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The Gloster Gladiator (or Gloster SS.37) was a British-built biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) (as the Sea Gladiator variant) and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. It was the RAF's last biplane fighter aircraft and was rendered obsolete by newer monoplane designs even as it was being introduced. Though often pitted against more formidable foes during the early days of the Second World War, it acquitted itself reasonably well in combat.
The Gladiator saw action in almost all theatres during the Second World War, with a large number of air forces, some of them on the Axis side. The RAF used it in France, Norway, Greece, the defence of Malta, the Middle East, and the brief Anglo-Iraqi War (during which the Royal Iraqi Air Force was similarly equipped). Other countries deploying the Gladiator included China against Japan, beginning in 1938; Finland (along with Swedish volunteers) against the Soviet Union in the Winter War and the Continuation War; Sweden as a neutral non-combatant (although Swedish volunteers fought for Finland against USSR as stated above); and Norway, Belgium, and Greece resisting Axis invasion of their respective lands.
The South African pilot Marmaduke "Pat" Pattle was the top Gladiator ace with 15 victories.
The Gladiator saw action in almost all theatres during the Second World War, with a large number of air forces, some of them on the Axis side. The RAF used it in France, Norway, Greece, the defence of Malta, the Middle East, and the brief Anglo-Iraqi War (during which the Royal Iraqi Air Force was similarly equipped). Other countries deploying the Gladiator included China against Japan, beginning in 1938; Finland (along with Swedish volunteers) against the Soviet Union in the Winter War and the Continuation War; Sweden as a neutral non-combatant (although Swedish volunteers fought for Finland against USSR as stated above); and Norway, Belgium, and Greece resisting Axis invasion of their respective lands.
The South African pilot Marmaduke "Pat" Pattle was the top Gladiator ace with 15 victories.
Category All / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 1280 x 848px
File Size 221.4 kB
Listed in Folders
Maybe you'd know something about this? Years ago I visited the Yank's air museum and restoration facility near the Chino Air Museum in Chino, CA, and I was chatting with the head curator whom I recognized from the plastic model builder's club I was in, and we got to talking about American airships of the 1930s. I recalled a "Boy's tale" from the last century, featuring three mythical aircraft from the 1930s that guarded Gibraltar from enemy aircraft. The planes were nicknamed "Faith, Hope, and Charity," and the curator and I figured a fun model building project would be to build representations of the mythical aircraft using Gloster Gladiators and use marking from that time. Would the sea variant of the Gladiator be more appropriate?
Yeah. I did a little reading on that story, and the fact was that the aircraft belonged to the Hal Far Fighter Flight which consisted of fourteen aircraft, in the defense of Malta in 1940. The names "Faith, Hope and Charity" were applied to three aircraft as part of a newspaper story which gave the impression that a small group was defending the islands against greater odds. I found out that one fuselage representing "Faith" is on display at the British National War Museum.
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