Operators of the Gladiator in whole included Australia, Belgium, China, Egypt, France, Finland, Nazi Germany, Greece, Iraq, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Soviet Union, Sweden (as the J 8 and J 8A covering the Mk I and Mk II forms) and, of course, the United Kingdom.
Belgium-operated Gladiators were no match for German fighter aircraft, losing all 15 of their biplanes in the ensuing battles against the more-modern all-metal German monoplanes. China found modest success against lightly-armored Japanese aircraft in Asia, producing aces in their ranks while becoming very fond of the platform as a fighter. Iraq fielded the type with limited success against other Gladiators piloted by the British with these Iraqi mounts even seeing service after the war. RAF Gladiators fought well against Italian fighters and bombers in the defense of Greece, though Greece itself was eventually lost to the Axis. Gladiators - active at the time of the Battle of Britain - played a limited aggressive role in the campaign.
South Africa enjoyed success with the Gladiator against like-Italian aircraft in East Africa, producing the only 15-kill Gladiator ace in Marmaduke "Pat" Pattle. Pattle himself reached over 50 kills by the end of the conflict, making him the highest-scoring RAF biplane ace of the war. Gladiators saw extensive combat throughout North Africa, where it could spar against its Italian rival in the Fiat CR.42 biplane. The Fiat CR.42 was already a veteran of the Spanish Civil War and her pilots were well-versed in her strengths and limitations. Though the CR.42 was her superior in many ways, the Gladiator none-the-less held her own in multiple combat actions.
In 1940, a small group of British-operated Sea Gladiator Mk Is presented a mythical effort in the defense of the strategically-located island of Malta (then part of the British Empire) in the Mediterranean Sea. The island was under siege and repeatedly a bombing target for German and Italian air elements. The Axis had eventually drawn up plans for a land invasion of the island but the operation (Operation Herkules) was never put into action. Success at Malta eventually played a major Allied role in subsequent victories across North Africa, ultimately kicking the Axis out of the African continent for good, earning the small island nation the title of "unsinkable aircraft carrier" by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Gladiators at Malta operated from the RAF airfield known as Hal Far. Though 18 systems were originally based there by way of the Royal Navy's HMS Glorious in 1940, much less that count remained at the time of action.
Gladiators formed an active part of the Norwegian defense against the German Luftwaffe. These Gladiators were piloted by both British and Norwegian airmen. Though Norway eventually capitulated to the German aggressors, the Gladiator no doubt added to its legacy.
Finland received Gladiator Mk I models from Britain to which it utilized with limited success against the Soviet Union in the upcoming Winter War. At least 45 kills were recorded by no less than 22 Finnish pilots. The aircraft type was severely restricted when compared to the mounts being fielded by the Soviet Union. As a result, many Gladiators were utilized as reconnaissance platforms after 1941 and would see constant use through the end of the war in 1945.
As it stood, the Gladiator was a special aircraft in her own right. Though her combat legacy was dwarfed by the modern fighters of her time, she still none-the-less managed to secure a respectable wartime legacy. This was solidified by her use across many fronts and at the hands of many pilots from different nations. In the end, she proved a valuable mount to those pivotal early years of the war and made for herself a history that even today's modern warplanes long for.
The last Gladiator - this in Portuguese service - was retired in 1953.
Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.