Supermarine Spitfire. European Users, part ten. Irish & Swedish Spitfires plus Estonian what-ifs.

 

The following countries employed or would have acquired the Supermarine Spitfire:

• Estonia: The first export contract for the Spitfire was signed in February 1939 with Estonia, to supply the Estonian Aviation Regiment with 12 Spitfire Mk. I. Those aircraft were not ready until August and, given the shortage of fighters the Royal Air Force (RAF) was suffering at the time, those 12 Spitfires were never delivered. We, however, have drawn some what-if Spitfire Mk. I in Estonian colours.
• Ireland: In 1947 the Irish Government acquired 12 Seafire Mk. III and three years later, in 1950 six Spitfire T.IX  two-seater trainers to equip their No. 1 Fighter Squadron and the Central Flying School respectively. At Air Corps' request, the Seafires were de-navalized, with their arrestor hooks removed, but they retained the engines and four-blade propellers. The Irish Seafires served from February 1947 until 1954 while the T.IX trainers of Central Flying School served from May 1950 until September 1961!.
• Sweden: In 1948 Sweden ordered 60 refurbished ex-RAF Spitfire PR.19 (an advanced recon variant). Eventually that order was reduced to 50 machines.
  However, the total amount of that order is somewhat mysterious. During those years other neighbouring Scandinavian countries such as Denmark had three Spitfire PR. XI and Norway another three PR. XI (the PR. XI was another reconnaissance sub-variant). For strategic reconnaissance over the coast of south China the RAF maintained a flight of three Spitfire PR. 19 in Hong Kong during the post-war years and early 1950s, so that made a total of approximately 100 recon Spitfires of both PR. XI and PR. 19 and half of that number belonged to Swedish PR. 19s. 
  Deliveries began in October 1948 and lasted until May 1949. They were designated as S.31, from Swedish word 'Spaning', meaning 'Reconnaissance' and were given five-digit registration numbers, where the first two digits were '31' (the aircraft type code) and the following three digits were the individual seria number of each aircraft ranging from 001 to 050.
  The Spitfires were assigned to Flottilj 11 at Nyköping, composed of a headquarters squadron plus four additional ones, listed as 1, 2, 3 and 5 squadrons. In early 1950 plans were made for reconnaissance flights over Soviet bases in Murmansk and Polyarny on the Kola Peninsula, so some S. 31 were rebased to Lulea, closer to the Arctic Circle, however, those plans were called off as the risks were too high, resulting in a very tense diplomatic situation. However, at least two recon flights were made over the Soviet Baltic Coast in September 1950.
  The PR. 19s remained in service until 1954, when they were put into reserve and in August 1955 they were withdrawn and written off. One aircraft was donated to the Stockholm University of Technology, where it disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
  In 1981 a PR. 19 was bought for the Swedish Aviation Museum. The Spitfire, PR. 19, which served with India after the war, did not receive markings of one of the scrapped aircraft, but got a new serial - 31051 - and is nowadays at exhibition at the aforementioned museum.
  

Sources:

1st AJ Press - Monografie Lotnicze 40 - Supermarine Spitfire part 3.

2nd https://www.key.aero/article/swedens-spitfires-cold-war

3rd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Supermarine_Spitfire_operators

Miles M.25 Martinet. Part One, Foreign Users

 

The Miles M.25 Martinet was a target tug aircraft that served with many users, among them, the following ones:

• Belgium: A total of 9 Martinet were ordered by the Belgian Air Force to be used at the Fighter School of Koksijde, West Flanders. All of them were delivered in 1947. However, two machines were in bad shape that they were refused by the Belgians and were replaced by two other Martinets. Initially they served with a ghost unit (IE a de-facto unit) that didn't exist on paper and gathered all available aircraft for the fighter school. They were in active until being replaced by the De Havilland Mosquito TT.Mk.35, the target tug variant, in the early 1950s.
• France: The French Armée de l'Air (French Air Force) employed a total of 41 Martinet TT.1 at many of their Aerial Schools. These were delivered between 1945 and 1948 and, according to some sources, were kept in active until 1958. 
• Greece: Actually, Greece didn't have Martinets, however, some efforts were made to sell some surplus Martinets as artillery spotters, general observations or even close support to the Royal Hellenic Air Force. Eventually they were not sold, however, we drew an hypothetical-looking version of the Martinet serving with the Greeks.
• Ireland: Two Martinet TT.Mk.1 were delivered in 1946 to the Irish Air Corps. They were probably replaced later, during the 1950s by other type of aircraft.
• Portugal: In September 1943 ten Martinets were supplied to the Portuguese Arma da Aeronáutica Militar (Military Aeronautics Arm-AAM). Six were employed by the AAM and four by the Forças Aéreas da Armada (Navy Air Forces).
  When the Força Aérea Portuguesa (FAP) was established in 1952 the Martinets were still in active service, and were transferred to the FAP, however soon after, they were replaced. 
• Sweden: A Swedish regional airline called Svensk Flygtjänst AB bought 9 Martinets and employed 8 of them as tugs between the years 1946 and 1951.
• Turkey: In March 1945 seven Martinets were supplied to the Turkish Military Aviation. They were supplemented by 12 additional ones in the following months. They were used as target tugs in various regiments until they were eventually replaced by the North American Texan in 1948.

