- Yes
- No
Introduction: The Barracuda is an unsung hero of British aviation, being the main spearhead of the Fleet Air Arm for much of the Second World War. The Barracuda Mk.II is where the aircraft truly came into its own, being the first service variant, and the one to see most action. Whilst it is often overshadowed by its older relative, the Swordfish, it served in numerous battles wherever the Fleet Air Arm took it.
Background: The Barracuda Mk.II was the first Barracuda variant to enter service with the Fleet Air Arm, being an improvement upon the Mk.I, which was produced in small numbers to serve as test aircraft. The main improvement was the addition of a Merlin 32, which gave added power and improved performance. Many aircraft were also fitted with the ASV.Mk.II air-to-surface radar, with Yagi antennae placed above the wings, giving the Barracuda the ability to search for targets at night and in bad weather. These were also aided by the Barracuda Mk.III, which had the ASV.Mk.III radar, but these were also used in ASW operations.
Service: The first aircraft began to enter service in 1943 with No.827 Squadron, with a total of 24 frontline squadrons using the type during the War. The Barracude received its baptism of fire during Operation Tungsten, an attack on the battleship Tirpitz. The mission was a success, with the ship receiving significant damage and loss to its crew, to the loss of four British aircraft. This raid was eventually followed up by two less successful raids during Operation Mascot and Operation Goodwood, which scored little damage on the battleship, which was eventually dealt with by the RAF using some Tallboys. The Barracuda would also participate in the Mediterranean campaign, flying missions in support of troops landing at Salerno. Whilst intended as a torpedo bomber, the aircraft also possessed a dive-bombing capability too, which was ultimately utilised to a much greater degree than doing torpedo runs, as by 1943, Axis shipping had been dealt with so effectively that there was little to drop torpedoes at. Barracudas put this capability to good use in 1944, when they were deployed to the Far East. They would take part in Operation Cockpit, raiding Japanese installations in Sumatra. It was found that in this area of operations that the aircraft’s low-altitude rated engine struggled in the hot-and-high operating conditions over the mountains of Indonesia, and the Grumman Avenger was preferred in this theatre. Despite this, the British Pacific Fleet retained them, keeping one squadron of each type on their carriers, and by VJ-Day, there were five Barracuda squadrons and four Avenger ones.
Performance:
Spoiler
| Power: | 1x Rolls-Royce Merlin 32 |
|---|---|
| Armament: | 2x 0.303in (7.7mm) Browning machine guns |
1x 1620lb (735kg) torpedo
OR
1x 1000lb (454kg) bomb
Beneath fuselage
OR
4x 450lb (204kg) bombs
OR
6x 250lb (113kg) bombs
OR
Depth charges and mines
Underneath wings|
|Size:|Wingspan: 49ft 2in (14.99m)
Length: 39ft 9in (12.12m)
Height: 15ft 1in (4.60m)
Wing Area: 367sq ft (34.09sq m)|
|Weights:|Empty: 9350lb (4245kg)
MTOW: 14,100lb (6401kg)|
|Maximum Ceiling:|16,600ft (5060m)|
|Maximum Speed:|228mph (367km/h)|
|Range:|1150 miles (1851km)|
|Climb|5000ft (1524m) in 6 minutes|
Conclusion: The Barracuda Mk.II would be an incredibly capable aircraft in game, and one which would be more than welcome to have its place in the British tech tree, due to its historical significance, in addition to the fact that Britain can certainly use more torpedo and dive bombers at all ranks where they can be added.
Sources:
Spoiler
“British Secret Projects 4: Bombers 1935 to 1950” by Tony Buttler
“Bombers” by Francis Crosby
Fairey Barracuda | Naval Air History
Fairey Barracuda | Historic Aviation on Key Aero
Fairey Barracuda | Classic Warbirds
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Fairey_Barracuda_II_of_814_Squadron.jpg
