After clearing the harbour, Wellham tests an aircraft that is still flying but no longer behaving normally. The engine instruments look reassuring, while the flight instruments confirm the wing-down skid needed to hold a straight course. When he finally checks on Pat Humphreys, the observer confirms he is physically unharmed and jokes that Wellham has bent the aircraft. The Swordfish was not a miraculous machine, although its reputation grew from credible accounts of aircraft surviving extraordinary punishment. The type was not designed to recover from a violent manoeuvre after striking a balloon cable while carrying a torpedo. Its ability to do so reflects both robust design and the demands the Fleet Air Arm had placed upon it.
Notable Point · 25:30-28:01
What the raid reveals about Swordfish resilience
The damaged aircraft's return helps explain the Swordfish reputation: it was not perfect, but it was well developed for its demanding naval role.