Aircraft of the RAF : Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Twin-engined monoplane bomber. The Whitley was one of the first heavy night bombers of the RAF, and the first RAF aircraft with a stressed-skin fuselage. It had a characteristic nose-down flying attitude, because of the high incidence of the wing. Performance was mediocre, and from 1942 onwards it was used as trainer and glider tug. Avro 683 Lancaster Lancaster, also known as "Lanc" - the most used British heavy bomber of WWII. Lancasters flew 156,000 missions. The Lancaster was a development of the unsatisfactory twin-engine Manchester. It had a rectangular fuselage, mid-set wing and twin tail fins and rudders. It was able to carry very heavy bombs and bulky 'special' weapons; with modifications to the bomb-bay even 10.000kg bombs were carried. Fairey Swordfish Little different from the biplanes of World War I and totally obsolete by World War II, the Fairey Swordfish remarkably remained operational until after 1945. Slow and almost defenceless, it was a successful torpedo bomber against light opposition. Swordfish crippled the italian fleet at Tarente and helped to sink the German Bismarck. Its main advantage was strength, ease of maintenance, and viceless flying qualities. Swordfish could be flown from aircraft carriers, even in rough seas. By the end of 1941, the wartime Swordfish was confined mainly to anti-submarine operations. Bristol Beaufort Twin-engined torpedo bomber, based on Blenheim experience (more heavy, because crew was four men). It was the standard torpedo bomber from 1940 until 1943, but was never considered a really successful type (but attacked also German battle cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau). From 1939 built also in Australia with Pratt&Whitney Twin Wasp engines (1,200 HP) - succesful by attacks before Japanese ships Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax Heavy bomber, less known than the Lancaster but almost as important. It was built both with Rolls-Royce Merlin liquid-cooled and Bristol Hercules radial engines. The Halifax was a mid-wing aircraft with twin fins and rudders and a fuselage of rectangular cross-section. Halifaxes flew 75532 missions during WWII. They were also used as glider tug and transport. A nickname was "Halibag". Vickers Wellington Twin-engined medium bomber of geodetic construction. It was the main British bomber during the first part of WWII, but the RAF was soon forced to abandon daylight attacks because of its vulnerability. The Wellington was in production until the end of the war. After its replacement in Bomber Command by the new four-engined bombers it was flown on numerous other duties, and some were used until 1953. The Mk.X introduced a fuselage structure of light alloy, instead of steel. There were also prototypes and a small production series (about 60) of the Mk.V and Mk.VI, with early cabin pressurisation systems, which did not enter service.                     Bristol Beaufighter The Beaufighter was designed as a long-range heavy fighter, with many components in common with the Bristol Beaufort torpedo bomber. It saw service as a night fighter, a torpedo bomber, a ground attack fighter and an anti-shipping aircraft. In addition to operations in Europe, it also served in the Middle East and Far East. By September 1945 a total of 5 564 had been built in a variety of models and many continued in front-line service into the end of 1950s. Havilland D.H.98 Mosquito The Mosquito was a twin-engined aircraft of plywood monocoque construction, designed originally as a fast, unarmed light bomber. This concept was regarded as an aberration by the authorities, but the performance of the Mosquito silenced the critics. At night it operated with impunity over Germany to the end of the war, because the Luftwaffe never had a nightfighter fast enough to intercept it. The Mosquito also served with distinction as fighter-bomber, recconaissance aircraft and nightfighter. It was one of the finest aircraft of WWII, with a versatility only matched by the German Junkers Ju 88. Gloster G.41 Meteor The first allied jet fighter. Its combat use in WWII was limited to intercepting V-1's. The Meteor was of conventional layout, with engines in mid-wing nacelles, and it was capable of accepting many types of engine. The flexible design allowed a long development history after the war, and the Meteor introduced jet engines to many airforces. A two-seat night fighter with a long radar nose was developed by Armstrong Whitworth and entered service in 1950. The last were retired from service in 1961. Hawker Hurricane, Sea Hurricane The Hurricane was the first monoplane fighter produced by Hawker, and was available in substantial numbers at the beginning of World War II. Hurricanes played a decisive role in the Battle of Britain and went on to fly on more fronts than any other British fighter. Canadian Car and Foundry manufactured 