Q&A · 1:59:56-2:00:53

Why the Hawker Henley would not rescue land-based dive bombing

The Henley was an RAF project eclipsed by the Fairey Battle, and land-based dive bombers faced worsening air defenses before carrier aircraft did.

Question

Would the Hawker Henley have suffered the same fate as other dive bombers if adopted by the RAF or Royal Navy?

Short answer

Yes for land operations, while the Navy was unlikely to adopt it at all because it had separate aircraft plans and the RAF already preferred the Fairey Battle.

Notes

The Hawker Henley was an RAF project, while the Royal Navy pursued its own requirement through the Blackburn Skua. The comparison favors the Fairey Battle for its engine, payload capacity, and space for a second crew member. Had the Henley entered service as a dive bomber, it would have faced the same declining prospects as other land-based dive bombers by 1942 or 1943. Carrier dive bombers remained viable into 1944-45 partly because the Axis warships they attacked still had inadequate anti-aircraft defenses.