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War in a Stringbag by Charles Lamb. - Cranston Military Prints

War in a Stringbag by Charles Lamb.


War in a Stringbag by Charles Lamb.

Commander Charles Lamb fought an exceptional war flying the slow and obsolete Fairey Swordfish for the Fleet Air Arm. In this now-famous account, filled with fantastic incident and casual heroism, he tells the story of how he used this Stringbag to deadly effect against the Germans, the Italians and the Japanese during the Second World War.
Item Code : NMP6217War in a Stringbag by Charles Lamb. - Editions Available
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Illustrated paperback. 352 pages.none£7.99

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Commissioned on August 24, 1940, the German battleship Bismarck was the epitome of naval power. The great ship was 823 feet in length, had a beam of 118 feet, and a displacement of 50,000 tons. After nine months of sea trials the Bismarck embarked on its first mission accompanied by the cruiser Prinz Eugen on May 19, 1941. The Bismarcks mission was to destroy and disrupt convoys carrying war relief supplies to Britain from North America. On May 20th the Bismarck was spotted and reported to British intelligence as it passed through the narrow straits between Denmark and Sweden. The British presumed correctly that the Bismarck was headed for the North Atlantic, but by which route? Dividing its naval forces in an attempt to intercept the mighty German battleship, four ships were sent to patrol the Denmark strait, including the newly commissioned battleship Prince of Wales, and the H.M.S. Hood, a heavily armed battle cruiser, pride of the British fleet. On may 23rd the Bismarck was spotted by the H.M.S. Norfolk and the H.M.S. Suffolk. The Bismarck opened fire on the Norfolk, which was out gunned by the German ship, but fortunately was able to elude the Bismarck because of heavy fog and mist. With its position identified British Naval authorities ordered several other ships to the area including the H.M.S. Ark Royal, one of two aircraft carriers dispatched. On May 24th the Bismarck was engaged again. The H.M.S. Hood took a direct hit and exploded with the loss of all but three of its large crew. The Bismarck took two hits from the Prince of Wales during this battle, one of which had the effect of reducing the huge ships effective fuel capacity, and hence range. Later that evening a torpedo plane attack was launched at the German battleship, which sustained one hit with little damage. On May 25th the Bismarck separated from the Prinz Eugen, and set a course for the French coast in hopes of making repairs. On May 26th the Bismarck was located again by a British reconnaissance aircraft. In an attempt to prevent the ship from reaching the safety of Luftwaffe air cover, a second torpedo plane attack was launched from the Ark Royal. Utilizing Fairy Swordfish bi-plane torpedo bombers, two hits were achieved. The first was amidships and caused virtually no damage. The second hit was astern, and resulted in the jamming of the Bismarcks rudder. Unable to maneuver, the great German battleship had little choice that to continue steaming for the French coast. Four more British warships lay in its path including the H.M.S. Rodney, the H.M.S. King George V, the H.M.S. Dorsetshire, and the H.M.S. Norfolk. On the morning of May 27th an enormous sea battle took place, with the unmaneuverable Bismarck taking more than 1,000 direct hits. After losing its fire control system, the Bismarck became a defenseless target. At approximately 10:00 AM Bismarcks Captain gave the orders to scuttle the enormous ship, and about 40 minutes later the great vessel slipped quietly beneath the surface of the Atlantic.

Sink the Bismarck by Stan Stokes.		 The Straits of Dover, 12th February 1942. Sub Lieutenant Edgar Lee helps his badly wounded pilot, Sub Lieutenant Brian Rose from the cockpit of their downed Swordfish, before it sinks into the depths of the English Channel following their brave attack on the mighty German fleet. Six Royal Navy Swordfish aircraft manned by 18 aircrew attacked the German warships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen, with their accompanying flotilla of destroyers and motor torpedo boats and top cover provided by deadly fighter aircraft of the Luftwaffe. But only five Swordfish crew survived.

Channel Dash Heroes by Philip West. 		The remarkable Fairey Swordfish served with distinction throughout WWII, despite being nothing short of an anachronism. Its dated appearance belied a solid, workmanlike airframe that provided a stable platform from which to launch torpedoes against enemy shipping, the venerable 'Stringbag' sending a greater tonnage of Axis shipping to the bottom than any other allied aircraft in the Second World War. A Mk.II is shown taking off from HMS Ark Royal early in 1941.

Last Man Away by Ivan Berryman.		 Fairey Swordfish I, L9726 4M of 818 Sqn, HMS Ark Royal pulls a tight, climbing turn through a hail of anti-aircraft fire as its torpedo strikes home, jamming the steering gear of the mighty Bismarck and setting in motion the beginning of her dramatic end.

Bismarck by Ivan Berryman.
Aircraft Related to This Print
Swordfish

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