1 451 Hurricanes between 1938 and 1943. With increasingly heavy armament, Hurricanes served to the end of the war. Hurricanes were used in Canada for training and coastal patrols. Supermarine Spitfire An uncompromised, fast and maneuvrable fighter. The remarkable thin elliptical wing made the Spitfire capable of very high speeds, but it had to be reinforced several times to retain aileron effectiveness. The Spitfire served as first-line fighter throughout WWII in increasingly fast and powerful versions, first with the Merlin, later with the Griffon engine. The Spitfire was continously changed to meet all kinds of threats and demands, as low- and high altitude fighter, tropicalized, navalized, or equipped as unarmed photo-reconaissance aircraft. Probably the most famous military aircraft ever.Production ended in October 1947 (Mk.24), 20,334 built. The RAF retired its last Spitfires - PR Mk. 19 recce aircraft - in 1954. Westland Whirlwind A small, fast twin-engined fighter, one of the first to be armed with four 20mm cannon. The Whirlwind was a fine fighter that could combat single-engined fighters with success. It had the misfortune that the development and production of the R.R. Peregrine engine was halted, and no alternative was available. The Whirlwind was tailored to this engine and the original specification. When the Hurricane and Spitfire proved to be able to carry the 20mm cannon, and the Beaufighter filled in the heavy fighter role, interest in the Whirlwind faded. Another defiency was its short range, with a radius of action of only 240km. It served in small numbers as fighter-bomber. Sources : Military.CZ By the late 1930s, the british had a large number of destroyers, but many were entering their second decade of service. The policy of building a destroyer flotilla per year to a near standard, but slowly evolving design added useful numbers but these were offset by the wide range of duties allotted to them; many were ill-suited for their assigned tasks. In cruisers, the Royal Navy appeared up to strenght, but a high proportion were the small and obsolescent C and D classes, designed for service in home waters. At the upper end were the imposing County class ships. The Washington treaties had imposed on cruisers an individual limit of 10,000 tons standard displacement and an 8-inch maximum gun calabre. At the time, no vessel incorporating such limits existed but they rapidly assumed the status of standard parameters within which designers vied internationally to produce an ideal solution. The three major variables of armerment, speed and protection were interactive to the extent where an improvement in one could only be at the expense of another.Untill 1939 British carriers were widely spread between fleets and rarely worked together.The navy had no more aircraft left, so inguity and courage had to be the high risk substitute for a strike in correct strenght. Ships of the Royal Navy; Battleships: Queen Elizabeth class battleship, 5 were built They were extensively reconstructed between 1924 and 1933. Their torpedo protection was increased by 'bulging', their twin funnels were trunked into one massive casing to keep the re-modelled bridge structure clear of smoke. Anti-aircraft guns were added. The 13,5 in main battery guns were givin extra elevation for longer range. Nelson class battleship, 2 were built With three barrels in each turret, nine guns could be accommodated for each turret. Armerment and protection were bought to the expense of speed. The ships limit was 23 knots. She spend eight months under repair early in the war after being mined. Rodney, along with King George V, battered the Bismarck.Both were scrapped in 1948/9. Revenge class battleship, 5 were built Three of the class were struck by submarine torpedo's during the war but only the Royal Oak, hit by at least two, was sunk. This followed a remarkable penetration of the Scapa Flow defences by Prien in U-47 during October 1939.Their war was spent mostly as escorts to high value troop convoys and as fire support for ambitious operations. King George V class battleship, 5 were built This class of five reverted to a smaller 14-in calibre main battery because the Londen Navel Conference of 1936 limited the standard displacement of individual battleships to 35,000 tons. Great Britain adhered strictly to this tonnage but believed that 14-in guns were the maximum size that cuold be carried on this class. Hood class battleship, 1 was built The afwul lessons of Jutland were learned before the first unit, the Hood, was laid down, and an extra 5,000 tons of protection was worked in. Hood had a magnificent profile and , at speed, had a beauty that has never surpassed. She was sunk by here rival the german Bismarck Renown class battleship, 2 were built Completed in 1916, they saw little action. Both were reconstructed between the wars. Renown had the later reconstruction, in 1936-39, and emerged a modern