Stringbag: The Fairey Swordfish at War

by David Wragg

This is a narrative account of the operations of the Fairey Swordfish throughout World War Two. The most famous of these was the attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto, crippling three battleships and damaging several other ships as well as the seaplane base and an oil storage depot. The Swordfish played a prominent part in the Battle of Matapan and in the sinking of the Bismarck. Less happily, Swordfish were used in the unsuccessful and ill-prepared raid on the Germans at Petsamo and in the abortive attack on the battle cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau during the Channel Dash in 1942.

332 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[JD · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, well researched book about the Fairey Swordfish bi-plane's service during World War 2 with great firsthand accounts of flying it into combat. The Swordfish was an amazing bi-plane that served in many theatres of the War from start to finish and flew well into the jet-age. Well worth the read!!

[Simon Jeffreys · Rating 4 out of 5]

The nitty gritty of the Swordfish in service

A well researched history , almost from the aircrews point of view. The wealth of detail in the squadron appendix was particularly welcome.