- quality wooden model WWI and WWII airplanes -
- quality wooden model WWI and WWII airplanes -
Short Sunderland Flying Boat - Mark III, RAAF
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Photography by Action Asia Photo |
The evolution of the flying boat proceeded rapidly in the 1920s and 1930s. Development reached a peak during World War II, when large flying boats were fielded by most of the major combatants in substantial numbers. One of the most prominent of these aircraft was the British Short Sunderland - an excellent design that made a major contribution to Allied victory, particularly in the Battle of the Atlantic against German U-boats. The Short Sunderland first flew in 1937, and was upgraded from the original S-23 up to the Mark V. The RAF received its first Sunderland Mark I in June 1938. By the outbreak of war in September 1939, the RAF Coastal Command was operating 40 Sunderlands. They destroyed or shared in the destruction of a dozen U-Boats. There are accounts of the huge flying boats engaging successfully Ju88s and Focke-Wulf 200s. Although British anti-submarine efforts were disorganized and ineffectual at first, Sunderlands quickly proved useful in the rescue of crews of torpedoed ships. In September, 1939, two Sunderlands rescued the entire 34 man crew of the torpedoed merchantman Kensington Court from the North Sea. As British anti-submarine measures improved, the Sunderland began to show its claws as well. A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Sunderland performed the type's first unassisted kill of a U-boat in July 1940. As the British honed their combat skills, the Sunderland Mark I received various improvements to make it more effective. The nose turret was upgraded to two 7.7 millimeter guns instead of one. New propellers and pneumatic rubber wing de-icing boots were fitted as well. Although the 7.7 millimeter guns lacked range and hitting power the Sunderland had a fair number of them; and it was a well-built machine that was hard to destroy. In April 1940, a Sunderland operating off Norway was attacked by six German Ju-88 fighters. The Sunderland managed to shoot one down, damage another and drive off the rest. The Germans would eventually name the Sunderland the "Fliegende Stachelsweine" or Flying Porcupine. Sunderlands also proved themselves in the Mediterranean theater where they performed valiantly in performing evacuations during the German seizure of Crete. It was a Sunderland that did the crucial reconnaissance mission of the Italian fleet at anchor in Taranto before the famous Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm's torpedo attack in November 1940. Although the Sunderland was not an amphibian, beaching gear allowed it to be pulled up on land. Two-wheeled struts could be attached to either side of the fuselage while a small two-wheel trolley with a tow bar could be fitted under the rear of the hull. Post war, it continued to serve in civilian variants as a passenger and transport aircraft. Crew:
Normally 13
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