Of
Bicycles, Bombs and Torpedoes
Philip Gregory
BA History
If someone told you that a biplane considered obsolete in
1936 would cripple the pride of the Kriegsmarine, help turn the tide of naval
power in the Mediterranean and sink more Axis shipping than any other Allied
plane you would consider them delusional. Incredibly, however, this is exactly
what the Fairey Swordfish, an antiquated biplane known affectionately as the
‘stringbag’ by its crews, did during World War Two.
