Fairey Battle#Production

In April 1933, the British Air Ministry issued Specification P.27/32 which sought a two-seat single-engine monoplane day bomber to replace the Hawker Hart and Hind biplane bombers then in service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). A requirement of the prospective aircraft was to be capable of carrying {{cvt|1000|lb|kg}} of bombs over a distance of {{cvt|1000|mi|km}} while flying at a speed of {{cvt|200|mph|km/h}}. According to aviation author Tony Buttler, during the early 1920s, Britain had principally envisioned that a war with France as its enemy and the range to reach Paris was sought.Buttler 2004, p. 65. According to aerospace publication Air International, a key motivational factor in the Air Ministry's development of Specification P.27/32 had been for the corresponding aircraft to act as an insurance policy in the event that heavier bombers were banned by the 1932 Geneva Disarmament Conference.Air International March 1981, p. 127.

The Fairey Aviation Company were keen to produce a design to meet the demands of Specification P.27/32 and commenced work upon such a design. The Belgian aeronautical engineer Marcel Lobelle served as the aircraft's principal designer. One of the early decisions made by Lobelle on the project was the use of the newly developed Rolls-Royce Merlin I engine, which had been selected due to its favourable power and compact frontal area. The Merlin engine was quickly paired to a de Havilland Propellers-built three-bladed variable-pitch propeller unit. The choice of engine enabled the designing of the aircraft to possess exceptionally clean lines and a subsequently generous speed performance. The resulting design was an all-metal single-engine aircraft, which adopted a low-mounted cantilever monoplane wing and was equipped with a retractable tail wheel undercarriage.

A total of four companies decided to formally respond to Specification P.27/32, these being the Fairey, Hawker Aircraft, Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft, and Bristol Aeroplane Company.Moyes 1967, p. 3. Of the submissions made, the Air Ministry selected Armstrong Whitworth and Fairey to produce prototypes to demonstrate their designs. On 10 March 1936, the first Fairey prototype, K4303, equipped with a Merlin I engine capable of generating {{cvt|1030|hp|kW}}, performed its maiden flight at Hayes, Middlesex.Mason 1994, p. 285. The prototype was promptly transferred to RAF Martlesham Heath, Woodbridge, Suffolk for service trials, during which it attained a maximum speed of 257 MPH and reportedly achieved a performance in advance of any contemporary day bomber.

Even prior to the first flight of the prototype, some members of the Air Staff had concluded that both the specified range and bomb load, to which the aircraft had been designed, were insufficient to enable its viable use in a prospective conflict with a re-emergent Germany. Despite these performance concerns, there was also considerable pressure for the Battle to be rapidly placed into mass production in order that it could contribute to a wider increase of the RAF's frontline combat aircraft strength in line with similar strides being made during the 1930s by the German Luftwaffe. As such, the initial production order placed for the type, for the manufacture of 155 aircraft built as per the requirements of Specification P.23/35, which had received the name Battle, had been issued in advance of the first flight of the prototype.

File:Fairey Battle - Reims-Champagne - Royal Air Force- France, 1939-1940. C1126.jpg, France]]

In 1936, further orders were placed for Fairey to build additional Battles to Specification P.14/36. In June 1937, the first production Battle, K7558, conducted its maiden flight. K7558 was later used to perform a series of official handling and performance trials in advance to the wider introduction of the type to operational service. During these trials, it demonstrated the Battle's ability to conduct missions of a 1,000-mile range while under a full bomb load. The first 136 Fairey-built Battles were the first aircraft to be powered by the Merlin I engine. By the end of 1937, 85 Battles had been completed and a number of RAF squadrons had been re-equipped with the type, or were otherwise in the process of re-equipping.

File:Fairey Battle - Reims-Champagne - Royal Air Force- France 1939-1940. C604.jpg

As the RAF embarked on what became a substantial pre-war expansion programme, the Battle was promptly recognised as being a priority production target. At one point a total of 2,419 aircraft were on order for the service.Moyes 1971, p. 120. In June 1937, the first aircraft was completed at Hayes, but all subsequent aircraft were manufactured at Fairey's newly completed factory at Heaton Chapel, Stockport, Cheshire.Orbis 1985, p. 1693. Completed aircraft were promptly dispatched for testing at the company's facility adjacent to RAF Ringway, about 6 miles away. A total of 1,156 aircraft were produced by Fairey. Subsequently, as part of government-led wartime production planning, a shadow factory operated by the Austin Motor Company at Cofton Hackett, Longbridge, also produced the type, manufacturing a total of 1,029 aircraft to Specification P.32/36. On 22 July 1938, the first Austin-built Battle, L4935, conducted its maiden flight. At that point, concerns that the aircraft was obsolete had become widespread, but due to the difficulties associated with getting other aircraft types into production, and the labour force having already been established, stop-gap orders were maintained, and production continued at a steady rate through to late 1940.Moyes 1967, p. 6.

A further 16 were built by Fairey for service with the Belgian Air Force.Huntley, 2004, p.8, 12 The Belgian Battles were delivered in early 1938, and were differentiated from British-built examples by having a longer radiator cowling and a smoother camouflage finish. In September 1940, all production activity came to a close and the final assembly lines were shuttered. Overall production of the Battle during its entire manufacturing life was 2,201 machines, including 16 for Belgium.

A number of Battles which had been originally completed as bombers were later converted to serve in different roles, such as target tugs and trainer aircraft.

