Gloster Gladiator The Gloster Gladiator ( or Gloster SS . 37 ) was a British - built biplane fighter . It was used by the Royal Air Force ( RAF ) and the Fleet Air Arm ( FAA ) ( as the Sea Gladiator variant ) and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s . It was the RAF ' s last biplane fighter aircraft and was rendered obsolete by newer monoplane designs even as it was being introduced . Though often pitted against more formidable foes during the early days of the Second World War , it acquitted itself reasonably well in combat . The Gladiator saw action in almost all theatres during the Second World War , with a large number of air forces , some of them on the Axis side . The RAF used it in France , Norway , Greece , the defence of Malta , and the brief Anglo - Iraqi War ( in which the Royal Iraqi Air Force was similarly equipped ) . Other countries deploying the Gladiator included China against Japan , beginning in 1938 ; Finland ( along with Swedish volunteers ) against the Soviet Union in the Winter War and the Continuation War ; and Norway , Belgium , and Greece resisting Axis invasion of their respective lands . The South African pilot Marmaduke " Pat " Pattle was the top Gladiator ace with 15 victories over Italian aircraft . Design and development . The Gladiator was developed from the Gloster Gauntlet as a private venture by H . P . Folland ' s team at Gloster to meet Specification F . 7 / 30 . F . 7 / 30 demanded a top speed of at least 250 mph ( 400 km / h ) and an armament of four machine - guns , while encouraging the use of the new Rolls - Royce Goshawk evaporatively cooled engine , which was used by most of the competitors for the specification . This engine proved , however to be unreliable , and Folland realised that the Gauntlet could be quickly revised to meet the specification . To reduce drag , the new fighter , the SS . 37 , had single - bay wings instead of the two - bay wings of the Gauntlet , and was fitted with a cantilever main undercarriage incorporating internally sprung wheels . The SS . 37 first flew on 12 September 1934 , powered by a 530 hp ( 395 kW ) Bristol Mercury VIS engine , but was soon fitted with a more powerful engine , reaching 242 mph ( 390 km / h ) while carrying the required four machine guns ( two synchronised Vickers gun s in the fuselage and two Lewis gun s under the lower wing ) . On 3 April 1935 , the Royal Air Force commenced operational evaluations , while Gloster planned a further improved version with a 830 hp ( 619 kW ) Mercury IX and a fully enclosed cockpit . Three months later , a first order was placed for 23 aircraft to Specification F . 14 / 35 , with the aircraft named " Gloster Gladiator " , followed by an order of 180 in September . The first version , the Mk I , was delivered from July 1936 , becoming operational in January 1937 . The Mk II soon followed , the main differences being a slightly more powerful Mercury engine driving a Fairey fixed - pitch , three - bladed metal propeller instead of the two - bladed wooden one . A modified Mk II , the Sea Gladiator , was developed for the Royal Navy ' s Fleet Air Arm ( FAA ) , with an arrestor hook to be engaged when landing on an aircraft carrier , catapult points , a strengthened frame and an under - belly fairing for a dinghy lifeboat . Of the 98 aircraft built as , or converted to , Sea Gladiators , 54 were still in service by the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 . The Gladiator was to be the last British biplane fighter and the first fighter with an enclosed cockpit . The Gladiator had a top speed of around 257 mph ( 414 km / h ) yet , even as it was introduced , the design was being eclipsed by new - generation monoplane fighters , such as the RAF ' s new Hurricane and Spitfire , and the " Luftwaffe " ' s Messerschmitt Bf 109 . A total of 747 aircraft were built ( 483 RAF , 98 RN ; 216 exported to 13 countries , some of them from the total allotted to the RAF ) . Gladiators were sold to Belgium , China , Egypt , Finland , Free France , Greece , Iraq , Ireland , Latvia , Lithuania , Norway , Portugal , South Africa and Sweden . Operational history . The first units to equip with Gladiators were Squadron No . 72 at Tangmere in February 1937 and , subsequently , No . 