Which theater of War Would you choose for flying?

[Nonskimmer]

It's a pretty dirty thing to do, though!

[cheddar cheese]

I know But when used in moderation it is a good laugh

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Yeah it does sound like fun if not used to much.

[cheddar cheese]

It'll be another couple of months before I do that again

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Well it cant be too obvious either.

[cheddar cheese]

Nope. I havent done that in ages actually...

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Never have, did not know you could.

[cheddar cheese]

OH well.

Back to the topic, I would have liked to fly in the ETO, purely because if you got shot down the chances of surviving were much higher. If I had to say which plane, Probably a Fiat G.50 in 1941 over Italy.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Depends on whether you were Allied or German and where you got shot down at. German POW camps were not vacation resorts. They were by far nothing like Japanese ones though. As for the Fiat G.50 I dont know about that. It was not a very good aircraft.

Freccia" stands for "Arrow", and is a typical name for wishful thinking or ignorance on behalf of the enemy's capabilities. It was the first all-metal low-set monowing fighter with retractable main gear of the Italian airforce. It was an intermediate design with a semi open cockpit, and meant to be a compromise between a short-range lightly armed defensive fighter, a medium range fighter-bomber, and a long-range fighter. Also, the fighter had to adopt a radial engine because the Italian Air Ministry had declared that all fighters be fitted with one, since there were no powerfull Vee engines built in Italy itself.
By the time the first prototype was ready, the G.50 was matched against a contemporary design: the Macchi MC.200 Seatta. The design of the Seatta had started later, and wasn't compromised to death, naturally it won the contest. Even so, the Italians by now realised that they needed fighters in numbers, and because the production lines of the G.50 were in their place and starting up, they still ordered the aircraft.

The Freccia was exported to Finland (9 G.50 Serie I, 26 G.50bis) and Croatia (5 G.50bis), and was used in the campaigns against France, Greece, during the Battle of Britain, and in the North African theatre. In France it did moderately well, because the Italians were carefull not to use it against french fighters. During the Battle of Bratain it never encountered english fighters, saving them probably from a certain doom. In Greece, at last, they saw real combat against Gloster Gladiators (bi-wing aircraft), and had more losses than victories. Only after the Fiat CR.42 was mixed with the G.50's the Italians made progress. In the North African theatre, finally, they also were outclassed considerably by the Hawker Hurricane and the Gloster Gladiator.

Strengths:


Good structural strength
Excellent handling
Excellent maneuverability

Weaknesses:


Low/Medium speed
Low/Medium climb rate
Insufficient armament

[cheddar cheese]

For what it was though I think the Regia Aeronautica managed to utilise them extremely well though. The G.50 has always been a favourite of mine.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Yeah but to have more losses then victories against Gloster Gladiators. The Gladiator might have had good performance for a bi-plane but against a single engine fighter it should not have stood a chance.

[cheddar cheese]

The Gladiator was actually a superb plane. More than a match for planes such as the G.50, due to their manoeverability.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Okay but the G.50 was nothing more than a second rate aircraft. In my opinion atleast.

[cheddar cheese]

First flown in 1934, and introducted into service in 1937, the Gloster Gladiator was developed from the Gauntlet biplane fighter. Even when it was introduced the design was being eclipsed by the new generation of monoplane fighters, such as the Spitfire

Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Vc
Spitfire Mk.V Trop
Description
Role Day fighter
Crew one, pilot
First Flight March 5, 1936
Entered Service August, 1938
Manufacturer Supermarine
Dimensions
Length 29 ft 11 in 9.1 m
Wingspan 36 ft 10 in 11.2 m
Height 11 ft 5 in 3.9 m
Wing area ft² m²
Weights
Empty 5,000 lb 2300 kg
Loaded lb kg

..... Click the link for more information. and Messerschmitt Bf 109

Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6
Description
Role Fighter
Crew One
First Flight Late May, 1935
Entered Service
Manufacturer Messerschmitt A.G.
Dimensions
Length 8.94 m 29' 4"
Wingspan 9.92 m 32' 6"
Height 2.59 m 8' 0"
Wing area 16 m² ft²
Weights
Empty 2600 kg 5700 lbs
Loaded kg lbs
Maximum takeoff kg lbs
Powerplant
Engine Daimler-Benz 605 A

..... Click the link for more information. . When WW2 World War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the world's nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. The war was fought between two groups of powers: the alliance of the British Commonwealth, United States, Soviet Union, China, and the governments-in-exile of France, Poland, and other occupied European countries, collectively known as the Allies (later, the United Nations); and the alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan and their allies, collectively known as the Axis.
..... Click the link for more information. began the Gladiator was used in combat in France The French Republic or France (French: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents.

République française


(In Detail) Coat of arms of the French Republic


..... Click the link for more information. and Norway

The Kingdom of Norway is a Nordic country west of Sweden on the Scandinavian Peninsula. It has a very elongated form and has an extensive coastline along the North Atlantic Ocean, where Norway's famous fjords are found. In addition to Sweden, it borders Russia and Finland. The nearby island territories of Svalbard and Jan Mayen are under Norwegian sovereignty and are considered as part of the kingdom, while Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic Ocean and Peter I Island in the South Pacific Ocean are Norwegian dependencies and not considered part of the kingdom. Additionally, Norway has a claim for Dronning Maud Land in Antarctica.
..... Click the link for more information. , but was found to be outclassed by the German fighters in most respects. Despite this, the Gladiators of the norwegian Jagevingen at Fornebu(Oslo) Airport, consisting of 7 functional Gladiators, (litt: pursuitwing) managed to shoot down an not certain amount between 10 and 20 German aircrafts before they were forced down due to mechanical errors and to refill fuel and ammunition. All but 3 of the Gladiators from Fornebu were lost as they made forced landings, most on frozen lakes in or around Oslo

