The Battle was a fairly advanced design when it first appeared, the problem was that in the mid to late thirties advancements in aircraft design were happening so fast that many aircraft that were, like the Battle, advanced designs when ordered into production found themselves verging on obsolescence when they entered service.

@raypurchase801

2 ай бұрын

Never mind the Fairey Battle. I want a video about the Pixie Punch-Up.

And now the kicker. The Battle design was changed, shortened, and became the Fairey Fulmar. At 15 mph max faster than the Battle, it became a carrier based fighter. In its role, the Fulmar destroyed 140 aircraft. While it didn't fare well against the Zero and Oscar, it did manage to shoot down Japanese aircraft. And it was liked by its crews. That said, it was a British carrier based fighter, mainly serving in the Atlantic theater, coping with slower German marine aircraft, not 109s, 110s, and 190s. And it lead to the highly capable Fairey Firefly.

@peterrollinson-lorimer

2 ай бұрын

Indeed, much more capable aircraft than the Battle, which they resembled.

@freebeerfordworkers

2 ай бұрын

But inadequate compared to the various American types the Navy later acquired. I believe this was because the US navy did not accept that carrier-based aircraft should be slower than land-based aircraft and they had far more money.

@peterrollinson-lorimer

2 ай бұрын

@@freebeerfordworkersInadquate is overly harsh, they actually were quite successful. Inferior might be a better word. But you use what you have, use them to their advantage, and make the best of it.

@minhthunguyendang9900

2 ай бұрын

The naval version Fulmar did play a crucial part in the November 1940 raid on Benito’s battle fleet at Tarento. While the Swordfishes torpedoed the ships, the Fulmars pounded the base, 🔥 the fuel depots.

@petersoerent2554

2 ай бұрын

The Fulmar had almost 30 % more hp and one crew- member less. I think, that a Battle with those 2 changes, would had fared somewhat bet- ter. As it stood, it was a slow underpowered, unarmored, unmaneuverable, all to heavy "fighter bomber". With N O upsides ! Also if used back in 38 or 39.

My dad had his air gunnery training on the Battle. He became a Gunnery/wireless instructor and WAG 415 Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force OTU. He first flew into combat in Hampden Torpedo Bomber, finished second tour on Wellington MK XIII

@peterrollinson-lorimer

2 ай бұрын

Recently I spoke with a neighbour who recalled watching one go down near Trenton Ontario where they were used as trainers.

@drostropod9794

2 ай бұрын

My grandfather trained in Battles in Moosejaw, SK.

There is a Fairey Battle on display at the Military Museum in Brussels, pieced together from the remains of six aircraft all shot down over Belgium in 1940. It was the highlight of my visit there.

@fredhermanspann6914

2 ай бұрын

1⅕1⅕⅕⅕1⅕⅕⅕

@chriscarbaugh3936

2 ай бұрын

Highlight was a F Battle? What about the tank museum near Bastogne?

@Ralphieboy

2 ай бұрын

I meant to my visit to the Brussels museum, which was filled with highlights. I had never seen a Fairey Battle on display anywhere.

@Bruno767be

Ай бұрын

10/15 were shot down ! 5 damaged

All those wasted pilots.

@johnandersen5959

2 ай бұрын

Plus two other airmen.

@killaco23

2 ай бұрын

Heros!

@SamuraiSwimmer

2 ай бұрын

They didn’t care , as usual , warriors are expendable, I wish politicians were.

@raulduke6105

2 ай бұрын

👍👍👍

@nikolayvasylyev5738

Ай бұрын

Honestly, do you think the more advanced aircraft would have fared much better? Attacking heavily defended targets, no air superiority, no experience in attacking such targets...

