Bristol Beaufighter, part eight. The Beaufighter in Australian hands. Part two.

 

During the late 1930s, it was obvious that the Allied forces the Far East were vastly inferior to the attacking Japanese, so this fact forced the Allies to set up a supply of British-built aircraft to Australia to assist in the development of the aircraft industry there. 
Starting from July 1939 orders for the licensed production of the Bristol Beaufort were placed at the Department of Aircraft Production (DAP) at Mascot, New South Wales and Fishermen's Bend, Victoria. When Japan waged war on the west, those factories were fully committed to the manufacture process of the Beaufort, so various Beaufighters Mk. I and Mk. VI were taken from production lines in Great Britain and were shipped to Australia. 
At first, fifty-four Fairey-built Beaufighters Mk. ICs (registered from A19-1 to A19-54) were supplied to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), the first two of them being A19-7 and A19-8, which were taken on charge on 26th March 1942. Those were followed by additional eighteen machines (A19-55 to A19-72) in October 1942 and sixty-three Mk. VIC more (A19-73 to A19-137). Although this final order was for sixty-four airframes, one machine (A19-105) crashed before delivery. 
Every British-built Beaufighter in RAAF service had the A19 prefix, while the Australian-built machine had the A8 one.

The initial manufacture process in Australia was intended to begin with the Mk. VII, to be powered by the Bristol Hercules 26 radial engine, equipped with a Bendix carburettor. However this had to be discarded as the standardisation on the Hercules Mk. XVII and Mk. XVIII series engines was required. The next two versions of the Beaufighter intended for mass production were the Mk. VIII and the Mk. IX, both intended to be powered by the American Wright Double-Cyclone GR A5B. In fact, one airframe registered as A19-2 was experimentally fitted with those engines, as well as the extended engine nacelles that required from the enlarged diameter cowling needed for the Wright engine. However that variant were not proceeded as it was taken as a safeguard measure against a possible short-supply of the Hercules engine, which never took place as Britain managed to supply them in enough numbers, making an 'Australian-built Mk. VI' a much simpler alternative.
That was the inception of the Mk. 21.
It should also be considered that from 20th April 1942 to 20th August 1945 a total of 218 Beaufighters of various marks were shipped straight to Australia to be employed by the RAAF, however we wrote about those in our previous post.

The DAP Mk. 21 flew for the first time on 21st May 1944, two years later than its intended initial start. It was registered as A8-1. This delay was caused because a total of 55.000 microfilm drawings had to the be sent from the United Kingdom, without which production couldn't start.
The Mk. 21 was powered by the Hercules Mk. XVIII engines that were shipped from Great Britain, but the remaining parts were entirely built in Australia. Manufacture was undertaken by sub-contractors throughout Australia with final assembly being made at DAP's factories at Mascot and Fishermen's Bend. 
The Mk. 21 was armed with four 0.5 in (12,5 mm) Browning machine guns in the wings, instead of the six 0.303 in (7,7 mm) versions of the British-built machines. 
The type could also carry a 250 lb (113 kg) bomb under each outer wing or eight 3 in (75 mm) rockets. The most noticeable difference was the addition of a Sperry autopilot housed in a bulge on top of  the nose, just forward of the cockpit. However, the Sperry was rarely fitted inside the bulge. 
The Mk. 21 was basically an Australian-built Mk. X powered by the Hercules Mk. XVII and the later ones with the Mk. XVIIIs. The later series had supercharged speeds operational, unlike their British counterparts, which were fixed in the M-gear, making their performance marginally better. 
As we have already written, the prototype, A8-1 flew for the first on 21st May 1944 and was delivered to the RAAF on 26th May.

No. 30 Squadron RAAF was the first unit to operate the Mk. 21. It was commanded by Wg. Cdr. Brian Walker. However, as this unit flew mostly British-built Beaufighter, was covered in our previous post. 
No. 31 Squadron also operated the Mk. 21 together with other Beaufighters. It was formed at Wagga Wagga, New South Wales on 14th August 1942 and became fully operational at Coomalie Creek, south of Darwin, performing their first operational sortie against shipping targets in the Timor Sea on 17th November 1942. 
While those two squadrons were operating, further sixty-two Mk. VICs, sixty-two TF. Mk. Xs and twenty Mk. XICs were shipped directly from the United Kingdom. The first squadron to receive the Australian-built Mk. 21 was No. 31 in September 1944 with No. 30 following soon, operating the type until the end of hostilities. 
A third squadron, No. 22 transitioned to the type, replacing their Douglas Bostons at the end of 1944. Two additional RAAF squadrons operated the Beaufighter during World War 2, for two weeks only, Nos. 92 and 93 squadrons, with No. 93 achieving just two operational sorties from Labuan, North Borneo, while assigned to the No.86 (Attack) Wing in the last two weeks of the war.
During the post-war the RAAF modified a number of Beaufighters to target-tug duties. The prototype, A8-265 was followed by additional fifteen similarly converted machines. Those tugs were operated by the Target Towing and Special Duties Flight based at Richmond, New South Wales. This unit was disbanded and their tasks were undertaken by the No. 30 squadron, becoming thus, No. 30 (TT) Squadron. The last operational usage of the Beaufighter in Australia was performed by the Air Trials Flight at the Woomera missile test range, which employed the type until at least 1956.

Initial production estimations expected a total of at least 500 Mk. 21 to be built but, as the war ended, so did manufacture process in September 1945 with 364 airframes completed.

Sources:
1st Scale Aircraft Modellers Datafile 6 - Bristol Beaufighter
2nd Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 153 - Bristol 'Beaufighter' in Action

Bristol Beaufighter, part seven. The Beaufighter in Australian hands. Part one.

 

The Bristol Beaufighter was also employed by many Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) squadrons all around the globe.

The first of such was No. 456 Squadron which was formed under Royal Air Force's (RAF) command at RAF Valley, (Wales) in June 1941 as a night-fighter unit. 
Although initially equipped with the Boulton-Paul Defiant Mk. I, they transitioned to the Bristol Beaufighter Mk. IF, completing the transition in September 1941 and becoming fully operational in November. They were at first tasked with flying defensive patrols over the Irish Sea and scoring their first kill in January 1942. This squadron kept their Beaufighters Mk. I and Mk. II, flying as a defensive unit, until December 1942 when they began to transition to the De Havilland Mosquito fighter.
However, for a brief period, ranging from July 1942 to January 1943 (or March, according to some other sources), they operated the Beaufighter TF. Mk. X too as part of their new anti-shipping strike role, operating mainly over the Bay of Biscay. 

