAF
- No. 14 Squadron RAF
- No. 25 Squadron RAF
- No. 33 Squadron RAF
- No. 54 Squadron RAF
- No. 56 Squadron RAF
- No. 65 Squadron RAF
- No. 72 Squadron RAF
- No. 73 Squadron RAF
- No. 80 Squadron RAF
- No. 85 Squadron RAF
- No. 87 Squadron RAF
- No. 94 Squadron RAF
- No. 112 Squadron RAF
- No. 117 Squadron RAF
- No. 123 Squadron RAF
- No. 127 Squadron RAF
- No. 141 Squadron RAF
- No. 152 Squadron RAF
- No. 237 Squadron RAF
- No. 247 Squadron RAF
- No. 261 Squadron RAF
- No. 263 Squadron RAF
- No. 267 Squadron RAF
- No. 274 Squadron RAF
- No. 520 Squadron RAF
- No. 521 Squadron RAF
- No. 603 Squadron RAF
- No. 604 Squadron RAF
- No. 605 Squadron RAF
- No. 607 Squadron RAF
- No. 615 Squadron RAF
Finnish Air Force
Fleet Air Arm
- No. 800 Squadron FAA
- No. 801 Squadron FAA
- No. 802 Squadron FAA
- No. 804 Squadron FAA
- No. 805 Squadron FAA
- No. 806 Squadron FAA
External links
- [RAF Museum]
- [BoB net]
- [Warbirds Resource Group]
- [Fleet Air Arm Archive]
- [the Gloster Gladiator Web Page]
- [The Gloster Gladiator in the Norwegian Army Air Service (Hærens Flygevåpen)]
References
Related content
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