Junkers Ju.52/3m even more European users

 

The Junkers Ju.52/3m is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. It was employed by many countries in either a civilian or military role and, together with the countries previously covered, in this post we're going to cover the next ones:

• Greece: Greece national airline back in the 1930s, Elliniki Eteria Enaerion Sinkinonion (EEES) acquired three Ju.52/3m which arrived to Greece on 28th June 1938. They served in various aerial routes with Athens as the main hub until they were requisitioned by the Ellinikí Vasilikí Aeroporia (Royal Hellenic Air Force - RHAF) when Italy declared war on Greece in late October 1940. In the RHAF they served as transports to ferry troops, supplies and medical evacuation from the frontlines, at the North-Eastern part of the country and the interior. When Germany invaded Greece on 6th April 1941, they were captured and put to use with the Luftwaffe.
• Netherlands: The Rijksluchtvaartschool (RLS - the Dutch civilian flying academy, forerunner of the actual KLM Flight Academy) had in inventory three ex-German Ju.52/3m which were bought from the British in early 1946. In April they were transferred to the RLS where they served as crew trainers until 1st October 1949. They all were written off two months later and sold in early 1950.
• Italy: In January 1935, Ala Littoria (Fascist Italy's national airline) bought three Junkers Ju.52/3 without engines in order to replace some older Junkers G.24 they had. They were engined with Italian-built Alfa Romeo 126 R.C. 34 and another one (registered as I-BIZI) with the Piaggio P.X. R. engines. Of those original three, only one survived (I-BIZI) as two of them were lost to accidents and were replaced with three more machines, two of them having Alfa Romeo engines and one retaining the original BMW ones.
  In June 1940 all four of them were militarised and taken in charge by the Nucleo Comunicazioni Ala Littoria, which belonged to the Italian S.A.S. (Servizi Aerei Speziali - Special Air Services). One of them, registered as I-BERO, suffered an accident on 7th September 1940 while landing at Brindisi airport, which left the machine badly damaged and another was sent to serve with the Corpo Aereo Italiano (Italian Air Corps) to Belgium to take part in the Battle of Britain. After the Italian armistice in early September 1943, all of them were taken over by the Luftwaffe.

Sources:

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

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

3. https://www.airhistory.net/photo/287118/PH-UBA

4. Ali Straniere in Italia 4 - Gli Altri Tedeschi

Avro Anson, part Seven, Franco-Greek Users

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sources:

1. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 53 - Avro Anson

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

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

Fairey Battle, part two

The Fairey Battle was a British light-bomber which was designed and manufactured by Fairey Aviation Company. Though not as successful as expected, it served as a trainer and target tow during the whole World War 2. It was exported to many countries:

• Belgium: An order of 16 Battles were ordered to Fairey by the Belgian Military Aviation. The Battles, contrary to popular belief, were built at Fairey's plant in Stockport, United Kingdom. They were delivered in March 1938 and were differentiated from the British ones in having a longer radiator cowling and a smoother camouflage finish.
  They were assigned to the 5e Escadron, 3éme Regiment d'Aeronautique, (5th Squadron, 3rd Aeronautical Regiment) based at Evere airfield, near Brussels. Initially conceived as a reconnaissance unit, this squadron was quickly reformed into a bomber unit. During the period known as the "Phoney War", the British and Belgian authorities realised that the Battle was very vulnerable to German fighters due to its slowness, poor manoeuvrability and poor defensive armament and was, therefore, becoming obsolete. That's why Belgian authorities cancelled the initial supplementary order for additional machines. They instead tried to obtain, too late Bréguets, Douglas and Caproni bombers.
  The Belgian Battles became famous on 11th May 1940 when they took off on a suicidal mission to destroy three bridges (Veldwezelt, Vroenhoven and Briegden) on the Albert Canal. From the nine Battles that took off, six of them were destroyed (some other sources claim that all nine were destroyed) and, due to the light bomb load they were carrying, not a single bridge was destroyed.
• Greece: Back in 1939 nine Battle were ordered by the Royal Hellenic Air Force (RHAF), but because of the war, the order was cancelled and the production was reinstated for the RAF. However, British authorities changed their mind later and eleven Battles were delivered to the Royal Hellenic Air Force (RHAF) in late February 1940 as part of an order to twelve (the last one was sunk by a torpedo when it was aboard the merchant ship). They were given by the RAF to the Greek authorities as a compensation for 12 Bristol Blenheim IV that were sold in poor conditions due to war shortages. The Battles were assigned to the 33rd Bomber Squadron and they saw extensive action during the Greco-Italian War. On 28th October 1940 the 33rd Squadron, based at Koúklaina, was already in action. Battles bombed the Italian airfield in Koritza, in Italian Albania, destroying a Caproni Ca.133 and damaging four fighters for no Greek losses. Two Battles and two Blenheims were later engaged in another raid against Koritza airfield but they were intercepted by Italian Fiat Cr.42 and were shot down killing their crews and badly wounding another one.
  During the Greek counter-offensive in late November, three Greek Battles attacked a retreating Italian column between Koritza and Pogradets on the 22nd. Later, on 11th March 1941 the CO of 33rd Squadron was intercepted and shot down between Nivitsa and Slatinia.
  The remnants of the squadron were rebased to Menidi, due to the German advance in April 1941 and, as they couldn't hold off Luftwaffe's attacks, they were moved on to Tanagra, South of Athens, where the remaining machines were destroyed on the ground by the Luftwaffe.
• British Raj: The Indian Air Force received four Fairey Battles in 1942. A single Mk.I one and three target tows. They were sent to the Anti-Aircraft School in Karachi.
• Ireland: The Irish Army Air Corps approached the British authorities for a number of aircraft to meet their needs during the World War 2. In 1941 they asked for 13 Hawker Hurricanes, 10 North American Harvard and three Fairey Battle Target Tugs. The resulting offer was amounted later to 10 Hawker Hector biplanes, offer that the Irish authorities accepted. However, in an unexpected way a Battle TT registered as V1222 arrived on 24th April 1941 when it flew, at the hands of a Polish pilot from No.4 Observer School based RAF West Freugh, Scotland, and had to force-land at Corbally Strand, Tramore, in Ireland. The aircraft wasn't damaged and was flown to Baldonnel where it was officially interned. In June 1944 it was decided to put the Battle into use so target-towing equipment was fitted and received a new code, 92. It carried out camera gun exercises with Hurricanes and joined No.1 Squadron in September 1944 (note: our source claims it was in 1940, it must be a mistake) for air-to-air firing duties. It was withdrawn and flown to a maintenance unit in May 1946.
• South Africa: Thanks to the Joint Air Training Scheme, around 190 Battle were allocated for South Africa. But eleven were lost at sea, during delivery, other eleven were sent to Southern Rhodesia, four to India and four to Australia, so a total of 123 were destined to serve with the South African Air Force (SAAF), of which 51 were target tugs and 5 trainers. During the East African Campaign the SAAF used the Battles in their intended role, as light bombers. On 19th May 1940 R. Peller, CO of No.11 Squadron led the squadron to Nairobi, in Kenya, equipped with 24 Hawker Hartebeests and just a single Battle. The Battle was used for a reconnaissance flight over Mogadishu, over Italian Somaliland on 17th June. When it was leaving the area, they saw a Caproni Ca.133 parked near Afmadow, southern Italian Somaliland, and made a strafing run, only to be hit in the radiator by a stray bullet. Because of that, the Battle had to crash land, and the surviving crew set the machine on fire. The crew was eventually rescued.
  During mid-June the No.11 squadron was called back to South Africa to be re-equipped with 15 Battles, allowing them to strike hard on the enemy. They did that on many occasions, targeting Italian airfields, positions and vehicles with some successes but at the cost of sever losses. By June 1941, when No.11 Squadron SAAF was disbanded and their aircraft transferred to the No.15 Squadron, only four Battles were left active and one of them was soon lost on an accident. The remainder carried on until 19th August when the final example flew its last mission. The unit then withdrew to Kenya to be re-equipped.
• Turkey: The Turkish Government ordered some Battles before the World War 2. Four of them were being manufactured at Fairey's plant in Stockport (they had even been painted in Turkish Markings) but with the war in Europe, the deal was cancelled before they were delivered. After protracted negotiations, the British Government agreed to deliver 30 Battles which were initially destined for Poland and diverted them to Turkey instead.
  It was agreed that Flt. Lt. Sam Moseley would oversee and test-fly the Battles as they were assembled in Turkey, but when he arrived in Turkey, the enthusiastic Turks had already offloaded them from the ship, assembled the aircraft without any manuals, instructions or drawings and ferried them to Eskisehir, with the undercarriages deployed and flaps locked up because the hydraulics didn't work.
  Moseley's logbook confirms that 28 Battles were flight-tested with another two used for spares. A single Battle Target Tug arrived in May 1940 but plans for three more were called off. According to a memo from Turkish authorities, on 22nd January 1943 there still 25 Battles active, even though, Moseley said that Turkish pilots had a strong penchant for very low and fast flying.

Sources:

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

2. http://www.belgian-wings.be/Webpages/Navigator/Photos/MilltaryPics/interbellum/Fairey%20Battle%20I/Fairey%20Battle%20I%20frontpage.html

3. https://www.haf.gr/en/history/historical-aircraft/fairey-battle-b-1/

4. http://www.letletlet-warplanes.com/2018/02/17/the-lost-battle/

5. Aeroplane Database June 2016 - Fairey Battle

Avia B-534-II Foreign Users

Today it's the turn for the non-native users of this Czechoslovak fighter.

The users covered in this post are:

• Germany: Just like other variants of this one, Germany used some airplanes with the bubble type canopy, most probably for evaluation and/or training purposes.
• Greece: a wealthy Greek bussinessman, G. Koutarellis, bought two B-534-II from Avia and donated them to the Greek Air Force in August 1936. They served with the 24. Mira (24th Squadron) and were destroyed in the Greco-Italian war of 1940-1941.
• Slovak Republic: The main user of this airplane. The B-534-II variant was employed by the Slovak Air Force during the invasion of Poland on September 1939 and later they were used as a second-line/home defence fighters as the most advanced ones were used at the front lines.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avia_B-534

2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

3. http://greek-war-equipment.blogspot.com.es/2011/12/1937-1941-avia-b534.html