Aviation In Ww2 Essay

In warfare, the machines used to wage conflicts are the ultimate deciders of who will come out victorious, and who will not. The aircraft carrier is one such machine. Not only were they the largest ships in the navy in World War 2, but they also had and still have one of the largest impacts in the way war was fought. Not only were they strikingly impressive, but they also have the capability to strike devastatingly. It’s objective, to bring fighter and bomber aircraft closer to the battlefield, wherever on the globe that may be. Before the 1940s, the aircraft carrier was not developed enough to see combat. Naval aviation changed drastically in World War 2, because this was when the Aircraft Carrier was first deployed for combat. From battling

May 1941, the German battleship “Bismarck”, which was the most advanced and heavily armed battleship of the German navy, was decimating allied ships in the Atlantic. As a result the British deployed their entire home fleet as an attempt to eliminate the threat. Unfortunately, the British destroyers which were sent to attack the Bismarck were crippled as the German warship was too powerful and heavily armed. For instance the HMS Hood was sunk after a ferocious battle with the Bismarck, taking 1421 lives with her to the bottom of the Atlantic. (Dogfights History Channel) Realising their destroyers have failed, the British decided to use a new weapon, naval carrier aviation. 15 Fairey Swordfish torpedo bomber aircraft launched from the HMS Ark Royal. Surprisingly, although the Fairey Swordfish was considered outdated for combat due to it’s biplane design, it had tremendous success when attacking ships. Shortly, the torpedo’s from these aircraft struck the Bismarck’s rudder, rendering it non steerable and significantly handicapped. Unable to return to Nazi occupied waters, a few more British destroyers easily managed to attack the Bismarck, finally leading to it being sunk at 10:49pm. (Dogfights: Sink the