File:Fairey Battles in formation.jpg Fairey Battles over France, circa 1940]]

The Fairey Battle was a single-engine monoplane light bomber, powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Production aircraft were progressively powered by various models of the Merlin engine, such as the Merlin I, II, III (most numerous) and V but all bomber variants were called the Battle Mk I. The Battle had a relatively clean design, having adopted a slim oval-shaped fuselage which was manufactured in two sections. The forward section, in front of the cockpit, included a steel tubular structure to support the engine. The rear section was a metal monocoque structure, composed of hoop frames and Z-section stringers, built on jigs.Moyes 1967, pp. 3–4. The structure of the aircraft involved several innovations and firsts for Fairey: it had the distinction of being the company's first low-wing monoplane; it also was the first light-alloy stressed-skin construction aircraft to be produced by the firm.

The wing of the Battle used a two-part construction, the centre section being integral with the fuselage.Moyes 1967, p. 4. The internal structure of the wings relied upon steel spars which varied in dimension towards the wing tips; the ailerons, elevators and rudder all were metal-framed with fabric coverings, while the split trailing edge flaps were entirely composed of metal.

The Battle had a crew of three, pilot, observer/bomb aimer and radio operator/air gunner, under one long continuous canopy which extended between the two cockpits set at the leading and trailing edges of the wing. The aircraft had a fixed .303 Browning machine gun mounted in the starboard wing for the pilot and a free .303 Vickers K machine gun in the rear cockpit for the gunner. The observer-navigator was behind and below the pilot in a cabin within the fuselage. The bomb aiming position was in the bottom of the aircraft with sighting done in a prone position through an open aiming panel behind the radiator outlet. If the pilot's canopy was open a rush of hot air and oil mist from the radiator through the open panel{{cite journal |url= https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/research/RAF-Historical-Society-Journals/Journal-20-Seminar-Training-in-Peace-for-War.pdf |title= Taking the Battle into battle |first=Squadron Leader Rupert |last=Parkhouse |journal=Journal |number=20 |date=1999 |issn=1361-4231 |publisher=Royal Air Force Historical Society |page=21}} would prevent the bomb aimer from using the Mk. VII Course Setting Bomb Sight.[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1937/1937%20-%202301.html "Fairey Battle – Designed for Mass Production"]. Flight , 19 August 1937, pp. 189–192.

File:Fairey Battle ExCC.jpg, the first operational squadron to be equipped with the Battle, RAF Benson, November 1939]]

The armament and crew of the aircraft were similar to the Bristol Blenheim bomber: three crew, 1,000 lbs standard bomb load and two machine guns, although the Battle was a single-engine bomber with less horsepower.Air International March 1981, p. 128. The Battle had a standard payload of four {{cvt|250|lb|kg|0}} GP bombs which was carried in cells contained within the internal space of the wings.Huntley, 2004, pp.36–39 Maximum bomb load was {{cvt|1500|lb|kg|0}}, with two additional {{cvt|250|lb|kg|0}} bombs on under-wing racks or with two {{cvt|500|lb|kg|0}} bombs carried externally under bomb bays and two {{cvt|250|lb|kg|0}} bombs on under-wing racks. The bombs were mounted on hydraulic jacks and were normally released via trap doors; during a dive bombing attack, they were lowered below the surface of the wing.

File:Vickers K cockpit.jpg manning the pintle-mounted Vickers K machine gun, France, 1940]]

File:Course Setting Bomb Sight in use.jpg

The Battle was a robust aircraft which was frequently described as being easy to fly, even for relatively inexperienced pilots.Moyes 1967, pp. 4–5. The pilot was provided with good external visibility and the cockpit was considered to be roomy and comfortable for the era but the tasks of simultaneously deploying the flaps and the retractable undercarriage, which included a safety catch, has been highlighted as posing considerable complication. Climate control within the cockpit was also reportedly poor.Moyes 1967, p. 5.

By the time that the Battle was entering service in 1937 it had already been rendered obsolete by the rapid advances in aircraft technology. The performance and capabilities of fighter aircraft had increased to outstrip the modest performance gains that the light bomber had achieved over its biplane antecedents.Taylor 1969, p. 358. For defence, the Battle had been armed only with a single Browning machine gun and a trainable Vickers K in the rear position; in service, these proved to be woefully inadequate. The Battle lacked an armoured cockpit and self-sealing fuel tanks.Boyne 1994, p. 52. The Battle was considered well-armoured by the standards of 1940, although there was an emphasis on protection against small-arms fire from the ground.{{Cite magazine |date=13 November 1941 |title=Through German Eyes |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1941/1941%20-%202698.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180908092916/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1941/1941%20-%202698.html |archive-date=8 September 2018 |access-date=8 September 2018 |magazine= Flight |page=344}} No RAF bombers were fitted with self-sealing tanks at the beginning of the war, although they were hastily fitted once the necessity became apparent. Since it was some time before self-sealing tanks could be mass-produced, it was a common stop-gap in 1940, even into 1941, to simply armour the rear of the fuel tanks with single or double layers of 4 mm armour.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1941/1941%20-%202699.html |date= 13 November 1941 |title=Through German Eyes |magazine= Flight |access-date=8 September 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140310043221/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1941/1941%20-%202699.html |archive-date = 2014-03-10 |page=345 }} The Battle, along with the rest of the early-war inventory, was taken out of front-line duties before it had a chance to be fitted with self-sealing tanks.