On Australian soil, the first RAAF's squadron to operate the Beaufighter was No. 30 (City of Sale) Squadron, which was formed at RAAF Richmond (New South Wales, but close to Sydney) and was initially equipped with some of the fifty-four of the Fairey-built Beaufighter Mk. IC that the Australian Government bought in 1941 and 1942. 
As said, this unit was formed on 9th March 1942 as a long-range fighter unit and, after some training period, they were rebased to RAAF Townsville (Queensland) with a detachment to RAAF Milne Bay (Papua) from where they attacked Japanese shipping, becoming the first unit of the RAAF with Beaufighters to see action.  Shortly later, they were deployed to Port Moresby to operate as a low-level ground support unit, where they Beaufighter proved to be highly successful.
Operating from Port Moresby and surrounding areas, their main task to strike Japanese shipping and naval bases, with occasional ground attack missions supporting the Kokoda trail campaign and various Japanese airfields and bases.
In early 1943 they took part in the Battle of Bismarck Sea, conducting various low-level attacks on Japanese ships, where they proved to be highly effective. 
In July they were moved to RAAF Goodenough Island to keep their anti-shipping role while also striking on Japanese airfields. 
By 1944 they were flying a mixture of Beaufighter Mk. I to Mk. VI and also the Mk. X sent straight from the United Kingdom. By September 1944 they were also flying the Mk. 21 (the Australian-built variant of the Beaufighter)
They accompanied Australian forces all along their campaigns through Borneo, Celebes and Tarakan and they were disbanded in December 1945.

The first Australian unit to receive the Australian-built Mk. 21 (of which we will write another post) was No. 31 Squadron RAAF (which had an operational history identical to that of No. 30 Squadron) , with another unit, No. 22 Squadron converting to the type, replacing their Douglas Bostons in late 1944. 
Two additional units operated the Beaufighter Mk. 21, although for a brief period of time, Nos. 92 and 93 Squadrons, although only No. 93 flew it in fruitless patrols during the last two weeks of the war operating from Labuan. 

Sources:
1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._456_Squadron_RAAF
2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._30_Squadron_RAAF
3rd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._31_Squadron_RAAF
4th https://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAAF/456_wwII.html
5th Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action  153 - Bristol 'Beaufighter' in Action
6th SAM Publications - Modellers Datafile 6 - Bristol Beaufighter

Supermarine Spitfire. Oceanian Users. Part Three. Australian users part two.

                        

 

The No.451 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) saw action in the Mediterranean Theatre of Operation (MTO). This unit replaced their Hawker Hurricane fighters for Spitfire Mk.VIII and some Mk.IXs, in Egypt, when it was assigned to the aerial defence of the Nile Delta. In early 1944 it was completely equipped with Spitfires and was operating from the French island of Corsica. From there they performed ground support operations supporting land troops operating in southern France and Italy. In late 1944 it was rebased to the United Kingdom where it received the much better Spitfire Mk.XVI and, from January 1945 until the end of the conflict, it took part in bomber escort missions to destroy German V-2 rocket launching sites located in the Netherlands. 
After the war, in August 1945, they received the Spitfire Mk.XIV and were part of the Allied Occupation Forces in Germany, based in various airfields across north-western Germany. 

Another RAAF unit that employed the Spitfire was the No.457 Squadron. This unit was formed in 1941 in the United Kingdom, at took part through 1941 and 1942 in the Channel Front campaign, however, when Japan entered war, they were sent to the Australian northern mainland to take part in the defence of their homeland. They were active in the aerial Campaign of Darwin and in mid 1944 they were rebased, this time equipped with Mk.VIII to Morotai and Labuan, in the Dutch East Indies where their main objective was to conduct ground attack raids against Japanese camps and shipping. Shortly after the war, they remained at Labuan until October 1945 when they were disbanded.
During the defence of Darwin and the Australian mainland, the Australian Government favoured the Spitfire over other American fighters like the P-40 as the Spitfire had better high-altittude performance and it was considered as the best fighter that Australia could get. In 1942 No.1 Wing RAAF was created with Nos. 452 and 457 squadrons of the RAAF plus some other Royal Air Force's (RAF) squadrons.

No.79 Squadron RAAF also operated the Spitfire. It was formed at RAAF Laverton (Victoria) in April 1943 and they served through New Guinea and the Solomon campaigns providing escort for the American heavy bombers operating in the area. 
In 1944 as part of No.73 Wing they saw action over Admiralty Islands supporting American 1st Cavalry Division. During that campaign they were based in Momote airstrip on Los Negros island. In late November 1944 they were rebased to Darwin to receive the Spitfire Mk.VIII and later, in February 1945 they were rebased to Morotai where it remained for the rest of the war. Their final mission was to drop leaflets over Japanese positions announcing the surrender of Japan and the unit was disbanded in October 1945.
No.85 Squadron was equipped with Spitfire Mk.V in September 1944, replacing their CAC Boomerangs. As this unit was tasked with the aerial protection of western Australia, they did not see too much action and they retained the Mk.V until the end of the war.

Nowadays, there is a RAAF unit that flies the Spitfire (among other aircraft), No.100 Squadron, which RAAF's historic aircraft display squadron.

The last user of the Spitfire in Australia was the Royal Australian Navy which acquired some few machines after the war and employed them as trainers and ground targets, as they were very worn out. 

Sources:
1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Supermarine_Spitfire_operators
2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._451_Squadron_RAAF
3rd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._457_Squadron_RAAF
4th https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._79_Squadron_RAAF
5th https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._85_Squadron_RAAF

Supermarine Spitfire. Oceanian Users. Part Two. Australian users part one.

 

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) employed the Supermarine Spitfire in Nos. 79, 85, 451, 452, 453 and 457 Squadrons. With Australia, the Spitfire saw service in Europe, North Africa, Northern Australia, New Guinea and the Pacific. 
Additionally, many Operational Training Units (OTU) based in Australia, operated the Spitfire as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme. 

