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Gladiator Sea Gladiator
Gloster Gladiator in pre-war RAF markings
Type	Fighter
Manufacturer	Gloster Aircraft Ltd
Designed by	Henry Phillip Folland
Maiden flight	12 September 1934
Introduced	1937
Retired	1953 (Portugal)
Primary users	Royal Air Force Fleet Air Arm Chinese Nationalist Air Force Finnish Air Force Royal Norwegian Air Force
Number built	747
Developed from	Gloster Gauntlet

The Gloster Gladiator (or Gloster SS.37) was a British-built biplane fighter, used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Royal Navy as well as a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. It was the RAF's last biplane fighter aircraft and was often pitted against more formidable foes during the early days of the Second World War, although it acquitted itself well in combat.

The Gladiator was developed from the Gloster Gauntlet as a private venture by Gloster. The aircraft was designed by H.P. Folland's team during 1933 as a Gauntlet derivative to Specification F.7/30. It had an enclosed, single-seat cockpit, cantilever landing gear and a two-blade fixed-pitch propeller driven by a Bristol Mercury air-cooled engine. It first flew in 1934 and entered service in 1937. It was to be the last British biplane fighter and their first fighter with an enclosed cockpit. The Gladiator had a top speed of around 257mph (414 km/h) yet even as it was introduced, the design was being eclipsed by the new generation of monoplane fighters, such as the RAF's new Hurricanes and Spitfires and the Luftwaffe's Messerschmitt Bf 109.

Gladiators were also modified for carrier operations and flown by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA) as the Sea Gladiator. A total of 747 airframes were built (483 RAF, 98 RN; 216 exported to 13 countries, some of them from the total alloted to the RAF^[1][2]). Gladiators were sold to Belgium, China, Egypt, Finland, Free France, Greece, Iraq, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, South Africa and Sweden.

The Gladiator was largely replaced in front line RAF service by the Hurricane and Spitfire at the outbreak of the Second World War, although two squadrons were used in the French and Norwegian campaigns. It would, however, see service in more peripheral campaigns during the early years of the Second World War. The classic biplane fighter was also one of Britain's biggest prewar export successes, seeing service in many countries. The Gloster Gladiator performed reasonably well in limited Finnish service against Soviet fighters during the Winter War, but was found to be outclassed by German fighters in other theatres. Carrier-based Sea Gladiators were more successful, since their slower speed made them more suitable for carrier operations and they were less likely to be facing more modern fighter opposition.

During the Winter War, the Finnish Air Force obtained 30 Mk II fighters from the UK. The aircraft, which arrived in January and February 1940 had been financed by South Africa and given to Finland. The Finnish Gladiators served until 1945, but they were outclassed by the more modern Soviet fighters during the Continuation War. The aircraft was mostly used for reconnaissance from 1941 onwards. The Finnish Air Force obtained 33 aerial victories with the aircraft type during the Winter War and one victory during the Continuation War. Two pilots became aces with this aircraft alone. These were Oiva Tuominen (6.5 victories with Gladiators) and Paavo Berg (five victories).

Besides the FAF Gladiators, the Swedish Voluntary Air Force, responsible for the air defence of northern Finland during the later part of the war, was also equipped with Gladiator fighters, designated as J8s (Mk Is) and J8As (Mk IIs) by the Swedes. The Flying Regiment F 19 arrived in Finnish Lapland on 10 January 1940, and remained there until the end of the hostilities. It fielded 12 Gladiator Mk II fighters^[3] and five Hawker Hart dive bombers, plus a Raab-Katzenstein RK-26 liaison aircraft and a Junkers F.13 transport aircraft. The aircraft belonged to and were crewed by the Swedish Air Force, but flew with Finnish nationality markings. The Swedish Gladiators scored eight aerial victories and destroyed a further four aircraft on the ground. (F 19's executive officer Captain Björn Bjuggren wrote in his memoirs that the tracer rounds of the Gladiator's machine guns would not ignite the gasoline when penetrating the fuel tanks of Soviet bombers. Better ammunition could therefore probably have enabled the Swedish pilots to score several more kills.)

The Norwegian Campaign saw both Norwegian and British Gladiators battling the Luftwaffe, with first the Norwegian Jagervingen fighting in the defence of Oslo on the first day of the German invasion and then British examples trying to provide fighter cover for the allied reinforcements sent to the assistance of the Norwegian government.