3 Squadron at Kenley , in March – April . The Gladiator ‘ s introduction into RAF service was difficult . Although it was well liked by pilots , the accidents during operational training were so numerous that a small replacement batch of 28 Mk IIs was hurriedly produced . Most accidents were caused by pilots being caught out by the fighter ’ s increased wing loading . Moreover , many aviators had still little experience in landing aircraft with such a wide flap area . The new Gloster biplane stalled more abruptly with the tendency to drop a wing . The Gladiator proved even easier to enter a flat spin , and great skill was needed to recover it . The Gladiator was largely replaced in front line RAF service by the Hurricane and Spitfire at the outbreak of the Second World War , though two squadrons were used in the French and Norwegian campaigns . It would , however , see service in more peripheral campaigns during the early years of the Second World War . The classic biplane fighter was also one of Britain ' s biggest pre - war export successes , seeing service in many countries . The Gloster Gladiator performed reasonably well in limited Finnish service against Soviet fighters during the Winter War , but was found to be outclassed by German fighters in other theatres . Carrier - based Sea Gladiators were more successful , since their slower speed made them more suitable for carrier operations and they were less likely to be facing more modern fighter opposition . In the African theatres against Italian opposition , which included some biplanes , the Gladiator fared well . China . In October 1937 , the Chinese Central Government ordered 36 Gladiator Is , which were delivered in two crated batches to Guangzhou via Hong Kong . The Chinese Gladiators were used the American M1919 Browning machine gun to fire the American . 30 - 06 Springfield which was the main ammunition of the Chinese Nationalist Air Force at that time . By February 1938 these aircraft had been assembled into two squadrons , and the Chinese pilots familiarised themselves with them . The Gloster Gladiator had its combat début on 24 February 1938 . That day , in the Nanking area , Chinese - American Capt John Wong Sun - Shui ( nicknamed ' Buffalo ' ) shot down an A5M Claude navy fighter , Gladiator ' s first victim . Wong is believed to have shot down a second A5M , for the wrecks of two Japanese fighters were found . During that clash , Chinese Gladiators lost two of their number . Chinese Gladiators scored several more victories over Japanese aircraft between 1938 and 1940 during the Second Sino - Japanese War . In China Gladiators were used extensively before the start of 1940 by the 28th , 29th and 32nd Squadrons of the 3rd Group . The Chinese aviators considered the Gladiator an excellent fighter in its class . But pilots flying the Gloster fighter were soon finding it increasingly difficult to hold their own against the modern A5M , and because of a lack of spares due to arms embargo , the surviving Gladiators were mostly relegated to the training role . Then , when newer Japanese aircraft such as the Mitsubishi A6M entered the theatre , the Gladiators ' days were numbered . American - born Chinese pilot John " Buffalo " Wong , the first Gladiator flying ace and first American fighter ace of the Second World War , was eventually shot down in a combat with A6M Zeros on 14 March 1941 and died two days later from the injuries . He and Arthur Chin were among a group of 15 Chinese Americans who formed the original group of American volunteer combat aviators resisting Japanese aggression in China . The Finnish Winter War and Continuation War . During the Winter War , the Finnish Air Force ( FAF ) obtained 30 Mk II fighters from the UK . Ten of the aircraft were donated while the other 20 were bought by the FAF ; all were delivered between 18 January and 16 February 1940 . The Finnish Gladiators served until 1945 , but they were outclassed by the more modern Soviet fighters during the Continuation War . The aircraft was mostly used for reconnaissance from 1941 onwards . The Finnish Air Force obtained 45 aerial victories by 22 pilots with the aircraft type during the Winter War and one victory during the Continuation War . Twelve Gladiators were lost in combat during the Winter War and three during the Continuation War . Two pilots became aces with this aircraft : Oiva Tuominen ( 6 . 