File:Wreckage Fairley Battle.JPG

In June 1937, No. 63 Squadron, based at RAF Upwood, Cambridgeshire, became the first RAF squadron to be equipped with the Fairey Battle.Moyes 1967, pp. 5–6. On 20 May 1937, the delivery of the first Battle to No. 63 occurred; following further deliveries, the squadron was initially assigned to perform development trials. The type holds the distinction of being the first operational aircraft powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine to enter service, having beaten the debut of the Hawker Hurricane fighter by a matter of months.

By May 1939, there were a total of 17 RAF squadrons that had been equipped with the Battle. While many of these were frontline combat squadrons, some, under the No. 2 Group, were assigned to a non-mobilising training role; on the eve of the outbreak of war, these squadrons were reassigned to operate under No. 6 Training Group or alternatively served as reserve squadrons.

The Battle was obsolete by the start of the Second World War, but remained a front-line RAF bomber owing to a lack of a suitable replacement. On 2 September 1939, during the "Phoney War", 10 Battle squadrons were deployed to pre-selected airfields in France to form a portion of the vanguard of the British RAF Advanced Air Striking Force, which was independent of the similarly-tasked Army-led British Expeditionary Force. Once the Battles arrived, the aircraft were dispersed and efforts were made to camouflage or otherwise obscure their presence; the envisioned purpose of their deployment had been that, in the event of German commencement of bombing attacks, the Battles based in France could launch retaliatory raids upon Germany, specifically in the Ruhr valley region, and would benefit from their closer range than otherwise possible from the British mainland.Moyes 1967, pp. 6–7.

Initial wartime missions were to perform aerial reconnaissance of the Siegfried Line during daylight, resulting in occasional skirmishes and losses.Moyes 1967, p. 7. On 20 September 1939, a German Messerschmitt Bf 109 was shot down by Battle gunner Sgt F. Letchford{{citation |url=http://www.raf.mod.uk/history_old/h88.html |title=88 Squadron history |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081024225756/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history_old/h88.html |archive-date=2008-10-24 |publisher= Ministry of Defence}} during a patrol near Aachen; this occasion is recognised as being the RAF's first aerial victory of the war.{{citation |url=http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/rafhistorytimeline1939.cfm |title=RAF Timeline 1939 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080803153842/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/rafhistorytimeline1939.cfm |archive-date=3 August 2008 |publisher=Royal Air Force |accessdate= 24 July 2008}} Nonetheless, the Battle was hopelessly outclassed by Luftwaffe fighters, being almost {{cvt|100|mph|km/h}} slower than the contemporary Bf 109 at {{cvt|14000|ft|m}}. That same day, three Battles were engaged by German fighters, resulting in two Battles being lost. During the winter of 1939–1940, the Advanced Air Striking Force underwent restructuring; some of the Battle-equipped squadrons were returned to the UK while their place was taken by Bristol Blenheim-equipped squadrons instead. The activities of the Advanced Air Striking Force were principally restricted to training exercises during this time.

Upon the commencement of the Battle of France in May 1940, Battles were called upon to perform unescorted, low-level tactical attacks against the advancing German army; this use of the type placed the aircraft at risk of attack from Luftwaffe fighters and within easy range of light anti-aircraft guns. In the first of two sorties carried out by Battles on 10 May 1940, three out of eight aircraft were lost, while a further 10 out of 24 were shot down in the second sortie, giving a total of 13 lost in that day's attacks, with the remainder suffering damage. Despite bombing from as low as {{cvt|250|ft|m}}, their attacks were recorded as having had little impact on the German columns.Richards 1953, pp. 113–114. During the following day, nine Belgian Air Force Battles attacked bridges over the Albert Canal that connects to the Meuse River, losing six aircraft and in another RAF sortie that day against a German column, only one Battle out of eight survived.Garcia 2001, pp. 67–68.Richards 1953, p. 115.

On 12 May, a formation of five Battles of 12 Squadron attacked two road bridges over the Albert Canal; four of these aircraft were destroyed while the final aircraft crash-landing upon its return to its base.Richards 1995, pp. 59–60.Moyes 1967, pp. 7–8. Two Victoria Crosses were awarded posthumously for the action, to Flying Officer Donald Garland and air observer/navigator sergeant Thomas Gray of Battle serial P2204 coded PH-K, for pressing home the attack in spite of the heavy defensive fire.Moyes 1967, p. 8. The third crew member, rear gunner Leading Aircraftsman Lawrence Reynolds, did not share the award. Both fighters and flak had proved lethal for the Battles. Although Garland's Battle managed to destroy one span of the bridge, the German army quickly erected a pontoon bridge to replace it.Richards 1953, pp. 116–118.

On 14 May 1940, in a desperate attempt to stop German forces crossing the Meuse, the Advanced Air Striking Force launched an "all-out" attack by all available bombers against the German bridgehead and pontoon bridges at Sedan. The light bombers were attacked by swarms of opposing fighters and were devastated. Out of a strike force of 63 Battles and eight Bristol Blenheims, 40 (including 35 Battles) were lost.Richards 1953, p. 120.March 1998, p. 105. After these abortive raids, the Battle was switched to mainly night attacks, resulting in much lower losses.Richards 1995, p. 61.

