About 740 Walruses were built, most during the Second World War, because the later Sea Otter never replaced the entire fleet. The type undertook bombing in Norway and the East African campaign, including an attack by an HMS Hobart aircraft on the Italian headquarters at Zeila in British Somaliland. From 1943, wider carrier availability and shipboard radar reduced the need for some earlier patrol and reconnaissance jobs. The Royal Air Force also used Walruses for air-sea rescue, alongside aircraft that patrolled or dropped supplies to downed crews. The type is credited with recovering roughly one thousand aircrew from the Mediterranean, Bay of Bengal, and waters around Britain, preserving trained personnel who could return to operations.
Notable Point · 43:13-45:35
Bombing and late-war air-sea rescue
Walruses bombed targets in Norway and East Africa before radar and growing carrier strength pushed the type toward air-sea rescue.