The first Australian squadron to be equipped with the Spitfire was No. 452 which was formed in England in April 1941 and was equipped with the Spitfire Mk.I. This unit served through the Channel Front until June 1942 when they were recalled to the Australian mainland where they were reactivated in January 1943 to be part of the aerial defences of the city of Darwin, this time equipped with the Spitfire Mk.V, until they were shortly after rebased to Perth where they were re-equipped with the more advanced Spitfire Mk.VIII in April. Through 1944 they served in the ground support and anti-shipping roles, based at Strauss Airfield, Northern Territories and in May 1945 they operated from Tarakan, Dutch East Indies. The unit remained there until it was disbanded in October 1945.

No.453 Squadron was reformed in June 1942 in the United Kingdom as they transitioned from the Brewster Buffalo to the Spitfire Mk.Vb. This squadron remained in Europe through all the war and was one of the first units to operate from Normandy, when it was based at the hastily constructed airfield at Longues-sur-Mer, very close to the frontline. After the surrender of Germany, they remained in Britain for a few months, but were rebased to Germany as part of the Allied Occupation Forces. on 29th August.

(to be continued)

Sources:

1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Supermarine_Spitfire_operators

2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._452_Squadron_RAAF

3rd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._453_Squadron_RAAF

Miles M.14 Magister, part one, Asian and Oceanian users

 

The Miles M.14 Magister is a two-seat trainer monoplane designed and manufactured by Miles Aircraft. It was used by various Commonwealth users, among them the following ones:

• Australia: At least up to five Magisters are known to have served with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), some of them prior to the war and some of them during the war, with Nos. 451 and 456 Squadrons, used mainly as squadron hacks. 
• British Malaya: The Malayan Volunteer Air Force is known to have employed some 'Maggiebombers' (Magisters fitted with small practice bombs) for training roles. As we couldn't find graphical evidence of this, the drawing below should be considered as speculative.
• New Zealand: The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) employed two Magisters with Nos.1 and 42 Squadrons. After the war many were used by private aero clubs, like the one depicted below.
• Turkey: In 1941 the British government sold an initial batch of 25 Magisters Mk.I, followed by 75 more in 1942. Eventually, 76 in total were delivered in 1941, but six of them were lost en route. A Turkish aircraft manufacturer, Kayseri aircraft Ltd., obtained the rights for manufacturing the type and, therefore, five machines were built between 1941 and 1942. Those rights were transferred to THK (Türk Hava Kurumu - Turkish Aeronautical Association), in Ankara, which manufactured additional 20 machines. 
  Every Turkish Magister served with the Hava Harp Okulu (Turkish Aerial Academy), assigned to the two companies of the 1st Training Battalion. They served between the years 1942 and 1950 and, eventually some of them until 1963 after the refoundation of the Turkish Air Force in 1951.
• Thailand: Both Royal Thai Air Force and Royal Thai Navies employed an unknown number of Magisters as trainers after World War 2. 

Sources:

1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Magister

2. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/magister.htm

3. https://collection.motat.nz/objects/2475/aircraft-miles-m14a-magister-zk-ayw-painted-as-l8353

4. http://www.tayyareci.com/digerucaklar/turkiye/1923ve50/miles-magister.asp

5.Scale Aircraft Modelling Magazine - October 1997 - Miles Military Trainers

Bristol Beaufort. Part Three. Australian Users, part two.

 

Australian Beauforts served first on a detachment of No.100 Squadron Royal Air Force (RAF). This squadron was based in Bankstown, Sydney, to form squadrons on the Australian-built Beauforts.

During early December 1941 six machines were sent to Malaya and, when based at Singapore, some Beauforts located, during long-range reconnaissance missions, the Japanese invasion fleet. On 25th February 1942, after the Fall of Singapore, No.100 Squadron was transferred to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as RAF abandoned its own plans to have a torpedo-bombing unit operating in the South Pacific Area. All Australian Marks served with various RAAF squadrons and Operational Training Units (OTU). Much of the Beauforts operational flying was centered around maritime roles, specially anti-shipping and anti-submarine duties until March 1943 when long-range bombing strikes against Japanese-occupied ports and naval bases were conducted, one of them took place in October 1943 against the Japanese naval base in Rabaul. These missions lasted until February 1944 with the Beaufort completing also reconnaissance and transport missions. 

No.100 Squadron's first offensive took place on 27th May 1942 and sank the Japanese destroyer Hayashio which was already damaged by an American Boeing B-17. During the same operation they also seriously damaged the Hiyodori torpedo boat.

Two Beaufort-equipped RAAF squadrons, Nos. 7 and 32, were not assigned to torpedo-bombing duties. Instead they carried out patrol and bombing missions. During one of those, a Beaufort from No.32 bombed and damaged the Japanese submarine I-174 on 17th June 1943.

During 1943 there were few torpedo successes until the merchant ship Keisho Maru was sunk by a torpedo from No. 8 Squadron off Rabaul on 13th October. Shortly later, on 22nd October Beauforts from Nos. 6, 8 and 100 Squadrons (which formed No. 71 Wing) dive-bombed and severely damaged the Japanese light cruiser Kiso, off Cape St. George, in New Ireland. Kiso was towed to the island of Truk for repairs. By December the Japanese realized it was too dangerous to operate large ships in the Rabaul area, so no more torpedo attacks were carried out after December 4th. That day was the last when a Beaufort made a torpedo attack. 

No. 2 Squadron RAAF acquired the Beaufort on 15th December 1943 and it was followed by No. 1 Squadron RAAF in February 1944. These two units operated in the Arafura Sea and Timor areas, where they sank a Japanese minesweeper, WA 4, at the port of Dili, in Timor on 19th July 1944.

No.15 Squadron was the last frontline unit to receive the Beaufort. This unit became operational on 22nd April 1944, making a total of nine operational Beaufort squadrons to serve with the RAAF. Both Nos 1 and 2 Squadron switched their Beauforts for another aircraft. No. 2 Squadron was converted to the North American B-25 Mitchell and No. 1 Squadron after having flown its last mission on 9th January 1945, transitioned towards the De Havilland Mosquito. 