A similar situation befell the German Luftwaffe during the early days of the Battle of Britain, when the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bomber suffered equivalent losses in a similar role. With the exception of a few successful twin-engine designs such as the de Havilland Mosquito, Bristol Beaufighter and Douglas A-20, low-level attack missions passed into the hands of single-engine, fighter-bomber aircraft, such as the Hawker Hurricane, Hawker Typhoon and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.

On 15 June 1940, the last remaining aircraft of the Advanced Air Striking Force returned to Britain. In six weeks almost 200 Battles had been lost, with 99 lost between 10 and 16 May.Gifford 2004, p. 24. After the return from France, for a short period of time, the RAF continued to rely on the light bomber. Reforming No. 1 Group and later equipping four new Polish squadrons with the type, it continued to be deployed in operations against shipping massed in the Channel ports for Operation Sealion. Their last combat sortie was mounted on the night of 15/16 October 1940 by No. 301 (Polish) Squadron in a raid on Boulogne, and Nos 12 and 142 Squadrons bombing Calais. Shortly afterwards Battle squadrons of No. 1 Group were re-equipped with Vickers Wellington medium bombers.Moyes 1971, p. 115. Battles were operated into 1941 by 88 and 226 Squadrons in Northern Ireland and 98 Squadron in Iceland, for coastal patrol work.Moyes 1968, p. 79.

The South African Air Force were also supplied with some Battles. In August 1940, No. 11 Squadron took possession of at least four, which were flown north to be operated in the Italian East Africa (Ethiopia, Italian Somaliland and Eritrea) campaign. They conducted bombing and reconnaissance operations. Whereas in France the RAF's Battles had encountered modern German fighters in large numbers, the South Africans faced a smaller number of Italian biplane fighters (Fiat CR.32 and CR.42), which enabled the aircrews to contribute more effectively to the campaign; but not without several losses, especially when surprised above some predictable targets (air bases, ports etc.). Italian biplanes dived as fast as possible over the bombers, trying to shoot them down in the first pass.{{citation|last=Gustavsson|first= Håkan |url= http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/italy_tieghi.htm |title=Sergente Maggiore Athos Tieghi |work=Biplane Fighter Aces from the Second World War |date= 2007 |publisher=Håkan Gustafson |access-date= 20 August 2011}}Gustavsson, Håkan. [http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/italy_drago.htm "Capitano Ugo Drago"]. Biplane Fighter Aces from the Second World War (surfcity.kund.dalnet) 2007. Retrieved: 20 August 2011.

The last combat operations carried out by Fairey Battles were during the Italian and German invasion of Greece, from the end of 1940 until April 1941. A few Fairey Battles of the RAF and about a dozen belonging to the RHAF – serial numbers starting from B274 – participated in secondary bombing roles against enemy infantry. Most of them were destroyed on the ground by Luftwaffe air attacks on the airfields of Tanagra and Tatoi north of Athens between end of March and mid April 1941. No significant contribution of this type was reported during this period, although some hits were recorded by the Greek Air Force.

Prior to the Second World War, in spring 1939, the Polish government had placed an order for 100 Battle bombers, but none of these were delivered before the outbreak of war. The first 22 aircraft were sent in early September 1939 on two ships to Constanta in Romania, to be received there by the Polish crews, but the ships were ordered back while in Istanbul when the fall of Poland became inevitable. They were next offered to Turkey.Morgała, Andrzej (2003): Samoloty wojskowe w Polsce 1924–1939 (Military Aircraft in Poland 1924–1939). Warsaw: Bellona. {{ISBN|83-11-09319-9}}, p.319 (in Polish)

Some sources state that the Fairey Battle was licence-produced in Denmark for the Danish Air Force before the German invasion in 1940, but no such plane is known to have been completed.{{citation|url=http://www.rathbonemuseum.com/DENMARK/DKPhotos/DKPhotos.html |last=Morten Hein |title=Danish military aviation in relation to the Second World War | publisher= Rathbone Museum |access-date=2 August 2014}}

File:Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Fairey Battle CH2141.jpg

While found to be inadequate as a bomber aircraft in the Second World War, the Fairey Battle found a new niche in its later service life. As the Fairey Battle T, for which it was furnished with a dual-cockpit arrangement in place of the standard long canopy, the type served as a trainer aircraft. The Battle T was equipped with dual-controls in the cockpit and optionally featured a Bristol-built Type I gun turret when employed as a bombing/gunnery training. As the winch-equipped Fairey Battle TT (target tug), it was used as a target-towing aircraft to support airborne gunnery training exercises. Furthermore, Battles were not only used in this role by the RAF, several overseas operators opted to acquire the type as a training platform.Moyes 1967, pp. 8–9.

In August 1939, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) received its first batch of eight Battles at RCAF Station Borden, Ontario, Canada.Moyes 1967, p. 9. A total of 802 Battles were eventually delivered from England, serving in various roles and configurations, including dual-control trainers, target-tugs, and gunnery trainers for both the Bombing and Gunnery schools of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Canadian use of the Battle declined as more advanced aircraft, such as the Bristol Bolingbroke and North American Harvard, were introduced; the type remained in RCAF service until shortly after the end of hostilities in 1945.

