Avro Anson, part eleven, Middle-East users

The Avro Anson is a British multi-role, twin-engined aircraft that, with more than 11.000 machines manufactured, it saw action with many countries all around the globe. It was used by the next countries:

• Israel: An unknown number of Anson Mk.I were sent to Israel in 1948 acquired in the British civilian market. They were used by the No. 114 Squadron of the Israeli Air Force in the multi-engined, navigation trainer role, where they enjoyed an excellent safety record. All of them were written off in early 1956 and were used for fire dump exercises or were scrapped.
• Iran: When Iran declared War on Germany on 9th September 1943 forty-eight Ansons Mk.I were delivered to the Imperial Iranian Air Force via the maintenance unit stationed at RAF Habbaniya, in Iraq. They were delivered in three batches between May 1944 and June 1945 to equip the No.1 (Bomber) Squadron based at Doshan Tappeh Air Base, near Tehran. By 1945 the squadron was, most probably, operational. Additionally, a single Mk.XII was provided for the personal use of the Regent of Iran.
• Saudi Arabia: A single Anson Mk.I was operated by Airwork Ltd. before August 1948 at Taif, in the Mecca province. It was assigned to the British Training Mission but, by December 1949 it was already scrapped. As we couldn't find any graphical evidence of this airplane, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• Syria: Six Ansons ended up in Syria from unknown origins (most probably second-hand markets) between 1948-1949. Two of them were converted for bombing purposes and were employed in the First Arab-Israeli War in May-June 1948. Some reports claim that they were armed with two 0.303 in machine guns placed in the rear turret and carried a bomb load of up to 500 lb. We couldn't find any graphical evidence of the Anson with the Syrian Air Force, so the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• Turkey: Before the beginning of the War, in 1938, Turkey ordered a total of 25 Ansons. The first six ones were shipped to Turkey in May 1940 with the remainder of the order not being delivered. They were assigned to the Air School in Eskisheir, in the homonymous province, to replace the De Havilland DH.84 Dragon. The Ansons were used as bomber trainers and light transports. It's interesting to point out that the entrance door was placed on the starboard side of the rear fuselage. The last two Turkish Ansons were written off in 1946.

Sources:

1. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 53 - Avro Anson

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Anson

Avro Anson, part ten, Canadian Users & variants

Up to a total of 1.528 Anson Mk.Is were delivered to Canada from British production from 1939 onwards. It was soon found that modifications needed to be made to adequate the aircraft to the harsh Canadian climatic conditions. Therefore, machines were modified with cockpit heating, panelling inside the fuselage and carburettor heating. Ansons were supplied with Royal Air Force's (RAF) codes but they received Canadian ones progressively.
A number of them were delivered in fuselage only, without their engines, so the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) turned for the United States of America for help. This way, by fitting American engines into British-made airframes, a new variant, the Mk.III was born, which was similar to an experimental Mk.I fitted with a pair of Jacobs L-6 MB radial engines with a power of 330hp each. These engines were similar to those of the Mk.II variant, which by this year, 1941, was already being manufacturing  in Canada by Federal Aircraft, in Montreal. At the same time, the Canadian variants were all retrofitted with hydraulically retractable undercarriage.
In most of the cases, turrets were taken out, and the cristal area was reduced to make the aircraft more suitable for Canadian climate.
The first Anson Mk.III was converted from an Mk.I at the National Steel Car Co. (some sources claim it was done in Manchester, England) in March 1941 and was delivered to the RCAF in May. The first Mk.III made totally in Canada was completed by De Havilland Canada in late May.
The RAF initiated another engine change for the Anson when, in late 1941 and early 1942 an Mk.I was fitted with Wright Whirlwind engines, was tested at RAE Boscombe Down and received the denomination of Mk.IV.
This prototype, which initially conserved its turret, was shipped to Canada and was taken by the RCAF on 19th March 1942. Shortly later it was loaned to the USAAF for five months, between July and November. It seems that in 1942, with the Mk.II rolling out of the factories, there was no need for an Mk.IV. However, given the possibility of the Jacobs engines running out of supply, an unknown number of Mk.I and Mk.III were converted to the Whirlwind engine as an interim measure.
Given the hurry to get the Ansons available for the training facilities of the RCAF it's no clear which variant was used in every situation. Furthermore, to add more confusion, some Anson were modified locally in many RCAF stations.
Canadian manufacturing process of the Anson went one step further than the steel and canvas covered airframe. Given the availability in large numbers of wood, Canadian engineers decided to built an all-wooden version employing almost the same techniques as those used in the Mosquitoes during the same period of time. This new variant, called Mk.V and nicknamed as the 'Canadian wooden wonder' had three portholes on the fuselage sides hydraulic undercarriage and was powered by two Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior engines which yielded each of them 450 hp of power.
It was officially manufactured by Federal Aircraft Co., in Montreal, even if the prototype was built by a company named 'Vidal' in Bristol, Massachusetts, in the USA. It flew for the first time in early 1942 and was the first of the 1.070 exemplars that would be made of this trainer and transport variant. This variant was built in three Canadian factories and was again modified with the inclusion of a Bristol B.1 turret. This variant, called Mk.VI, was intended to be used for bombing and gunnery training, however, just a single prototype was built.
The Mark V proved to be an excellent machine and remained in service with the RCAF and Royal Canadian Navy well until after the war when, as many of the training stations set in the Commonwealth Air Training Plan were being deactivated, they were sold onto the civilian market.
The Avro Anson served with most of the Service Flying Training Schools (SFTS) set up in Canada, of which no less than 19 of them were established. Apart of those SFTS they served also with the No.10 Air Observers School, No.11 Bombing and Gunnery School and five Air Navigation Schools. They also served in Nos. 1 and 31 General Reconnaissance Schools and Nos. 312, 32, 34 and 36 Operational Training Units as well as the RCAF Central Flying School, three Flying Instructor Schools and many Fleet Requirement Units of the Royal Canadian Navy.

