List of Gloster Gladiator operators
Template:SHORTDESC: The following are operators of the Gloster Gladiator.
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Operators
[edit | edit source]Australia
[edit | edit source]Belgium
[edit | edit source]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.
- 1st Escadrille de Chasse 'La Comète'[4]
China
[edit | edit source]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]
Egypt
[edit | edit source]Egypt received over 40 Mk II aircraft.[7]
- No. 2 Squadron
- No. 5 Squadron
Finland
[edit | edit source]
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]
Free France
[edit | edit source]- Free French Flight 'Alsace'
Germany
[edit | edit source]The Third Reich captured at least 15 airworthy Mk Is.[10]
Greece
[edit | edit source]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]
Iraq
[edit | edit source]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 Two of the Mk II aircraft were still in use in 1949 at Mosul,[14][15] the last finally withdrawn in 1951.[16]
Ireland
[edit | edit source]Ireland received 4 Mk I aircraft. The aircraft received the Irish serial numbers 23 to 26. The last surviving aircraft was 24, which crashed in January 1944, while 26 spent most of its life in the repair shop after a landing accident.[18]
- No. 1 Army Co-operation Squadron
Latvia
[edit | edit source]Latvia received 26 Mk I aircraft.[19][20]
- 123 Eskadrile Armijas Aviacija sporting the numbers 114 to 126.[21]
- 124 Eskadrile Armijas Aviacija sporting the numbers 163 to 175.[21]
Lithuania
[edit | edit source]Lithuania received 14 Mk I aircraft,[20] bearing the serial numbers G-704 to G-717. Twelve of them fell in Soviet hands when the Soviet Union invaded Lithuania in June 1940,[22] at least one of them later fell in German hands when Germany invaded the by then former Lithuania in June 1941.[23]
Norway
[edit | edit source]
Norway received six Mk I and six Mk II aircraft from the UK in 1938-39.[24][25]
Portugal
[edit | edit source]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.[27][28][29]
- 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.
South Africa
[edit | edit source]South Africa received 12 Mk II and 11 Mk I ex-RAF aircraft.[30]
Soviet Union
[edit | edit source]The Soviet Union captured 32 Latvian and Lithuanian Mk. Is aircraft.[31]
Sweden
[edit | edit source]Sweden received 37 Mk I (designated J-8) and 18 Mk II (designated J8A) aircraft.[32] The 37 Mk Is were built new from 1927-1938 and were fitted with NOHAB built Bristol Mercury VIS2 engines. The 12 Mk IIs were built new in 1938 and were fitted with NOHAB built Bristol Mercury VIIIS.3 engines. The Gladiators were in action from January 1940 against Soviet attacks on Finland and some were fitted with ski landing gear and underwing bomb-racks for eight lightweight bombs.
United Kingdom
[edit | edit source]See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]Notes
[edit | edit source]- ^ Wahlert 2009, p. 39.
- ^ Spencer 2003, p. 10.
- ^ Crawford 2002, p. 68-74.
- ^ Thomas 2002, p. 17
- ^ Thomas 2002, p. 10
- ^ Spencer 2003, p. 33-35
- ^ Alex Crawford: Royal Egyptian Air Force Gladiators
- ^ Alex Crawford: Finnish Gloster Gladiator
- ^ Alex Crawford's Gloster Gladiator pages
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Mason 1964, p. 124
- ^ Crawford 2002, p. 90-91
- ^ Spencer 2003, p. 39-41
- ^ Crawford 2002, p. 91-92
- ^ Mason 1964, p. 124,128
- ^ Spencer 2003, p. 45
- ^ Lyman 2006, p. 26.
- ^ Crawford 2002, p. 93-95
- ^ Alex Crawford: Latvian Air Force Gladiators
- ^ a b James 1971, p.218.
- ^ a b Crawford 2002, p. 96.
- ^ Alex Crawford: Lithuanian Air Force Gladiators
- ^ Crawford 2002, p. 100-102
- ^ Alex Crawford: Norwegian Gloster Gladiators
- ^ James 1971, p.220.
- ^ Thomas 2002, p. 25
- ^ Spencer 2003, p. 10,12,46
- ^ Crawford 2002, p. 109-112
- ^ Portuguese Air Force use of the Gloster Gladiator during the Second World War
- ^ Alex Crawford: South African Air Force Gladiators
- ^ Håkans Aviation Page: Soviet Red Air Force (VVS) use of the Gloster Gladiator during the Second World War
- ^ Avrosys.nu: J 8 - Gloster Gladiator (1937-1947) Archived 2007-11-12 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Mason 1992, p. 245.
- ^ Lewis 1959, p.11.
- ^ Lewis 1959, p.32.
- ^ Thetford 1992, p.13.
- ^ Thetford 1992, p.15.
- ^ a b c d Spencer 2003, p. 26
Bibliography
[edit | edit source]- Belcarz, Bartłomiej and Pęczkowski, Robert. Gloster Gladiator, Monografie Lotnicze 24 (in Polish)(in Polish). Gdańsk, Poland: AJ-Press, 1996. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- Bierman, John and Smith, Colin. The Battle of Alamein: Turning Point, World War II. New York: Viking, 2002. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- Brown, Robin. Shark Squadron: The History of 112 Squadron, 1917-1975. Manchester, UK: Crecy Publishing, 1997. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- Chairulin, M. "Kryla Litvy" AC 1/1990.
- Crawford, Alex. Gloster Gladiator. Redbourn, UK: Mushroom Model Publications, 2002. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- Fodor, Denis J. The Neutrals (Time-Life World War II Series). Des Moines, Iowa: Time-Life Books, 1982. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon. WW2 Aircraft Fact Files: RAF Fighters, Part 1. London, UK: Macdonald and Jane's, 1978. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- Harrison, W.A. Gloster Gladiator in Action. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron Signal, 2003. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- Irbitis, K. "Latvijas Gaisaspeki" Flieger Revue.
- James, Derek N. Gloster Aircraft since 1917. London:Putnam, 1971. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- Jan, A. H. "Das Irish Air Corps" Flieger Revue.
- Lewis, Peter. Squadron Histories: R.F.C, R.N.A.S and R.A.F. 1912-59. London:Putnam, 1959.
- Lyman, Robert. Iraq 1941: The battles for Basra, Habbniya, Fallujah and Baghdad. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2006. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- Mason, Francis K. British Fighters of World War Two, Volume One. Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Hilton Lacy Publishers Ltd., 1969. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- Mason, Francis K. The British Fighter since 1912. Annapolis, USA:Naval Institute Press, 1992. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- Mason, Francis K. The Gloster Gladiator. London: Macdonald, 1964.
- Mason, Francis K. The Gloster Gladiator. Leatherhead, UK: Profile Publications, 1966.
- Pejčoch, Ivo. Bojové Legendy: Gloster Gladiator (in Czech). Prague, Czech Republic: Jan Vašut s.r.o., 2008. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- 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. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- Spencer, Tom. Gloster Gladiator, Warpaint Series No.37. Luton, UK: Warpaint Books, 2003. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- Thetford, Owen. "On Silver Wings" Part 20. Aeroplane Monthly, May 1992, Vol 20 No 5, Issue 229. London:IPC. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).. pp. 8–15.
- Thomas, Andrew. Gloster Gladiator Aces. Botley, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2002. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- Vistakas, C. "The Annals of Lithuanian Aviation" Air Enthusiast 29.
- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- Zbiegniewski, Andre R. 112 Sqn "Shark Squadron", 1939-1941 (bi-lingual Polish/English text). Lublin, Poland: Oficyna Wydawnicza Kagero, 2003. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..