5 victories with Gladiators ) and Paavo Berg ( five victories ) . Besides the FAF Gladiators , the Swedish Voluntary Air Force , responsible for the air defence of northernmost Finland during the later part of the Winter War , was also equipped with Gladiator fighters , designated as J8s ( Mk Is ) and J8As ( Mk IIs ) by the Swedes . The Flying Regiment F 19 arrived in Finnish Lapland on 10 January 1940 , and remained there until the end of the hostilities . It fielded 12 Gladiator Mk II fighters , two of which were lost during the fighting , and five Hawker Hart dive bombers , plus a Raab - Katzenstein RK - 26 liaison aircraft and a Junkers F . 13 transport aircraft . The aircraft belonged to and were crewed by the Swedish Air Force , but flew with Finnish nationality markings . The Swedish Gladiators scored eight aerial victories and destroyed a further four aircraft on the ground . One concern was expressed when F 19 ' s executive officer Captain Björn Bjuggren wrote in his memoirs that the tracer rounds of the Gladiator ' s machine guns would not ignite the gasoline when penetrating the fuel tanks of Soviet bombers . The Phoney War . At the beginning of World War II during what was known as the " Phoney War " , Gladiators flew patrol flights that led to occasional clashes with Luftwaffe reconnaissance aircraft . On 17 October 1940 , the British Gladiators scored their first success when No 607 Squadron " B " Flight shot down a Dornier Do 18 flying boat ( ' 8L + DK ' of 2 . KuFlGr 606 ) , on the North Sea . On 10 April 1941 , 804 NAS took off from Hatston , in Orkney , to counteract the attack of a wave of German aircraft . Lt Cdr J C Cockburn was credited with one destroyed and his unit ' s Blue Section with a " damaged " . The Norwegian Campaign . The Norwegian Campaign saw both Norwegian and British Gladiators battling the " Luftwaffe " , with the Norwegian " Jagevingen " fighting in the defence of Oslo on the first day of the German invasion . Later British Gladiators fought to provide fighter cover for the allied reinforcements sent to the assistance of the Norwegian government . Jagevingen . The Gladiator pilots of the Norwegian " Jagevingen " ( fighter flight ) were based at Fornebu Airport . On 9 April , the first day of the invasion of Norway , the seven serviceable aircraft managed to shoot down five German aircraft : two Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighters , two He 111 bomber s and one " Fallschirmjäger " - laden Ju 52 transport . One Gladiator was shot down during the air battle by the future " Experte " Helmut Lent , while two were strafed and destroyed while refuelling and rearming at Fornebu airport . The remaining four operational fighters were ordered to land wherever they could away from the base . The Gladiators landed on frozen lakes around Oslo and were abandoned by their pilots , then wrecked by souvenir - hunting civilians . 263 Squadron . Gladiators were also used by 263 Squadron during the remaining two months of the Norwegian Campaign . The squadron arrived on the carrier HMS " Glorious " on 24 April , and first operated from an improvised landing strip built by Norwegian volunteers on the frozen lake Lesjaskogsvatnet in Oppland in central southern Norway . After less than a week , all the squadron ' s aircraft were unserviceable and the squadron was evacuated back to the UK . Having re - equipped in Britain , 263 Squadron resumed its Gladiator operations in Norway when the squadron returned to the north of Norway on 21 May , flying from Bardufoss airfield near Narvik . At the Narvik front , 263 Squadron was reinforced by Hurricanes of 46 Squadron , which flew into an airstrip at Skånland a few days later . Due to unsuitable ground at Skånland , 46 Squadron also moved to Bardufoss and was operating from this base by 27 May . The squadrons had been ordered to defend the fleet anchorage at Skånland and the military base at Harstad on the island of Hinnøya , as well as the Narvik area after it was recaptured . The action was short but intense before the squadrons , due to the British government ' s response to the invasion of France , were instructed on 2 June to prepare for evacuation . By then , 263 Squadron had flown 249 sorties and claimed 26 enemy aircraft destroyed . 263 Squadron ' s 10 surviving Gladiators landed on HMS " Glorious " on 7 June . " Glorious " sailed for home but was intercepted by the German battleship s " Gneisenau " and " Scharnhorst " . Despite the valiant defence put up by her two escorting destroyers , HMS " Acasta " and HMS " Ardent " , she was sunk along with the aircraft from four squadrons . 