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Some carrier aircraft served in dual roles, such as fighter-bomber and bomber-reconnaissance aircraft. Carrier aircraft functions. Torpedo and dive bombers attacked enemy warships, transports, merchant ships, and land installations. Fighters accompanied bombers on attack missions, protecting them during interceptions by enemy fighters.
Aircraft carriers of World War II by country Aircraft carriers serve as a seagoing airbases, equipped with a flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying and recovering aircraft. [ 1 ] Typically, they are the capital ships of a fleet, as they project air power worldwide without depending on local bases for operational support.
Named World War II military operations involving aircraft carriers Name Navy Action Begin End Task Force Carriers 1940: Hurry: RN: Deliver Aircraft to Malta: 31 July 1940: 4 August 1940: Force H: Argus, Ark Royal: Hat: RN: Reinforce Eastern Mediterranean Fleet; Deliver Supplies to Malta: 30 August 1940: 5 September 1940: Force H & Force F: Ark ...
Four types of ships are included in the list: fleet carriers, light carriers, escort carriers, and merchant aircraft carriers. Fleet and Light Carriers. The number of each combatant's operational fleet and light carriers provides an indication of that country's offensive naval capability at any point in time.
The list of aircraft of World War II includes all of the aircraft used by countries which were at war during World War II from the period between when the country joined the war and the time the country withdrew from it, or when the war ended.
It became apparent early in the war that control of the air was prerequisite for successful surface action both on land and at sea. [b] [9] For much of the war, Britain and America fought mainly on the seas, [10] [clarification needed] where successful Allied naval operations permitted effective support and reinforcement of troops in North Africa, the Soviet Union, western Europe and the Pacific.
Aircraft carriers were defined as having displacements of at least 10,000 tons and used exclusively for launching and landing aircraft. The total tonnage limit for carriers was 135,000 tons for UK and America, 81,000 for Japan, and 60,000 tons for Italy and France. [ 14 ]
When a convoy was close enough to air bases, land-based aircraft also provided protection, but no carriers or carrier-launched aircraft were involved. During this early period, convoys transporting supplies in both the Atlantic and Pacific suffered enormous losses for lack of suitable escorts.