Fairey Firefly

In March 1939 the Air Ministry proposed requirements for a two-seater fixed-cannon fighter for the Fleet Air Arm.
The result of this request was the Fairey Firefly, a naval aircraft which, operating from carriers during WWII, proved more than capable of holding its own against single-seat fighters; during comparative dogfight trials the Firefly out-turned all conventional fighters, including the much-vaunted Japanese Zero.
In 1944 the type was heavily involved in the Allies' increasingly desperate attempts to destroy the mighty German battleship Tirpitz as she lay at anchor awaiting repairs in a Norwegian fjord. Firefly pilots also flew the aircraft as a carrier-based night fighter against Focke-Wulf Condors shadowing Allied convoys and Heinkel Ins intent on air-launching V-1 Flying Bombs against English targets.
The Firefly went on to operate against the Japanese Fleet and Home Islands, finishing the war by locating PoW camps and aiding in American supply drops. Later, the type served with the Royal Netherlands Navy against rebels in the Dutch East Indies, while the Mk5 was used with great success supporting UN forces in the Korean War.
Despite its unenviable task as a Flak-suppression and support aircraft, the Fairey Firefly, in a variety of roles, proved itself to be the Fleet Air Arm's most formidable all-weather strike aircraft.



by W. Harrison
Published by Airlife 1992 1st edition. 188p profusely illustrated, index. 18x25 near mint, including d/j.




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"Long" descriptions, where shown, may have been taken from the book's dust jacket notes, and as such are relevant to the date of publication (e.g. any references to "new edition" "previously unpublished photographs" etc.) and not the present.

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