Bristol Beaufighter, part sixteen. Very late & post-war Beaufighters.

 

When World War 2 came to an end in Europe on 8th May 1945, there were fifteen Royal Air Force's (RAF) squadrons equipped with the Bristol Beaufighter. All of those units except for four were UK-based. In the Far East Theatre of Operations, two squadrons, Nos. 42 & 85 operated their Beaufighters and No. 45 Squadron was based at Kuala Lumpur and remained in action until the Japanese surrender in August 1945.
Not listening to the Japanese Emperor, many Japanese soldiers kept on fighting beyond 15th August 1945, when the surrender date for Japan was set, so No. 27 Squadron was allocated as an Air Jungle Search & Rescue unit during that month, undertaking the search & rescue role while offering also support to forward army units engaged with the remnants of the Japanese army. 
No. 27 Squadron was based at Akyab, Burma and, although they were informed during August that they were going to be disbanded, the order was soon rescinded when civil uprisings in Indonesia took place and the squadron was rebased to Mingaladon (Burma) with detachments to Batavia, Bayan Lepas, Kemajoram and Penang. This unit also performed some leaflet-dropping sorties to advise the Japanese troops to surrender, continuing on this type of sorties in some remote regions, like the Shan States as late as January 1946. 
The detachment in Batavia performed some ground-strikes against Indonesian rebels, with the first one taking place on 20th November 1945. The detachment was active in the area until February 1946, when it returned to Mingaladon to be disbanded together with the rest of the squadron.
A new RAF Beaufighter squadron was set up in the UK during the post-war years. This unit was No. 42 Squadron at RAF Thorney Island. This was formed by renumbering No. 254 Squadron and lasted just one year with the Beaufighter TF.X as it was disbanded on 15th October 1947.
During this time period, there were two Beaufighter units stationed in the Far East; No. 84 Squadron at Seletar (Singapore) and No. 45 at Negombo (Ceylon). Both of those units were soon sent to fight communist guerrillas in Malaya under Operation Firedog.

Just after the war, the situation in Malaya was complicated. It was a region formed by nine separate states, each run by its own Sultan, with a lot of help from the British government. The main political party in the whole country was the Malayan Communist Party (MCP), which was lead by the Chinese communist Chin Ping, who sparked an armed insurrection from the end of the war. 
In 1948 the MCP killed some European rubber plantation owners and therefore, in June a state of emergency was enforced in the region. Both British and Commonwealth forces were involved in what would be an anti-communist operation that would last for twelve-years and named 'Operation Firedog'.
The first sortie made by a Beaufighter in this context was performed by No. 84 Squadron, which had a detachment in Kuala Lumpur on the 19th August 1948. This unit maintained a  crew rotation system between their main base at Ceylon and the Kuala Lumpur detachment and, in June 1949 the whole squadron was based at Kuala Lumpur, with detachments at Butterworth (Penang) and Tengah. In October 1949 the unit began to transition to the new Bristol Brigand, but kept operating the Beaufighter side-by-side, until it was moved back to Tengah in December 1949 and finally replaced all of their Beaufighters with Brigands in February 1950. 
No. 84 Squadron was initially equipped with the Beaufighter TF.X from November 1946 and and was moved to Changi (Singapore) in October 1947 before being rebased back to Tengah in February 1948. A detachment was sent to Kuala Lumpur where they joined No. 45 Squadron in Operation Firedog from July of that same year. Here they did not employ the Beaufighter very much as by October 1948 most of the squadron's crews were in the UK training and collecting for the new Bristol Brigand. At that time the squadron was rebased to Habbaniya (Iraq), where it was retrained and fully re-equipped with the Brigand. The squadron did not return to Malaya until April 1950 where they resumed Operation Firedog, this time with the Brigands.

By 1949 the frontline career of the Beaufighter was clearly declining, although the type remained in RAF's inventory in the Far East until 1956. 
The last operational version of the Beaufighter was the target-towing TT. Mk. X, which were airframes converted from existing Mk. Xs, with the prototype for the series being NT813. This variant was stripped from armament and was equipped with a wind-driven winch mounted in the rear fuselage, with its associated windmill projecting from the starboard fuselage side. A total of fifty-nine additional machines were converted and were employed by gunnery co-operation units and many Advanced Flying Schools in the UK and abroad.
In the Middle and Far East the TT. Mk. X was also employed in Flights in Cyprus, Gibraltar and Malta as well as Seletar. It was here where the Seletar Base Flight made the last operational sortie with a Beaufighter, when on 12th May 1960 TT. Mk. X registration number RD761 took off from Seletar for a farewell salute. On landing the aircraft was grounded, struck off charge and scrapped four days later, marking an end to the Beaufighter's career with the RAF.