During 1945 most of RAAF's Beauforts were based at Tadji, in New Guinea, to provide ground support and perform tactical bombing duties in order to help Australian Army to secure Aitape and Wewak regions. In this role the Beaufort was surprisingly good, as it proved to be very agile and could fly many short duration sorties. On 11th May a force composed of sixty Beauforts bombed targets close to Wewak.

Australian-built Beauforts were generally better than the British-built ones as their agility allowed them to evade enemy fighters.

During the year 1944 there was a shortage of transports, so many airframes of all marks were converted into nine-seat high-speed communications and transport aircraft. These machines had no armament, a fairing-over the rear fuselage and double tail-wheels. The prototype of the Mk.IX 'Beaufreighter' flew for the first time on 4th February 1944 and a total of 46 machines were reconverted for this role.

After World War 2 almost every frontline Beaufort was either stored or sold for scrap in 1946. Some few Mk.IX transport were tested but, after October 1948 they were not flown again. Many of the stored Beauforts lasted until 1953 but, when it was foresaw that the Korean War would be soon over, they were discarded. One machine was briefly used to test some fire extinguishing equipment for the New South Wales Department of Civil Aviation.

Sources:

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

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

3 Hall Park Books - Warpaint 50 - Bristol Beaufort

Bristol Beaufort. Part Two. Australian users, part one.

 

Back in May 1938 the Australian Government declined the acquisition of the Bristol Blenheim due to its impending obsolescence. Therefore, an alternative was requested and the Beaufort was recommended during August. and, by December 1939 a pact was signed for manufacturing 250 Beauforts in Australia both intended for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and the Royal Air Force (RAF).

On 21st October 1939 the third production Beaufort was shipped to Australia to serve as a pattern, together with another 20 set of parts. The pattern Beaufort didn't arrive until April 1940, delaying that way the programme though. The manufacturing process was controlled by the Aircraft Construction Branch of the Department of Supply and Development, which was set up back in July 1939. In March 1940 it was replaced by the Aircraft Production Commission and, eventually in June 1941 it became the Department of Aircraft Production (DAP) controlling all of the government and private companies and factories where the Beaufort would be manufactured, including Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) and De Havilland Australia. 

A whole production chain was set up all throughout Australia and the first order of 90 machines, placed in July 1941, were intended for RAF squadrons Nos. 36 and 100 in the Far East with another 90 machines for the RAAF.

The Fall of Singapore in February 1942 changed matters and every machine intended for the RAF, was sent to the RAAF instead. DAP considered to fit their Beaufort with Bristol Taurus engines, but the embargo set by the British Government on the export of strategic materials, made it impossible, so DAP decided to fit their not-completed-yet Beauforts with Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp radial engines, delaying the completion of the first DAP Beaufort until 5th May 1941, when it flew for the first time. 

During testing it was noted that one machine had too much oscillation in roll and yaw. These problems could be serious if not corrected by rudder and the instability could be worsened a lot if the rudder or aileron was disturbed slightly, specially during turns, rolls, level flights or climbs. This problem, together with other associated disturbances, were fixed by adding additional dihedral to the tailplane, reducing this way the disturbances to acceptable levels. By 1942 the Beaufort was given highest priority rating for the RAAF and, eventually, 700 machines were manufactured locally. 

The first Australian Beauforts were built as Mk.II and were later redesignated as Mk.Vs. Other variants were introduced, as substantial changes were made in the engines and propellers. The Mk.VI was powered by Twin-Wasp S1C3-G engines, the Mk.VII was fitted with different propeller types than the Mk.VI and the Mk.VA was fitted with Twin-Wasp S3C4-G engines. 

The most numerous variant was the Mk.VIII, which was powered by the Twin-Wasp S3C4-G and was equipped with later Blenheim-type turret and the twin forward-firing Vickers K guns, which were also retrofitted to older models. Australian Beauforts were also fitted with special racks to carry the American Bliss-Leavit torpedo and the Browning chin gun instead of the Vickers K. 

To be continued.

Sources:

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

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

3 Hall Park Books - Warpaint 50 - Bristol Beaufort

Bristol Blenheim, foreign users, part one

 

The Bristol Blenheim was a British a British twin-engined light bomber designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (commonly known by 'Bristol'). The Blenheim was extensively used during the first half of World War 2, with some machines being used as trainers even until the end of the war. 

The main user was the British Royal Air Force (RAF), but the type saw also use under other users:

• Australia: The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) operated the Bristol Blenheim in two squadrons, Nos. 454 and 459. 
  No.454 was equipped with Blenheims in November 1942 when it was based in Iraq where they were used as trainers. They were in service until January 1943 when they were replaced by the Martin Baltimore.
  No.459, was formed in February 1942 with just six aircraft (two Lockheed Hudsons and four Blenheims Mk.IV). The Blenheims were kept until May when they were replaced by Hudsons.
• British Raj: The Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) had some outdated Blenheim Mk.I bombers serving with the No.3 Coastal Flight based at RAF Dum Dum, close to the city of Calcutta in 1942. Due to blogger's tag limitation of 200 characters, this couldn't be included in the list and, also, the drawing should be considered as semi-speculative as we lack clarification about their operational service with the RIAF.
• Japan: It's known that at least one Blenheim Mk.I and one Blenheim Mk.IV were captured and employed by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF), as some wrecks were found in Semarang, Java after the war, in August 1947. It's interesting to note that the hulk of the Blenheim Mk.IV discovered there, appears to be modified to serve as a transport with extra windows and, apparently, refitted with Nakajima Sakae engines. 
  As our drawings are based on old blurry photos, they should be taken as highly speculative on how they looked like when in Japanese service.
• Indonesia: In 1945 or 1946, Indonesian forces acquired a Bristol Mk.IV from unknown sources (some claims are made they were acquired from the Netherlands). The aircraft was re-engined with Nakajima Sakae engines, so it's possible it belonged to the Japanese and it was re-captured by the Indonesians when the Japanese left in 1945. 
  This machine had not only its engines replaced, but the frontal cockpit completely faired over too.
• New Zealand: No.489 Squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) served under RAF's Coastal Command and it was equipped with the Blenheim from August 1941 until January 1942 when it was re-equipped with the Blenheim Mk.IVf, which were in service patrolling the North Sea until March when they were replaced by the Handley Page Hampden as the squadron was re-converted into an anti-submarine torpedo bomber unit.
• Turkey: Turkey ordered 12 Blenheim from the United Kingdom in April 1936, making the Anatolian country the second foreign user of the Blenheim (the first one was Finland). The first two machines were shipped by sea in October 1937 while the remaining 10 were ferried by air between March and June 1938. Additional eighteen machines were ordered and delivered between November 1938 and February 1939 with additional 10 Blenheim Mk.I being given to the Turkish Undersecretariat of Military Aviation (the forerunner of the modern Turkish Air Force) in 1940.
  Three additional Mk.IVs, plus 17 Mk.V were supplied in 1943. These more modern machines came from RAF Middle East stocks. They served with the Turkish 3rd Regiment of the 2nd Air Division, at Gaziemir Air Base, in Izmir.
• South Africa: The South African Air Force (SAAF) evaluated a single Blenheim Mk.I in 1938, but didn't order the type. This single Mk.I was assigned to No.31 Squadron, which served with the South African Coastal Command and was used in late 1939 in the search of the German Pocket Battleship Graf Spee. This aircraft also shadowed two Italian ships as they were heading to neutral Portuguese Mozambique in June 1940 when Italy entered the war. The Blenheim attacked one of the ships with guns and bombs and forced it to run aground. 
  In spite of this service, the type was judged unsuitable for the SAAF and was returned to the UK.
  In February 1942 the No.15 Squadron SAAF, replaced its Martin Marylands by Blenheim Mk.IVf when they were assigned to the No.201 Group RAF. Some of these machines were up-armed with an additional 20 mm cannon placed in the nose glazing. A detachment was assigned to Kufra Oasis in April 1942, to prevent its use by the Germans, but the three aircraft were lost in the desert. They were not discovered until 1959.
  Later, in July 1942 No.15 replaced the Mk.IV by Mk.Vs and they were rebased to Mariut, in Egypt, where they conducted anti-shipping operations and saw some distinctive action. The unit replaced its Blenheims by Douglas Bostons in July 1943.
  Two additional SAAF squadrons flew the Blenheim Mk.V, Nos.16 and 17 from November 1942 until June 1943 and January-May 1943 respectively. They operated over the Indian Ocean and they were replaced by the Bristol Beaufort and the Lockheed Hudson respectively.

Sources:

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

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

3. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 26 - Bristol Blenheim

4.Osprey Publishing - Combat Aircraft 5 - Blenheim Squadrons of World War 2

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/15_Squadron_SAAF

6. http://www.aviationofjapan.com/2016/06/japanese-blenheims-at-semarang-java.html

7. https://web.archive.org/web/20051214192414/http://nei.adf-serials.com/indonesian-aviation-1945-50.pdf

8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._489_Squadron_RNZAF

9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._454_Squadron_RAAF

10.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._459_Squadron_RAAF

11. https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205212382

12. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a8Blenheim.htm

Caproni Ca.309, foreign users

 

The Caproni Ca.309 Ghibli ("Southern or desert wind" in Italian) was an Italian aircraft of the 1930s which was also used in the World War II. It was used by Italy, but also by many other users:

• Australia: A single Ca.309 was captured on ground by Australian troops in 1943 and used by the No.3 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It was used by personnel of that squadron for liaison and light transport duties. 
• United Kingdom: It's not that obvious, but it seems that an unidentified squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF) had also one captured machine in use. This was not the same as the Australian one as it was painted entirely different and had different armament. It was up-armed with an additional machine gun placed under the nose.
• Germany: There are some photos of a single machine painted with Luftwaffe markings. Most probably it was used by the Luftwaffe in Italy.
• Paraguay: During late 1937 Paraguay requested three machines, of which only two of them were delivered in September 1938. They were used first by the Paraguayan Cuerpo de Aviación del Ejército (Paraguayan Army Air Corps) until 1945 and were later transferred to Líneas Aéreas de Transporte Nacional, the Paraguayan national airline back then. As we couldn't find graphical evidence of a Ghibli under Paraguayan colours, the drawing shown below should be considered as speculative.
• Italian Social Republic: After the Italian armistice, two Ca.309 were employed by the Italian Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (National Republican Air Force - The Air Force of the Italian Social Republic) in many liaison and light transport flights. These two machines had to deal with fighter strafing attacks when parked on ground or they even had to land on bombed airstrips.
  It's recorded that one of the two machines, was destroyed on ground when it was taxiing for taking off, after its fuselage floor collapsed due to overloading, as it was fully loaded with stocks and spare parts. 

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caproni_Ca.309

2. flyinlions.eu/storia/aviazione/item/233-caproni-cab-ca-309-ghibli.html (translated)

3. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caproni_Ca.309 (translated)

Bristol Bombay

 

The Bristol Bombay was a British transport which could also serve as a medium bomber.

It was designed to an Air Ministry specification (C.26/31) which sought for a transport monoplane which could also act as a bomber to replace the outdated Vickers Valentia biplane which was in active service in the Middle East and India. The specification required the aircraft to be capable of carrying 24 troops, or an equivalent amount of cargo as a transport, while mounting defensive gun turrets and bombs to be used as a bomber. This versatile design was common in British designs of the era. Another designs presented for the specification were the Armstrong Whitworth A.W.23, Handley Page H.P.51 and the Vickers Type 230, though this last one was eventually never built. 

Bristol's design, named by the company as the 'Type 130', was a high-wing cantilever monoplane made entirely out of metal. Given that Bristol's previous monoplane design, the Bristol Bagshot of 1927, suffered from lack of torsional rigidity in the wings which caused aileron reversals, an extensive research program was founded at Bristol which eventually led to a new wing design with a stressed metal skin riveted to an internal framework of multiple spars and ribs. This was the basics of the Bombay's wing, which consisted on 7 spars with high-tensile flanges and alclad webs. The aircraft had also a twin-tail and a fixed tailwheel undercarriage.

The crew consisted of a pilot, sat in an enclosed cockpit, a navigator/bomb-aimer who sat in the nose and a radio operator/gunner who divided his time between the radio post behind the cockpit and the gun turret in the nose. When acting as a bomber, an additional crew member was carried to the tail turret.

In the prototype, the tail gun was equipped with a single Lewis gun mounted on a scarf ring, but in production aircraft both gun positions were armed with single Vickers K machine guns. A total of eight 250 pounds (110 kg) bombs could be carried externally under the fuselage on racks.