I left school in 1980 and looklng for an engineering apprenticeship, like most of my contempories at that time, I applied for one at Fairey's at thier Crossley Road factory, Heaton Chapel, Stockport. The plane building had ended by then, at that time they built Bailey Bridges. The factory is still there and after many buy outs, the latest itteration of Fairy is still tading as WFEL (formerly Williams Fairey Engineering Limited) part of the KNDS group, building tactical military bridges. There was never any runway at the Stockport factory. Parts would be transported to, and then assembled, at Ringway Airport (now Manchester International Airport). This was not unusal in Manchester. A.V.Roe had a factory in Chadderton, but assembeled their planes at Woodford(not far from where I lived and where my brother did his apprenticeship), just outside Stockport. I believe that street lamps in the area were on hinges so they could allow the passage of wide loads. Stockport was a massive centre of engineering in the 80's, as well as Fairey's, there was Mirrless Blackstone, Ferranti Engineering, Simon Carves, Henry Simon and Simon Build (all part of the same group and on the same road, Bird Hall Lane), British Aerospace (now BAE) at Woodford, Reynold Chains, British Rail. All long gone and the sites redeveloped into housing estates or trading estates. Though the British Rail site is now leased by Alstom to maintain trains for CrossCountry, Northern Trains and Avanti West Coast. I didn't get an Apprenticeship at Fairy's, I eventually took up an apprenticeship as a Draughtsman/Technician Engineer with Broadhurst and Goodwin (Structural Engineers) in Manchester.

In Belgium it was nicknamed " the flying coffin". There is one on display at the Air Museum in Brussels.

Regarding the bombardments on the German invasion some details have to be corrected. There was no bombing on bridges over the river Meuse in Maastricht itself in 1940, this would only happen in 1944 by the USAF. The bombings from 10 to 12 of May 1940 were on bridges over the Albert canal just across the border in Belgium, the bridges were at Vroenhoven, Veldwezelt and Briegden. The first bombardment on the 10th of May was executed by a group of 9 Battles from the 5th group of the Belgian air force, 6 were lost and 3 damaged. 6 Gloster Gladiators escorted the Battles, of these 4 were lost when they encountered ME-109s. On the 11th the French air force tried again, also with no result, and then on the 12th it were RAF Battles which tried to bomb the bridges, also they failed and had losses. There is a monument at the bridge in Vroenhoven for all the men who lost their lives at these raids in an effort to slow down the German invasion.

As some others have pointed out, the problem with the Battle had nothing to do with being 'obsolete'. Most other european air forces, including the Luftwaffe, had light bomber/attack aircraft with similar if not worse performance, protection and durability. The Luftwaffe operated the much more vulnerable HS 123 until at least mid 1943. The problem was that through the 1st half of 1940 the RAF still hadn't got a handle on how to plan and execute tactical strike missions, what kind of threat environment planes like the Battle could be sent into, and what level of fighter protection would be needed against an adversary like the Luftwaffe. From what I can tell there was no in-depth mission planning, minimal preliminary reconnaissance, no flak suppression and typically insufficient fighter support. Too often, too few aircraft were committed in an uncoordinated manner against alert and well prepared anti-aircraft defenses. No 1940 bomber was going to succeed when used in this way.

@willemrappard

2 ай бұрын

Pp😊p😊😊p😊😊pp😊😊😊😊p😊😊lll😊loop😊 pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

@christopherbentley7289

2 ай бұрын

The words 'Hs 123' and 'vulnerable' have never been mutually associated in my mind. It was both highly manoeuvrable and tough, despite its delicate appearance.

@rheinmoses29

2 ай бұрын

„The Henschel Hs 123 showed that a slow but rugged and reliable aircraft could be effective in ground attack. Despite its antiquated appearance, the Hs 123 proved useful in every World War II battlefield in which it fought.“ Wikipedia

@AndyDrake-FOOKYT

Ай бұрын

Yeah I get the feeling that a group of guys got together and the leader said "lets bomb this thing." ...and then the rest of the guys would be all like "cool, where's it at?" ...and then they'd look at a map, hop in their planes, and go. That was often the extent of their taxtics...especially at the beginning.

@christopherbentley7289

Ай бұрын

@@AndyDrake-FOOKYT Somehow I cannot imagine any RAF airmen in 1940 saying anything like "cool, where's it at?".

This is amazing! I have studied WWII in depth through video and print and never once have I even heard the name Fairey Battle or even Fairey before! Thanks so much for broadening my knowledge! That’s why I love your channels!

My Dad trained in the Battle but ended up as Observer/Bomb Aimer on Blenheims during the Fall of France. Sorties went out, few if any returned. His turn came round, they went out, came back on foot just ahead of the German advance, got out via Cherbourg.

@johnhunter8279

29 күн бұрын

My Dad also flew in the Battle before transitioning to Blenheims as a Wireless Op/Gunner. He also wound up coming home on foot after being downed over France and getting home on the last ship out of boulogne.

