Taranto strikes Swordfish appearance

[Christa]

I have been looking for detailed information on Swordfish that attacked Taranto. Does anybody know where I might find images or descriptions of the two Taranto strikes flown by Fairey Swordfish from HMS Illustrious 11/12 November 1940? In particular, were the undersides darkened and what colour were the code letters applied for that attack?

 

I have a couple of views of the additional fuel tanks carried. More would be useful.

 

Thanks.

 

Chris

[dennismcc]

There's this build threads over on Britmodeller

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235112366-a-taranto-swordfish-815-nas-“4a”-finished/

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235117479-fairey-swordfish-unofficial-gb-815nas-l4a-at-taranto-11th-november-1940/

Another one

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235117482-fairly-swordfish-mk1-of-824-nas-operation-judgement-taranto-raid-anniversary-unofficial-gb/

If you google "Britmodeller Taranto" you should get more hits as the search engine on the site is not that good.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

[Bob MDC]

I have some tanks for the Swordfish not got round to finishing them of with the mounting and fuel lines.

 

Bob

[LSP_Mike]

A Taranto Swordfish would be a nice break. I might even keep mine.

[Christa]

Best help on underside distemper for Taranto strike Swordfish comes from Charles Lamb, flare dropper + bombs, 815 Squadron, HMS Illustrious. He was in the first strike flying L5B. In his autobiography, War in a Stringbag, Lamb writes of 'dark blue grey' applied to the undersides.

[LSP_Mike]

Not black. Interesting. So, an RN color? Something on board the ship?

[Rob Owens]

Like Hull/Superstructure grey?? Not like Illustrious wouldn't have any of THAT aboard

[Christa]

My guess is that available 'distemper' would have been picked, mixed and applied, before individual aircraft codes were reapplied, perhaps larger than normal, in red or dark blue. Battleship grey paint certainly would have been on board Illustrious, but I don't know enough about paint to know if that stuff would have been suitable for Swordifish. A small clue is offered by a monochrome photograph of Williamson/Scarlett's crashed L4A wreck being hoisted out of the harbour water. Code letters are not visible, so maybe the code application was water soluble and had washed off with the dark distemper.

 

This one is hard to pin down. I have yet to find a single photograph of any Taranto strike aircraft as they looked that night.

[LSP_Mike]

They would not have worried about the paint sticking for one mission, it would have done the job. Possible the codes were tape? The wind would have dried paint quickly, so codes could have been rolled on.

[Finn]

Here is one that was shot down and being recovered:

 

https://www.ww2incolor.com/gallery/british-forces/49402/shot-down-during-the-"night-of-taranto"

 

Jari

[Christa]

Thanks Jan.

 

Looking again at that wreck image I realised the underwing 'A' roundel is visible. I believe the blue/grey distemper was applied over those markings, adding to my thought that the dark distemper had washed off in the harbour water.