4. The Fairey Swordfish planes flew so slowly that naval anti-aircraft guns couldn’t lock onto them to shoot them down.
These antiquated planes became famous after an impressive display in the famous 11November Battle of Taranto, in which they sank the battleship Littorio and two others. However, all six attacking Swordfishes involved in the February 1942 ‘Channel Dash’ were shot down, mostly by anti-aircraft fire.

Lt/Cdr Esmonde had part of a port wing damaged by AA fire, but was shot down by the covering fighters – as were the rest of the flight from 825NAS. Still, it was an important part of the Battle of Britain…