The Loose Association of Wargamers

grizzlymc wrote: ↑Wed Jul 15, 2020 11:46 am ...
There was also a small matter of priority given to Hurricanes and Spitfires for a few years, it really cut at least a year, maybe two of naval fighter development. It is also the reason that the Barracuda's engine was axed.

But nothing can explain the Roc! They'd have been better off building more Sea Gladiators, or just more Skuas, which were more successful in air combat despite being a bomber.

We never really did dedicated Dive bombers.

Skua?

The RN believed that the Torpedo was the arm blanche of the aviator. Although, the Swordfish was a brilliant dive bomber.

With a bigger engine, the Barracuda would have been a mean dive bomber.

The Sea Hurricane was the ideal British carrier fighter for the first half of the war.

Was the hurricane flown off carriers, I know the hurricat was used off armed merchantmen.

The best British dive bomber was the mosquito, its angle was insane.

Now can we get toroedo armed beaufighters onto a carrier, a plane to go toe to toe with a warship with.

FreddBloggs wrote: ↑Wed Jul 15, 2020 2:53 pm Was the hurricane flown off carriers, I know the hurricat was used off armed merchantmen.

Over 1,000 Sea Hurricanes produced. Used on CAM ships (catapult armed merchantman), Merchant aircraft carriers, fleet and escort carriers. Actions include Operation Pedestal and Operation Torch.

FreddBloggs wrote: ↑Wed Jul 15, 2020 2:53 pm
Now can we get torpedo armed beaufighters onto a carrier, a plane to go toe to toe with a warship with.

Just like Dolittle's B25's, I'm sure we could have got them off, recovering them would have been a different matter.

Buff Orpington wrote: ↑Wed Jul 15, 2020 5:21 pm

FreddBloggs wrote: ↑Wed Jul 15, 2020 2:53 pm
Now can we get torpedo armed beaufighters onto a carrier, a plane to go toe to toe with a warship with.

Just like Dolittle's B25's, I'm sure we could have got them off, recovering them would have been a different matter.

They managed to get Sea Mosquitos onto carriers.

Those were the later, larger fleet carriers though. Anyway, given the addition rate of the existing carriers in the first three years of the war, the RN's biggest problem was keeping the damn things afloat in the first place.

The price of Admiralty was ever high.

I knew about mosquitos and the hornet was always intended to have a carrier variant.