The Gladiator pilots of the Norwegian Jagervingen (fighter wing) based at Fornebu Airport, having seven serviceable aircraft on the day, managed to shoot down five German aircraft on 9 April 1940, the first day of the invasion of Norway: two Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighters, two He 111 bombers and one Ju 52 transport. One Gladiator was shot down during the air battle, by the future Experte Helmut Lent, while two were destroyed on the ground, being strafed while refuelling and rearming at Fornebu airport. The four remaining fighters were ordered to land wherever they could away from their Fornebu base. The Gladiators scattered, landing on frozen lakes around Oslo and never returned to battle, being abandoned by their pilots and then wrecked by souvenir searching civilians.^[4]

The fuselage .303 inch machine guns

The .303 inch machine guns under each lower wing

Gladiators were also used by No. 263 Squadron RAF during the remaining two months of the Norwegian Campaign. The squadron, having arrived with the carrier HMS Glorious 24 April, first operated from an improvised landing strip built by Norwegian volunteers on the frozen lake Lesjaskogsvatnet in Oppland in central southern Norway. After less than a week, all the squadron's aircraft were unserviceable and it evacuated back to the UK.

No.263 Squadron resumed its Gladiator operations in Norway when having re-equipped in Britain, the squadron returned to the north of Norway on 21 May flying from Bardufoss airfield near Narvik. At the Narvik front No. 263 was reinforced by No. 46 Squadron whose Hurricanes had arrived a few days later, using an airstrip at Skånland. Due to unsuitable ground at Skånland 46 Squadron moved so that both were operating from Bardufoss by 27 May. The squadrons had been ordered to defend the fleet anchorage at Skånland and the military base at Harstad on the island of Hinnøya, as well as the Narvik area after it was recaptured. The action was short but intense before the squadrons, due to the British government's response to the invasion of France were instructed on 2 June to prepare for evacuation.

By then, 263 Squadron had flown 249 sorties and claimed 26 enemy aircraft destroyed. No. 263 Squadron's ten surviving Gladiators were landed on HMS Glorious on 7 June. Glorious sailed for home but was intercepted by the German battlecruisers Gneisenau and Scharnhorst. Despite the valiant defence put up by her two escorting destroyers, HMS Acasta and HMS Ardent, she was sunk and along with the aircraft from four squadrons. 263 Squadron lost its CO, S/Ldr John W Donaldson, and F/Lt Alvin T Williams along with eight other pilots.^{[5][6][7][8][9]}

No Norwegian Army Air Service aircraft were able to evacuate westwards before the 10 June surrender of the mainland Norwegian forces. Only the aircraft of the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service (one M.F.11 and four He 115s) had the range to fly all the way from their last bases in North Norway to the UK. Two Army Air Service Fokker C.V.Ds did however manage to escape eastwards to Finland before the surrender. Three M.F.11s also flew to Finland, landing on Lake Salmijärvi in Petsamo.^[10]

In the North African and Greek theatres, Gladiators operated by RAF, Royal Australian Air Force and South African Air Force squadrons achieved some success against the Italian Regia Aeronautica, which was mainly equipped with Fiat CR.32 and Fiat CR.42 biplanes. It suffered heavier losses against the Fiat G.50 and Macchi C.200 monoplanes.^{[citation needed]} The South African ace Marmaduke "Pat" Pattle claimed 15 kills in Gladiators, against Italian fighters over North Africa and Greece, making him the highest scoring RAF biplane ace of the Second World War.

Faith (serial number N5520), a Gloster Sea Gladiator Mk I, on the ground at an airfield in Malta, in about September 1940. The aircraft has been refitted with a Bristol Mercury engine and three-bladed Hamilton propeller salvaged from a Bristol Blenheim.