The Battle served as a trainer with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), which allocated it the prefix A22.Moyes 1967, pp. 9–10. On 30 April 1940, the first four RAAF Battles were delivered to No. 1 Aircraft Depot; on 29 June 1940, the first assembled aircraft, P5239, conducted its first flight. Deliveries occurred at a steady pace until the last Battle was received on 7 December 1943. These aircraft were a mix of bomber, target tug, and dual-control trainer variants; they were mainly used by Bombing and Gunnery schools until 1945; the last aircraft were phased out in 1949.

Following an initial evaluation using a handful of aircraft, the SAAF purchased a number of Battles. Operated in the Western Desert and East Africa, SAAF Battles were used into early 1942. Battles were also sold to the Turkish Air Force, which was reportedly pleased by the type's manoeuvrability. The type remained in RAF service, in secondary roles, until 1949.

File:Fairey Battle - Berry-au-Bac - Royal Air Force- France, 1939-1940 C398.jpg

While the Battle was no longer viable as a frontline combat aircraft, its benign handling characteristics meant that it was an ideal platform for testing engines, and it was used in this role to evaluate engines up to {{cvt|2000|hp|kW}} including the Rolls-Royce Exe, Fairey Prince (H-16) and Napier Dagger. These trials were often conducted to support the development of other aircraft, such as the Fairey Spearfish, as well as the suitability of the individual engines.

As part of a study of potential alternative engines in the event of supply interruptions of the Merlin engine, which normally powered the type, were encountered, a single Canadian Battle, R7439, was re-engined by Fairchild Aircraft with a Wright R-1820 Cyclone radial engine. R7439 was the sole aircraft to be equipped with this powerplant.Moyes 1967, p. 9.

In 1939, one Battle, K9370, underwent extensive modifications in order to test the Fairey Monarch {{cvt|2000|hp|kW}} or higher engine; in addition to the engine itself, K9370 was furnished with electrically-controlled three-bladed contra-rotating propellers and a large ventral radiator.Moyes 1967, p. 10. According to Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1946–47, the aircraft was shipped to the US after 86 hours test time in December 1941. Testing continued for a time at Wright Field, Ohio.

Two aircraft, K9270 and L5286, acted as flying testbeds for the Napier Sabre engine. Modifications included the adoption of a fixed undercarriage, large ventral radiator, and an auxiliary intake. The two Sabre-equipped Battles accumulated roughly 700 flight hours.

;Fairey Day Bomber: Prototype (K4303).

;Battle Mk I: Three-seat light bomber version. Powered by a {{cvt|1030|hp|kW}} Rolls-Royce Merlin I, a {{cvt|1030|hp|kW}} Merlin II, Merlin III or Merlin V inline piston engines (sometimes known unofficially as Battle I, II, III, V respectively).

;Battle T: After May 1940, a number of Battle Mk Is, IIs and Vs were converted into training aircraft.

;Battle IT: After May 1940, a number of Battle Mk Is, IIs and Vs were converted into training aircraft with a turret installed in the rear.

;Battle IIT: In October 1940, a sole RCAF Battle Mk I was converted into a prototype for a future series, powered by an {{cvt|840|hp|kW}} Wright Cyclone R-1820-G38. The Battle IIT was conceived as a stopgap conversion in the likelihood that Merlins were unavailable.Willis 2009, p. 60.

;Battle TT: After May 1940, a number of Battle Mk Is, IIs and Vs were converted into target tug aircraft; 100 built.

;Battle TT.Mk I: Target tug version. This was the last production version; 226 built.

File:Royal Air Force- France, 1939-1940 C401.jpg, in a camouflaged 'hide' at Berry-au-Bac, France]]

File:Fairey Battle construction, 1938 (Our Generation, 1938).jpg factory]]

In addition to the units listed, many Battles were operated by training schools, particularly for bombing and gunnery training.

;{{AUS}}

• Royal Australian Air Force received 366 aircraft which were used for training purposes{{cite web|title=A22 Fairey Battle|url=http://www.airforce.gov.au/raafmuseum/research/aircraft/series2/A22.htm|publisher=RAAF Museum Point Cook|access-date=27 April 2014}}[http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a22.htm ADF-Serials RAAF A22 Fairey Battle]

;{{BEL}}

• Belgian Air Force operated 16 aircraft.

;{{flag|Canada|1921}}

• Royal Canadian Air Force received 739 aircraft.

;{{flag|India|British}}

• Indian Air Force received four Battles in 1942.Harrison Aeroplane June 2016, p. 98.

;{{IRL}}

• Irish Air Corps interned 1 ex-RAF target tug in 1942. It was in use as a target tug from 1944 to 1946.

;{{flag|Greece|old}}

• Hellenic Air Force received 12 aircraft.