A prototype, the Type 130, was ordered in March 1933 and flew for the first time on 23rd June 1935. The Type 130 was powered by two Bristol Pegasus III engines which delivered a total of 750 hp of power and drove two-bladed propellers. Testings were carried out successfully and an initial order for 80 machine was placed as the Bombay in July 1937. Unlike the prototype, these were powered by the more powerful Bristol Pegasus XXII which delivered 1.010 hp of power and drove three-bladed propellers. Wheel spats which were present on the prototype were also discarded in the production version, called Bombay Mk.I. 

Production run was set for early 1939 but, considering that Bristol's production lines were full with the more urgent Bristol Blenheim, manufacturing was taken by Short & Harland, in Belfast, where a total of 50 machines were made from March 1939 until June 1940. Given the complex nature of the Bombay's wing, production was delayed, and the last 30 left were cancelled.

The first production Bombay flew in March 1939 and were delivered to the No.216 Squadron RAF , based in Egypt in September that year. Although obsolete as a bomber, for the European theatre, it saw action with the No.271 Squadron which was based at RAF Doncaster, in Yorkshire, transporting supplies to the British Expeditionary Force in June 1940. That same month, French pilot Jean-François Demozay borrowed an abandoned Bombay to ferry himself and 15 more soldiers from France to England, where he became an ace for the Royal Air Force (RAF).

The Middle-East is where the Bombay was more extensively used, specially with the No.216 Squadron which operated most of the Bombays that had been built. When Italy waged war on Britain in June 1940, in the absence of more modern aircraft, No.216 Squadron's Bombays were used as night bombers as well as transports. Its payload of eight bombs was supplemented by improvised bombs thrown out the cargo door by hand. This way the aircraft flew bombing sorties against targets in the Western Desert region, such as Benghazi and Tobruk and the Italian Somaliland. Until the Vickers Wellington arrived in significant numbers to that theatre, the Bombay was British main transport and bomber.

Serving as a transport, they ferried supplies and evacuated wounded soldiers during the Siege of Tobruk of 1941. On 2nd May 1941 Bombays of No.216 Squadron, evacuated the Greek Royal Family from Crete to Egypt. Later that month, Bombays played a significant role transporting troops during the Anglo-Iraqi War. It was also used by the Special Air Service (SAS) in their first special operation in the Middle East when, five Bombays performed five raids against German forward airfields on 17th November 1941.

Lieutnant General William Gott, the highest ranking British general killed in the war, dies when the Bombay he was being carried on was shot down in the Western Desert on 7th August 1942. He was about to assume command from General Claude Auchinleck, but his death opened way for General Bernard Montgomery to take over.

Bombays were also employed by the No.1 Air Ambulance Unit of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), where they evacuated over 2.000 wounded troops during the Sicily Campaign in July 1943. One crew of this unit was credited with having evacuated more than 6.000 casualties from Sicily and Italy before the type was finally withdrawn from use service in 1944.

Sources:

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

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._271_Squadron_RAF

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._1_Air_Ambulance_Unit_RAAF

4. https://www.valka.cz/Bristol-Bombay-t6615

Junkers Ju.52/3m Various African, Asian & Oceanian Users

 

The Junkers Ju.52/3m was probably the most used German cargo plane in the whole World War 2. Given its versatility, manoeuvrability and handling easiness it attracted many contractors and was widely exported, all around the globe to, among many others, the following countries:

• Australia: The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) operated a captured Ju.52/3mg7e which was left abandoned by the retreating Germans in North Africa. It was assigned to the No.450 Squadron RAAF, was repainted in Commonwealth desert colours received the nickname of "Libyan Clipper". It was used as a cargo to transport mail, food, supplies and other types of goods from Cairo and back to the frontlines, performing two or three flights per week. It was also used by Lord Casey, Governor General of Australia to visit the men of the No.450 Squadron in 1943. The fate of the aircraft is not known.
• Belgian Congo: After the fall of Belgium in spring 1940, SABENA (Belgian national airline) continued its African operations in the Belgian Congo, as they had some Ju.52/3m stationed there from before the War. Their operations continued normally inside the Belgian colony and, in many cases they were used as cargo flights in the region for the Allies. SABENA kept their Ju.52/3m in that region until 1946 when they were replaced by the Douglas DC-3.
• Republic of China: Eurasia Aviation Corporation was China's national airline which, although its headquarters were located in Shanghai, its main operation hub was located in Hong Kong. It was founded in 1925 and ten years later, in 1935 they acquired three Ju.52/3m which were the main aircraft of the airline. When the Japanese occupied large portions of China in the mid-1930s, the airline had to cope with many difficulties. One of them was Chiang Kai Shek's personnal airplane. On 7th December 1941 all three of them were parked at Kai Tek airfield, in Hong Kong and were destroyed by Japanese Tachikawa Ki-36 attack bombers.
• Iraq: When the Luftwaffe created the Fliegerführer Irak in May 1941 to assist the regime of Rashid Ali in their war against the British, thirteen Ju.52/3m were assigned to perform transport tasks, however, all but three of them had to return to Greece to prepare the Invasion of Crete. 
  By May 15th there were three Ju.52/3m and two days later, just two. The whole Fliegerführer Irak left the country on 29th May.
• Territory of New Guinea: Between 1955 and 1959, Gibbes Sepik Airways, an airline that operated in New Guinea, bought three Ju.52/3m from Sweden. These aircraft were re-engined with the Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp engine and drove three-bladed propellers. This airline was purchased by Mandated airlines in 1959 and kept the Ju.52/3m in service covering some interal aerial routes until April 1960 when they were written off.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Junkers_Ju_52_operators

2. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C957275

3. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/junkers52.htm

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

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

6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fliegerführer_Irak

7. https://www.goodall.com.au/australian-aviation/junkers%20ju52/junkersju52.html

Airspeed AS.10 Oxford, part one, Australian & New Zealand Users

The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford was a British twin-engined monoplane aircraft that was developed and manufactured by Airspeed Ltd.It was initially considered as just a trainer version of the AS.6 Envoy, however it quickly became a design of its own as it saw use as aircrew trainer in many countries of the British Commonwealth. Its main use was navigation, radio-operating, bombing and gunnery roles through the World War 2.
In this post we're focusing on the use that Australia and New Zealand gave to the Oxford.

