The Swordfish air-combat claim over Narvik

An unescorted bomber could still be vulnerable to a Swordfish's gun. A German account reportedly identified its attacker over Narvik as a Spitfire, although the British aircraft described here was a Swordfish floatplane from Warspite. In the British account, the attacking aircraft could not slow enough to engage the Swordfish, overshot, and was raked with gunfire. It then disappeared, leaving its fate uncertain. Friendly fire is also raised as a possible explanation for the German loss, so the accounts do not establish a confirmed Swordfish victory. The discussion adds that Warspite carried Swordfish floatplanes and associates their submarine attack with the battleship's record.