and powerful unit. As such she gained considerable fame, mainly as part of the Gibraltar-based Force 'H' Repulse was torpedoed and sunk by Japanese aircraft in December 1941. Aircraft Carriers Ark Royal class aircraft carriers, 1 was built A top speed of 30 knots was demanded for ease of aircraft operations and a long endurance to match the latest battleships. Two hangars, vertically disposed, increased aircraft capacity and elevated the flightdeck, reducing wetness. The Ark Royal was sunk by a single torpedo by a U-boat. Illustrious class aircraft carriers, 6 were built Illustrious's running mate was Victorous and the thirty bombers and 6 fighters/dive bombers for which they were designed had actually increased to 18 Avengers and 36 Wildcats by 1943.Only the first four were completed to see major action. Courageous class aircraft carriers, 3 were built In 1922 Furious was taken in hand again and given a continuous flightdeck with no island, the uptakes being trunked to the after end. Her sisters, Courageous and Glorious, were similarly converted from 1924 but with an island built around a large funnel casing. Colossus class aircraft carrier, 16 were built By September 1942 no less than sixteen were on order. The first to be completed was the Colossus, but not untill December 1944; she was joined by the Glory, Venerable and Vengeance quickly enough to reach the Pacific Theatre, able to carry up to 60 aircraft. Cruisers: County class cruiser, 14 were built Their stately appearence disguished the ability to maintain over 32 knots in a considerable sea. THis was backed by a very respectable cruising radius. The first group had external bulges, the second group bennefitting from having internal protection instead. Town class cruiser, 8 were built With only a moderate increase in dimensions, they contrived to mount a main armerment of twelve barrels, compared with the eight of the preceding leaders. Their protection was also improved. The last three were of slightly increased displacement, due to a marginally wider beam. Crown Colony class cruiser, 11 were built Obvious derivatives of the Southamptons, the Crown class was significantly shorter, yet retained the same beam. They had vertical funnels and masts, bearing the same relationships to the Towns as the improved Didos did to the Didos. Dido class anti-aircraft cruiser, 13 were built The dido distuinguished themselves in the Mediterranean notably at Second Sirte. While large machinary spaces caused rapid loss in the event of a critical torpedo hit (four were thus sunk) they were also able to absorb severe punishment. Leander class cruiser, 8 were built The leanders had a balanced eight-gun layout and introduced the very effective eight 4-in anti-aircraft battery that became standard in succeeding classes. Of the five original group, the Ajax and Achilles achieved immortality trough their involvement in the action at the River Plate. 'C' class cruiser, 28 were built Of the 28 built, thirteen served during World War2. Seven of these had been converted to anti-aircraft cruisers through a comprehensive rebuild, exchanging the origianal armerment for eight or ten 4-in high angle guns and modern directors. They saw much action  and it is interesting that, of the five lost, three were sunk by aircraft. 'E' class cruiser, 2 were built Enterprise carried a prototype twin 6-in forward, a mounting used later in the Leanders and Arethusas. Both gained an aircraft and catapult. SEcond-line units by 1939 the Enterprise was to have her day when, in company with the cruiser Glasgow, she intercepted no les than ten enemy destroyers and torpedo boats in the bay of Biscay. Destroyers: Tribal class destroyers, 16 were built They were the only British destroyers ever to mount eight 4.7-in guns, a battery achieved at the expense of the torpedo armerment. Of this class no less than 12 were lost. Their poor anti-aircraft armerment may have contributed to the five sunk by air attack. Submarines: 'T' class submarines, 55 were built First of this class, Triton, was completed in October 1937 and, while only 2 more had been completed by the outbreak of war, numbers thereafter rapidly increased. BY 1945, 55 units had been completed and four were cancelled. 'S' class submarines, 35 were built Four were built to this limit but had great problems as a result, a particulary worrying trend being the lack of stability immediately on surfacing. Eight further boats followed, with an extra six feet lenght in the pressure hull. These submarines had up to 13 torpedo's aboard. 'U' class submarines, 71 were built The first three units were from Vickers Armstrong at Barrow and, when the admiralty placed on order for twelve more in 1939. A total of 71 more were built. 13 submarines of this class were lost in the mediterranean.                                                          In memory of the crew of the Battleship 'HOOD' sunk by 'Bismarck'

British Army