Cool Plane. Anyone know what it is? My image search revealed nothing

[RudyBob]

Edited October 24, 2018 by RudyBob

[Don149]

Gloster Gladiator with ski`s . possibly Swedish markings .

[Stew Dapple]

Yes, it's the Airfix Series 2 Gloster J8a/Gladiator II by the look of it  

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

[Paul J]

Yep. 'Tis Swedish ... Airfix kit and decals by the look of it.  I think the markings are to do with Swedish volunteers in the Finnish- Russo war.

[Jure Miljevic]

F 19's transit markings on their return voyage, literally. Unit's Gladiators and Harts took off from Finland and landed in Sweden. Apparently neither country was comfortable with aircraft, carrying the other's air force markings over and on its territory. The reason was probably of diplomatic nature. Cheers

Jure

[dogsbody]

The Swedish Volunteer squadron in Finland.

 

 

 

 

Chris

[Bear Paw]

Those markings always look like some thing the baddies would fly in Tin Tin.  

[Adam Poultney]

WW2 Gloster Gladiator

[Britman]

The most advanced fighter of WW1.

 

Keith. 

[Antti_K]

Hello all,

 

the Swedish pilots used their personal insignias on both Gladiators and Hawker Harts as Sweden was a neutral country. It was impossible for both countries (Sweden and Finland) to declare that voluntary members of the Swedish military forces were fighting a war against Soviet Union on Finnish territory. So these markings were more than just transit markings. Later F19 adopted the blue Finnish Air Force swastika as their Wing emblem. I don't recall seeing a photo of these planes carrying Finnish national markings although I've seen drawn profiles.

 

What makes the story interesting is the fact that there were also voluntary pilots from Denmark who flew both Swedish and Finnish aircraft.

 

All aircraft delivered to Finnish Air Force during the Winter War (Hurricanes, Blenheims, Lysanders, Morane MS406s, Brewster Buffaloes,...) flew over neutral Sweden on their way home showing just white discs on their wings and fuselage; the blue swastikas were painted over with removable white paint. Some Hurricanes and Blenheims carried an additional civil registration as well (e.g. Hurricane Mk.1 OH-IPL)

 

Cheers,

Antti

[Matave]

The (almost) complete history with profiles of all F 19 aircraft markings are described together with a lot of pictures in this book:

 

Gloster Gladiator and Hawker Hart : In Combat with the Swedish Voluntary Wing F19, Finland 1940 by Mikael Forslund

 

Edited December 17, 2018 by Matave

[Artie]

A finnish friend of mine told me some time ago that the soviets had said that "any foreign pilot fighting on the Finnish side, and being captured, would be treated like a pirate, and properly executed", so they painted that skull and bones emblem on their planes. Didn't know wether that was true or just a legend....Those decals are included in one of the Roden's Gladiator.

[Antti_K]

Good evening Artie,

 

That may well have been the case. I knew personally a Finnish fighter pilot who was shot down and he ended up on a Soviet POW camp. He was released and returned home after the war and told that "it wasn't a walk in the park". A Finnish pilot from my grandfather's squadron rather shot himself after his Morane crashed at Virolahti than to became a POW in the Soviet Union.

 

Cheers,

Antti

[bzn20]

A Gladiator shot down the 1st German 'plane of WW2, a Heinkel 111 near the Forth Bridge , I think.  1st model I ever had . Balsa wood kit made by my dad when he was a kid . Soon made a mess of that though. he wasn't happy . Faith , Hope and Charity over Malta . 3 Gladiators

[Artie]

IMHO, the Gloucester Gladiator is quite underrated by modellers in general.....Maybe the last biplane fighter in RAF service, but they stood well against more powerful foes, and served over most of the fronts during the war, from the french fields during the Phoney War or Norwegian seas, to the Middle east, not to mention their role during the chino-japanese war...even during the BoB, they faced the enemies with more pride than ability.

[GrzeM]

On 12/17/2018 at 11:44 PM, bzn20 said:

A Gladiator shot down the 1st German 'plane of WW2, a Heinkel 111 near the Forth Bridge , I think. 

Don't think so. Poles have been shooting down German planes for three days before Britain joined the war.

Or the Fort Bridge Heinkel was shot down before the war.

[Selwyn]

On 12/17/2018 at 10:44 PM, bzn20 said:

A Gladiator shot down the 1st German 'plane of WW2, a Heinkel 111 near the Forth Bridge , I think.  1st model I ever had . Balsa wood kit made by my dad when he was a kid . Soon made a mess of that though. he wasn't happy . Faith , Hope and Charity over Malta . 3 Gladiators

The  first  RAF kill over mainland Britain which is what you were referring to was not by a Gladiator  but by Spitfires of 602 sqn City of Glasgow Squadron AAF based at RAF Drem to protect  shipping in the Firth of Forth.

 

The first RAF Gladiator kill was when No 607 Squadron "B" Flight shot down a Dornier Do 18 flying boat ('8L+DK' of 2.KuFlGr 606),  over the north sea.

 

Selwyn

Edited December 22, 2018 by Selwyn

[Grey Beema]

I believe that the first confirmed British & Imperial air victory over an enemy plane was a Blackburn Skua of 803 NAS 26.09.39 flown by Lieutenant  B. S. McEwen and his air gunner Acting Petty Officer B. M. Seymour..