The Most Hated WW2 Aircraft

On May 10, 1940, the Germans launched a relentless  assault. Just two days later, a desperate gambit unfolded in the skies over Maastricht. No.12  Squadron dispatched six Fairey Battle aircraft, woefully ill-equipped for the ferocious dance  of daylight warfare. They were sent to shatter the German advance towards Brussels by  bombing bridges over the Albert Canal. Lacking speed and defensive might,  these airborne heroes etched their legacy with daring assaults on the  bridges of Maastricht and

Sedan. Divided into two desperate trios, the  Battles descended upon their targets, confronting a maelstrom of anti-aircraft  fury. Amidst the thunderous cacophony, their metal wings clashed against an unseen foe. In the crucible of technological ambition, the  British Air Ministry issued a challenge in April 1933, casting its gaze toward the future of aerial  warfare. The venerable Hawker Hart light bomber, a stalwart of the Royal Air Force, was slated  for replacement. The mandate was clear:

conceive a single-engine aircraft capable  of transporting a 1,000-pound bomb load, manned by a crew of two, across a 1,000-mile  range at a brisk 200 miles per hour. Undeterred by the technical hurdles posed  by this audacious specification, Fairey, a pioneering aviation company, stepped into the  fray. C.R. Fairey, the company's visionary leader, harbored reservations about the feasibility  of the Air Ministry's demands. Yet, Fairey presented a range of alternatives, blending  pragmatism with

ambition. Among the submissions, one design stood out—a manifestation that adhered  closely to the Ministry's exacting criteria. Against the odds, the Air Ministry embraced  Fairey's design. A contract was inked on June 11, 1934, charging Fairey with the construction  of a prototype. Guided by the skilled hand of Marcel Lobelle, the Fairey design  team birthed an aircraft with a singular cockpit, housing a crew of three—pilot,  observer/navigator, and wireless operator/gunner. As the prototype t

ook shape, the Air  Ministry, brimming with anticipation, issued a production order for 155 aircraft  in June 1935. The Battle, though destined for obsolescence from its inception, found  an unexpected ally in the geopolitical climate of the mid-1930s. The ominous rise of the  Luftwaffe fueled a desire for numerical parity, leading the RAF to order 155 Battles in  1935—well before the prototype's maiden flight. With the specter of war looming,  expediency triumphed over preference, and the Battl

e, equipped mostly with the  Merlin III engine, became a vital force. The Fairey Battle finally  took to the skies on March 10, 1936, under the command of Flight  Lieutenant Christopher Staniland. Its capabilities would eclipse its predecessors, the Hawker Hart and Hind bombers, as it could  carry twice the payload over twice the distance. The Fairey Battle emerged as  a curious chapter—a blend of modernity and obsolescence. Conceived with  a low wing and stressed-skin construction, its silhouet

te bore an uncanny resemblance  to an oversized fighter aircraft. Armed with a payload capacity that included four  250-pound bombs in its bay and two beneath its wings, the Battle embodied the spirit of  offensive capability. Its crew of three, nestled in the elongated "glasshouse" cockpit,  put their lives in the hands of this machine. Yet, as the Battle soared into the skies,  it found itself tethered to a bygone era. The specifications of P.27/32, which once defined  its prowess, had become

relics of a past age. The prototype, while meeting the initial requirements,  existed in the shadows of aircraft like the Vickers Wellington, born of 1933 specifications  and boasting superior performance metrics. By 1939, the Battle's age was apparent, yet it lingered on the front lines due to  the absence of more modern alternatives. Taking flight on April 14, 1937, the Battle's  genesis saw the maiden production aircraft take wing, powered by the groundbreaking  1,030-hp Rolls-Royce Merlin I.

This marked the engine's debut in RAF service, a  propitious start for the renowned powerplant. No. 63 Squadron was the first RAF squadron  to embrace the Fairey Battle just a month later. As war clouds gathered on the  horizon, the Battle found itself in the arsenal of eight training squadrons in No.  6 Group and ten frontline bomber squadrons in No. 1 Group—integral components  of the Advanced Air Striking Force. The Battle Mk I boasted impressive  specifications—a top speed of 257 miles per

hour, a range of 1,000  miles, and a service ceiling reaching 25,000 feet. Armed with a single forward-firing  0.303-inch machine gun, a rear Vickers 'K' gun, and a payload of 1,000-pound bombs, the  Battle was a force to be reckoned with. Yet, flaws were woven in the tapestry  of innovation. The rear gunner's position suffered from a downdraft  caused by its protective screen, this compromised rear visibility—a  vulnerability that would soon be exposed. As the Battle proliferated, a new chapter

unfolded  at a state-of-the-art factory in Stockport, later expanding to Birmingham's  Austin Motors. By January 1939, the Royal Air Force could boast a fleet with  over 400 Fairey Battles at their disposal. The stage was set for a potential aerial  onslaught against the Ruhr as ten Fairey Battle Squadrons, under the aegis of No. 1  Group, relocated to France on September 2, 1939. This strategic move was part  of a prearranged plan contingent upon German aggression in the West. However, the  Ge

rmans, embroiled in the conflict in Poland, refrained from provoking the Western powers,  plunging the front into the "phony war." In the crucible of conflict, the Battle  undertook reconnaissance missions over the German front line. A watershed  moment occurred on September 20, 1939, as a Fairey Battle from No. 88  Squadron downed a Messerschmitt Bf 109, securing the Battle's legacy with the first  RAF kill of the war. Yet, even in triumph, shadows loomed— the vulnerability of the  bombers in t