Sources:
1. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 53 - Avro Anson
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Anson
3. https://www.valka.cz/Avro-Anson-t54872 (translated when needed)

Avro Anson, part Nine, Portuguese, Soviet, Spanish and Yugoslav users

The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined multi-role aircraft which, more than 11.000 exemplars manufactured by Avro in England and Federal Aircraft Ltd. in Canada, it was one of the most used aircraft in the world. It saw service with many air forces and airlines. Among them the following ones:

• Portugal: Twelve Ansons Mk.I which were refurbished by Avro at Langar, Nottinghamshire, were delivered to Portugal in 1946-1947 for liaison and transport duties. They operated from Portela, close to Lisbon and were active for a long period of time with some of them still being active in 1957 when the unit was renamed as 'Esquadra 82' (Squadron 82). Some unconfirmed sources claim that additional four machines were delivered to Portugal in 1947.
• Soviet Union: When the USSR invaded Estonia and the other Baltic countries, the Estonian Air Force had in service one Anson Mk.I. This machine was captured by the Red Army and was pressed into service with the VVS (Soviet Air Force). It was in service during 1940 and 1941 but it seems that it was either destroyed in the opening stages of Operation Barbarossa or it suffered an accident during early 1941. Either way, it was written off.
• Spain: The Spanish Airline Spantax was founded in 1959 with one Anson in its fleet. This Anson, originally registered as G-ACUX, crashed in Villa Cisneros (Spanish Sahara) on 15th December 1951 when it was taking off. It was reconstructed into airworthiness again in 1955 and registered into Spanish Civil Aviation in 1958. One year later it was bought by Spantax and was used to cover the aerial route between Tenerife Los Rodeos airport (Tenerife North) and Villa Cisneros. However it was written off after suffering, again, another accident on 26th November 1960 and was moved to company's main headquarter in Madrid where it was used as ground instructional airframe for crew training. Another source claims it was used for this same purpose but in Tenerife. Anyway, shortly later it was definitely written off and, most probably, sold for scrap.
• Yugoslavia: The Yugoslav Air Force acquired some Avro Anson Mk.I and Mk.V in the very late 1940s where they served from 1951 until 1959 when they were written off. They served in the Liaison Squadron of the 1st Military District, together with other types from various origins, from 1952 until 1959 when they were written off.

Sources:

1. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 53 - Avro Anson

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Anson

3. http://www.aviationcorner.net/gallery_en.asp?aircraft_type=Avro%20Anson&aircraft_type_id=331 (translated)

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spantax

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liaison_Squadron_of_1st_Air_Command

Avro Anson, part Eight, Dutch, Irish and Norwegian users

The Avro Anson is a British multi-role aircraft that was designed before World War II and was massively manufactured, and sold to many countries all around the globe. Among them, the following ones:

• Netherlands: On 1st June 1940, after the fall of Holland, the No.321 (Dutch) Squadron was formed in the Royal Air Force with Dutch personnel. The squadron was formed at RAF Pembroke Dock, in Pembrokeshire, Wales, but it was shortly rebased to RAF Carew Cheriton, in Pembrokeshire too, later on 28th July where it became operational. The squadron flew coastal and anti-submarine patrols equipped with Avro Ansons Mk.I until 18th January 1941 when the squadron was disbanded due to the lack of personnel and merged with the No.320 (Netherlands) Squadron which also flew the Anson, among other aircraft in the same role from RAF Pembroke Dock, from August 1940 until July 1941 when they were re-equipped with Lockheed Hudson Mk.III.
  After the War, a total of 25 ex-RAF Anson Mk.Is were donated to the Royal Netherlands Air Force. They had previously been refurbished at RAF Pershore, in Worcestershire, and were delivered in Twente, eastern Netherlands. They were used by a number of different units like Depot Vliegtuigen at Soesterberg Air Base, in Utrecht, the Technical Training Unit at Deelen Air Base, in Gelderland, the twin-engine conversion unit at Gilze-Rijen Air Base, in Southern Netherlands, and the 334 Squadron which is a communications and transport squadron based at Valkenburg Naval Air Base, in South Holland.
  A single Anson C.19 was bought from Royal Aircraft Establishment Llanbedr, in Gwynedd, Wales. It was bought for £200, received the code 'D-26' and it was bought for being displayed at Militaire Luchtvaart Museum (Military Aviation Museum) at Soesterberg Air Base, in Utrecht province.
• Ireland: The Irish Air Corps ordered two Anson Mk.I in the mid-1930s and they were delivered to Baldonnel Air Base, in Dublin, on 20th March 1937. Two additional more were delivered on 19th January 1938 and formed the No.1 Reconnaissance and Medium Bombing Squadron. Five more were delivered on 2nd February 1939 as part of an order of 12 but the remaining seven machines were impressed by the RAF due to the beginning of the World War II before they departed Speke Airport, in Liverpool, and remained with the No.36 Maintenance Unit.
  During the War, the Ansons, together with the Irish Supermarine Walrus, operated from Rineanna aerodrome (nowadays Shannon International Airport) in County Clare. They were commited to perform coastal patrols from Wexford, in County Wexford, to Lough Swilly, in County Donegal, in the North-West coast of Ireland. The rough weather in this area caused accidents in which three Ansons were lost, though one of them was repairable. Two additional accidents happened and the Ansons were taken off from active service in late 1944 and scrapped.
  Three Anson Mk.XIX were ordered in 1946 and were delivered on 4th April that year. They equipped the General Purpose Flight, which was used for training, communications, freight and reconnaissance duties. Two were damaged in accidents and one was retained as a ground instructional machine but it was scrapped with the other remaining one in the early 1970s. One has survived and it's nowadays on display at the Irish Air Corps Museum. 
• Norway: The Royal Norwegian Air Force operated twelve Anson Mk.XII in the communications role before their country was liberated. They were rebased to Oslo-Fornebu Airport between 5th and 9th June 1945 but were disbanded when the RAF left from Norway in December 1945.
  Therefore, ten Anson Mk.Is were given to the Royal Norwegian Air Force in August 1947. Those machines weren't in very good condition, one of them being lost when delivered. The remaining ones were re-furbished in Kjeller, Oslo and used for radio and navigation training. One of them was modified for Search & Rescue role and were eventually sold for civilian use in various countries.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._321_(Dutch)_Squadron_RAF

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._320_(Netherlands)_Squadron_RAF

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Anson

4. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 53 - Avro Anson

Mitsubishi Ki-46, part one, foreign users

The Mitsubishi Ki-46 was a twin-engine reconnaissance aircraft designed and manufactured in Japan. It was used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force during World War II, but it also saw action with other Air Forces during and after World War II:

• Communist China: The Red Army of China Air Force (The aerial brand of the Communist faction during the latest stages of the Chinese Civil War between 1945-1949) had two Ki-46 in strength captured probably in Manchuria after the capitulation of Japan. They served as ground-attack aircraft and trainer respectively and they served until the early 1950s after the People's Republic of China was proclamated.
• United Kingdom: In September 1945 a Japanese Ki-46-IIIa based at Kahan airfield, in the Malayan peninsula, was performing a reconnaissance mission when he received an order from the British to hand the two aircraft used by his unit to the Allied Technical Air Intelligence Unit, South East Asia (ATAIU SEA) due to the capitulation of Japan.
  The aircraft were delivered without propellers, though and, in October 1945 the orders were given to restore those two aircraft to an airworthy condition. It wasn't until January-February 1946 that one of those flew to Seletar airport, in Singapore to receive new British roundels. It was later shipped to the United Kingdom and nowadays it can be seen at the RAF's Museum. 
• France: After the War, France obtained two Ki-46-IIK with an extra seat, which was used as a trainer by the Japanese. They were assigned to the Escadrille de Liaisons 99 (Liaison Squadron 99) which was based at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, in Saigon and it wasn't until late 1945 that they were operational again.
  An additional Ki-46-II was obtained and restored, after great effort, in February 1946 only to be written off nine months later. It seems that there was also a Ki-46-III, which is not clear how it was painted so we decided to draw both possible colour configurations, and it crashed during takeoff on its first French flight attempt.
  The Ki-46 were never used in their original role by the French and they were used more as high-speed staff shuttles than reconnaissance aircraft. They withdrawn at the end of 1947.
• United States of America: One Ki-46-II which operated from Hollandia (nowadays Jayapura) was captured by US Army Troops when they liberated the Hollandia area on 23rd April 1944. During September 1944 that aircraft was repaired by ground crews of the 5th Air Force, 3rd Attack Group, 89th Attack Squadron to an airworthy status. It was repainted with USAAF markings and the emblem of the 3rd Attack Group was painted in the nose.
  In January 1945 it was shipped to mainland USA aboard USS Attu (CVE-102). It was test-flown at US Navy's Base in Patuxtent, NAS Anacostia and Eglin Air Force Base. It suffered a taxiing accident at Eglin airfield and was, most probably, scrapped.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_Ki-46

2. http://www.traditions-air.fr/index.htm (translated)

3. https://captured-wings.wikia.org/wiki/C/n_2846

4. https://wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com/2015/08/30/wwii-japanese-aircraft-in-postwar-french-service/

5. https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/collections/1989-0307-AF-MITSUBISHI-DINAH.pdf

6. Bunrin Do - Famous Airplanes of the World 38 - Mitsubishi Ki-46 (translated as much as possible)

Avro Anson, part Seven, Franco-Greek Users

The Avro Anson was a British twin-engine multi-role airplane that, with more than 11.000 exemplars manufactured, was widely used by many countries.
France was among those users when the Free French Air Force took the delivery of eight Anson Mk.I in May 1943. They were delivered to French West Africa and were followed in December 1944 by nine more. All of them were assigned to Groupe Artois (Artois Squadron) which was formed in August 1942 and operated from Pointe Noire, in French Equatorial Africa. This squadron, which was committed to coastal defence duties, was initially equipped with Westland Lysanders until the Ansons replaced them.
After the War, the Armée de l'Air (French Air Force) set up many training units (named with the acronym B.E. which stand for 'Base École' - Basic School) which had the Anson as the main operating aircraft.

• BE.710: The most important of these units. It was the French Military Academy at Salon-de-Provence, close to Marseille. By 1949 this unit had 31 Ansons on its rows. 
• BE.702: It was another training unit which was formed in Avord, central France, for multi-engine conversion and had detachments at Cazaux, South-Western France. 
• BE.703 was the radio-training school.
• BE.705: This unit was the basic training school. It was located at Cognac, close to the French Atlantic coast. In 1949 it was transferred to Marrakech, in the French Protectorate in Morocco, and became BE.709.
• BE.706: AKA E.M.N.E. (sorry but we couldn't find what this acronym means) this unit trained navigators and bombardiers at Cazaux. By 1949 it had 31 Ansons, 11 Miles Martinet, 35 Vickers Wellington T.Mark.X and 40 miscellaneous types on strength.

There were also some colonial units under French command which used the Anson Mk.I. Most of them were Escadrille de Police et Securité (AKA Escadrille d'Outre Mer - Overseas Squadrons) which operated mainly in French Africa and Madagascar.

The French Navy's Air Arm ('Aeronautique Navale' or 'Aeronavale') employed the Anson too for both communications and training. In 1946 an initial batch of 20 Ansons was delivered with a few more arriving later and being supplemented by surplus aircraft coming from the Armée de l'Air. In 1947 there was one communications unit at Querqueville, in Normandy, and two training squadrons, 50S and 52S with this last one having also the duty of giving officer cadets from the Ecole Navale at Lanvéoc, in Brittany, air experience flights, as part of their training. In October 1948 52S was renamed as 56S and used Ansons to train non-pilot aircrew including radar training. After having been temporarily based in many different locations, it was based in Agadir, French Protectorate of Morocco. 

One final French Anson was permanently based in the United Kingdom and was used by the French Naval Attache in London during late 1945-1946.

Another important user of the Anson was Greece. The Royal Hellenic Air Force received 12 Anson Mk.I during May-June 1939 and were used as communications aircraft during the Greco-Italian War of 1940-1941. During the German Invasion of Greece, five of them escaped to Egypt where they were repainted in Royal Air Force's colours.

