Model Aircraft – September 2019

after the deliveries started in July 1939, V-156-F
crews were trained for carrier operations
aboard the French carrier Béarn, but when the
war broke out the old carrier was declared too
slow for operational service. As a result, V-156-F-
equipped units escadrilles AB 1 and AB 3 were
based ashore when the Battle of France started.
AB 1 sustained heavy losses while attacking

bridges and German ground targets in

Northern France, as well as providing air cover

for the Evacuation of Dunkirk. AB 3’s V-156-

Fs were briely engaged against the Italians,

during which time they were credited with

possibly sinking one submarine of Albenga.

By the time of the Armistice, there were only a

handful of remaining aircraft in French hands,

and the type was phased out of service.

France had placed an order for a further

50 V-156-Fs in March 1940, with delivery

planned from March 1941. Following the

defeat of France, this order was taken over by

the British government for use by the Royal

Navy’s Fleet Air Arm, who named the aircraft

the ‘Chesapeake’. The British required several

modiications to the Chesapeake, including

the additional fuel tank itted to the SB2U-3,

additional armour and heavier forward iring

armament, with four rile calibre machine

guns replacing the single forward-iring

Darne machine gun of the French aircraft.

Fourteen Chesapeakes were used to equip a

reformed No.811 Naval Air Squadron on 14 July

1941 at RNAS Lee-on-Solent. The squadron,

whose crews referred to it as the ‘cheesecake’,

intended to use them for anti-submarine

patrols, and they were earmarked for the escort

carrier HMS Archer. By the end of October that

year, it had been decided that the Chesapeakes

were underpowered for the planned duties

and would not be able to lift a sensible payload

from the small escort carriers. Accordingly,

they were withdrawn from No.811 Squadron

in November 1941 for use as training aircraft

and the unit was re-equipped with the Fairey

Swordish.

MODEL AIRCRAFT SEPTEMBER 2019

COMBAT ZONE – SB2U VINDICATOR

COMBFIGHTING AT ZONECOLOURS^13