One of the most enduring campaigns fought by Gladiators was the siege of Malta in 1940. Malta was — for a period of ten days — protected by a small force of Gladiators, the Hal Far Fighter Flight, giving rise to a myth that three aircraft, named Faith, Hope and Charity formed the entire fighter cover of the island.^[11] In fact, more than three aircraft were operational, though not always at the same time; others were used for spare parts.^[12]

A stock of 18 Sea Gladiators from 802 Naval Air Squadron had been deposited by HMS Glorious, in early 1940. Three were later shipped out to take part in the Norwegian Campaign, and another three were sent to Egypt. By April, Malta was in need of fighter protection and was decided to form a flight of Gladiators at RAF Hal Far, to be comprised of RAF and FAA personnel. Several Sea Gladiators were assembled and test flown.

By June, two of the Gladiators had crashed and an additional two were assembled.^[13] Charity was shot down on 29 July 1940 and its pilot, F/O P.W. Hartley, was badly burned. Hope was destroyed in an air raid on 4 February 1941. The fuselage of the only surviving Gladiator from the Hal Far Fighter Flight, N5520, Faith, was presented to the people of Malta in 1943 and has been preserved in Malta. (The fate of at least five more Gladiators that saw action over Malta is not as well documented).

Greek Gladiators destroyed many Italian aircraft in the 1940-1941 Greco-Italian War, as well as some German aircraft during the 1941 Invasion.

Chinese Gladiators scored several victories over Japanese aircraft between 1938-1940 during the Second Sino-Japanese War when they were used extensively before the start of 1940 by the 28th, 29th and 32nd Squadrons of the 3rd Group. The Chinese pilots considered the Gladiator an excellent fighter in its class. In comparison to its major opponents of the time, such as the Mitsubishi A5M, the Gladiator was only a little slower and superior in all other aspects such as turning rate, etc. However, when newer Japanese aircraft such as the Mitsubishi A6M entered the battles, the Gladiators' days were numbered. American born Chinese pilots, John "Buffalo" Wong and Arthur Chin became the first Gladiator flying ace and first American fighter ace of the Second World War respectively, and were among a group of 15 Chinese Americans whom formed the first and original group of American volunteer combat aviators countering the Japanese imperial aggressions in China. ^[14]

The 1941 Anglo-Iraqi War was unique in the context of Gloster Gladiators in that both sides used the Gladiator as their main fighter.^[15]

Royal Iraqi Air Force The Royal Iraqi Air Force and the Iraqi Army had, since Iraq was granted independence in 1932, been trained and equipped by the British.^[16] One result of this was the dominance of British-built aircraft in the RoIAF inventory. The RoIAF sole single-purpose fighter squadron, No. 4 Squadron at Rashid Air Base, consisted of seven operational Gloster Gladiators.^[17]

RoIAF Gladiators against the British
After a pre-emptive RAF attack from RAF Habbaniya against blockading Iraqi forces Iraqi Gladiators took part in attacks on the British air base, strafing it ineffectively on 2 May.^[18] Although much of the RoIAF was destroyed in the air or on the ground in the following days the Iraqi Gladiators kept flying until the end of the war, carrying out strafing attacks on A Company of 1 Battalion The Essex Regiment on the outskirts of Baghdad on 30 May.^[19]

RAF Before the outbreak of hostilities in Iraq the 4th Service Training School at RAF Habbaniya operated three old Gladiators as officers' runabouts. With the increased tension the base was reinforced with another six Gladiators on 19 April, flying in from Egypt.^[20] During the early part of the war the nine Gladiators flew numerous sorties against air and ground targets, taking off from the base' polo field.^[21] The Gladiator force in Iraq was further reinforced when, on 11 May, another five aircraft arrived, this time from 94 Squadron in Ismaïlia on the Suez Canal.^[22]
A last resupply of Gladiators came on 17 May in the form of four more 94 Squadron machines.^[23]

RAF Gladiators against the Fliegerführer Irak
Immediately after launching his coup against king Faisal II in early April 1941 prime minister Rashid Ali al-Gaylani approached the Germany and Italy for help in repelling any British counter-measures. In response to this the Germans assembled a Luftwaffe task force under Iraqi colours called Fliegerführer Irak which from 14 May operated out of Mosul.^[24] Before this force collapsed due to lack of supplies, replacements, quality fuel and aggressive RAF attacks two Gladiators fought a pair of Me 110s over Rashid Airfield at Baghdad on 17 May. Both German machines were swiftly shot down.^[23]

The Iraqis continued to use Gladiators until 1949 for ground attack missions against the Kurds.^{[citation needed]}

Belgian Gladiators suffered heavy losses to the Germans in 1940.