After the War, four RAF Ansons Mk.XII were loaned to the Royal Hellenic Air Force between 1945-1946 and formed the Royal Hellenic Air Force's Communications Squadron with base at Maleme airfield, in Crete. Thirty-six additional ex-RAF Anson Mk.I were sold to the Greeks in 1946-1947.

Sources:

1. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 53 - Avro Anson

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Anson

3. http://britishaviation-ptp.com/avro652_3.html

Avro Anson, part six, some European Users

The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined multi-role aircraft that was used by many countries all around the globe. The following European countries had the Ansons serving with them:

• Belgium: In 1947 the British Government authorised deliveries of a number of Ansons Mk.I for the new Belgian Air Force. They were delivered to Evere airfield, in Brussels though few of them survived for long time. One was flying by No.7 Wing as a squadron hack flying crews to Schiphol, Amsterdam to work in Fokker's factory to pick up the newly built Gloster Meteor F.8 which were being manufactured under license there in 1950.
  The No.21 Smaldeel (Squadron) was equipped with Ansons which were separated into various different flights when the unit received the Douglas DC-4 for long range transportation.
  The Air Force's Main Transport Flight had also Douglas C-47s as its personnel was part of the No.525 Squadron during the War. This squadron was known as the 'Verbindingsflight' and took two Ansons into service when they departed RAF Hendon in August 1946. The flight was later upgraded to squadron-strength and named 'No.367 Squadron' and was later renamed as '21 Smaldeel' and was used for communications duties.
  One C.19 one was also used by SABENA (Belgian National Airline) to cover some internal aerial routes before it was sold to Air Congo and sent to the Belgian Congo. Two more served with Air Congo (making a total of three) and one of them served with John Mahieu Aviation in Brussels.
• Czechoslovakia: Three Ansons were given in total to Czechoslovakia after the War. Two Mk.XII and a single Mk.I but one of them crashed into the sea off the Danish coast. The remaining two were assigned to the Air Traffic Regiment of the newly formed Czechoslovak Air Force in 1946 and 1947. Their fate is unknown.
• Estonia: One Anson Mk.I was delivered to the Estonian Air Force in 1936 (although some sources claim it was in 1937). It received the serial 158 and when the country was occupied by the USSR, it was passed on to the Soviet Air Force.
• Finland: Before the War, the Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force) ordered three Ansons Mk.I. Finnish pilots were trained at Woodford in Stockport, Greater Manchester and the first Anson arrived in Utti, Finland, on 27th September 1936. The three Ansons were initially used for twin-engined aircraft training, while the Bristol Blenheim bombers arrived. When the Winter War started on 30th November 1939, they were used for aerial reconnaissance works. During one of those missions, one of them was lost to a crash in February 1940, another one crashed in 1943, when it was written off. The last one survived until 1947 when it made its last flight.

Sources:

1. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 53 - Avro Anson

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Anson

3. http://britishaviation-ptp.com/avro652_3.html

4. https://www.armedconflicts.com/Avro-Anson-C-Mk-12-t50511

5. http://www.svazletcu.cz/eng/csl2_2.html#

Avro Anson, part five, Oceanian Users

The Avro Anson was used by every Commonwealth country and, Australia and New Zealand weren't the exception.
Australia was the second largest participant in the Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Australian government ordered 969 Anson Mk.I in 1935 with the first ones arriving on 19th November 1936 on board of SS Orari. They were assigned to operational duties on coastal patrols and others were allocated to communications units. Seven of them were equipped with dual controls and went to No.1 Aircraft Depot unit based at RAAF Laverton, in Melbourne. Eight squadrons of the Permanent and Citizen Air Force (which was the RAAF reserve unit). A number of naval cooperation exercises were carried out before the start of the war.
In the training role the Anson served with the Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 8 Service Flying Training School (SFTS), Nos. 1, 2, and 3 Air Observers School and the General Reconnaissance School. After the war, many Ansons were sold to private aircraft companies with one of them becoming part of the Governor General's Flight together with an Avro York and a Percival Proctor. When serving with the RAAF, the Anson was not retired until the GAF (Government Aircraft Factories) English Electric Canberra bombers and the CAC (Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation) Sabre were in active.
In New Zealand 24 Ansons (though according to some other source, the number was 23) were imported initially for training purposes. Seven of them were diverted to India and most of the Ansons were used as communication aircraft during and after the war. One of them is restored and at display in the Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum at Wigram, Christchurch.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Anson
2. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 53 - Avro Anson
3. http://britishaviation-ptp.com/avro652_3.html

