Belgium ordered twenty-two GladiatorMk.Is in 1936. Fifteen were to be supplied by Gloster, with a further seven supplied to by the Belgian Aircraft concern, Sabca. Deliveries duly began in 1937, but contractual changes desired by Belgium, to allow Sabca to undertake full licensed production, added delays to the delivery schedule. The first twelve Gloster built machines were delivered before the end of 1937, and the first Sabca assembled machine was delivered in April 1938. Gloster-built aircraft were given numbers G5-1 to G5-15 before they left Gloster’s factory, and Sabca-build aircraft were registered with numbers G-17 to G-38. The only unit to operate the Gladiator in Belgian service, was Squadron 1/I/2 Aé, operating from Schaffen airbase. The unit was named for the comet, and a comet insignia features prominently on many photos of the machines.
In 1939, during the Phoney War, Belgium was neutral. The 1/I/2 Aé operated neutrality patrols, and during this time, they claimed a He 111 that strayed into Belgian airspace and ignored warnings, and eventually came down in the Netherlands. When Germany broke Belgian neutrality, invading their territory on May 10th 1940, Belgium had fourteen operational Gladiators. All but two took off from Schaffen airfield with minutes to spare, as German bombers closed in. The remaining two were damaged on the ground as they queued for take-off. One of them did manage to get away but was forced to land soon after due to engine damage caused at Schaffen.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 2020-Ausgabe von Scale Aircraft Modelling.
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Mustard
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