Sources:
1st Scale Aircraft Modelling - Modellers Datafile 6 - Bristol Beaufighter
2nd  Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 153 - Bristol 'Beaufighter' in Action
3rd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Beaufighter

De Havilland Vampire. Part Thirteen. British users, part one.

 

The de Havilland Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second British jet to serve with the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the first to do so with a single jet engine. 

Its inception can be traced back to 1941 when, in January, Sir Henry Tizard made an informal approach to the de Havilland company suggesting that they should design a fighter aircraft employing the, back then, revolutionary jet propulsion technology. De Havilland designed, unofficially, a single-engined aircraft with air intakes at the roots of the wings, to feed a central engine. For this commitment, Major Frank Halford (aero-engine designer working at de Havilland) was given access to Frank Whittle's pioneering engine and, from it, Halford adapted Whittle's engine to generate 3.000 lb of thrust, renaming it to Halford H.1 (and would eventually be known as de Havilland Goblin). By April 1941 the first H.1 was successfully tested.

De Havilland's first jet fighter design, named as DH.99, was considered as undetailed by the Ministry of Aircraft Production (MAP), however, given the high expectations raised by the company, they gave the project permission to proceed in July 1941. 

The DH.99 was soon modified to incorporate some design recommendations from the MAP and was, therefore, renumbered to DH.100 in November 1941. As the design was considered unorthodox, the authorization for a prototype didn't come until 22nd April 1942, when the MAP issued a specification E.6/41 to cover the work. 

Initially named as "Spider Crab" the DH.100 was entirely developed at Hatfield aerodrome, Hertfordshire, which was de Havilland's private proving grounds. 

The DH.100 was powered by a single jet engine housed in an egg-shaped fuselage which was mainly composed of plywood in the forward section and aluminium in the aft. It had conventional straight wings, which were equipped with air-brakes to slow down the aircraft (feature also present in the Gloster Meteor). It was armed with four 20 mm Hispano-Suiza cannons placed underneath the nose. 

It wasn't until 20th September 1943 when the prototype made its maiden flight at Hatfield. With Geoffrey de Havilland Jr. (company's chief test pilot and son of the company's founder) at the controls. This flight took place six months later than the maiden flight of the Gloster Meteor because the only available jet engine was sent to the United States to replace one that was destroyed on ground at Lockheed, when testing the XP-80 prototype jet fighter, which would eventually become the P-80 Shooting Star. 

Testing of the Vampire's prototype showed some directional instability, but this was solved in production versions by redesigning the tail section. 

The Vampire entered official service with the RAF in 1946, after the war, in the interceptor role. Many were sent to equip the squadrons of the Second Tactical Air Force, stationed in Northern Germany, mainly replacing the Hawker Typhoon, Hawker Tempest and North American Mustang.

The Royal Navy also showed interest on the Vampire after some carrier take-off and landing trials were made on board HMS Ocean (R68) using a modified Vampire in December 1945. In 1947 the Royal Navy placed an order for a navalised version of the Vampire FB.5, which was quickly given the name of Sea Vampire.

Sources:

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

2nd Hall Park Books - Warpaint 27 - De Havilland Vampire

Miles M.25 Martinet. Part Two.

 

The Miles M.25 Martinet was a target tug aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) during World War 2 and some years after.

Before 1941 the target tug role was undertaken by repurposed obsolete aircraft or surplus ones. However, during the Battle of Britain, the RAF saw itself lacking frontline aircraft, so, in order to avoid taking out airplanes from the frontlines, the Air Ministry asked Miles Ltd. to procure a specialized tug-towing machine.

The requirements were made official in specification 12/41. Among them there was stipulated that, in order to simplify manufacturing as much as possible, the projected aircraft should maximize the usage of standard materials whenever was possible. 

The prototype flew for the first time on 24th April 1942 at Woodley Aerodrome, with satisfactory results. It was put into production shortly after and it quickly replaced the Master II production lines at Woodley factory. With 1.724 machines completed, (1.726 according to other sources) it was in production until 1945 and it served both with the RAF and the FAA in Great Britain and other parts of the world. 

It was powered by a single Bristol Mercury engine which yielded up to 870 hp of power.