Avro Anson, part four, Asian Users

The Avro Anson is a British multi-role aircraft of which more than 11.000 units were made. It was exported to many countries all around the globe. Among them, the following ones:

• Afghanistan: The Royal Afghan Air Force obtained 13 (or 12, it's not clear as one source claim it was 13 but others claim it was 12) Anson XVIII. They were a modified version of the C.19 variant. They were used for communications, police patrol and aerial survey until 1972 when the country fell apart into a civil war.
• Bahrein: The Bahrein-based charter airline Gulf Aviation Ltd. was founded in 1949 by Freddie Bosworth, former RAF pilot. Initially it's fleet comprised just two Ansons T.21 modified to carry passengers. However, some sources claim it was a C.19. Anyway, they were used in the initial aerial routes this company made to Doha, in Qatar and Sharjah, in the Trucial States (nowadays United Arab Emirates).
• British Raj: The Royal Indian Air Force employed an unknown number of Anson Mk.I in the Navigation and Armament training role. They were assigned to the No.1 Service Flying Training School, which was based at RAF Ambala, in the Punjab province (nowadays Haryana state). It seems that the Ansons continued flying in the training role well after the war and even after the Independence of India in 1947. But it's unknown when they were written off. As we couldn't find any colour profile and the available photos are in black & white, the colours and the registration should be considered as speculative.
• Republic of India: The Indian Air Force (IAF) bought in 1948 a ad-hoc variant of the Avro Anson. It was called Anson C.18C and it was a civil crew training aircraft. Thirteen of them were bought by the Directorate of Civil Aviation and were used as civil aircrew trainers and communications aircraft. They were delivered from Yeadon, in Yorkshire one year later, in 1949.
• Indonesia: At least four Anson Mk.I were acquired by the Indonesian Air Force in 1947 from second hand retailers. One was known to have been serialed as RI-001 which was initially registered in Australia. During the Indonesia Independence War, it was captured by Dutch troops at Maguwo, in Jakarta in December 1948 and was broken up. The fate of the other three aircraft is unknown but it's known that they came from Australian civil register.
• Iraq: In March 1946 (or late 1944 according to other sources) thirty-three (30 depending on which source you check) Anson Mk.I were delivered to the Iraqi Air Force. They were assigned to I and VII Squadrons and it seems that some of them saw action as light bombers against Israel in the First Arab-Israeli War in 1948. Oddly enough, one of them was piloted by 1st Lt. Arif ar-Razzaq who in 1963 became the Commander in Chief of the Iraqi Air Force and later would be Defence Minister of that country. As the only available photo of the Anson in the Iraqi Air Force is blurry and in black and white, the colours and the registration should be considered as speculative.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Anson

2. https://web.archive.org/web/20120803171431/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1940s/Trg-1SFTS.html

3. https://web.archive.org/web/20120711122408/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1940s/Trg-1SFTS02.html

4. http://www.bahrainaviators.com/fleet.html

5. http://britishaviation-ptp.com/avro652_2.html

6. http://iraqimilitary.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20

7. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 53 - Avro Anson

Avro Anson, part three, Some American users

The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined multi-role aircraft manufactured by Avro. With more than 11.000 exemplars manufactured, the type was exported to various countries all around the globe.