263 Squadron lost its CO , S / Ldr John W . Donaldson , and F / Lt Alvin T . Williams along with eight other pilots . No Norwegian Army Air Service aircraft were able to evacuate westwards before the 10 June surrender of the mainland Norwegian forces . Only the aircraft of the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service ( one M . F . 11 and four He 115 s ) had the range to fly all the way from their last bases in northern Norway to the UK . Two Army Air Service Fokker C . V . Ds and one Tiger Moth also managed to escape eastwards to Finland before the surrender . Further three naval M . F . 11s and one He 115 flew to Finland , landing on Lake Salmijärvi in Petsamo . All the former Norwegian aircraft were later flown by the Finns against the Soviet Union . Belgium . Belgian Gladiators suffered heavy losses to the Germans in 1940 , with all 15 operational aircraft lost , while only managing to damage two German aircraft . During the preceding Phoney War , on 24 April 1940 Belgian Gladiators on neutrality patrol shot down a German Heinkel He 111 bomber which subsequently crashed in the Netherlands . The bomber , V4 + DA of Kampfgeschwader 1 , had been damaged by French fighters at Maubeuge , France , and chased across the Belgian border . Battle of Britain . The Gloster Gladiator was in operational service with 247 Squadron , stationed at RAF Roborough , Devon during the Battle of Britain . Although no combat sorties took place at the height of the aerial battles , 247 Squadron Gladiators intercepted a Heinkel He 111 in late October 1940 , without result . 239 Squadron , using Gladiators in an army cooperation role , and 804 Squadron Naval Air Squadron , outfitted with Sea Gladiators , were also operational during the Battle of Britain . Mediterranean and Middle East theatres . In the Mediterranean Theatre during 1940 – 41 , Gladiators saw combat with four Allied air forces : the RAF , Royal Australian Air Force , South African Air Force and " Ellinikí Vasilikí Aeroporía " ( Royal Greek Air Force ) squadrons . These achieved some success against the Italian " Regia Aeronautica " , which was mainly equipped with Fiat CR . 32 and Fiat CR . 42 biplanes , and against " Luftwaffe " bombers . The South African ace Marmaduke " Pat " Pattle ( who served with the RAF ) , claimed 15 kills in Gladiators during the North African and Greek Campaigns , making him the highest - scoring RAF biplane ace of the Second World War . The 1941 Anglo - Iraqi War was unique in the context of Gloster Gladiators in that the opposing air forces , being the RAF and Royal Iraqi Air Force , both used the Gladiator as their main fighter . Gladiators also saw action against the Vichy French in Syria . Malta . One of the best - known campaigns fought by Gladiators was the siege of Malta in 1940 . The fighter force defending Malta was , for a period of 10 days , a small force of British - operated Gladiators , the Hal Far Fighter Flight , giving rise to a myth that three aircraft , named " Faith " , " Hope " and " Charity " , formed the entire fighter cover of the island . The aircraft names came into being only after the battle was over . In fact , more than three aircraft were operational , though not always at the same time ; others were used for spare parts . No 1435 Flight , which later assumed control of Malta ' s air defence , took on the names " Faith " , " Hope " and " Charity " for its aircraft upon its reformation as the air defence unit in the Falkland Islands in 1988 . A stock of 18 Sea Gladiators from 802 Naval Air Squadron had been delivered by HMS " Glorious " , in early 1940 . Three were later shipped out to take part in the Norwegian Campaign , and another three were sent to Egypt . By April , Malta was in need of fighter protection and it was decided to form a flight of Gladiators at RAF Hal Far , to be composed of RAF and FAA personnel . Several Sea Gladiators were assembled and test - flown and they became badly needed , since the war started soon thereafter . The Italian air force units deployed against Malta should have easily defeated the weak defence offered by Gladiators , but the Gladiator ' s agility and tactics won several engagements , often started with a dive on the Savoia - Marchetti SM . 79 " Sparviero " bombers before the Fiat CR . 42 and Macchi MC . 200 escort fighters could react . On 11 June 1940 , a Gladiator damaged a Macchi and on 23 June , another successful battle was fought against S . 79s and three Macchis . One of the two Gladiators , flown by George Burges , managed to shoot down a MC . 