In Great Britain 14 Anti-Aircraft Cooperation Units employed the Martinet to train anti-aircraft gunners using a wide variety of anti-air weapon calibers. Some other Martinets served with various Air Gunnery Schools and Operational Training Units. During the postwar years Martinets served with the 2nd Tactical Air Force, based in Germany until they were replaced by Hawker Tempest target tugs in the early 1950s. One squadron, No.269, specialized in air-to-sea rescues, employed the Martinet and even a glider tug variant was developed, but not put into production.

In 1943 work began on a radio-controlled pilotless variant of the Martinet, to fulfill specification Q.10/43 which sought a Radio-controlled Fleet Gunnery Target Aircraft which could replace the Airspeed As.30 Queen Wasp. The prototype was named Queen Martinet and 65 machines were ordered. Not very much is known about this aircraft. Probably they were used in the same way as other pilotless training aircraft so they could be shot without the risk of injury to air-crew. It was also possible that they were used as targets for the very primitive air-to-air missiles. Anyway, it wasn't until March 1946 that the type was made public at an exhibition at RAF Farnborough, where it was displayed together with other captured German aircraft.

The M.37 Martinet Trainer was a prototype for a trainer version of the M.25. Back in 1941 there were considerations about a possible development of the M.19 Master but, given that it was replaced by the Martinet in most production lines, the considerations were shelved. In 1945, however, it was possible to return to the question, specially after the Air Ministry issued the specification T.7/45, looking for a three-seat advanced trainer which was powered by a turboprop engine to replace the North American Harvard (it was eventually won by the Avro Athena and the Boulton Paul Balliol) when the turboprop propellers were available. As a temporal solution, Miles proposed to convert the Martinet into an advanced trainer, as such conversion would be relatively cheap and easy, so when submitted, two prototypes were ordered.

The conversion required the removal of the outboard fuel tanks and the fitting of a revised cabin top, plus the addition of a second set of controls and instruments. The inclusion of a second-elevated cockpit provided a great field of view for the instructor, greater than that of the Harvard or the Master. It also overcame the objection raised regarding the usage of those aircraft for gunnery training as reflector sights could be installed in both cockpits. Total weight was reduced too resulting in a machine faster than both Master and Harvard and almost equal to a Hawker Hurricane. 

The prototype was flown for the first time on 11th April 1946 with positive results and a second was completed shortly after. However, it was foresaw that either the Avro Athena or the Boulton Paul Balliol would be ready before the M.37 could be produced in numbers and, therefore the Martinet Trainer never went into production. Eventually, the development of the turboprop engine took longer than expected and the Balliol was put into limited production albeit fitted with a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine.

Sources:

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

2. https://www.valka.cz/Miles-M-25-Martinet-TT-Mk-I-t11342

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Air_Ministry_specifications

4. Scale Aircraft Modelling - vol.19 nº08 - Miles Military Trainers

5.Putnam - Miles Aircraft since 1925

Miles M.9 Master. Part three. British Users

 

The Miles Master I flew for the first time on 31st March 1939. Its production order was placed by the British Air Ministry in June 1938 and, given the need for advanced trainers, Miles factory was quickly expanded. 

The first Master I was delivered to the Royal Air Force (RAF) in May 1939 and a total of 900 machines eventually built. Training Schools at Sealand, Monrose and Hullavington were the first to employ the type, although by September 1939, there were only seven machines in service. 

The Rolls Royce Kestrel engine which powered the previous Miles M.9 Kestrel, was de-rated to a Mk.XXX engine which although it made the Master 70 mph (112,65 km/h) slower, it still had a top speed of 226 mph (364 km/h) at 15.000 ft (4.572 m) high. It could still outperform any other trainer aircraft in service. 

Thanks to this speed and maneuverability, at the beginning of the Battle of Britain, a new armed sub-variant was designed, equipped with six 0.303 in machine guns, five more than a regular one. This 'Master Fighter' was slower than any other fighters, but it would have been useful in numbers as an emergency fighter. Around 24 machines were converted into fighters but, when the German threat diminished, the program was abandoned and they were converted back into fighters. 

The first production Masters had a cockpit canopy with a vertical front to the windscreen that remained hinged. This was modified later to have a windscreen angled and opening to the side. 

During Battle of Britain Master I was available to almost every operational squadron in the RAF. They were typically used to ferry pilots to the factories to pick up replacement aircraft or to collect shot down pilots who managed to land on an airfield. The Master was also used to land in open fields where anti-invasion obstacles could be quickly removed.

