Avro Anson, part Fourteen, British users part three

It was on 6th March 1936 when the Anson entered service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) being the No.48 Squadron the first unit to be equipped with the type. When the type entered service it represented a new level of capability for the service as it could perform not just general reconnaissance roles, as intended but it was also an excellent general-purpose aircraft. When the World War II was waged, there were 824 Ansons in service with the RAF in a total of 26 squadrons. Ten of them assigned to the Coastal Command and the remaining 16 assigned to the Bomber Command.
By 1939 all the squadrons assigned to the Bomber Command that were equipped with the Anson served as operational trainers to prepare bomber crew members for frontline service. Twelve of the squadrons were in the No.6 (Operational Training) Group. Newly trained crews, having previously received individual flying and technical training courses, were first trained as bomber crews in Ansons before they could advance further to the various frontline aircraft types, which, in many occasions, were also in the same squadrons with the Ansons. After training in the frontline aircraft type, crews advanced to the frontline bomber squadrons with those aircraft types (Fairey Battle, Handley Page Hampden, Bristol Blenheim, Vickers Wellington and/or the Armstrong Whitworth Weatley). At the earliest part of the war, the Anson was already being replaced by the American-built Lockheed Hudson in the Coastal Command, one squadron being fully equipped with Hudsons and other one being just partially equipped with both Ansons and Hudsons.
Limited numbers of Ansons continued to serve in operational roles such as coastal patrol and air/sea rescue. Early in the war an Anson scored a probable hit on a German U-boat, though it's unconfirmed. In June 1940 a flight of three Ansons was engaged by nine German Bf.109. Amazingly, before the fight ended, without any Anson lost, they managed to shot down two German machines and damage a third one.
The aircraft's real role, however, was to train pilots for flying multi-engined bombers, such as the Avro Lancaster, the Handley Page Halifax or the Short Stirling. The Anson was also employed to train other crew members of a bomber's crew, like navigators, wireless operators, bomb aimers and air gunners.
During the World War II the British Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) operated the Anson as their standard taxi aircraft, using the type to ferry pilots to and from aircraft collection points. Remarkably, there was no fatal mechanical failure of an Anson serving with the ATA and was typically very well considered.
After the War, the type was manufactured at Avro's factory in Woodford, Greater Manchester until March 1952 as the type, albeit was still being used by the RAF in the training, light transport and station communications aircraft roles until 28th June 1968. However, those postwar manufactured models were mostly C.19 and T.Mk.20/21 which were light cargo and trainer variants.

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

Avro Anson, part Thirteen, British users part two

The Avro Anson was a twin-engine cantilever low-wing monoplane. It was developed as a general reconnaissance aircraft for which it had many features that made it suitable for that role, just like considerable load-carrying ability and long range. Its structure was relatively simple as it relied on proven methods to make a robust airframe that minimised maintenance requirements. Much of the internal structure was like the one of the Avro 652 airliner from which it was developed. The Anson Mk.I was furnished with a low-mounted one-piece wooden wing which was made of a mixture of plywood and spruce throughout the wingbox and ribs. The fuselage was composed of a welded steel tubing framework which was mainly clad in fabric while the exterior of the nose was clad in magnesium alloy.
The Anson was powered by a pair of Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah IX radial engines which were rated each of them at 350 hp. Each engine had its own duplicated fuel pumps and separate fuel oil tanks which were composed of welded aluminium and were mounted in cradles placed within the wing. The cowlings were designed to have reduced diameter to reduce their negative impact on the external visibility, as it was considered valuable to the type's functions, specially when performing reconnaissance missions. Each of those engines drove a two-bladed Fairey-built metal propellers.
The Anson was equipped with a retractable undercarriage, which, upon the time of its production, wasn't a common feature and it holds the title of being the first Royal Air Force's (RAF) aircraft to enter service with such feature. The main undercarriage retracted into nacelles placed under the engines cowling, but, however, the tailwheel was fixed into position.The main undercarriage was retracted by a hand-operated crank which was placed besides the pilot's seat and it took 144 turns to fully retract it. To avoid this laborious task, early aircraft often performed their short flights with the landing gear extended, which reduced aircraft's cruising speed in about 30 mph (50 km/h).
The initial crew was composed of three, a pilot, a navigator/bomb-aimer and a radio operator/gunner when it was acting in the sea reconnaissance role. From 1938 onwards it was typically manned by a crew of four, which often could be omitted to make room for a passenger.
The defensive armament consisted on a single 0.303 in Vickers machine gun which was fixed within the forward fuselage and was aimed by the pilot. It had another gun turret equipped with a single Lewis K machine gun manufactured by Armstrong Whitworth. Additionally it could carry up to 360 pounds (160 kg) of bombs plus up to 160 pounds (73 kg) smaller bombs externally in the wings. Those Ansons assigned to the training role were equipped with dual controls and, usually, had their turret removed, although some of them, designed specifically for gunnery training were refitted with a Bristol-built turret used on the Bristol Blenheim. The tail fairing on the starboard nacelle contained an inflatable dinghy which was provided with automatic actuators and marine distress beacons.