200 . Another successful pilot over Malta was " Timber " Woods who managed to shoot down two S . 79s and two CR . 42s , also claiming a Macchi hit on 11 June and another S . 79 ( only damaged ) . Gladiators held the defence against " Regia Aeronautica " raids and forced Italian fighters to escort bombers and reconnaissance aircraft . Although the " Regia Aeronautica " had started with a numerical advantage and air superiority , during the summer of 1940 , the situation was reversed with Hurricanes being delivered as fast as possible , and gradually taking over the island ' s air defence . Even if Gladiators had not scored many air victories , they were a very important asset for the island ' s defence . By June , two of the Gladiators had crashed and two more were assembled . " Charity " was shot down on 31 July 1940 . Its pilot , Flying Officer Peter Hartley , scrambled at 09 . 45 with fellow pilots F . F . Taylor and Flight Lieutenant William Joseph " Timber " Woods , to intercept an SM . 79 , escorted by nine CR . 42s from 23° Gruppo . During a dogfight a CR . 42 flown by Serg . Manlio Tarantino shot down Hartley ’ s Gladiator ( N5519 ) , badly burning him . Woods shot down Antonio Chiodi , commander of the 75a " Squadriglia " five miles east of Grand Harbour ( he was subsequently awarded a posthumous " Medaglia d ’ Oro al Valor Militare " , Italy ’ s highest military award ) . In May 2009 , the remains of " Charity " and others were the subject of an underwater search by NATO minesweepers . " Hope " ( N5531 ) was destroyed on the ground by enemy bombing in May 1941 . The fate of at least five more Gladiators that saw action over Malta is not as well documented . North Africa . In North Africa , Gladiators had to face Italian Fiat CR . 42 " Falcos " , the performance of which was slightly superior to that of the Gladiator at higher altitudes . The first aerial combat between the biplanes took place on 14 June over Amseat . " Tenente " Franco Lucchini , of 90 " Squadriglia " , 10° " Gruppo " , 4° " Stormo " , flying a CR . 42 from Tobruk , shot down a Gladiator ; it was the first claim made against RAF in the desert war . On the afternoon of 24 July , CR . 42s and Gladiators clashed over Bardia . A formation of 11 CR . 42s from 10° " Gruppo " , backed by six more from the 13° " Gruppo " attacked a British formation of nine Blenheims that was attacking Bardia , and was in turn reportedly attacked by 15 Gladiators . The five Gladiators of 33 Squadron claimed four CR . 42s destroyed . On 4 August 1940 , Fiat biplanes from 160 " Squadriglia " of " Capitano " Duilio Fanali intercepted four Gladiators commanded by Marmaduke " Pat " Pattle ( eventually to become one of the top - scoring Allied aces with approximately 50 claims ) that were attacking Breda Ba . 65 s while they were strafing British armoured vehicles . On this occasion , the Fiats managed to surprise the Gladiators , shooting down three of them . Wykeham Barnes ( who survived losing his Gladiator in the battle ) claimed a Breda 65 , while Pattle claimed a Ba 65 and a CR . 42 . On 8 August 1940 , during another dogfight , 14 Gladiators of 80 Squadron took 16 Fiat CR . 42s from 9° and 10° " Gruppi " of 4° " Stormo " ( a " Regia Aeronautica " elite unit ) by surprise over Gabr Saleh , well inside Italian territory . British pilots claimed 13 to 16 confirmed victories and 1 to 7 probables , while losing two Gladiators . That battle highlighted the strong points of the Gladiator over the CR . 42 , especially the radio equipment , which had permitted a coordinated attack , being also crucial for obtaining the initial surprise , and the Gladiator ' s superior low - altitude overall performance , including speed and a markedly superior horizontal manoeuvrability over its Italian opponent . The British celebrated the victory , while the Italians had to admit a hard defeat . Overall , the few Gladiators and CR . 42s clashed with a substantial parity , despite many Italians having gained combat experience over Spain . Firepower , agility and speed were not far different in any sense , even the engine was comparable ; although the Italians had the initial advantage to have fought over Spain while RAF pilots did not , but this was not too important either , as RAF / RAAF pilots had often better fighting tactics . From 1941 , monoplanes like the Hurricane and the MC . 200 increasingly replaced biplanes in air combat , relegating them to secondary roles or ground attack . Eastern Africa . In Eastern Africa the Gladiators faced the Italian biplane fighters : Fiat CR . 