• Australia: In Australia, the imported Oxfords retained their original RAF serials, in spite of having been assigned the prefix A25 (just like it happened with the Fairey Battles). The first Oxford was imported into Australia on 28th October 1940 and the last one on 20th March 1944, making a total of 391 machines having served with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). These aircraft were both of the Mk.I and Mk.II variants which, the first ones, had a turret (designed by Armstrong-Whitworth) for gunnery training, and the second ones hadn't. They were mainly employed for pilot and navigation training.
  The Oxford was commonly known by the trainees as the "Ox-Box" and they were employed at the Empire Air Training Schools for instruction in flying, navigation, gunnery, radio and bombing. Additionally, Mk.II versions operated with Nos. 1, 2 and 5 Communication Units, in the communications role.
  In the years after the World War II, the Oxford was retained by the RAAF in the trainer and communications role until 1953 when they finally withdrew from service. Together with the Avro Anson, the Airspeed Oxford was the main trainer in service with the RAAF for more than 10 years.
• New Zealand: Between 1938 and 1954 (some sources claim it was until 1952) the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) operated a total of 299 Oxfords. This was more than nearly other type of aircraft then in service with the RNZAF. They were ordered in 1937, making New Zealand one of the first nations to operate the type. An initial batch of five aircraft was delivered with the fifth aircraft being intended to be use as a survey airplane. They were shipped disassembled to New Zealand and were assembled at RNZAF Hobsonville during late 1938. The RNZAF ordered six more machines and later, 30 more of them. When the Commonwealth Air Training Plan was created, further 140 were allocated, which included the last batch of 30 ordered. They were used by many Air Training Schools (ATS) in New Zealand in the trainer role.

Sources:

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

2. https://www.airforcemuseum.co.nz/aircraft/airspeed-oxford/

3. https://www.airforce.gov.au/sites/default/files/minisite/static/7522/RAAFmuseum/research/aircraft/series2/A25.htm

Mitsubishi A6M 'Zero', part one, foreign users

The Mitsubishi A6M 'Zero' is a Japanese long-range fighter which was manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, in Nagoya, Japan. It's considered to have been one of the most capable carrier fighters in the world when it was introduced back in World War II as it had excellent speed ,manoeuvrability and very long range. It was used by many foreign n/ations, albeit every foreign user employed captured exemplars.

• Australia: At the end of the war, a single Zero was given by the TAIU-SWPA (Technical Air Intelligence Unit - South-Western Pacific)  to the No.457 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) at Clark Field, in Philippines. It was tested by the RAAF.
• Nationalist China: The Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) operated some captured Zeroes of every variant, A6M2, A6M3 and A6M5 mainly. Most of them were captured after the when war, when the Japanese left China, as most of them belonged to the Japanese 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and Shanghai Kokutais (Air Groups) which operated from mainland China. They were also part of the Imperial Japanese Air Service's (IJNAS) detachment stationed in Formosa, which were Hao Toko, Takao, Tetshu, Kagi, Toki and Tainan Kokutai. During the last stages of the Chinese Civil War, from 1945 to 1949, the Zeroes were employed by both sides, Communists and Nationalists, but neither of them survived the war or those which did, were scrapped shortly later.
• United Kingdom: Some Zeroes were tested by the ATAIU-SEA (Allied Technical Air Intelligence Unite - South East Asia) after the war. One of them, re-registered as Bi-12 was captured in Malaya and was tested at Tebrau airfield, in Malaya in 1946. However, it seems that most of them  were tested at RAF Seletar, in Singapore.
• Soviet Union: When the USSR took the Sakhalin islands, apparently they captured some Zeroes, of the A6M7 Model 63 variant, which was the last variant to see service. This variant was more focused on ground attack/dive bombing. When it was flown by the Soviet VVS (Soviet Air Force) after the war, it crashed in the second test flight.
• United States of America: During the duration of the conflict the United States captured many exemplars of Zeroes. Those captured during the war, some of them were repainted in US Navy colours and sent to mainland USA to be tested. The ones captured after or during the last stages of the war, were tested by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF), many of them at Clark Field, Philippines. 

Lastly, it seems that there were some reports of A6M2 and A6M5 Zeroes were used as interceptors after the war in 1946-1947 by both the Royal Thai Air Force and the Royal Thai Navy, however, the error seems to be erroneous, as more modern reports indicate that the Zero was never used by Thailand.

Also, it seems that pro-independence Indonesian Guerrillas captured some Zeroes and employed them against Dutch troops in the Indonesian War of Independence from 1945 to 1949. However, even if the reports seems plausible as the Indonesian employed many ex-Japanese aircraft in their National Revolution, we couldn't find any pic of an Indonesian Zero, so we decided not to draw a speculative profile.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_A6M_Zero

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mitsubishi_A6M_Zero_operators

3. https://captured-wings.wikia.org/wiki/ATAIU-SEA

4. https://web.archive.org/web/20161104191035/http://www.thai-aviation.net/files/Air_Force_Summary.pdf
5. http://www.worldairforces.com/countries/thailand/thl.html

6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_Air_Intelligence_Unit

7. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 59 - Mitsubishi A6M Zero in Action

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

Fairey Battle, part one

The Fairey Battle was a British single-engine light bomber which was designed and manufactured by Fairey Aviation Company. It was developed during the mid 1930s as a monoplane successor to the Hawker Hart and Hawker Hind biplanes.
As by late-1940 the type had been relegated to training roles, it was used by many countries. The ones we're covering today are Australia and Canada.