Excellent stuff bro

An LAC Battle air gunner during the Battle of France shot down 2 Me 109s and damaged another before being shot down, he survived and was awarded the DFM. He came from Redcar in Yorkshire.

The Fairey Battle was a decent aircraft with excellent handling qualities with fairly good speed (257mph only 9 mph slower than the Blenheim ) compared to the other bombers at the time but was used using poor tactics. This was made all the worse by the fact that the German army had the finest anti aircraft protection in the world. However, the least that could of been done is to add another forward firing machine gun to the other wing and double up the one firing to the rear. Bad idea to bomb on the straight and level not far up. Why not bomb in a shallow dive to get extra speed and be less of a target? Today the Battle still looks sleek and handsome. Thanks

@mayamanign

2 ай бұрын

That is one of the ugliest and most awkward aircraft I've ever seen. It just looks wrong 😂

Trivia - I heard from an Air Force friend in Singapore that there is a road at the Tengah Air Base called Battle Road - named after the Fairey Battle although it was never based there. I like the Battle just as I like the Fulmar - sleek and beautiful. I have 5 Airfix Battle models built over 4 decades.

The aircrew who flew in the Battle must have had nerves of steel . It was more or less a one way mission . We will never have a generation like that again . I always wondered if a Battle and a Ju87 ever engaged each other in what could be described as a highly unusual dogfight ?

@daveanderson3805

2 ай бұрын

You're right, we'll never have another generation like they were. No one is that naive and innocent nowadays.

@tonyrobinson362

Ай бұрын

Yeah and woke you wouldn't get most out of bed.

My uncle was a radio op / gunner on 150 Sqn in Battles. On two missions in the phoney war they dropped leaflets on Germany! His last Battle flight was bombing Boulogne to try to sink invasion barges. Moved on to Wellington’s and then the Lancaster. He flew with the Australians in Lancaster G George now the centrepiece of the Australian National War Memorial

i visited Belgium some years vack and the area around the rivers are dotted with little memorials to the crews , I understand that towards the end, the crews knew they wouldnt return and decided to drop one crew member to avoid three men dying

Interesting transitional aviation design, thanks!

Thanks for this video...well done! The Fairey aircraft company produced a series of fatal flops, including the Fairey Fulmar a naval fighter, which flew from Brit carriers, its replacement the Fairey Firefly, which was only marginallly better and the Fairey Barracuda, a lumbering torpedo bomber. This company's only aircraft of note was the Fairey Swordfish, very outdated, but notable for its successes against the Italian Fleet at Taranto and jamming the rudder of the Bismarck. The Americans, on the other hand, produced some amazing planes: the F6F Hellcat, the Grumman Avenger, the Dauntless, the Helldiver and probably the best plane of all, the F4U Corsair. I hope you have produced some videos on the aforementioned machines? Thanks for the research highlighting this abominable plane and the brave aircrew who were ordered to take it into battle.

@danieleyre8913

Ай бұрын

Erm no the Fulmar and Firefly were both successful and highly liked and valued for the fleet air arm.

@ravenclaw8975

Ай бұрын

I'm not disputing that the pilots liked it. But if a Fulmar went up against a Zero, it would not have had a chance. Even the Spitfire VIII sent to SEAC, which I'm sure we can admit was a far better plane than either the Fulmar or Firefly, had problems against the Zero and had to resort to shoot and scoot tactics. The Americans manufactured amazing naval planes during WW2. Do you see Hellcat's or Corsairs with two or three man crews? I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one Daniel. All the best to you.@@danieleyre8913

i love it. One of my first Airfix models

my late dad FLT b w Peryman flew these against the Albert canal 1940 shot down p o w for the war he was in the camp of the great escape

The Fairey Battle should not have been sent to France in 1939-1940 against technologically advanced Germany. As an obsolescent bomber, the Battle belonged in a secondary role, deployed across the vast territories of the British Empire - in Egypt, Kenya, Iraq, Singapore, Burma, Malaya, New Guinea and Australia, guarding against the lesser threats of Italy and Japan. In 1939-1940 Italy and Japan had only small numbers of modern fighters equal to the Bf 109. Against the likes of the Italian Fiat CR.42 biplane fighter, and the Japanese Nakajima Ki-27 early monoplane fighter, both armed only with 2 machine guns, the Fairey Battle would have had a much better chance of survival than against the cannon armed Bf 109.

