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 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 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)