The Master I saw action during Battle of Britain too, although in the receiving end. On 16th August 1940 two German Junkers Ju.88 bombed the Flying Training School and Maintenance Unit at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, destroying no less than 46 Masters stationed there. Two day later, on 18th the Luftwaffe attacked RAF Kenley, southern London, destroying every hangar except one, destroying a Master, together with a Magister.

Both Air Ministry and Miles realized, back in 1939 that the supply of Kestrel engines would soon run out of supply as it had been out of production for six months, so Miles was asked to replace the Kestrel engine with the Bristol Mercury radial engine, as this engine was in mass production for aircraft such as the Bristol Blenheim or the Westland Lysander, among others.

The design was, therefore, modified in November 1939 and, after  some testing, it was found that there were not enough Mercury engines available, so Miles was asked to change the design once again. This time the chosen engine was the American Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior and the company denomination was Miles M.27 Master III, however, due to bureaucracy meddling, Air Ministry found that there were indeed, enough Mercury engines available for the Master II to be built, so a compromise was signed to produce both Master II and III.

The Master II was fitted with the aforementioned Bristol Mercury XX engine, yielding 870 hp of power, which made it 16 mph (26 km/h) faster than the Master I. The prototype flew for the first time in November 1939 and a total of 1.799 machines were build. It was produced at Miles factory in Woodley and continued at South Marston (where every Master III was produced. A total of 602 machines) until 1942, when it was decided to make way for the Miles Martinet.

Both Master II and III were equally used at Flying Training Schools as there was hardly any  performance difference between them. If any, the Master III was 10 mph (16 km/h) slower. The main user was No.5 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit, based at Ternhill, Shropshire from 1942 onwards. 

The Master II was also used as a glider tug. During 1942, when British Airborne forces were forming, some obsolete Hawker Audax and Hector biplanes were used to tow the GAL Hotspur training glider. This couldn't last long as as both aircraft were in short supply and the needs of the Glider Pilot Regiment were rapidly increasing. Miles was, therefore, asked if they could quickly convert a Master II into a glider tug and, just in one week a prototype was presented. This sub-variant had the bottom part of the rudder cut off and a tail hook, with its corresponding releasing mechanism installed in the cockpit. 

A Master II was also adapted for firing rockets when these were made of general use in 1943. Rocket trails were fixed under both wings and a series of trials were carried out by the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at RAF Martlesham Heath. 

Every version of the Master had provision for the upper section of the rear half of the canopy to open up in order to form a windscreen for the instructor, whose canopy was also equipped with an elevating seat to look forward during take off and landing and correct any mistakes. This, generally worked well except for the fact that, in speeds above 160 mph (258 km/h) the windscreen tend to shut itself, catching the rear occupant. The widescreen was also known to fly open during a spin giving the impression to the pupil that the had lost his instructor. Miles suggested a modification to avoid this with a permanent raised rear cockpit. The works on this were given the number M.31 and the resulting variant would've been called the Master IV, however, this idea didn't prosper as the Air Ministry wanted Miles to concentrate on the tug version of the Master. 

Some other minor modifications concerned the wing tips which were rounded up in the Master I, but were square cut on later examples of Master II and III. 

The Master III was kept in service until mid-1945 while it wasn't until November 1950 that the Master II was withdrawn from active service. 

Sources:

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

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

Miles M.14 Magister. Part five. British users

 

The Miles M.14 Magister is a British two-seat basic trainer which was developed during the 1930s to the specification T.40/36.

After the success of the M.2 Hawk elementary trainer, Miles decided to produce a variant of the M.2 to satisfy the Air Ministry's specification T.40/36. 

The type submitted was very similar to the M.2. The main difference between the M.2 and the M.14 being the cockpit, which was enlarged in the M.14 and had various new features to meet military training requirements. The prototype flew for the first time on 20th March 1937 at the hands of Frederick G. Miles, and, during the following month, it received the nickname of Magister. During early flights the aircraft showed a tendency to spin. This was, however, fixed with many alterations, among them, elevating the tailplane by 6 in (15 cm), the fitting of anti-spin strakes and the adoption of a taller rudder. These changes worked so well that the Magister became the first aircraft to receive permission from the Air Ministry to perform aerobatics. 