• Argentina: Various Ansons were acquired by Argentine private companies after the war like SAETA (Servicios Aéreos Explotación Transportes Aéreos - Aerial Exploitation Transports Services) or Cía de tierra del Río Negro (Rio Negro land's company). They were used for cargo and land exploration purposes from the immediate postwar (1948 until the mid-1950s).
• Brazil: Three Ansons Mk.II were acquired by the Brazilian airline Companhia Meridional de Transportes (Southern Transports Company). This short-lived airline was founded in 1944 and, on 5th October 1945 they operated flights from the states of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo, in Brazil. All their fleet comprised of the three Ansons Mk.II that we mentioned and, after a crash on 19th December 1945 which killed all passengers, including the pilot and owner of the company, Álvaro Araújo, in just three months, the company went bankrupt.
• Cuba: Up to 10 Ansons served with various Cuban companies after the war. Most of them were airlines, like the one we've depicted below, which was made in Canada by Federal Aircraft. It served with the Cuban airline ANSA (Aerolíneas del Norte SA - Northern Airlines PLC) operating from the Cuban city of Camagüey. It's worth pointing that this airplane had extra windows. Other Cuban companies that had the Anson in their stocks were Líneas Aéreas Holguin (Holguin Airlines) , Aerolíneas del Sur SA (Southern Airlines PLC) and Corporación Aeronáutica Antillana (Antillean Aeronautical Corporation). Apparently a single one was used as the personal transport of J. Lobo.
• Paraguay: One Anson Mk.V was purchased by the Paraguayan Air Arm in the civilian market in Argentina in July 1947. It was used as a VIP transport. 
• United States of America: Given the need for extra training aircraft, 50 Ansons were transferred to the USA from Canada in 1943. They were named as AT-20. One Anson Mk.IV was also loaned to the USA earlier, in July 1942, but returned to Canada in November of that year. When the USAAF arrived in Europe, they didn't bring communications aircraft with them, so various Ansons, together with other British types, were used in second-line duties. No accurate records have been kept and the exact numbers are unknown, but by late 1944 the Ansons were given back to the Royal Air Force (RAF) as the USAAF had, by that time, shipped their own communications aircraft to the United Kingdom and even France.
  Some few of them were based at either Warton, Lancashire (the location of the main USAAF's depot during the war) or with the 1st Combat Crew Replacement Centre, in Bovingdon, Hertfordshire. One Anson Mk.XII registered as NL137 was allocated to the Station Flight in Northolt, London in January 1945. It was later transferred to Headquarters Flight in Bovingdon. It was given back to the RAF in late 1945 and was assigned to No.1 Ferry Unit, located in Pershore, Worcestershire.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Anson

2. https://loudandclearisnotenought.blogspot.com/2012/08/lv-agj-avro-652a-anson-v-mb-17.html (translated)

3. https://loudandclearisnotenought.blogspot.com/2012/08/lv-fbr-avro-652a-anson-19-2-1507.html (translated)

4. http://britishaviation-ptp.com/avro652_3.html

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companhia_Meridional_de_Transportes

6. http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/tag/avro-anson-mk-v

7. Aerial Operations in Paraguay - Helion and Co.

8. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 53 - Avro Anson

Avro Anson, part two, African users

The Avro Anson was a British twin-engined multi-role aircraft built by Avro. With more than 11.000 built, it was one of the most numerous aircraft made. It served with many Air Forces throughout its entire career. Among them, the following African ones:

• Egypt: Egypt was one of the countries that ordered Ansons before the World War 2. The first one, an Mk.II, was sent in November 1936 with three Mk.Is being delivered in 1938 for use in the communications role. In 1939 they became part of the No.3 Communications Squadron. In January 1945 three additional ex-RAF machines were provided and an unspecified number were also given to Egypt shortly later, some of which are thought to have ended up in Iran. Eventually, two Anson squadrons were formed, No.3 and No.4 at REAF Almaza and REAF Helwan. 
• Ethiopia: The Imperial Ethiopian Air Force bought two Avro Anson C.19 in January 1946. They were assigned to the communications and transport unit which was formed in Bishoftu Air Base. 
• Southern Rhodesia: The Southern Rhodesian Air Force (SRAF) received numerous Ansons as part of the Commonwealth Air Training Programme. All of them served in the school role and served with No.24 Combined Air Observation School, which later would become No.24 Bombing Gunnery and Navigation and No.29 Elementary Navigation School, all of them based at RAF Moffat, in Gwelo.
  After the war, the SRAF was re-structured and they received many Anson T.Mk.20, a navigation trainer variant which was specifically designed for its use overseas. It served widely with the SRAF in the Nos. 4, 5, 3 and Rhodesian Air Training Group Communications Squadron.
  The No.4 Squadron SRAF, based at RAF Heany, in Bulawayo and was dedicated to the Flying Training School. It was equipped with Ansons, among other machines. It was formed in February 1947 and was disbanded in January 1954.
  The No.5 Squadron was based at RAF Thornhill, in Gwelo. It was also a Flying Training School which was also equipped with, among others, Avro Ansons T.Mk.20/21. It served for a brief period of time as it was created in April 1947 but in January 1948 it was disbanded to be renamed as the No.3 Air Navigation School, this time equipped exclusively with Ansons and served until September 1951 when it was disbanded.
  The Rhodesian Air Training Group's Communications Squadron was also equipped with, among other machines, Avro Ansons. It was based at RAF Kumalo, in Bulawayo too, and was created in September 1947. It was disbanded in March 1954.