@geoh7777

2 ай бұрын

Has anyone said which aircraft the British should have made instead of the Fairey Battle? Or which specifications such a plane should have had? Send a plane into withering anti-aircraft fire and then expect what?

@timonsolus

2 ай бұрын

@@geoh7777 : Ideally, more Hurricane I’s. With removable bomb racks under each wing to allow them to operate as “Hurribombers” when needed. (Bombload would be 2 x 250 lb bombs - half that of the Fairey Battle). Historically, the Hurricane was only fitted with bomb racks in 1941 - the need for it to carry bombs should have been anticipated much earlier. In the fighter-bomber role, the Hurricane I might have been low on range and bombload (and navigation and possibly accuracy) compared to the Battle, but as a smaller single seat aircraft, and since it would be diving down on its target, it would be much faster than the Battle, and therefore, less vulnerable to antiaircraft fire.

@allangibson8494

2 ай бұрын

The Battle would have been even more hopeless against the Japanese in Asia and the Pacific.

@timonsolus

2 ай бұрын

@@allangibson8494 : In the first months of the Pacific War, the British and Australian air forces were fighting the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF). The IJAAF didn’t have the Zero, that was a Navy fighter (IJNAF). The old Ki-27 (top speed 290 mph) was still by far the most numerous IJAAF fighter in December 1941. Even the first version of the new Ki-43 could only do 308 mph, and still had the same armament of 2 x 7.7 mm machine guns.

@allangibson8494

2 ай бұрын

@@timonsolus The A6M2 Zero was very much in operation in the Indonesian archipelago in 1942. The Army Nakajima Ki-43 which entered operation in 1939 wasn’t a joke either. The Ki-27 could still catch and kill a Fairey Battle too which had a top speed of 257mph clean and no armament on its underside.

The most hated plane the Germans seen was the Mosquito : -- "It makes me furious when I see the Mosquito. I turn green and yellow with envy. The British, who can afford aluminum better than we can, knock together a beautiful wooden aircraft that every piano factory over there is building, and they give it a speed which they have now increased yet again. What do you make of that? There is nothing the British do not have. They have the geniuses and we have the nincompoops. After the war is over I’m going to buy a British radio set - then at least I’ll own something that has always worked." -------- Hermann Goering Is there an audio recording of Herman Goering's speech in Berlin in January 1943, which three RAF Mosquitoes dropped bombs while Herman was about to do a "pep" talk with the German people And had to cancel it because of the Mosquitos Proving that at any time or place The RAF could And would bomb Germany Germany Tried to build their own version with wood However 2 of the 3 aircraft crashed due to poor glue And meshing having the wings And tail rip off mid flight.... How good is something When your enemy wants it......

@freebeerfordworkers

2 ай бұрын

I would not take Goring too seriously particularly with regard to radio sets. It was acknowledged that German field radios were far superior to anything Britain had.

@seanbigay1042

2 ай бұрын

As far as Herr Goering goes, he gave another warplane an even better endorsement. He's said to have taken one look at P-51 Mustangs over Aachen and said, "We have lost the war."

@ravenclaw8975

2 ай бұрын

The Brits produced stellar machines inerspersed with some complete flops. I grew up in the UK and in the men's washroom there was a condom machine. On it was the inscription: "Made to British safety standards." Someone had written below it: "So was the Titanic." LOL!

@freakyflow

2 ай бұрын

@@ravenclaw8975 Reminds me of a group of use playing a internet WW2 game And 2 of the guys use to bash each others country (England/Ireland) as jokes...English guy "You sank like the titanic Another Irish mistake" -- Irish guy Yeah you got me there Who knew we should of put instructions in braille On how to steer for your English captain to read ..2 Americans 1 Canadian And a Aussie.....All in tears laughing

@seanbigay1042

2 ай бұрын

@@ravenclaw8975 Yeah, but I think that's true of every nation. We each turn out stuff that's great, stuff that's not so great, and stuff that makes other folks go, "Dude, WTF is wrong with you?"

It should have been noted that all allied bombers had similar high rate of attrition during Battle of France. For some reason hardly anyone knows about French Air force battles and loses.

Even after losses, the crews volunteered to keep flying combat missions in Belgium and France prior to Dunkirk. I wasnt aware they kept flying combat missions after June 1940. Though some served in the Middle East where obsolete types often served on policing British possessions.