The Magister is mainly made out of wood, the fuselage consisting of a spruce structure covered in plywood. Both wings and tail section were made out of similar materials. It is equipped with split flaps, and was the first Royal Air Force's (RAF) trainer to be equipped with them. It has also a fixed undercarriage covered in aerodynamical spats and equipped with Bendix drum brakes, in order to reduce landing distance. It is powered by a single De Havilland Gipsy Major I engine which yields 130 hp of power. 

After having won the contest of the Air Ministry, it was ordered into mass production, which began in October 1937 and continued until 1941, with 1.023 machines being manufactured by Miles. 

Initial production orders were supplied to flying clubs through the Straight Corporation, as well as many overseas private customers. At the outbreak of World War 2 more than 700 Magisters were in service with the RAF Elementary Flying Training Schools, among them the Central Flying School. 

During June 1940 as part of the British anti-invasion preparations around 15 Magisters were fitted with small bomb racks to be used as very light bombers. However, they were never used in this role. 

The Magister was also used as an experiment carried out in 1941 to include an auxiliary towed rear wing, which could carry either additional ammo or fuel. This was done to increase the range of British medium bombers at the time. The experiment was, however, a failure.

After the war, many were sold to private owners, and were known as the Hawk Trainer III. In these private hands the Magister enjoyed a reputation of being a fast racer. 

Sources:

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

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

3. Putnam & Co. - Miles aircraft since 1925 

Mitsubishi J2M Raiden, foreign users

 

The Mitsubishi J2M Raiden (Japanese word for 'Lightning Bolt') was a single-engined land-based fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) during the World War II. Although there were not any official foreign users, some captured exemplars were used by:

• United Kingdom: Two Raidens, originally belonging to the 381st Kokutai, were captured at the end of the war. They were evaluated at RAF Tebrau airbase, in Malaysia, with officer from RAF Seletar, in Singapore shortly after the war, in 1946. Their ultimate fate is unknown.
• United States of America: At least one J2M3 was captured by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) during the latest stages of the war. It was par of the 301st Kokutai and was assigned to the aerial defense of Manila, capital city of the Philippines. It had previously belong to the 381st Kokutai as it was found to have its original codes overpainted, however other reports claim it didn't have any code when it was captured.
  Anyway, it was found in February 1945 at Dewey Boulevard, in Manila, which was used as an ad-hoc air strip. The Raiden was taken to Clark Field, an air base close to Manila, for testing with the TAIU-SWPA (Technical Air Intelligence Unit - South West Pacific) where it was assigned the code S-12, was stripped of any paint and received US markings with pre-war tail stripes. It was only tested twice, for a total of 3 hours and 20 minutes of duration, before an oil pipe failed, causing the engine to seize up. It was later destroyed on the ground when a B-25 Mitchell collided with it when landing.
  Another Raiden, belonging originally to the 302nd Kokutai, was captured after Japan's surrender, at Atsugi airfield. It was sent to the United States for performance tests It was later acquired by Frank Wiggins Trade School, in Los Angeles, to be used as an instructional airframe. By 1952 it was being used as a park attraction at Travel Town in Griffith Park. It was later donated to the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, California, where it's on static display nowadays.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_J2M

2. https://captured-wings.wikia.org/wiki/Category:Mitsubishi_J2M

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

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

5. https://planesoffame.org/aircraft/plane-J2M3

6. https://captured-wings.wikia.org/wiki/C/n_3008

For more profile drawings of captured Japanese planes:
http://www.risingdecals.com/DyingSun/DyingSun_A.htm

Fairey Spearfish

 

The Fairey Spearfish was designed by Fairey Aviation to a specification issued by the Admiralty for a replacement of the Fairey Barracuda for a torpedo/dive bomber. Compared to the Barracuda, the Spearfish was powered by a much powerful engine, had a bigger internal weapons bay and had a retractable ASV Mk. XV surface-search radar mounted behind the bomb bay. The Spearfish was half as large as the Barracuda, as it was designed to operate from the Malta-class carriers which eventually were never completed.

In August 1943 Fairey received an order for three prototypes to be built against the Specification O.5/43 and the prototype was built at Fairey's Hayes factory. It flew for the first time on 5th July 1945 from Heston airfield, in London. Two further prototypes were also built, but they didn't take off until 1947. In November 1943 the company was also ordered to produce a dual-control dive-bombing trainer variant, under the specification T.21/43. It was built at Heaton Chapel Factory and flown at Ringway airport, in Manchester, on 20th June 1946. Three further development machines were ordered in May 1944. These were going to be assembled at Heaton Chapel with the last two powered by a Rolls-Royce Pennine engine. However, only the first one, powered by a Bristol Centaurus engine was built, but never flew.

