J 8 Gloster Gladiator

Data

Manufacturer: Gloucester Aircraft Company Ltd (a.k.a. Gloster Aircraft Co)
Engine:(J 8) Bristol Mercury VI S2, 680 hp (J 8A) Bristol Mercury VIII S3, 740 hp
Wing span: 9.85 m
Height: 3.15 m
Length: 8.36 m
In service: 1937-1947
Top speed: (J 8) 375 km/h (J 8A) 410 km/h
Service ceiling: (J 8) 9,300 m (J 8A) 10.060 m
Armament: 4 x 8 mm m/22F machine guns, 4 x 12 kg general-purpose bombs
Crew: 1
No. in service: 55 (Sweden)
Air Force serials: 231-285
Used by (wings): F 8 Barkarby, F 9 Säve, F 10 Ängelholm, F 13 Norrköping,
F 16 Uppsala, F 19

History

In 1936, Sweden decided to form a fighter wing purely for air superiority tasks, called F 8, located in Barkarby. The work to establish the new wing commenced on July 1st 1938. On the 1st of October the same year, the first fighter squadron of Gloster Gladiators, in Sweden designated "J 8", arrived. The first two Gladiators had arrived in Sweden as early as 1937. The planes were equipped with a nine-cylinder air-cooled Bristol Mercury VI S2 (680 hp) with a three-bladed metal propeller. This was followed by an order for a further 35 planes, with the same engine but with a two-bladed wooden propeller and 18 planes equipped with the stronger Bristol Mercury VIII S3 engine (740 hp). The planes with the stronger engine were designated "J 8A". Initially, the planes were deployed by the F 8 detachment stationed at the F 1 wing in Västerås, for evaluation and training purposes. They were transferred to the F 8 wing at Barkarby during the autumn of 1938.

When WWII broke out the Swedish Gladiators were deployed in three squadrons at F 8 Barkarby. On the 19th of December major Hugo Beckhammar of the Swedish Air Force began working to establish the F 19 (although the name wasn't adopted until January 8th 1940) volunteer unit which was going to be sent to Finland to aid the Finns against the Soviets. On the 30th of December the decision was made to send 12 ski-equipped Gladiator fighters and 5* (some sources say 4, see below) Hawker Hart light bombers. When the Winter War ended on the 15th of March 1940, 9 Gladiators and 2 Hawker Harts remained.

During their service in Finland, the Gladiators had shot down one Polikarpov I-15 and one DB-3, damaged and forced down two I-15's, three SB-2 and one TB-3 and damaged another DB-3 and one SB-2. Three Gladiators were lost, one of which crashed during a test flight. One of the surviving Gladiators, serial no. 278, is preserved at the Flygvapenmuseum in Linköping. See photos below.

In December of 1939 deliveries of the Seversky-Republic EP-106 fighters commenced and these new planes were intended to replace the Gladiators in service with the F 8 wing. The Gladiators were gradually transferred to the F 9 wing in Säve in 1940, and to the F 10 wing in Ängelholm in 1941. Some were later transferred to the F 13 wing in Norrköping and the F 16 wing in Uppsala beginning in 1943, when the Gladiator became a 2nd line aircraft in the Swedish Air Force. It should be noted that no less than 28 Gladiators, almost half of the operational number, were lost in accidents. The last three Gladiators (serials 231, 232 and 256) were retired from service in 1947.

Sources

Böhme, Linton, Air Power, Doctrine and Technology - Proceedings, Stockholm 1996
Gunston, Fighting Aircraft of World War II, 2001
Norrbohm, Skogsberg, Att flyga är att leva, Smeets 1975
http://www.smb.nu/svenskavingar/flygplan.asp?ID=76 (July 5th, 2004)
http://www.canit.se/~griffon/aviation/text/f19.htm (July 5th , 2004)

Images

J 8 Gladiator, serial no. 278
(Located at Flygvapenmuseum, Linköping, Sweden. All photos by Tony Ingesson)

(Click the images to see higher-resolution versions)

Note the Finnish Air Force insignia.	Note the engine heating device. The gun port is also visible to the left of the mannequin's hand.
A better view of the ski landing gear.	Close-up of the 8 mm m/22F machine gun.