AR 196A-2 VERSUS SEA GLADIATOR OVER NORWAY 1940

German reconnaissance seaplane from World War II. This plane was constructed as the successor to the Heinkel He 60 and was to be the basic plane for the heavy Kriegsmarine ships. The first two Ar 196 prototypes were completed and made test flights in the summer of 1937. These were the Ar 196V1 and Ar 196V2 airplanes equipped with two metal floats. These prototypes were to be the reference machines of the Ar 196A version, while the third and fourth Ar 196V3 and Ar 196V4 prototypes, equipped with one large central float and small stabilizers under the wings, were to be used for the reference version B. In the summer of 1939, these aircraft began replacing the He 60. the ship that received the new machines was the pocket battleship Graf Spee, which set sail for the Atlantic shortly thereafter. Later, planes were successively replaced on the ships: Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Deutschland, Admiral Scheer and Prinz Eugen. After satisfying the first needs of Kriegsmarine, Arado began producing the Ar 196 A-2 version intended for coastal aviation units (Kunstenfligerstaffeln). The main difference was the installation of full armament, identical to the one tested on the V4 prototype. Due to the low demand, only 98 Ar 196 were produced by the end of 1940. The last ones were the Ar 196 A-4 version which replaced the A-1 on-board aircraft. The armament of the A-4 version was identical to the A-2 version, both aircraft differed in electronic equipment. The A-4 also had a propeller cap. 24 Ar 196 A-4 manufactured. One of the greatest feats of the Ar-196 unit and planes was the attack and capture of a British submarine. On May 5, 1940, during a routine patrol, the crew of Sec. Gunther Mahrens spotted a submarine in the waters of the Kattegat. The plane, along with the second Arado Ar 196, attacked the British unit. The ship's crew (HMS Seal) surrendered. Technical data: Top speed: 320 km / h; rate of climb: 6.9 m / s, maximum ceiling 7000 m, maximum range: 1070 km, armament: fixed - 2 20mm MG FF cannons, 3 machine guns 7.92mm caliber, suspended - up to 100 kg.The Gloster Sea Gladiator was a British in-flight fighter from the interwar period and World War II. The machine was built in a biplane system with a classic, fixed undercarriage. The drive was provided by a single radial motor Bristol Mercury VIIIA or AS with 830 HP. The on-board armament of the aircraft consisted of four 7.7 mm machine guns. The Gloster Sea Gladiator was essentially a development of the Gloster Gladiator Mk. II, however, adapted to operate from British aircraft carriers. In the first batch, 38 Mk. II. The modernization consisted in strengthening the rear part of the fuselage, using a special hook enabling landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier and installing a radio with a greater range. In the course of deliveries of this first batch, the Royal Navy placed orders for the second series of Gloster Sea Gladiator planes, which included 60 machines. In addition to the above-mentioned changes, it differed from the basic version of the Gladiator with the addition of, among others, catapulting hooks. A total of 98 Sea Gladiators were created, but they were used primarily for training. At the outbreak of World War II, there were only 15 aircraft of this type in the line in the HMS air group Glorious and HMS Courageous. However, after 1939, many machines of this type, which had fought in the Norwegian campaign (1940) and in the Mediterranean in 1940-1941, were returned to service. In general, after 1941, Sea Gladiator machines were not used in combat