;{{POL}}

• Polish Air Forces on exile in Great Britain
• No. 300 Polish Bomber Squadron Ziemi Mazowieckiej
• No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadron Ziemi Pomorskiej
• No. 304 Polish Bomber Squadron Ziemi Śląskiej im. Ks. Józefa Poniatowskiego
• No. 305 Polish Bomber Squadron Ziemi Wielkopolskiej im. Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego

;{{flag|South Africa|1928}}

• South African Air Force received approximately 340 aircraft.
• 11 Squadron SAAF

;{{TUR}}

• Turkish Army Air Force received 30 aircraft, including 1 Target Tug.Huntley, 2004, p.62

;{{UK}}

• Royal Air Force

File:Royal Air Force- France, 1939-1940. C1498.jpg lined up in front of a Battle at Betheniville, France]]

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• No. 12 Squadron RAF
• No. 15 Squadron RAF
• No. 35 Squadron RAF
• No. 40 Squadron RAF
• No. 52 Squadron RAF
• No. 63 Squadron RAF
• No. 88 Squadron RAF
• No. 98 Squadron RAF
• No. 103 Squadron RAF
• No. 105 Squadron RAF
• No. 106 Squadron RAF
• No. 141 Squadron RAF
• No. 142 Squadron RAF
• No. 150 Squadron RAF
• No. 185 Squadron RAF
• No. 207 Squadron RAF
• No. 218 Squadron RAF
• No. 226 Squadron RAF
• No. 234 Squadron RAF
• No. 235 Squadron RAF
• No. 239 Squadron RAF
• No. 242 Squadron RAF
• No. 245 Squadron RAF
• No. 253 Squadron RAF
• No. 266 Squadron RAF
• No. 616 Squadron RAF

{{div col end}}

• Fleet Air Arm (operated 3 aircraft)Huntley, 2004, p.61

On 16 December 1939 a recently qualified flyer, Pilot Officer Harold G. Tipple of 264 Squadron RAF was tasked with ferrying Fairey Battle Mk.I (N2159) from RAF Little Rissington to RAF Martlesham Heath in company with a more experienced officer in another Battle. Tipple had never flown the type previously and received only brief instruction before takeoff. Once in the air the aircraft was observed to be trailing smoke. By the time the pair had reached Hintlesham, Suffolk the aircraft was losing altitude and Tipple attempted to bail out. The aircraft crashed at Little Wenham, Babergh, Suffolk and the pilot was killed.{{cite web |title=ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 210172 |url=https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=210172 |website=Air Safety Network |publisher=Flight Safety Foundation}}{{unreliable source?|date=October 2020}} Tipple is buried in Hintlesham churchyard and is commemorated on the adjacent war memorial.{{cite web |url=http://hintleshamwarmemorial.com/hintlesham-ww2/ |website=Hintlesham War Memorial|title=Hintlesham WW2 – Hintlesham & Chattisham War Memorials}}

On 2 August 1940, Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth, a racing motorist, aviator and prolific collector of veteran cars and aircraft was killed when Fairey Battle L4971 of No. 12 Operational Training Unit RAF Benson crashed into a hill during a solo night flying exercise.[http://www.shuttleworth.org/shuttleworth-collection/history.asp "The History of Shuttleworth"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100404031547/http://www.shuttleworth.org/shuttleworth-collection/history.asp |date=4 April 2010 }}. Shuttleworth Collection. Retrieved: 20 August 2011.

On 23 September 1940, Fairey Battle K9480 on a training flight, crashed onto a house, killing the Polish pilot and five civilians from one family in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire.{{cite web | url=http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NCCC002697&pos=6&action=zoom&id=39918 | title=Photograph of house hit by Fairey Battle K9480 | publisher=Picture the Past | access-date=16 April 2016}}{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/04/a5541004.shtml | title=Our Lucky Escape | work=WW2 People's War | date=15 October 2014 | access-date=16 April 2016}}{{cite web | url=http://macr.moonfruit.com/#/battle-k9480/4532307060 | title=Fairey Battle K9840 | publisher=Midlands Air Crash Research | access-date=16 April 2016}}{{cite web | url=http://www.hucknalldispatch.co.uk/news/local/memory-of-polish-airman-is-kept-alive-1-6479200 | title=Memory of Polish airman is kept alive | publisher=Johnson Press | work=Hucknall and Bulwell Dispatch | date=6 March 2014| access-date=16 April 2016}}

On 4 March 1941, Fairey Battle MK 1 L5019 crashed in the sea, 4 miles off Hutchins Point, Rest Bay, Porthcawl, Glamorgan. All three crew members were killed.{{cite web |url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/16886|title=Aviation Safety Network|access-date=26 May 2025}}

File:Fairey Battle nl.jpg, Brussels, 2006.]]

