Yeah that's pretty clear to anyone capable of maintaining an objective point of view.José M. Rico wrote:I'm afraid the FAA would still have heavy losses in any case. The Luftwaffe had been alerted prior to the raid and the Messerschmitts were superior aircraft overall.
I got my book, Carrier Combat, by David Wragg, but unfortunately it doesn't contain much in the way of new hard data, but it does confirm that the Victorious' Albacores of 828 and 827 squadrons were engaged by a large force of Me110s and JU-87s and that they also encountered heavy flak:dunmunro wrote: . I have a book coming in the mail that might provide more detail as it contains some first hand accounts of the battle.
Petsamo at that time was in Finland, part of the territory taken by the USSR as a result of the Winter War. Britain at that time was not at war with Finland (until 5 December 1941). Were any Finnish forces involved in defending against this attack?dunmunro wrote: Attack on Petsamo: 9 Albacores and 9 Swordfish (12 TBs and 6 bombers) and 5 Fulmars (fighter bombers)
Opposition: Me109 fighters (at least two, but probably more)
Losses: 1 Albacore, 1 Fulmar (+ 1 previously ditched - Operational Loss) both to fighters
Claims: none
some damage from flak.
I suspect that Finnish forces must have been manning the flak guns at Petsamo. There was, I think, a defacto state of war between the Commonwealth and Finland, as soon as Churchill made his famous speech.RF wrote:
Petsamo at that time was in Finland, part of the territory taken by the USSR as a result of the Winter War. Britain at that time was not at war with Finland (until 5 December 1941). Were any Finnish forces involved in defending against this attack?
