The most unlikely star of the air defense of England against the Nazis was an obsolete biplane known as the "Stringbag"--a version of the Fairey Swordfish that earned legendary battle honors. Endearing to its pilots for its maneuverability and simplicity, the Stringbag finally gets a well-deserved chronicle. From its design origins and early peacetime service to its rush into war action, this torpedo-spotting reconnaissance aircraft soon became the standard carrier-borne torpedo bomber, and participated in such crucial operations as the Bismarck attack, Taranto, Norway, and the Channel Dash. Along with its battle record, fully illustrated specifications are given for all variants of the Swordfish, as well as names of all its squadrons, and a history of all individual aircraft.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A superb resource for anyone interested in Swordfish personal accounts or tracking down individual planes,
This review is from: The Swordfish Story (Paperback)
I just obtained Ray Sturtivant's magisterial work 'The Swordfish Story'. In this work, besides recounting dozens of pilot/observer reports of various wartime Swordfish experiences, Sturtivant includes these marvelous resources:
* A mini-history of every Swordfish - from when it was delivered to where it served and how it ended. Appendix 4, pages 185-236 of small print. This history is by aircraft serial number. Unbelievable! * An enumeration with details of every Swordfish lost. Appendix 3 * An accounting of each plane at all major/minor Swordfish actions, where known * Innumerable photos, not heretofore published in the standard Swordfish modeling booklets. I especially liked the photo of a Swordfish transporting a motorcycle instead of a torpedo. There is also a picture of one of the two Taranto Swordfish (L4A) shot down and 'raised' by the Italians. It is clear that Sturtivant spared no effort in tracking down every Swordfish. In notable Swordfish actions, he has a table inserted into the text with each plane present, crew, number, and serial number. This endeavor could simply not be duplicated and Sturtivant deserves the DFC at least! Although there are other books on the Swordfish focused on modeling (Swordfish in Action for one) and also books on individual's war histories ('To War in a Stringbag') which are also excellent, Sturtivant does the best at detailed, first-person accounts of many, many Swordfish actions.
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