32s and CR . 42s . The latter , more modern than the Gladiator , was a formidable opponent . On 6 November 1940 , in the first hour of the British offensive against Ethiopia , the Fiat CR . 42 fighters of the 412a Squadriglia led by Capt . Antonio Raffi shot down five Gloster Gladiators without losses , at the expenses of 1 SAAF Sqn ; among the Italian pilots there was the ace Mario Visintini , but the real difference was made by tactical situation , as the Gladiators came few at once , and were heavily outnumbered . On 6 June 1941 , the " Regia Aeronautica " had only two serviceable aircraft : a CR . 32 and a CR . 42 , therefore the air superiority was finally archivied by Gladiators and the Hurricanes . The Gladiator ' s last air combat with an Italian fighter was on 24 October 1941 , with the CR . 42 of Tenente Malavolti ( or , according to historian Håkan Gustavsson , " sottotenente Malavolta " ) . The Italian pilot took off to strafe British airfields at Dabat and Adi Arcai . According to the Italian historian Nico Sgarlato , the CR . 42 was intercepted by three Gladiators and managed to shoot down two of them , but was then itself shot down and the pilot killed . Other authors state that Malavolti managed only to fire on the two Gladiators before being shot down . According to Gustavsson , South African Air Force pilot ( no . 47484V ) Lieutenant Lancelot Charles Henry " Paddy " Hope , at Dabat airfield , scrambled to intercept the CR . 42 ( MM7117 ) . Diving on it , he opened fire at 300 yards . Although the Italian pilot took violent evasive action , Hope continued to follow , closing to only 20 yards and firing as the Fiat tried to dive away . There was a brief flicker of flame and the last Italian aircraft to be shot down over East Africa spun into the ground and burst into flames near Ambazzo . Next day , the wreckage was found , the dead pilot still in the cockpit . Hope dropped a message on the Italian positions at Ambazzo : " Tribute to the pilot of the Fiat . He was a brave man . South African Air Force . " But operational record books of the Commonwealth units in the area state that they didn ’ t suffer any losses on this date . The dedication of the posthumous " Medaglia d ’ oro al valor militare " states that Malavolti shot down a Gladiator and forced another one to crash land , but was himself shot down by the third Gladiator . This was the last air - to - air victory in the East African campaign . Greece . Tension had been building between Greece and Italy since 7 April 1939 , when Italian troops occupied Albania . On 28 October 1940 , Italy issued an ultimatum to Greece , which was rejected , and after few hours Italian troops invaded Greece , initiating the Greco - Italian War . Britain sent help in the form of 80 Squadron , elements of which arrived at Trikkala by 19 November . That same day , the Gladiator debut came in the form of a surprise , intercepting a section of five Italian CR . 42s on Coritza , only one of which returned to base . On 27 November , seven Gladiators attacked three Falcos , shooting down the lead aircraft , piloted by Com . Masfaldi , commanding the 364a Squadriglia . On 28 November , the commander of 365a " Squadriglia " , Com . Graffer , was shot down during a combat where seven aircraft were downed , four of them British . On 3 December , the Gladiators were reinforced with elements from 112 Squadron . The following day , a clash between 20 Gladiators and ten CR . 42s resulted in a loss of five , two of them Italians . After a break of two weeks , 80 Sqn returned to operations on 19 December 1940 . On 21 December 20 Gladiators intercepted 15 CR . 42 Falcos , shooting down two with two losses . Over the next few days , several groups of Italian Savoia - Marchetti SM . 79 and Savoia - Marchetti SM . 81 bombers were also intercepted and victories claimed . The complete 112 Sqn moved to Eleusis by the end of January 1941 , and by the end of the following month , had received 80 Sqn ’ s Gladiators , after the latter unit had converted to Hawker Hurricane s . On 5 April , German forces invaded Greece and quickly established air superiority . As the Allied troops retreated , Gladiators covered them , before flying to Crete during the last week of April . There No 112 Sqn recorded a few claims over twin - engined aircraft before being evacuated to Egypt during the Battle of Crete . Anglo - Iraqi War . The Royal Iraqi Air Force ( RoIAF ) had been trained and equipped by the British prior to independence in 1932 . One result of this was the dominance of British - built aircraft in the RoIAF inventory . In 1941 , the sole RoIAF single - purpose fighter squadron , No . 