Gloster Gladiator III

[sequoiaranger]

>And did you know that an Allied Gladiator fought an Axis Gladiator in Iraq?<
>No.  More details please!<

I wish I had the whole story. Before my computer crashed last year, I had a paragraph or two on it saved somewhere. The Axis in Iraq used whatever they could find or capture for their brief uprising. A Gladiator fell into Axis hands, and an Allied Gladiator either shot it down in the air, or strafed it on the ground. If I can find more detail I will post it.

[edit] OK, here is another small tidbit:

>[CTBurke]  Gladiatorial Combat:
If my cranky old memory serves me correctly, in a REALLY OLD aviation quiz from you you asked where did Gloster Gladiators fight each other in combat. I scratched my head, knowing that the Gladiator served in several small air forces around the world. Then I proposed Iraq, and I had guessed RIGHT!!

I, for one, would like to hear more about the scrape with the "obsolete" aircraft the British had on hand. The German/Iraqi forces had some He-111's and Bf-110's, too.
.............................

[robert]    Your memory is excellent - on May 7, 1941, RAF Pilot Officer J. Watson, flying a Gladiator, shot down an Iraqi Gladiator while flying escort for a British bombing raid on Baquba.<

[Green Dragon]

Lovely job Kitbasher, I couldn't do that in a million years (terrified of rigging!).

Paul Harrison

[buzzbomb]

very nice.. it just works

Great job on the rigging as well

[kitbasher]

Thanks for all the plaudits, chaps - very much appreciated, especially those concerning the rigging.  I lost my rigging virginity on this build - suspect I won't be doing again in too much of a hurry (although I do have a Revell/Matchbox Walruss in the 'pending' pile!).

[PR19_Kit]

That Gladiator v Gladiator battle was during the siege of Habbaniya. Almost the entire RAF contingent there was comparitively ancient, the main aircraft in use being Audaxes and Oxfords. The transport elemenst were Valencias and DC-2s! Rumour has it that the ground crews there built a complete Valencia from spare and recovered parts and then got a rocket for flying it without a serial number.....  

My Dad was marooned there during the battle, after having flown up on an unofficial visit and ended up flying Audaxes again!  

[The Rat]

That Gladiator v Gladiator battle was during the siege of Habbaniya. Almost the entire RAF contingent there was comparitively ancient, the main aircraft in use being Audaxes and Oxfords. The transport elemenst were Valencias and DC-2s! Rumour has it that the ground crews there built a complete Valencia from spare and recovered parts and then got a rocket for flying it without a serial number.....  

My Dad was marooned there during the battle, after having flown up on an unofficial visit and ended up flying Audaxes again!  

Have you read Hidden Victory, by Air Vice-Marshal A.G. Dudgeon? Goes into great detail about that battle.

[mkhulu]

Now if only somebody would do a 1/48 Hawker Hart / Audax 

Whifness abounds !

[PR19_Kit]

That Gladiator v Gladiator battle was during the siege of Habbaniya. Almost the entire RAF contingent there was comparitively ancient, the main aircraft in use being Audaxes and Oxfords. The transport elemenst were Valencias and DC-2s! Rumour has it that the ground crews there built a complete Valencia from spare and recovered parts and then got a rocket for flying it without a serial number.....  

My Dad was marooned there during the battle, after having flown up on an unofficial visit and ended up flying Audaxes again!  

Have you read Hidden Victory, by Air Vice-Marshal A.G. Dudgeon? Goes into great detail about that battle.

Heavens yes, my copy is well-worn!