This is the remains of another Gloster Gladiator from the campaign. Click here for more information.

Germany invaded Norway on 9 April 1940 and 263 Squadron was soon instructed to prepare for a move. On 20 April the aircraft were flown, via RAF Sealand, to Scapa Flow, Scotland, where Fleet Air Arm pilots landed them on the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious  and 18 Gladiators sailed for Norway. On 24 April, after two days sailing, the Squadron flew their aircraft off the carrier to a landing strip on the frozen lake Lesjaskogsvatnet in Oppland in central southern Norway. Unfortunately the squadron was extremely short of ground staff and equipment, few of their Gladiators had been prepared for combat when the Luftwaffe struck with Heinkel 111s shortly after daybreak on 25 April. By the end of 26 April, although 263 Squadron had managed to destroy two Heinkels all their aircraft had been destroyed or rendered unserviceable and by the end of the month the squadron was ordered home.

The re-equipped squadron returned to the far north of Norway on 21 May flying from Bardufoss airfield, near Narvik and being reinforced by No 46 Squadron whose Hurricanes arrived a few days later, using an airstrip at Skånland. Due to unsuitable ground at Skånland, 46 Squadron moved so that both were operating from Bardufoss by 27 May. The squadrons had been ordered to defend the fleet anchorage at Skånland and the military base at Harstad on the island of Hinnøya. Action was short but intense, before the squadrons were instructed on 2 June to prepare for evacuation; 263 Squadron had flown 249 sorties and claimed 26 enemy aircraft destroyed. 263's ten surviving Gladiators were landed on HMS Glorious on 7 June. HMS Glorious sailed but was unfortunate to encounter German battlecruisers Gneisenau and Scharnhorst. She was sunk and along with the aircraft from four squadrons, 263 Squadron lost its CO, S/Ldr John W Donaldson along with nine other pilots.

Serial number 170088
Markings 2 KSF 4
H547 A
KF 1081