Sources:

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

2. https://www.belgian-wings.be/miles-m-25-martinet-tt-1

3. https://www.key.aero/forum/historic-aviation/91078-portuguese-miles-martinets

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

5. Scale Aircraft Modelling - vol.19 nº08 (1997.10) - Miles Military Trainers

6. Putnam - Miles Aircraft

Miles M.14 Magister, part three. Some European users.

 

The Miles M.14 Magister was a British two-seat elementary trainer aircraft of the 1930s which was used mainly by the Royal Air Force (RAF) but also by many other users such as the following ones:

• Belgium: After the war, three Magisters were transferred to Belgium on 3rd October 1946. They were employed as instructional aeroframes at the technical school in Safraanberg, Flanders. During the following year, the aircraft was made airworthy and was delivered to No. 367 Squadron of the No.169 Wing, based at Evere airport in Brussels. It was employed as a courier until 1953 when it was written off and sold to a private owner. Later, during the 1970s bought by the Belgian Royal Army Museum and is nowadays in display there.
• Estonia: The Estonian Ohukaitse (Air Defence) bought a single Miles Magisters in 1938. They were assigned to the 3rd Aviation Division based in Tallinn. It served alongside with another Estonian-built and designed PTO-4 as the basic trainer for the Estonian Air Defence and during 1939 it took part, together with another two PTO-4s in an official state visit to Latvia. In 1940, when the USSR invaded the Baltic countries, they were captured by the VVS (Soviet Air Force).
• Germany: The Sonderstaffel Buschmann (a Luftwaffe unit composed of Estonian volunteers) operated a single ex-Latvian Miles Magister registered as SB+AF. 
  It was also employed by an Ausbildungswessel, an unit established by the Luftwaffe in Latvia which operated ex-Latvian Air Force aircraft. During their service with the Luftwaffe they were only used as reconnaissance planes. 
• Ireland: In 1939 (though, according to some other sources it was in 1938) the Irish Air Corps bought 27 Magisters which constituted their basic trainer throughout the whole war and the postwar, as they were retired in 1952.

Sources:

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

2. https://www.belgian-wings.be/miles-magister

3. https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235039699-miles-m14a-magister-estonian-air-force-1938-1940-rs-model-172/

4. https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonderstaffel_Buschmann (translated)

5. https://www.feldgrau.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1392

6. Scale Aircraft Modelling - October 1997 - Miles Military Trainers

7. Putnam & Co. - Miles aircraft since 1925 

Airspeed AS.65 Consul, more European users

The Airspeed AS.65 Consul was a British twin-engined light airliner that saw service with many airlines around the world. It was basically a civilian conversion from the AS.10 Oxford trainer. On this post we're covering the next countries and airlines:

• France: We've already wrote about the Consul in service with various French colonial airlines, specially in Indochina and Algeria. But it's worth pointing that there was a French airline, Airnautic, which operated from mainland France, that had three Consul in service. They were acquired in as late as 1957 and served until the early 1960s. One of them was used for survey works in French West Africa. By 1963 all three of them had been written off and sold for scrap. Oddly one of them, registered as F-BHVY wasn't scrapped until 1975.
  As we couldn't find graphical evidence of a Consul operating with this airline, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• Iceland: One aircraft was registered by Flugfedir, Iceland's national airline in 1951. This aircraft was intended to cover the air route between Reykjavik-Glasgow and Liverpool but it crashed near Sheffield in April that same year killing its pilot, Magnusson and two crew members. As we couldn't find photos or pictures about this aircraft, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• Ireland: Irish Government bought two Consuls in 1947 to be assigned one year later to Irish National Airway, Aer Lingus. One of them covered the regular route between Dublin and Liverpool until 1953 while the other one was sold to Pakistan one year later after being put into service with Aer Lingus, in 1949.
• Italy: One Italian airline, Trasporti Aerei Mediterranei (Mediterranean Air Transports) operated three Consuls between 1955 and 1963. There were other two Consuls which served with Italian owners. One of them served with the charter airline Aerofotografica SA from 1963 until 1964 when it crashed, and another one was bought in 1953 by a private owner but was sold shortly later, in 1954, to a British owner. As it doesn't seem to exist graphical evidence of a Consul in Trasporti Aerei Mediterranei's colours, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• Monaco: A single Consul was registered as MC-ABA by Monte Carlo Airways in October 1946, but it wasn't delivered. As another aircraft on this post, the drawing is speculative. 
• Crown Colony of Malta: Two Maltese airlines, Chartair and Air Malta operated a total of six Consuls. They were operated from 1946 until the early 1950s.

Sources:

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

2.https://www.ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/airspeed_oxford_&_consul.pdf

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