The Fairey Swordfish was slow, outdated and vulnerable, yet in May 1941 it struck a blow that changed naval history. These fabric-covered biplanes attacked the mighty German battleship Bismarck, crippling her rudder and sealing her fate. But how could such an old-fashioned aircraft succeed against one of the most powerful warships ever built? And if the Fleet Air Arm had adopted faster, more modern monoplanes like the Spitfire or Hurricane earlier in the war, could they have been even more effec

Stringbag! Fairey Swordfish at Shuttleworth #ww2 #ww2history #flynavy #fairey #swordfish | Daniel J Wheatcroft

The Fairey Swordfish Mk I. This aircraft Navy Wings W5856 was built in 1941 and is the oldest surviving Swordfish in the world. Video taken recently at IWM Duxford, England. Imperial War Museum Duxford | World War II Aircraft

Warbird A-Z - S is for… Stringbag! The Fairey Swordfish - one of the most successful Allied maritime strike platforms #warbirds #ww2 #wwii #swordfish #flynavy | Daniel J Wheatcroft

The Gloster Gladiator - hero of the defence of Malta, and like the Fairey Swordfish a biplane that more than proved itself able to hold the line #warbirds #ww2 #ww2history #gloster #gladiator | Daniel J Wheatcroft