4 Squadron consisted of seven operational Gloster Gladiators at Rashid Air Base . After a pre - emptive RAF attack from RAF Habbaniya against blockading Iraqi forces , Iraqi Gladiators took part in attacks on the British air base , strafing it ineffectively on 2 May . Although much of the RoIAF was destroyed in the air or on the ground in the following days , the Iraqi Gladiators kept flying until the end of the war , carrying out strafing attacks on A Company of 1 Battalion The Essex Regiment on the outskirts of Baghdad on 30 May . Before the outbreak of hostilities in Iraq , the 4th Service Training School at RAF Habbaniya operated three old Gladiators as officers ' runabouts . With the increased tension , the base was reinforced with another six Gladiators on 19 April , flying in from Egypt . During the early part of the war the nine Gladiators flew numerous sorties against air and ground targets , taking off from the base ' polo field . The Gladiator force in Iraq was further reinforced when , on 11 May , another five aircraft arrived , this time from 94 Squadron in Ismaïlia on the Suez Canal . A last resupply of Gladiators came on 17 May in the form of four more 94 Squadron machines . During the fighting , the sole Gladiator - on - Gladiator kill occurred on 5 May , when Plt . Off . Watson of the Fighter Flight shot down an Iraqi Gladiator over Baqubah during a bomber escort mission . The Iraqi Gladiators ' only claim during the war was a Vickers Wellington bomber shared with ground fire on 4 May . Immediately after launching his coup against King Faisal II in early April 1941 , Prime Minister Rashid Ali al - Gaylani approached Germany and Italy for help in repelling any British counter - measures . In response , the Germans assembled a Luftwaffe task force under Iraqi colours called " Fliegerführer Irak " ( " Flyer Command Iraq " ) which from 14 May operated out of Mosul . Before this force collapsed due to lack of supplies , replacements , quality fuel and aggressive RAF attacks , two Gladiators fought a pair of Bf . 110s over Rashid Airfield at Baghdad on 17 May . Both German machines were swiftly shot down . " Regia Aeronautica " sent 12 Fiat CR . 42s that arrived in Iraq on 23 May . Six days later , the Fiat CR . 42s intercepted RAF Hawker Audax and clashed with escorting Gladiators in what was to prove the final air - to - air air combat of the brief campaign . Italian pilots claimed two No . 94 Sqn Gladiators but one Fiat was shot down by a Gladiator flown by Wg Cdr Wightman , close to Khan Nuqta . The Iraqis continued to use Gladiators until 1949 for ground attack missions against the Kurds . Syria . After the end of the Iraq fighting the British decided to invade Vichy French - controlled Syria to prevent the area from falling under direct German control . The French in Syria had supported the Iraqi rebellion materially and allowed " Luftwaffe " aircraft to use their airfields for operations over Iraq . The month - long Syria - Lebanon Campaign in June – July 1941 saw heavy fighting both in the air and on land , until the Vichy French authorities in Syria surrendered on 12 July 1941 . In one encounter between the Royal Air Force and the Vichy French Air Force on 15 June 1941 , six Gloster Gladiators were jumped by an equal number of Dewoitine D . 520 monoplane fighter aircraft . In a confused battle , both sides lost one aircraft shot down and one severely damaged . French fighter ace Pierre Le Gloan shot down the Gladiator for his 15th confirmed kill . Le Gloan himself had to crash land his damaged D . 