Corgi AA36304 Fairey Swordfish Mk III Diecast Model RAF Coastal Command No.119 Sqn, 1945

Corgi AA36304 Fairey Swordfish Mk III RAF Coastal Command No.119 Sqn, 1945

During World War II, a number of Swordfish Squadrons were controlled by the RAF Coastal Command and engaged in operations in the English Channel area. Eight Naval Air Squadrons were put at the disposal of Coastal Command due to the rapid movement of German forces through the Low Countries in 1940. These included Swordfish squadrons 812, 815, 818, 825, and 829. Their primary duties were convoy protection and dive-bombing military targets such as tanks, gun positions, vehicle convoys, shipping, barges, and E-Boats. They operated from their main bases at Manston and Detling in Kent, North Cotes in Lincolnshire, Bircham Newton in Norfolk, and Thorney Island near Portsmouth. At night, they bombed ports, airfields, power stations, and fuel dumps, or mined Dutch, Belgian and even German harbors, estuaries, and waterways. Mining operations were known as "gardening," and the cylindrical mines dropped by Swordfish aircraft were referred to as "Cucumbers."

Later in the war, 833 and 819 Squadrons were also seconded to RAF Coastal Command and participated in laying smoke screens over the Allied Forces on their way to the Normandy beaches on and around D-Day, June 6th, 1944. Coastal Command even had its own RAF Swordfish Squadron, No.119, which swapped the Albacores, which they had been flying, for Swordfish MKII aircraft in January 1945. This squadron was used for day and night patrols seeking troublesome E-Boats and midget submarines. In fact, the squadron successfully attacked a Biber midget submarine on March 13th, 1945, which became the last submarine to be sunk by British Forces in WWII.

The Fairey Swordfish Mk III was a spotter-reconnaissance aircraft built by the Fairey Aviation Company for the British Royal Navy. It was first flown on February 22nd, 1934, and was nicknamed "Stringbag" after a housewife's string shopping bag. The Swordfish could carry an unlikely combination of loads, including a standard torpedo, although this made it vulnerable to fighter attack. Its low speed and stable stance made it easy to line up for a torpedo attack, as it did against the German Bismarck and on the Italian naval base at Taranto, where 21 Swordfish destroyed three battleships, a cruiser, two destroyers, and other warships.

Corgi's 1:72 scale Swordfish series demonstrates this aircraft's versatility, highlighting its roles as a spotter-reconnaissance aircraft and a torpedo-bomber. One of the most impressive features of this model is its replicated folding wings, a feature uncommon in 1:72 scale. The wings are both pinned and keyed to ensure proper alignment when fully deployed. Fine gauge wire is used to recreate the structurally significant bracing wires found between the wings and on the horizontal stabilizer. The open cockpit allows for easy viewing of the three-man crew, correctly poised for action with a pivoting machine gun at the rear.