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Subject: Coastal Command's ineffectiveness 39 to 42
Black Hornet    10/30/2010 6:00:30 PM
British ASV radar was too big for Skuas & Fairy Battles. Could only fit in 4 engined Catalinas or Sunderlands. By the end of 1940 Coastal command had sunk 0 U-boats. http://www.exreps.com/Trojan/Developmen ... c%2006.pdf From the purely statistical angle, anti-shipping operations during 1942 thus showed disappointing results. Over the whole year 42 ships (61,028 tons) were assessed as sunk by the three home Commands. All these sinkings--and three more--have since been confirmed. The total cost was 251 aircraft. These figures are unimpressive, http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/UK-RAF-II/UK-RAF-II-6.html Shetlands... When the Second World War broke out it was hoped that it might be used as a fighter station but the enemy often flew at low level and went undetected until they were spotted by R.O.C posts, usually by then too late for a scramble by aircraft,so these fighters were kept at Sumburgh. On 25 April 1940 a Hornet Moth flown by a visiting Air Marshall became the first aircraft to land here and various communications flights followed and up to 1941 there was only one runway completed here. Two Spitfires were stationed here in 1943 but again with the Luftwaffe flying in low level, radar would not pick them up so success from this station was non-existant. Luftwaffe would have very little to fear from Coastal Command if this air bridge were operational. Auxiliary airstrip at Trondheim built in 3 weeks, Herdla & Egilsstadir should be no different.
 
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Factfinder    ASV Radar   10/31/2010 11:20:02 AM
Just for information, the Blackburn Skua was a naval fighter/dive bomber, and the Fairey (not Fairy) Battle a Bomber Command aircraft, although three squadrons were 'dumped' on Coastal Command in 1940. Both were obsolete by the start of the war, were single engined, and lacked the endurance for long-range maritime operations. There was never any intention to fit radar in them, and they were out of front-line service by the time sets became available in any numbers in any case.
 
The Sunderland and later the Hudson were far more suitable candidates, as was the TWO ENGINED Catalina once it became available.
 
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