520 at his own air base . As late as mid - 1941 , the RAF Chief - of - Air Staff offered 21 Gloster Gladiators gathered from various meteorological and communications flights in the Middle East , as well as five from a Free French unit , to AOC Singapore in order to strengthen the colony ' s defences against the emerging Japanese threat . The offer was turned down and later reinforcements consisted of Hawker Hurricanes . Operations elsewhere . The Irish Air Corps was supplied with four Gladiators on 9 March 1939 . On 29 December 1940 , two Irish Gladiators were scrambled from Baldonnel to intercept a German Ju 88 flying over Dublin on a photographic reconnaissance mission , but were unable to make contact . Although unable to intercept any intruding aircraft , the Irish Gladiators shot down several British barrage balloon s that had broken from their moorings . For a short time in 1940 , an order was given to Irish fighter pilots to use their aircraft to block the runways of airfields . They were then to use rifles and shoot at any invaders . Irish Gladiators also overflew the site of the sinking of the liner SS " Athenia " in 1939 and offered the help of the Irish military . The flight was fired upon by Royal Navy ships in attendance , consequently , the Irish Gladiators withdrew . The Luftwaffe used captured Latvian Gladiators as glider tugs with " Ergänzungsgruppe " ( S ) 1 from Langendiebach near Hanau during 1942 – 3 . After becoming obsolete , RAF Gladiators carried out non - combat tasks such as meteorological work . Epilogue . The Finnish Air Force was the last to use the Gloster biplane in combat . So it was under Finnish insignia that the Gladiator achieved its last air victory . During the Continuation War , against the Soviets , Glosters supported the advance of the Karelian Army around Lake Ladoga . On 15 February 1943 , 1st Lt Håkan Strömberg of " LLv 16 " , during a reconnaissance mission along the Murmansk railway , between the White Sea and the Lake Onega , spotted , on Karkijarvi , a Soviet Polikarpov R - 5 taking off . Stromberg dived on it and shot it down in the forest near its airfield with two bursts . Survivors . Gladiators have been preserved at the Shuttleworth Collection , Fighter Collection at Imperial War Museum Duxford , Gloucestershire Aviation Collection ( in Bedfordshire , UK ) , the National War Museum , Malta and the RAF Museum ( in Hendon and Cosford , UK ) . One Swedish Gladiator Mk I is preserved in Winter War markings at the Swedish Air Force Museum in Malmen , just outside of Linköping , Sweden . Norway . The Norwegian Aviation Museum has in its collection Gladiator II , serial N5641 , operated by No . 263 squadron and abandoned at Lake Lesjaskog during the squadron ' s retreat . The aircraft had been purchased by a local farmer who preserved it into the 1960s when it was brought to the museum for restoration . Malta . The fuselage of the only surviving Gladiator from the Hal Far Fighter Flight ( N5520 ) , later called " Faith " , was presented to the people of Malta in 1943 . The fuselage remains are displayed in the War Museum at Fort St Elmo , Valletta . Research on the airframe has indicated that it incorporates parts of at least one other Gladiator . Malta ' s Aviation Museum has been trying since at least 2005 to obtain possession of the Gladiator remains from the War Museum which , it claimed , was lacking sufficient security for valuable heritage exhibits . In its Air Battle of Malta Memorial Hangar at Ta ' Qali , the Aviation Museum had demonstrated superior expertise in aircraft restoration and had managed to acquire " a set of wings and other parts for the Gladiator " . This request was reinforced in November 2008 by a newspaper article which stated " the aircraft is in a very bad state and now approaching the point of no repair " . Quotations . Gladiator aces . The top scoring Gladiator aces flew it in North Africa and Greece , and scored most of their successes against " Regia Aeronautica " aircraft . Flight Lieutenant Marmaduke T . " Pat " St . Pattle , from No . 80 Squadron , while flying the Gloster fighter , achieved 15 . 5 confirmed air victories ( out of his 50 + kills ) , plus four probably destroyed and six damaged . Second is Pilot Officer Bill " Cherry " W Vale , from No . 33 and 80 Squadrons , with 10 individual kills , shared and 1 . 5 damaged . Flight Lieutenant Joe P . Fraser , from No . 112 Sqdn , and Flight Sergeant Don S . Gregory , from Nos . 33 and 80 Sqdns , scored all of their kills ( respectively , 9 . 5 and 8 ) flying the Gladiator . Sergeant C . E . " Cas " Casbolt , from No . 80 Sqdn , shot down 7 . 5 e / a ( plus one probably destroyed and 1 . 5 damaged ) . Specifications ( Gloster Gladiator Mk I ) . In at least some Sea Gladiators , provision existed for a pair of Brownings to be fitted under the upper wings as well , bringing the total to six . Official service release trials were not completed before the Sea Gladiators were replaced by later types – but some upper wing Brownings may have been fitted in the field , in particular in Malta .