Sources:

1. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 53 - Avro Anson

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Anson

3. https://www.valka.cz/Avro-Anson-t54872

4. http://zimfieldguide.com/harare/rhodesia-air-training-group-ratg-1940-–-1945-and-statistics-fatalities-commonwealth-war

MItsubishi 1MF2/1MF3

The Mitsubishi 1MF (AKA Navy Type 10 Carrier Fighter) was the first carrier-borne fighter in the world. It was designed for Mitsubishi by a team lead by Herbert Smith, who had been senior engineer for Sopwith Aviation Company.
In 1921 Mitsubishi was awarded with a contract to produce three types of aircraft for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), a carrier-borne fighter, a carrier-borne reconnaissance aircraft and a carrier-borne torpedo-bomber. The company decided to hire Herbert Smith, after Sopwith Aviation Company went defunct one year earlier. He leaded the design team comprised of seven British engineers that would produce all those three aircraft.
This new fighter received the internal denomination of Mitsubishi 1MF1 and was a single bay biplane made out of wood with a fabric covering. The pilot sat in an open cockpit situated at the trailing edge of the upper wing. By October 1921 the first prototype was completed and, after testing, the aircraft was adopted by the IJN. The 1MF2 was a somewhat improved variant of the 1MF1 with the original Honeycomb radiator and a slightly modified wing. In the next version, the 1MF3, the Honeycomb radiator was replaced by Lamblin-type radiators mounted between the landing gear legs, which would also be used in the next variants of the airplane.
The 1MF2 was powered by an Hispano-Suiza 8F engine which delivered 296 hp of power and was armed with two fixed forward-firing 0.303 in Vickers Machine guns. A single prototype was completed in 1926 at Mitsubishi's factory in Nagoya. The 1MF3, was also powered by the Hispano-Suiza 8F and was also armed with two forward-firing 0.303 in Vickers Machine guns. It's not known how many 1MF3 were manufactured in total, but of the 128 1MF3/1MF4 fighters, the most numerous variant was the 1MF3, produced between 1923 and 1928.

Sources:
1. http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_mitsubishi_navy_type_10_carrier_fighter.html
2. https://www.valka.cz/Micubisi-1MF2-t86239
3. https://www.valka.cz/Micubisi-1MF3-t33674
4. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mitsubishi 1MF2 Hayabusa

In March 1927 the Imperial Japanese Army issued a specification to replace the Nakajima Ko-4, a licensed built version of the Nieuport-Delage NiD 29. Nakajima, Kawasaki, Ishikawajima and Mitsubishi were asked for designs.
Mitsubishi's design team was led by Noboshiro Nakata and aided by Professor Baumann, a German engineer involved in a series of previous unsuccessful Mitsubishi designs. On the team there was also Jiro Horikoshi, who later designed the mighty A6M Zero.
The design team came out with a low-wing monoplane design which was never materialised, but this design didn't receive the approval of the Imperial Japanese Army, as they were required to design a parasol version so the pilot could have a better downwards visibility.
The resulting aircraft had a "boxy" look, with a fixed undercarriage and a parasol wing with the cockpit mounted behind the wing which was supported by struts and had no bracing wires. It received the denomination of Mitsubishi 1MF2 Hayabusa (Falcon). An effort to make its construction easy and cheap was also made after the Mitsubishi 2MR1 Tobi was rejected due to its high cost.
The fuselage of the Hayabusa was built around a metal frame. The wings were made out of wood and both fuselage and wings were fabric covered. It was powered by a Mitsubishi-built Hispano-Suiza 12-cylinder vee-type water-cooled engine which could yield a power of 450 to 600 hp. It was armed by two synchronised forward-firing 7.7 mm machine guns placed in the nose firing through the propeller blades.
The first exemplar was completed in May 1928 and was succesfully tested at Mitsubishi's own airfield in Kagamigahara, Nagoya. Shortly later it was taken to Tokorozawa Army Test Centre where it achieved a top speed of 272 km/h (169 mph) making it the fastest of the three aircraft submitted in the initial 1927 specification. However, the aircraft felt apart during diving tests with its test pilot, Sumitoshi Nakao becoming the first Japanese pilot escaping from an accident using a parachute.
This crash meant that the Hayabusa had no chances of winning the contest and, even if a second prototype was built shortly afterwards, it was only used for static structural tests and was eventually destroyed with the project having been cancelled. Nakajima and Kawasaki's designs failed too, but, eventually, Nakajima designed and successfully produced the Nakajima Type 91 which was an improved version of their submitted design.

Sources:
1. http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_mitsubishi_hayabusa_fighter.html
2. http://www.aviastar.org/air/japan/mitsubishi_1mf2.php
3. https://www.valka.cz/Micubisi-1MF2-Hajabusa-t41631
4. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters