Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 15:54

The Brewster Buffalo as a 1939 Fleet Air Arm bridge

The Buffalo's poor later reputation obscures its value as a competent interim carrier fighter in 1939.

Brewster BuffaloCarrier FightersFleet Air ArmNaval AviationWorld War II
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Question

Would one hundred Brewster Buffalo fighters help the Royal Navy in 1939?

Short answer

Yes; they could serve as an adequate interim naval fighter until 1941 despite the type's later reputation.

Notes

The Buffalo defeated the first Wildcat version in competition, complicating its later reputation as a uniformly poor fighter. Its shortcomings were clear by 1941, but that does not make it useless in 1939. A hundred navalised examples could have given the Fleet Air Arm a competent single-seat fighter while newer aircraft developed. The value of the proposal lies in filling a two-year gap rather than keeping the Buffalo in front-line service indefinitely.