The Air Ministry surely responsible for a plethora of piss poor aircraft specifications and extremely dubious tactics

I must confess, when l saw the title, l immediately thought BP Defiant.

very similar to the IJN Nakajima B5N torpedo bomber - would've been a star for the Fleet Air Arm

What’s the name of that techno-sounding music track in 2:00 (?)

The Fairy Battle seems to have been woefully armed, yet it seems to have been able to provide a good accounting for itself.

My father did his gunnery training in Fairey Battles in Australia in WW2

Note the dual propellers on the Battle at 11:36. In 1939, one Battle, K9370, underwent extensive modifications in order to test the Fairey Monarch 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) engine. In addition to the engine itself, K9370 was furnished with electrically-controlled three-bladed contra-rotating propellers and a large ventral radiator. Perhaps this is that aircraft.

Veldwezelt is a smal Belgium town. With a bridge over the Albert canal, Next to Maastricht.

Isn't anyone going to point out yet another Dark Skies blunder? the Barracuda shown at the beginning? at least they got the manufacturer correct and what was that jet turbo-prop engine shown for?

As usual, you show all sorts of aircraft instead of the subject (Fairy Battle) type. You need an editor that can actually identify the airplanes in the films you use. If you insist on showing other types give us their names below in captions. Nice work otherwise.

If that was your only option, what else can you use? Fairey still exist in Stockport. The factory was pretty close to RAF Woodford where the Lancaster was assembled.

I've always seen the Fairey Battle and the Douglas SBD Dauntless as being almost identical in their capabilities, but directly opposite in combat effectiveness.

It's a beautiful plane, truly.

your right but #1 Like🗽

The Fairey Battle should have been equipped with its own armour plate and self sealing fuel tanks which were available. The problem was that the RAF never got the time to fit these vital necessities for survival over Europe in daytime. The Russian Stormovick did well but the air war over France and Belgium in 1940 was a much more intensive experience.

Man, should have got the DFC just for taking off in one.

A fairly scary aircraft. Wow that's almost 100 ace worth of planes.

11:36 what is that, it seems to have contra-rotating props and what seems or be a Vulture engine. ?????

@mrjockt

2 ай бұрын

Fairey Battle used as a test bed for the Fairey Monarch H24 engine.

interesting subject - dumbed down

Why, in a video about the Battle, there is a snippet of three P26s at 00:35 ?

@philliprobinson7724

Ай бұрын

HiTom. Padded with archival footage I guess, to make up for the lack of real footage of the Battle so the video is a decent length. When there's not enough meat to go round, chuck in some veges and make a stew. Cheers, P.R.

Really need this in War Thunder, I NEED TO SUFFER!!

LAC Reynolds was also a member of FO Garlands crew…. He’s hardly ever mentioned and wasn’t decorated because he wasn’t in a decision making position…. Seems Unfair…. Because imo he’s a hero just like Garland and Gray

@anthonyeaton5153

Ай бұрын

Eric, the reason why Reynolds did not receive a gallantry award was, back then, the only award that could be given posthumously was the VC.

That time again isn't that time again?

I'm about to watch this, but I'm betting Fairey figures prominently in this list.

Kind of looks like a lengthened Hurricane to me.

Can some one identify the aeroplane at 11:36? It appears to have contra-rotating prop and there is an aeroplane behind it with what appears USAAF star.

I have never heard of this flying coffin before.

A good summation, Thankyou. Now, if you could just eliminate irrelevant footage, such as in this case, radial engines, American aircraft, and even a turboprop at 1.03, it would then be hard to fault your videos.

I always found that the bade name of the Fairey Battle is somewhat undeserved and results from the use in low level attack, a role it wasn't built for. This seems to be illustrated by the later relative success in a different role. Regarding its obsolescence, just compare it to its German contemporary, the main light bomber of the Luftwaffe at the time, the Henschel Hs 123, a biplane that saw front service until 1944. I guess, the Fairey Battle does fairly well in this comparison with about twice the range and load and a 20 % (45 mph) speed advantage. 1) Henschel Hs 123A Specification/production: 1933/1936 Type: biplane, single-engine Max. speed: 212 mph (341 km7h) Combat range: 300 mi (480 km) Armament: 1000 lb (450 kg), 2 MG 17 (7.92 mm) 2) Fairey Battle Specification/production: 1933/1936 Type: monoplane, single-engine Max. speed: 257 mph (414 km/h) Range: 1000 mi (1600 km) Armament: 1000 lb (450 kg) internally, 1500 lb (680 kg) externally, 2 MG .303 (7.7 mm) How come that we never hear of the obsolescence, right from the beginning, of certain German attack aircraft, like the Ju 87 or the Me 110, which suffered a dismal failing in the Battle of Britain, just when it was the Fairey Battle's time to shine? I guess, had it been the other way round, we would know the Battle as "the wunder-plane that bombed Sea Lion into oblivion".