• L5343/L5340 – Battle I on static display at the Royal Air Force Museum Hendon in London. In July 1940, it was with No. 98 Squadron RAF, based at Kaldadarnes, Iceland for anti-invasion operations supporting British forces. L5343 was the first RAF aircraft to land on Icelandic soil, and crashed during subsequent operations. In 1972, the RAF recovered the wreck for restoration, which was completed at the Michael Beetham Conservation Centre of the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford using parts from L5340.{{cite web|title=Fairey Battle 1|url=http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/collections/fairey-battle-1|website=Royal Air Force Museum|publisher=Trustees of the Royal Air Force Museum|access-date=19 December 2016}}{{cite web|last1=Simpson|first1=Andrew|title=INDIVIDUAL HISTORY|url=http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/collections/1990-0691-A-Fairey-Battle-L5343.pdf|website=Royal Air Force Museum|access-date=19 December 2016|date=2014}}
• N2188 – Battle I under restoration at the South Australian Aviation Museum in Port Adelaide, South Australia. The aircraft was recovered from a tidal swamp near Port Pirie in South Australia.{{cite web|title=SAAM - Restoration of Fairey Battle |url=http://www.saam.org.au/restorations_fairey.html |website=South Australian Aviation Museum |access-date=19 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928132843/http://www.saam.org.au/restorations_fairey.html |archive-date=28 September 2013 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|title=Restorations|url=http://www.saam.org.au/our-collection/restorations|website=South Australian Aviation Museum|access-date=19 December 2016|archive-date=5 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161205164528/http://www.saam.org.au/our-collection/restorations/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |last1=Daw |first1=Nigel |title=Fairey Battle N2188 |url=http://www.saam.org.au/restorations/FaireyBattle.pdf |website=South Australian Aviation Museum |access-date=21 April 2024 |date=1 May 2021}}{{cite web|title=Airframe Dossier - FaireyBattle, s/n A22-Unknown RAAF|url=http://aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=4524|website=Aerial Visuals|publisher=AerialVisuals.ca|access-date=19 December 2016}}
• R3950 – Battle TT.I on static display at the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History in Brussels, Belgium. This aircraft spent much of its career in Canada. It was acquired by the Brussels museum in 1990 as representative of aircraft that served with the Belgian Air Force in 1940.{{cite web|last1=Giltay|first1=Pascal|title=Fairey Battle R3950 Project|url=http://www.bamfbamrs.be/Battle/FaireyBattleR3950.htm|website=bamf & bamrs|access-date=19 December 2016|archive-date=23 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923181903/http://www.bamfbamrs.be/Battle/FaireyBattleR3950.htm|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Airframe Dossier - FaireyBattle, s/n 1899 RCAF|url=http://aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=23534|website=Aerial Visuals|publisher=AerialVisuals.ca|access-date=19 December 2016}}
• R7384 – Battle IT on static display at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa, Ontario. It was built as a pilot trainer in 1940, and taken on strength by the RCAF in 1941. Converted to a gunnery trainer with a turret in 1942, it was used until stored in 1943. The aircraft was transferred to the Canada Aviation Museum in 1964, and was restored in the 1990s.Molson et al. 1988, p. 149.{{cite web|title=FAIREY BATTLE IT|url=http://casmuseum.techno-science.ca/en/collection-research/artifact-fairey-battle-it.php|website=Canada Aviation and Space Museum|publisher=Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation|access-date=19 December 2016|archive-date=23 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223043515/http://casmuseum.techno-science.ca/en/collection-research/artifact-fairey-battle-it.php|url-status=dead}}
• Full scale model under construction at the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum in Brandon, Manitoba.{{cite web|url=http://www.bcatp.org/150-catp-museum|title=Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum Canada 150 Vignette|host=Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum Canada 150 Project|access-date=9 March 2023}}

File:Fairey Battle 3-view line drawing.png

File:Royal Air Force- the Czechoslovakian Air Force in the United Kingdom, 1939-1945. CH1131.jpg

{{Aircraft specs

|ref=Fairey Aircraft since 1915,Taylor 1974, p. 283. The Fairey BattleMoyes 1967, p. 12.

|prime units?=imp

|crew=3

|length ft=42

|length in=4

|length note=

|span ft=54

|span in=0

|span note=

|height ft=15

|height in=6

|height note=

|wing area sqft=422

|wing area note=

|aspect ratio=

|airfoil=root: NACA 2418; tip: NACA 2409{{cite web |last1=Lednicer |first1=David |title=The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage |url=https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads/aircraft.html |website=m-selig.ae.illinois.edu |access-date=16 April 2019}}

|empty weight lb=6647

|empty weight note=

|gross weight lb=10792

|gross weight note=

|max takeoff weight lb=

|max takeoff weight note=

|fuel capacity=

|more general=

|eng1 number=1

|eng1 name=Rolls-Royce Merlin II

|eng1 type=V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine

|eng1 hp=1030

|eng1 note=

|prop blade number=3

|prop name=

|prop dia ft=

|prop dia in=

|prop dia note=

|max speed mph=257

|max speed note=at {{cvt|15000|ft}}

|cruise speed mph=

|cruise speed note=

|stall speed mph=

|stall speed note=

|never exceed speed mph=

|never exceed speed note=

|range miles=1,000

|range note=

|combat range miles=

|combat range note=

|ferry range miles=

|ferry range note=

|endurance=

|ceiling ft=25,000

|ceiling note=

|climb rate ftmin=925

|climb rate note=

|time to altitude={{cvt|5000|ft}} in 4 minutes 6 seconds

|wing loading lb/sqft=

|wing loading note=

|fuel consumption lb/mi=

|power/weight=

|more performance=

|guns=

:* 1 × fixed, forward-firing .303 British Browning machine gun in starboard wing

:* 1 × flexibly mounted .303 British Vickers K machine gun in rear cockpit

|bombs=

:* {{cvt|1000|lb|kg}} of bombs internally [4 × {{cvt|250|lb|kg}} bombs] or

:* {{cvt|1500|lb|kg}} of bombs externally

|avionics=

}}

{{aircontent

|related=

• Fairey P.4/34
• Fairey Fulmar

|similar aircraft=

• Armstrong Whitworth A.W.29
• Mitsubishi Ki-30
• Northrop A-17
• Kawasaki Ki-32
• Sukhoi Su-2

|lists=

• List of aircraft of World War II
• List of bomber aircraft
• List of aircraft of the Royal Air Force

