List of Gloster Gladiator operators

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The following are operators of the Gloster Gladiator.

Operators of the Gladiator and Sea Gladiator
Operators of the Gladiator and Sea Gladiator
Gladiator in pre-Second World War RNoAF colours
Gladiator in pre-Second World War RNoAF colours
Swedish Voluntary Air Force Gladiator fighter from the air squadron F 19
Swedish Voluntary Air Force Gladiator fighter from the air squadron F 19

Contents

[edit] Operators

[edit] Flag of Australia Australia

Royal Australian Air Force

[edit] Flag of Belgium Belgium

Belgium received 16 Mk I aircraft (G15-G30) and an additional eight were built at SABCA (G31-G38)[2] According to other sources[3] 22 aircraft were ordered, 15 of which were delivered carrying the serials G5-1 to G5-15, the remaining seven were assembled by SABCA. The 'G' serials mentioned by Spencer (but then only the range G-17 to G-38) would have been applied later, while in service.

Belgian Army Aviation
  • 1st Escadrille de Chasse 'La Comète'[4]

[edit] Flag of the Republic of China China

China received 36 Mk I aircraft in January 1938,[5] given the Chinese serial numbers 5701-5736. They served until December 1939, when the last aircraft was shot down.[6]

Chinese Nationalist Air Force
  • No. 28 Pursuit Squadron
  • No. 29 Pursuit Squadron
  • No. 32 Pursuit Squadron

[edit] Flag of Egypt Egypt

Egypt received over 40 Mk II aircraft.[7]

Royal Egyptian Air Force

[edit] Flag of Finland Finland

Finland received 30 Mk.IIs from the UK during the Winter War, plus an additional 12 Mk.Is from Sweden after the Winter War.[8]

Finnish Air Force

[edit] Flag of France France

Free French Air Force[9]
  • Free French Flight 'Alsace'

[edit] Flag of Nazi Germany Germany

The Third Reich captured at least 15 airworthy Mk Is.[10]

Luftwaffe

[edit] Flag of Greece Greece

Greece received 19 Mk I and 6 Mk II aircraft. The first two Mk I aircraft were bought by M. Zarparkis Hoimogenos (for ₤9.200) for presentation to the Royal Hellenic Air Force in 1938[11]. They carried the serial numbers Delta Epsilon 1 and 2. The later 17 obtained Mk I aircraft retained their RAF serials, as did the six Mk IIs. Most of them were eventually destroyed by enemy air attack at Paramytia or at Amphiklia the next day[12][13].

Hellenic Royal Air Force
  • No. 21 Mira

[edit] Flag of Iraq Iraq

Iraq received 24 Mk I and 5 Mk II aircraft. The initial 15 purchased Mk I aircraft bore the Iraqi serial numbers 80 to 94. Two of the Mk II aircraft were still in use in 1949 at Mosul,[14][15] the last finally withdrawn in 1951[16].

Royal Iraqi Air Force
  • No. 4 Squadron RoIAF[17]

[edit] Flag of Ireland Ireland

Ireland received 4 Mk I aircraft. The aircraft received the Irish serial numbers 23 to 26. The last surviving aircraft was 24, which crashed January 1944, while 26 spend most of its life in the repair shop after a landing accident.[18]

Irish Air Corps
  • No. 1 Squadron IAAC

[edit] Flag of Latvia Latvia

Latvia received 26 Mk I aircraft.[19]

Latvian Air Force
  • 123 Eskadrile Armijas Aviacija sporting the numbers 114 to 126.[citation needed]
  • 124 Eskadrile Armijas Aviacija sporting the numbers 163 to 175.[citation needed]

[edit] Flag of Lithuania Lithuania

Lithuania received 14 Mk I aircraft, bearing the serial numbers G-704 till G-717. Twelve of them fell in Russian hands when Russia invaded Lithuania in June 1940,[20] at least one of them later fell in German hands when Germany invaded the by then former Lithuania in June 1941.[21]

Lithuanian Air Force
  • No. 5 Eskadra Karo Aviacija

[edit] Flag of Norway Norway

Norway received six Mk I and six Mk II aircraft from the UK in 1938-39.[22]

Royal Norwegian Air Force

[edit] Flag of Portugal Portugal

Portugal received 15 Mark I and 15 Mk II aircraft for its Arma da Aeronáutica Militar (Army Military Aviation), the aircraft delivered in two batches of 15. They received the Portuguese serial numbers 450-464 and 465-479 respectively. The Gladiators served until 1953 with the Força Aérea Portuguesa (Portuguese Air Force) as it was by then called.[24][25][26]

Portuguese Air Force
  • Esquadrilha Expedicionária de Caça nº1 (Expeditionary Fighter Squadron No. 1), based at Rabo de Peixe.
  • Esquadrilha Expedicionária de Caça nº2 (Expeditionary Fighter Squadron No. 2 of Azores), first based at Achada and later at Lajes.
  • Esquadrilha de Caça (Fighter Squadron), based at Ota.