Irish Gladiators shot down several British barrage balloons that had broken from their moorings. For a short time in 1940 an order was given to Irish fighter pilots to use their aircraft to block the runways of airfields. They were then to use rifles and shoot at any invaders.^[25] Irish Gladiators also overflew the site of the sinking of the liner SS Athenia in 1939 and offered the help of the Irish military. The flight was fired upon by Royal Navy ships in attendance, consequently, the Irish Gladiators withdrew without pursuing the matter further.

SS.37

Prototype.

Gladiator I

Version powered by a single 840 hp (627 kW) Bristol Mercury IX air-cooled radial piston engine. The aircraft was designated J 8 in Swedish Air Force service. Delivered 1937-38, 378 built.

Gladiator II

Version powered by a single Bristol Mercury VIIIA air-cooled radial piston engine. The aircraft was designated J 8A in Swedish Air Force service, 270 built.

Sea Gladiator Interim

Single-seat fighter biplane for the Royal Navy, 38 built. Fitted with arrestor hooks. Serial numbers: N2265 - N2302.

Sea Gladiator

Single-seat fighter biplane for the Royal Navy, 60 built. Fitted with arrestor hooks and provision for dinghy stowage. Serial numbers: N5500 - N5549 and N5565 - N5574.

Main article: Operators of the Gloster Gladiator

Gladiator in pre-Second World War RNoAF colours

Swedish Voluntary Air Force Gladiator fighter from the air squadron F 19, with Finnish Air Force markings

 Australia

 Belgium

 China

 Egypt

 France

 Finland

 Germany

 Greece

 Iraq

 Ireland

 Latvia

 Lithuania

 Norway

 Portugal

 South Africa

 Soviet Union

 Sweden

 United Kingdom

Gladiators have been preserved at the Shuttleworth Collection, Fighter Collection at Duxford, Gloucestershire Aviation Collection (in Bedfordshire, UK), National War Museum (in Fort St Elmo, Malta) and the RAF Museum (in Hendon and Cosford, UK). One Swedish Gladiator Mk I is preserved in Winter War markings at the Swedish Air Force Museum in Malmslätt, Sweden.

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 27 ft 5 in (8.4 m)
• Wingspan: 32 ft 3 in (9.8 m)
• Height: 11 ft 7 in (3.2 m)
• Wing area: 323 ft² (30 m²)
• Empty weight: 3,444 lb (1,560 kg)
• Loaded weight: 4,864 lb (2,205 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: lb (kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Bristol Mercury IX radial engine, 850 hp (630 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 257 mph (414 km/h) at 14,600 ft (4,500 m)
• Range: 444 mi (710 km)
• Service ceiling: 33,500 ft (10,200 m)
• Rate of climb: 2220 ft/min (11.2 m/s)
• Wing loading: lb/ft² (kg/m²)
• Power/mass: hp/lb (W/kg)

Armament

• Guns: Two Synchronised .303in. Browning machine-guns on sides of front fuselage, and one beneath each lower wing.

In at least some Sea Gladiators, provision existed for a pair of Brownings to be fitted under the upper wings as well, bringing the total to six. Official service release trials were not completed before the Sea Gladiators were replaced by later types - but some upper wing Brownings may have been fitted in the field, in particular in Malta.^[26]

Notes

Bibliography

• RAF Museum
• BoB net
• Warbirds Resource Group
• Fleet Air Arm Archive
• The Gloster Gladiator Web Page
• aeroflight
• maltaaviationmuseum
• Faith, Hope & Charity
• Gladiator Camouflage and Markings

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Gloster Gladiator

Related development

Gloster Gauntlet

Comparable aircraft

• Avia B-534
• Bristol Bulldog
• Fiat CR.32
• Fiat CR.42
• Grumman F3F
• Polikarpov I-15
• Polikarpov I-153

Designation sequence

Gloster Gambet - Gloster Gnatsnapper - Gauntlet - Gladiator - F.5/34 - F.9/37 - E.28/39 - Meteor - E.1/44 - Javelin

Related lists

• List of aircraft of the Royal Air Force
• List of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm

See also

• F. H. Maynard
• John H. Lapsley
• Roald Dahl
• Marmaduke Pattle