The enclosed-cockpit Swordfish was the Mark IV rather than the Mark V mentioned earlier. The Zero could out-turn and out-run the biplane with ease, but that advantage also creates a very high closure rate. A fighter might struggle to slow enough for a stable firing pass, while guns harmonized for normal fighter combat could throw rounds ahead of the much slower target. The point does not make the Swordfish superior; it shows how extreme speed differences can complicate an apparently simple interception.
Notable Point · 16:00-17:14
A slow Swordfish creates an unusual problem for Zero pilots
The Swordfish's very low speed could make a Zero's firing pass harder even though the Japanese fighter held every conventional performance advantage.