@christopherrobinson7541

2 ай бұрын

I think it was named Battle after the town near Hastings.

Pity the opening caption photograph is not a Fairy Battle but a Fairy Barracuda. Not the first time this channel’s editorial team has failed its aircraft recognition

@gargk999

2 ай бұрын

Do you mean the video thumbnail? If so, that is not a Barracuda - no chin radiator intake, no high T-tail.

@brendonrutherford5118

2 ай бұрын

Exactly why I don't place too much credibility on this channel!! One only has to hear the opening few bars of music of Mark Felton to know that you are going to be watching some war history that is totally credible & most importantly, believable!!! In reality there is no comparison between the two of them!!

@barrysmith2686

2 ай бұрын

@@gargk999 l mean the invitation advert or whatever you call it that shows on the you tube menu. It is a Barracuda.

@gargk999

2 ай бұрын

@@barrysmith2686 ah - sorry :)

Wow, that first minute had a lot of adjectives!

It was very successful in the East Africa war flown by the South African Airforce against the larger Regia Aeronautica Italiana, ultimately contributing to winning the war. Previously they had been flying Hawker biplanes so the Battle was a significant improvement. Similarly they moved on from Hawker Fury’s and Gladiator biplanes to Hurricane and Mohawk monoplanes. It ultimately destroyed the myth the bomber would always get through has the Italian bombers used were the latest designs which were intercepted and shot down by the SAA biplanes, arguably becoming even more one sided when the monoplanes arrived.

Hundreds of Battles were used for training in Australia, too.

I am pretty sure there's WW2 aircraft that's more hated. 36% of Lockheed P-38 Lightning pilots that survived bailing out over Nazi controlled territories reported in a survey that they were strafed by German fighters while in a chute, over twice the rate of pilots of other aircraft.

@freebeerfordworkers

2 ай бұрын

Could it be and this is a question, that they were primarily used for ground attack and were quite devastating in the role

@MangoTroubles-007

Ай бұрын

It was called the "Fork Tailed Devil" by the German pilots for a reason. They hated facing it

They became great trainers for the RCAF.

Guess the Battle was the Challenger of its day, a Wunderwaffe on the drawing board but little more than an easy target in real battle.

"Most hated"? No. That would be the Ju 87 Stuka.

My father and Uncle hated the Stuka the most.

I think the Battle, had it gotten the later Merlin 45 or 61 engine, would have been a much faster plane with a better chance of survival.

@danieleyre8913

Ай бұрын

Yes I think the concept of a single-engined 2-3 seat light bomber/ground attack aircraft was fine. It could be invaluable in close air support for the army. The Fairey battle was just caught in a pocket of obsolescence by 1940 in being too slow & underpowered, too fragile, and underarmed. The Soviet Su-2 suffered the same fate in 1941. A further development of the basic concept/design with something like a Griffon or Centaurus engine, and up-armoured airframe (like the Il-2 Sturmovik) and improved gun aramament could have been even more useful and versatile in North Africa, Burma, post D-Day France & Low Countries, and maybe even the Italian campaign than the Beaufighter was. Especially as the Luftwaffe’s strength was slowly worn away. Especially if it was adapted to fire rockets, which was very likely. Smaller airframe and slower, but also harder for enemy gunners to hit, and able to deliver ordinance and liaise intelligence to army staff more accurately. But I suppose that the British air ministry in mid 1940 weren’t in any position to dedicate resources towards an aircraft type that wasn’t going to be decisive for a few years yet. Especially when they had a wide selection of fighter aircraft which could simply be fighter-bombers available.

In my many years I have yet to hear anything positive of the Battle. Today is no different.

When you refer to miles, are they nautical miles or land miles? Nautical miles per hour are knots.

@hicknopunk

2 ай бұрын

Probably metric miles.