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

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

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 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

Avro Anson, part fourteen, British users, part three

It was on 6th March 1936 when the Avro Anson entered operational service with the Royal Air Force (RAF), being the No.48 Squadron the first unit to be equipped with the type. When it was introduced, it meant a new level of capacity for the service as it could not only perform general reconnaissance missions, but it was also an effective general-purpose aircraft. When the World War II began, a total of 824 Anons were serving with the RAF in 26 squadrons. Ten of these squadrons were assigned to Coastal Command and the remaining 16 were assigned to the Bomber Command.
By 1939 all those squadrons assigned to the Bomber Command that were equipped with the Anson, were converted into operational training squadrons with the aim of preparing crews for frontline service. Twelve of those squadrons were part of the No.6 (Operational Training) Group. Newly formed crews that had previously completed individual flying and technical training courses, were trained as bomber crews in Ansons before they could advance to frontline aircraft types, which, in many cases, were also present in the same squadrons with the Anson. After training in the frontline aircraft types, crews advanced to the frontline aircraft squadrons with those aircraft types (such as the Vickers Wellington, Fairey Battle, Bristol Blenheim, Armstrong-Whitworth Weatley or Handley Page Halifax). However, in the early stages of the war, the American-built Lockheed Hudson was already starting to replace the Anson in the Coastal Command with one squadron being fully equipped with Hudsons and another one with both Hudsons and Ansons.
Some few Ansons continued to serve in operational roles for the RAF such as coastal patrols and air/sea rescue. Early in the war an Anson scored a hit on a German U-Boat, however this is unconfirmed. In June 1940 a flight of three Ansons was attacked by nine Luftwaffe's Bf.109 and, amazingly, before the fight ended, no Anson was lost. They even managed to destroy two Bf.109s and damage a third one.
Anson's real role, however, was to train pilots for multi-engined bombers such as the Avro Lancaster, Handley Page Halifax or the Short Stirling. The Anson was also used to train another members of a bomber's crew such as the navigator, wireless operators, bomb aimers and air gunners.
During this period, 1939 to 1945, the Anson was also used by the British Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) which used the type as its standard taxi aircraft, using it to carry groups of ferry pilots to and from aircraft collection points. Remarkably, there wasn't any fatal mechanical failure of an Anson in ATA service and the type was, generally, very well considered.

After the war, the Anson was kept on service with the RAF, albeit more advanced variants, like the T. Mk.21/22 or the C.19 in the training, light transport and station communication roles. In fact, the type was manufactured by Avro at Woodford, in Greater Manchester, until March 1952 and they served in the communications role with the RAF until 28th June 1968.

Sources:

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

2. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 53 - Avro Anson

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