|see also=

}}

{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite book |last=Baughen |first=G. |title=The Fairey Battle: A Reassessment of its RAF Career |year=2017 |publisher=Fonthill Media |location=Stroud |isbn=978-1-78155-585-9}}
• Boyne, Walter J. Clash of Wings. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994. {{ISBN|0-684-83915-6}}.
• Buttler, Tony. British Secret Projects: Fighters and Bombers 1935–1950. Midland Publishing, 2004. {{ISBN|1-85780-179-2}}.
• "Elegantly Obsolete...the Fairey Battle". Air International, Vol. 20, No. 3, March 1981, pp. 127–134. ISSN 0306-5634.
• Ethell, L. Jeffrey. Aircraft of World War II. Glasgow: HarperCollins Publishers, 1995. {{ISBN|0-00-470849-0}}.
• Garcia, Dionisio. "Air Force on the Edge: Belgian Military Aviation in 1940". Air Enthusiast, No. 96, November/December 2001, pp. 65–68. Stamford, Lincs, UK: Key Publishing. {{ISSN|0143-5450}}
• Gifford, Simon. "Lost Battles: The Carnage of May 10 to May 16, 1940". Air Enthusiast, No. 109, January/February 2004, pp. 18–25. Stamford, Lincs, UK: Key Publishing. {{ISSN|0143-5450}}
• Harrison, W. A. "Database: Fairey Battle". Aeroplane, Vol. 44, No. 6, June 2016. pp. 87–101. {{ISSN|0143-7240}}.
• Huntley, Ian D. Fairey Battle, Aviation Guide 1. Bedford, UK: SAM Publications, 2004. {{ISBN|0-9533465-9-5}}.
• {{cite journal |last1=Gifford|first1=Simon|title=Lost Battles: The Carnage of May 10 to May 16, 1940 |journal=Air Enthusiast |date=January–February 2004 |issue=109 |pages=18–25 |issn=0143-5450}}
• Lever, John. Fairey Battle in the RAAF. Koorlong, Victoria, Australia: John Lever, 2002. {{ISBN|1-876709-07-3}}.
• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982–1985). London: Orbis Publishing, 1985.
• March, Daniel M. British Warplanes of World War II. London: Aerospace, 1998. {{ISBN|1-874023-92-1}}.
• Mason, Francis K. The British Bomber Since 1914. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1994. {{ISBN|0-85177-861-5}}.
• Matricardi, Paolo. Aerei Militari: Bombardieri e da trasporto (in Italian). Milan: Mondadori Electa, 2006. No ISBN.
• Molson, Kenneth M. et al. Canada's National Aviation Museum: Its History and Collections. Ottawa: National Aviation Museum, 1988. {{ISBN|978-0-660-12001-0}}.
• Moyes, Philip, J. R. The Fairey Battle. Aircraft in Profile Number 34. Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1967.
• Moyes, Philip, J. R. The Fairey Battle. Aircraft in Profile, Volume 2 (nos. 25–48). Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Profile Publications, 1971. {{ISBN|0-85383-011-8}}.
• Moyes, Philip, J. R. Royal Air Force Bombers of World War II (Volume 1). Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Hylton Lacey Publishers Ltd., 1968. {{ISBN|0-85064-051-2}}.
• Neulen, Hans Werner. In the Skies of Europe: Air Forces Allied to the Luftwaffe 1939–1945. Ramsbury, Marlborough, UK: The Crowood Press, 1998. {{ISBN|1-86126-799-1}}.
• Pacco, John. "Fairey Battle". Belgisch Leger/Armee Belge: Het Militair Vliegwezen/l'Aeronautique Militare 1930–1940 (bilingual French/Dutch). Aartselaar, Belgium: J. P. Publications, 2003, pp. 52–55. {{ISBN|90-801136-6-2}}.
• Richards, Denis. The Hardest Victory: RAF Bomber Command in the Second World War. London: Coronet, 1995. {{ISBN|0-340-61720-9}}.
• {{cite book |first= Richards |last= Denis |chapter-url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/UK-RAF-I/UK-RAF-I-5.html |chapter=Chapter V; Collapse in the West |title=Royal Air Force 1939–1945: Volume I, The Fight at Odds |series=History of the Second World War |via=Hyperwar Foundation |location =London |publisher= HMSO |date= 1953 }}
• Shaile, Sidney and Ray Sturtivant. The Battle File. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1998. {{ISBN|0-85130-225-4}}.
• Taylor, H. R. Fairey Aircraft since 1915. London: Putnam, 1974. {{ISBN|0-370-00065-X}}.
• Taylor, John W. R. "Fairey Battle". Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the Present. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. {{ISBN|0-425-03633-2}}.
• Willis, David. "Battles for Power"]. FlyPast, January 2009. {{ISSN|0262-6950}}

{{refend}}

{{Commons category|Fairey Battle}}

{{External media|topic= |width=17% |float=right |video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8z5OzzC8Uk Compilation of period footage of Battles taking off and during flights] |video2=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_O5sWnz824 Video of a Fairey Battle under restoration]}}

• [http://www.austinmemories.com Austin & Longbridge Aircraft Production]
• [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1937/1937%20-%202301.html "Designed for mass-production". Flight, 19 August 1937]
• [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1937/1937%20-%201583.html "Building the Battle". Flight, 17 June 1937]

{{Fairey aircraft}}

{{ADF aircraft designations}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1930s British bomber aircraft

Category:Aircraft first flown in 1936

Battle

Category:Low-wing aircraft

Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft

Category:Aircraft with retractable conventional landing gear

Category:Single-engined piston aircraft