@Crottedenez1000

2 ай бұрын

@@hicknopunk😊metric miles actually don’t exist… metric is decimal and the closest to the mile is the kilometer…

@parkerottoackley6325

2 ай бұрын

​@@Crottedenez1000,,,Maybe he ment gallon miles ,,,🤪

@Crottedenez1000

2 ай бұрын

@@parkerottoackley6325 Aaah, you may be right ! Aren’t these measured in quarter of inches per ounce/pint divided by yard foot pounds ?

@hicknopunk

2 ай бұрын

@@Crottedenez1000 sometimes I lean into my username for humor 😅

Although it looks larger than the Japanese 'Kate", if you put folding wings an arrestor hook and torpedo shackles maybe it could have been a torpedo bomber? But that requires a redesign and who knows what would happen then. It would be interesting to compare the country's of the time, ratio of design duds vs good aircraft. And how long they went before giving up on a particular design. I guess overall the Germans would win (?) but with very strong competiton from the British. But it could be argued that the German leaders interfered more.

I would say that the most hated Allied fighter was the Martin B-26 Marauder. It's wings were too short so I think it set the Allied record for takeoff and landing accidents taking the lives of the occupants.

And here I figured whatever mail delivery craft that were in use, in combat zones, were the most hated. Either that or the unarmed p 38 variants designed to be corporate business craft.

The Battle was a fine aircraft. The problem was the specification was out of date by the time the plane was finished. It probably would have excelled at strategic night raids or a different role. But history wasnt kind to the Battle or its poor crews.

The Fairey battle wasn't a bad aeroplane actually, at least, it was safe and predictable to fly. The tactics deployed for its usage however, were disastrous, suicidal even. If you want to talk really rank bad aeroplanes, hated even, look up the Blackburn Botha or perhaps worst of all, the Saro Lerwick - a very pretty looking flying boat, but truly hopeless in all regards, a deathrap even . For Germany try the ME 210, another basket case until progressively modified to become the ME410.

Fairly battle would have been invaluable in an environment where the RAF and/or allies had air superiority.

There's one on long term rebuild to fly in England

What is the purpose of the added noise in the background? Noisepollution.

It might have helped if they didn't paint a "Bulls Eye" on the side of the plane. The plane should have been very light blue on the bottom and green on top in light camouflage

Love the early 90s music 🎉

Do a segment on the Boulton Paul Defiant,an aircraft almost equally as useless.

We shall remember all those brave pilots who flew these death-traps, lest we forget.

I hate those "worst aircraft of WW2" lists. Most on those are pretty decent aircraft build according to specifications written by clue and visionless civil servants and subsequently thrown into tactical situations they were never designed for. It's like specifying a Landrover for, and entering it in an F1 race, or a Bugatti Veyron and entering it into the Paris-Dakar rally. It simply won't work; it doesn't make them crappy cars. The Fairey Battle - just like e.g. the Boulton-Paul Defiant, the Brewster Buffalo, or the TBD devastator - were actually pretty good aircraft.

It looked more modern than Fairey Swordfish and Albacore, yet they were much more successful than the Battle.

Horrendous losses🙏🏻

Veldwezelt is in Belgium, not the Netherlands

You neglected to mention that the RAAF also used Battles in the training and target towing roll during the war.

Should have been called the Fairy Embattled!

hate your smart scientists who did not think of jet engines sooner

Why not ta K in a normal Tone of voice?

Biggest problem with this aircraft was it's name. Doesn't exactly strike fear into the enemy, sounds more like a Handbags at dawn scenario!

The Brewster Buffalo runs a close second in worst airplanes of WW ll.

The first air VCs were won by crews of 12 squadron

The flying coffin.

Such an unfortunate name.

That intro music rocks

Gee, it looks just like the Il2.

Performance and armament were bad, but what really doomed this sort of plane was tactics/timing; no unescorted bomber was safe in WW2, the tragedy was that they still had this romantic notion of the 2-3 crew 'fighter'-bomber that can stand up to a pure fighter, like the Bristol F2B ..problem is it wasn't 1917 anymore.

Resembles the russian IL-2, yet the latter was far superior. What went wrong?

12:00 : "im Jahre 1937 führte der schwule Testpilot Duncan ...." 😂 ich lach mich kaputt! 😅😊

400 Battles.... No wonder the Germans did so well in the early years.

I suggest that the Lancaster and B17 were more hated, certainly by millions of Germans😊

Not "hated"....its ALL THEY HAD...sheesh...they made 2200 of em