he face of German fighters became painfully evident, signaling the trials  that lay ahead for the stalwart Fairey Battle. With the ominous specter of war looming, the  German invasion of Poland in September 1939 thrust the Fairey Battle into the crucible of conflict.  Ten squadrons of these aircraft were dispatched to France as part of the Advanced Air Striking Force,  setting the stage for a series of pivotal moments. No. 88 Squadron claimed the first Royal Air Force  aerial victory of the war

on September 20, 1939, downing a menacing Messerschmitt Bf 109. The  echoes of success resonated on September 27, 1939, when No. 103 Squadron achieved another  triumph against the fearsome Bf 109. However, the tides of fortune would soon take a grim turn. The fateful raid on September 30, 1939, marked  a harrowing episode for No. 150 Squadron, as four out of five Fairey Battles were lost  over enemy positions in the Saar. Tragically, the remaining aircraft succumbed  to crashes upon landing, pai

nting a stark picture of the  challenges faced by these aviators. The year 1940 ushered in a new chapter  of desperation as the German invasion of France and the Low Countries unfurled.  The Fairey Battle found itself thrust into ground attack sorties, a role  for which it was ill-suited, lacking crucial features like self-sealing  fuel tanks and an armored cockpit. The toll was staggering, with 77 out of 118  aircraft lost between May 10 and 15, 1940. Amidst this maelstrom, on May 12, 1940, Fly

ing  Officer Donald Garland and Sergeant Thomas Gray etched their names in history as the first RAF  recipients of the Victoria Cross in World War 2. Their valor during an attack on the Veldwezelt  bridge in the Netherlands, though posthumously honored, reflected the indomitable spirit  of those who faced insurmountable odds. The vulnerability of the Fairey Battle became  painfully apparent during the early days of the German Blitzkrieg. Tasked with low-level  attacks against the advancing Germa

n forces, the strategy aimed to evade enemy fighters  but exposed the aircraft to a barrage of anti-aircraft and small arms fire. The  cost in lives and machines was devastating. On May 10, 1940, the first day of the German  assault, 32 Battles embarked on a mission to attack advancing enemy troops, and 13 were  lost. The following day, seven out of eight dispatched Battles met a similar fate. The  toll rose on May 12 when a force of five Battles targeted crucial bridges over the  Albert Canal—n

one returned. The commander, Flight Officer D.E. Garland, and observer Sergeant  T. Gray received posthumous Victoria Crosses. By the 14th, low-level attacks were abandoned  due to unsustainable losses. New tactics briefly showed promise, but on May 14, 63  Battles faced interception by Bf 109s during a mission against canal bridges, resulting  in the loss of 35 aircraft. High casualties persisted as the RAF retreated in the wake of  the German advance. The surviving squadrons were ultimately wi

thdrawn to Britain on June 15,  1940, having lost the majority of their aircraft and proving the Battle's inadequacy against  low-level operations and fighter opposition. As losses mounted, the remaining Fairey  Battle squadrons conducted their final sortie on June 15, 1940, marking  the denouement of their frontline service. Between May 10 and June 20, 1940,  a staggering 137 Fairey Battles were lost, signifying the inevitable decline  of this once-prominent aircraft. Upon their return to Brita

in, No. 1 Group  reformed, still equipped with the Battle. However, daylight raids were abandoned,  and the majority of Battle squadrons transitioned to nighttime attacks on German  invasion barges in French and Dutch ports. In the crucible of the Battle of Britain, which  raged from July 10, 1940, to October 31, 1940, the Fairey Battle found itself thrust into  the forefront of the conflict. Six Fairey Battle squadrons, including the newly formed  Polish squadrons Nos. 300 and 301 constituted t

he reformed No. 1 Group, Bomber Command. These  squadrons played a pivotal role during the battle, showcasing the aircraft's operational  debut on July 21, 1940, when six aircraft, drawn from Nos. 103 and 150 Squadron struck at  oil storage tanks in Rotterdam, Netherlands. As the battle unfolded, the Fairey  Battle engaged in a total of 289 sorties, with the final mission transpiring on October  15, 1940, as Boulogne and Calais in France felt the brunt of the assault. Astonishingly,  only six ai

rcraft succumbed to the ravages of war during this period. Following this chapter,  the Battle squadrons underwent a transformation, being re-equipped with the Vickers Wellington, a  shift that marked the end of the Fairey Battle's role as a bomber by UK-based squadrons, though  it persisted as a bomber overseas until mid-1941. While the Battle had distinct variants powered  by different versions of the Rolls-Royce Merlin, including the Mk II, Mk III, and Mk V,  these were essentially the same a

ircraft distinguished by their engines. Post-September  1940, the Battle withdrew from active duty, finding new purpose in training exercises  both in Britain and Canada. Additionally, it assumed roles as a target  tug, designated the Battle TT, and as a trainer, with variations such  as the Fairey Battle T and Battle IT. The Battle also left its  mark beyond British shores, with 16 light bomber versions serving in  the Belgian Air Service. Duncan Menzies, a Fairey test pilot, had showcased the

aircraft  to the Belgian Air Ministry in June 1937, leading to their acquisition and subsequent  deployment during the German invasion in May 1940. By the culmination of its production  on September 2, 1940, a total of 2,200 Fairey Battles had been constructed. Fairey, the  primary manufacturer, contributed 1,155 units; the Austin car company, as part of the  Shadow Factory Scheme, produced 1,029, and one lone specimen emerged from Hayes,  fulfilling orders placed by the end of 1939. Yet, despit

e its prolific production, the Fairey  Battle faced the harsh realities of war. Much like the German Stuka, it could only thrive in  regions blessed with local air superiority, a luxury it seldom enjoyed. Outmatched by the  formidable Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Battle, though not alone in its struggles, found itself  ill-suited for the perilous missions it was called upon to undertake, resulting in grievous  losses that marked its legacy in aviation history.