• Australia: The Battle served as a trainer with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). On 30th April 1940 the first Battles were delivered to the No.1 Aircraft Depot to be reassembled and by 29th June, they were already flying. Deliveries took place at a steady pace until 7th December 1943 when the last one was received. The ones delivered were Battle TT, a mixture of bomber, target-tug and trainer as they could carry bombs, had towing equipment and dual controls. They were used by Bombing and Gunnery schools until 1945 with the last one being withdrawn from service in 1949.
• Canada: In as early as August 1939 the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) received the first delivery of eight Battles at RCAF Station Borden, Ontario. Eventually a total of 802 Battles were delivered from the United Kingdom to serve in various roles and configurations such as dual-control trainers, target-tugs and gunnery trainers for both Bombing and Gunnery schools of the Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Some of them were of the IT variant, which featured a Bristol turret for gunnery training. The Canadians gradually stopped using the Battle as more advanced trainers were introduced like the Bristol Bolingbroke and the North American Harvard. The Battle remained in active with the RCAF until shortly after the end of the war in 1945.
  Oddly enough, a single Battle was fitted with a 840 hp Wright Cyclone R-1820-G38 radial engine in October 1940. This was made as a stopgap conversion just in case the supply of Rolls-Royce Merlin engine (the one that powered the Battle) were unavailable. This single machine was labelled as Fairey Battle IIT.

Sources:

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

2. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a22.htm

3. https://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/aircraft/fairey-battle/
4. http://silverhawkauthor.com/canadian-warplanes-4-the-second-world-war-fairey-battle_720.html

Vought OS2U Kingfisher, part four

The Royal Australian Air Force got a batch of 18 Kingfisher that were originally intended for the Dutch East Indies, but were diverted to Australia following the capture of that region by the Japanese in March 1942.
The Kingfishers were initially used as trainer aircraft, serving with the Seaplane Training Flight, based at RAAF Rathmines, in New South Wales and No.3 Operational Training Unit, based at Rathmines too.
The Kingfishers served in that role until May 1943, when the No.107 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force was formed with Kingfishers. The squadron was formed at Rathmines and initially it was equipped with 15 Kingfishers which had been ordered by the Dutch East Indies.
Just after being formed, the squadron began conducting anti-submarine and convoy-escort patrols. The squadron was briefly reinforced by Consolidated Catalinas from No.11 and No.20 Squadrons during June-October 1943 and that same year, one Kingfisher was lost due to the damage sustained by a cockpit fire on 22nd September but, thankfully, all of its crew survived after they made an emergency landing off the coast of Pittwater, in New South Wales.
In mid-1944 the squadron was rebased from the crowded Rathmines to St. George Basin, at the South of Sydney. The squadron began patrolling the Southern area on 1st July 1944, but this process was delayed by bad weather and facilites at St. George weren't as good as Rathmines' ones and hot water and ablution weren't initially available, so it wasn't until one week later, on 7th July, when the squadron resumed their patrols.
After German submarine U-862 sank the American Liberty Ship Robert J. Walker, off the coast at Moruya, New South Wales, on 25th December 1944, squadron's patrols were intensified. The squadron flew five sorties per day for the next week, looking for the submarine, and on the 29th, one of the Kingfisher, attacked what he thought was a periscope, near the point where the Robert J. Walker was sunk. However, by that time, the submarine escaped and was already at the Tasmanian Sea, near New Zealand. This was the only deliberate attack made by a RAAF's Kingfisher during the entire war.
In early 1945 No.107's squadron duties were expanded to provide search & rescue support elements for the British Pacific Fleet as they passed along the Australian East coast. The number of anti-submarine patrols was also greatly reduced during early 1945 as the threat of a submarine attack also decreased. After the end of the war, the squadron ferried its Kingfishers to RAAF's Flying Boat Repair Depot, at lake Boga, Victoria, during August 1945, with the last Kingfisher taking off from St. Georges on the 29th and the squadron being disbanded on 28th October 1945.
After the war, one unarmed Kingfisher was used to support the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition in 1947 operating from HMS Wyatt Earp, serving with the expedition until 1948 and returned into storage and sold in January 1953.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vought_OS2U_Kingfisher
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._107_Squadron_RAAF
3. https://www.airforce.gov.au/sites/default/files/minisite/static/7522/RAAFmuseum/research/aircraft/series2/A48.htm
4. https://www.navy.gov.au/aircraft/vought-os2u-kingfisher

Fairey Swordfish, part two, Commonwealth & Royal Air Force users

As it could've been expected, the Fairey Swordfish was also used by some Commonwealth countries as well as the Royal Air Force. The users covered in this post are:

• Australia: The Royal Australian Air Force got six new Swordfish in 1942 in a rather unexpected way. On 17th March 1942 it was reported that a number of wooden crates had arrived at the Bullsbrook railway siding from Fremantle Port. It was assumed that they contained the expected Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk fighters that would replace the fighters of the No.77 Squadron RAAF as they were unloaded from an American cargo ship. When it was discovered that they contained Swordfish, it was decided to assemble them. They were operated mainly by No.14 and No.25 Squadrons RAAF as well as some independent HQ flights. 
• The three ones assigned to the No.25 Squadron were used in anti-submarine patrols around Rottnest Island and Gage Roads, off the port of Fremantle. Two more were assigned to the No.14 Squadron which used them in the liaison duty and they flew often between Pearce and Busselton where squadron's detachments were located. The remaining Australian Swordfish served with RAAF Pearce's Station Headquarters in communications flights. 
• Canada: The Swordfish was operated from the Naval Gunnery School at Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and the Royal Navy Station at Dartmouth. In 1946 Fleet Requirement Unit 743 (RCN) was equipped with Swordfish which used them in general purpose duties. When they were finally written off, the Royal Canadian Navy's air arm reserve approved to ferry some of the veteran Swordfish to 11 Naval Reserve Divisions all across Canada for ground crew instructional purposes.
• Royal Air Force: Up to six RAF squadrons were equipped at one point with the Swordfish. Numbers 8, 119, 202, 209 and 613 Squadrons used the Swordfish, apart from two Anti-Aircraft Co-operation units (based in Gibraltar, Malta and Singapore) and one pilot advanced training unit. One of those squadrons, the No.119 was equipped with the Swordfish Mk.III very late in the war, in January 1945 to be more precise. They transitioned to the ASV-equipped variant because they had been rebased to Belgian coast in order to switch to midget submarines as their main targets, for which the ASV-radar proved to be very useful. They flew ASW patrols up to, literally VE-Day, on 8th May 1945 and the squadron was disbanded shortly later, on 25th May. 

Sources:

1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Swordfish

2. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/swordfish.htm

3. http://silverhawkauthor.com/canadian-warplanes-1-the-biplane-era-fairey-swordfish_697.html

4. https://ingeniumcanada.org/aviation/collection-research/artifact-fairey-swordfish-ii.php

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._119_Squadron_RAF