Oslo
County
Administrative Centre Oslo
County Mayor Per Ditlev-Simonsen
Area 454 km²
Population
- Total (2004)
- Percent
- Density
518,929
x.x %
97.1/km²


Oslo is the capital city of Norway, and has 518,929 inhabitants, which is 11.4% of the total population in Norway. The conurbation extends into the surrounding county of Akershus and has a population of 801,028 (Jan. 2004). The urban municipality (bykommune) of Oslo and county (fylke) is the same entity, covering an area of 454.0 km², of which 115 km² is built-up and 7 km² is agricultural. The open areas within the built-up zone amounts to 22 km².
..... Click the link for more information. . The Gladiators in spite of their age, also seemed to be quite effective in the rest of the Norwegian fightings. After Britains "cooperation" with the Norwegians in the end of the Norwegian campaign, the Norwegians flew most of the remaining aircrafts to the UK where they were used in further fightings.

In the North African theatre the Gladiator achieved some success against the Italian Air Force, which was equipped with a mix of biplanes and early design monoplanes. Its most notable exploit came in the defence of Malta

This article is about the european nation. For other meanings, see this page.
The Republic of Malta is an island nation in southern Europe. It consists of an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea directly south of Italy. These strategically located islands have been ruled and fought over by various powers over the centuries.
Repubblika ta' Malta
..... Click the link for more information. , where for a brief period three Sea Gladiator aircraft, named Faith, Hope and Charity formed the entire air defence of the island.

In the Far East the Gladiator fared little better against the modern machines of the Japanese than it had against the Germans. It played a part in the short-lived defense of Singapore.

Carrier based Gladiators were more successful, since its slower speed made it more suitable for carrier operations and it was less likely to be facing modern figher opposition.

The Gladiator was also exported for use by the air forces of 13 other countries.


QuotesAnonymous Maltese
This article is about the european nation. For other meanings, see this page.
The Republic of Malta is an island nation in southern Europe. It consists of an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea directly south of Italy. These strategically located islands have been ruled and fought over by various powers over the centuries.
Repubblika ta' Malta
..... Click the link for more information.
"[The Gladiators] worked miracles and must have frightened the Italians." (1 - p.37)
See also:

F. H. Maynard F.H. "Sammy" Maynard, during World War II, was a New Zealander of the Royal Air Force who served as the Commanding Air Officer of Malta. Prior to the June 10, 1940, Italian declaration of war; Maynard found 4 Gloster Gladiators in crates marked "Boxed Spares - Property of the Royal Navy" (these having been left by the HMS Glorious in April). Initially the Navy had demanded the return of its aircraft; however, it eventually determined to allow their use by the Air Force.
..... Click the link for more information.
Notable Gloster Gladiator PilotsJohn H. Lapsley John Hugh Lapsley, early in World War II, was the pilot of a Royal Air Force Gloster Gladiator based on Malta. Later in the war, he would serve as the commander of the 125th Spitfire Wing and he would eventually become an Air Marshal.

QuotesDescribing the Gloster Gladiator's combat performance:
"Even when it had a height advantage and was correctly positioned it could usually achieve at best only one close pass at the SM-79."

Units Using the Gloster Gladiator
Royal Air Force
No. 1 Squadron
No. 3 Squadron
No. 6 Squadron
No. 14 Squadron
No. 25 Squadron
No. 33 Squadron
No. 54 Squadron
No. 56 Squadron
No. 65 Squadron
No. 72 Squadron
No. 73 Squadron
No. 80 Squadron
No. 85 Squadron
No. 87 Squadron
No. 94 Squadron
No. 112 Squadron
No. 117 Squadron
No. 123 Squadron
No. 127 Squadron
No. 141 Squadron
No. 152 Squadron
No. 237 Squadron
No. 247 Squadron
No. 261 Squadron
No. 263 Squadron
No. 267 Squadron
No. 274 Squadron
No. 520 Squadron
No. 521 Squadron
No. 603 Squadron
No. 604 Squadron
No. 605 Squadron
No. 607 Squadron
No. 615 Squadron

Fleet Air Arm
No. 800 Squadron
No. 801 Squadron
No. 802 Squadron
No. 804 Squadron
No. 805 Squadron
No. 806 Squadron

External link

http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/gloster-gladiator-1.htm
http://www.battleofbritain.net/0008.html
http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org...gladiator.html
http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Ai.../Gladiator.htm

Gloster Gladiator

Role Fighter
Crew 1 pilot
First Flight
Entered Service
Manufacturer
Dimensions
Length 27 ft 5 in 8.4 m
Wingspan 32 ft 3 in 9.8 m
Height 11 ft 7 in 3.2 m
Wing area 323 ft² 30 m²
Weights
Empty 3,444 lb 1,560 kg
Loaded 4,864 lb 2,205 kg
Maximum takeoff lb kg
Capacity
Powerplant
Engines One Bristol Mercury VIII AS
Power 850 hp 630 kW
Performance
Maximum speed 257 mph at 14,600 ft 414 km/h at 4,500 m
Combat range miles km
Ferry range 444 miles 710 km
Service ceiling 33,500 ft 10,200 m
Rate of climb 2220 ft/min 670 m/min
Wing loading lb/ft² kg/m²
Thrust/Weight
Power/Mass hp/lb kW/kg
Avionics
Avionics
Armament
Guns Four x 0.303 (7.7 mm) Browning machine-guns |-

[the lancaster kicks ass]

CC a bi-plane will never beat a monoplane assuming both pilots know what they're doing.......