[edit] Flag of South Africa South Africa

South Africa received 12 Mk II and 11 Mk I ex-RAF aircraft.[27]

South African Air Force

[edit] Flag of the Soviet Union Soviet Union

The Soviet Union captured 32 Latvian and Lithuanian Mk. Is aircraft.[28]

Soviet Air Force

[edit] Flag of Sweden Sweden

Sweden received 37 Mk I (designated J-8) and 18 Mk II (designated J-8A) aircraft.[29]

Swedish Air Force

[edit] Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom

Royal Air Force[30]

[31]

  • No. 410/1401 (Met) Flight RAF
  • No. 402/1402 (Met) Flight RAF
  • No. 1403 (Met) Flight RAF
  • No. 1411 (Met) Flight RAF
  • No. 1412 (Met) Flight RAF
  • No. 1413 (Met) Flight RAF
  • No. 1414 (Met) Flight RAF
  • No. 1415 (Met) Flight RAF
  • No. 1560 (Met) Flight RAF
  • No. 1561 (Met) Flight RAF
  • No. 1562 (Met) Flight RAF
  • No. 1563 (Met) Flight RAF
  • No. 1565 Flight RAF
  • No. 1622 Flight RAF
  • No. 1624 Flight RAF
  • No. 1 School of Army Co-op
  • No. 2 Fighter Training School (FTS)
  • No. 3 Fighter Training School (FTS)
  • No. 4 Fighter Training School (FTS)
  • No. 5 Fighter Training School (FTS)
  • No. 6 Fighter Training School (FTS)
  • No. 7 Fighter Training School (FTS)
  • No. 9 Fighter Training School (FTS)
  • No. 10 Fighter Training School (FTS)
  • No. 5 Operational Training Unit (OTU)
  • No. 6 Operational Training Unit (OTU)
  • No. 8 Operational Training Unit (OTU)
  • No. 41 Operational Training Unit (OTU)
  • No. 60 Operational Training Unit (OTU)
  • No. 61 Operational Training Unit (OTU)
Fleet Air Arm[30]

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Alex Crawford: Royal Australian Air Force Gladiators
  2. ^ Spencer 2003, p. 10.
  3. ^ Crawford2002, p. 68-74.
  4. ^ Thomas 2002, p. 17
  5. ^ Thomas 2002, p. 10
  6. ^ Spencer 2003, p. 33-35
  7. ^ Alex Crawford: Royal Egyptian Air Force Gladiators
  8. ^ Alex Crawford: Finnish Gloster Gladiator
  9. ^ Alex Crawford's Gloster Gladiator pages
  10. ^ Captured Fleet Air Arm Aircraft. Fleet Air Arm Archive. [1] Access date: 31 January 2007.
  11. ^ Mason 1964, p. 124
  12. ^ Crawford 2002, p. 90-91
  13. ^ Spencer 2003, p. 39-41
  14. ^ Crawford 2002, p. 91-92
  15. ^ Mason 1964, p. 124,128
  16. ^ Spencer 2003, p. 45
  17. ^ Lyman 2006, p. 26.
  18. ^ Crawford 2002, p. 93-95
  19. ^ Alex Crawford: Latvian Air Force Gladiators
  20. ^ Alex Crawford: Lithuanian Air Force Gladiators
  21. ^ Crawford 2002, p. 100-102
  22. ^ Alex Crawford: Norwegian Gloster Gladiators
  23. ^ Thomas 2002, p. 25
  24. ^ Spencer 2003, p. 10,12,46
  25. ^ Crawford 2002, p. 109-112
  26. ^ Portuguese Air Force use of the Gloster Gladiator during the Second World War
  27. ^ Alex Crawford: South African Air Force Gladiators
  28. ^ Håkans Aviation Page: Soviet Red Air Force (VVS) use of the Gloster Gladiator during the Second World War
  29. ^ Avrosys.nu: J 8 - Gloster Gladiator (1937-1947)
  30. ^ a b Mason, Francis K (1992). The British Figher since 1912. Naval Institute Press. ISBN ISBN 1-55750-082-7. 
  31. ^ a b c d Spencer 2003, p. 26

[edit] Bibliography

  • Belcarz, Bartłomiej and Pęczkowski, Robert. Gloster Gladiator, Monografie Lotnicze 24 (Polish). Gdańsk, Poland: AJ-Press, 1996. ISBN 83-86208-34-1.
  • Bierman, John and Smith, Colin. The Battle of Alamein: Turning Point, World War II. New York: Viking, 2002. ISBN 0-670-03040-6.
  • Crawford, Alex. Gloster Gladiator. Redbourn, UK: Mushroom Model Publications, 2002. ISBN 83-916327-0-9.
  • Fodor, Denis J. The Neutrals (Time-Life World War II Series). Des Moines, Iowa: Time-Life Books, 1982. ISBN 0-80943-431-8.
  • Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon. WW2 Aircraft Fact Files: RAF Fighters, Part 1. London, UK: Macdonald and Jane's, 1978. ISBN 0-354-01090-5.
  • Harrison, W.A. Gloster Gladiator in Action. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron Signal, 2003. ISBN 0-89747-450-3.
  • Lyman, Robert. Iraq 1941: The battles for Basra, Habbniya, Fallujah and Baghdad. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2006. ISBN 1-84176-991-6.
  • Mason, Francis K. The Gloster Gladiator. London: Macdonald, 1964.
  • ________. The Gloster Gladiator. Leatherhead, UK: Profile Publications, 1966.
  • ________. British Fighters of World War Two, Volume One. Windsor, Bershire, UK: Hilton Lacy Publishers Ltd., 1969. ISBN 0-85064-012-1
  • Poolman, Kenneth. Faith, Hope and Charity: Three Biplanes Against an Air Force. London, UK: William Kimber and Co. Ltd., 1954. (1st pocket edition in 1958)
  • Rawlings, John D.R. Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and Their Aircraft. London, UK: Macdonald and Jane's, 1969. 2nd edition 1976. ISBN 0-354-01028-X.
  • Spencer, Tom. Gloster Gladiator, Warpaint Series No.37. Luton, UK: Warpaint Books, 2003. ISSN 1361-0369.
  • Thomas, Andrew. Gloster Gladiator Aces. Botley, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2002. ISBN 1-84176-289-X.

[edit] Related content