An initial production order for 150 machines was placed, to be manufactured at Heaton Chapel. All of them were to be powered by the 2.600 hp Bristol Centaurus engine in different variants. With the cancellation of the Malta-class aircraft carriers, the Fleet Air Arm no longer had a requirement for new torpedo bombers and the programme was cancelled. Work continued on the two other prototypes, albeit very slowly. 

The first prototype was used by Napier & Son at Luton for trials on the company's in-flight de-icing system, it was then used again for ground-training purposes on 30th April 1952 and it was scrapped shortly afterwards. The second prototype was used by the Royal Navy for carrier trials at RNAS Ford, in Sussex, until it was sold for scrap on 15th September. The third prototype was employed for ASV Mk.XV radar trials, but was damaged in a heavy landing on 1st September 1949 and sold for scrap as it was beyond reparation. The fourth prototype never flew and was used as a source of spare parts. The only Heaton Chapel-built aircraft was the closest to the planned production and was used for engine-cooling and power-assisted flying control trials, until it was struck off charge on 24th July 1951.

Sources:

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

2. https://www.valka.cz/Fairey-Spearfish-t54911

Fairey Gannet, part two

 

The Fairey Gannet was a carrier-borne anti-submarine/strike aircraft that was designed and developed by Fairey Aviation after World War 2.

The Gannet was build as a response to the GR.17/45 Admiralty requirement made in 1945, for which both Fairey (Fairey Type Q, AKA Fairey 17) and Blackburn (Blackburn B-54/B-88) presented their prototypes. 

Initially, the Rolls-Royce Tweed engine was considered, however, Fairey discarded it in favour of the Armstrong-Siddeley Mamba turboprop, the Double Mamba. These engines were mounted side-by-side and coupled through a common gearbox to coaxial contra-rotating propellers with each engine driving its own propeller. Power was transmitted by a torsion shaft engaged through a series of sun, planet, epicyclic and spur gears to give a suitable reduction ratio and correct propeller-shaft rotation. 

The ASMD.1 engine, capable of achieving up to 2.950 hp of power, was equipped in the Gannet AS.1 (first anti-submarine version) and the AS.4 (an improved anti-submarine variant) was powered with a ASMD.3 engine with 3.875 hp of power. The Double Mamba engine could be run with one engine off and its propeller feathered to conserve fuel and extend endurance when cruising. In a traditional twin-engined aircraft, this would create thrust asymmetry, however, this was avoided thanks to the centerline-mounted propellers. Mamba exhausts were placed on each side of the fuselage, at the root of the wing trailing edge. The gas turbine engine could run on kerosene, "wide-cut" turbine fuel or diesel fuel, allowing the Admiralty to discard the dangerous high-octane petroleum spirit required to operate piston-engined aircraft from aircraft carriers. 

Sources:

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

2. https://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/gannet/history.php

3. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 23 - Fairey Gannet

Mitsubishi G4M, foreign users

 

The Mitsubishi G4M was a Japanese twin-engined medium bomber designed to success to former G3M. Its main user was the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), but as the war went on, it saw service with some other countries as well:

• Communist China: Apparently, among the many aircraft left over by the Japanese, the Communists managed to capture some machines, probably in the Southern part of the country, as that's where the IJN had some aerial bases at the end of the conflict. As we couldn't find neither graphical nor text information about the G4M serving with the Chinese, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• United Kingdom: The British Allied Technical Air Intelligence Unit South East Asia (ATAIU SEA) operated one captured G4M2 Model 22, registered as FI-11 for evaluation purposes at Tebrau airfield, in Malaysia. It belonged originally to the 13th Koku Kantai Yuso Tai. Its ultimate fate is unknown, but it was most probably scrapped.
• Indonesia: Among the aircraft used by the Indonesian Air Force, was, apparently, at least one G4M captured by Indonesian guerrillas, left over by the Japanese in some remote area of the country. It was probably used by the Indonesians during their Independence War, but its ultimate fate is unknown. As we couldn't find information on the subject, the drawing and the information written here should be considered as speculative.
• United States: The Technical Air Intelligence Unit, operated some captured G4M for evaluation purposes at Eagle Farm airfield, in Brisbane, Australia in 1945. The evaluated bomber was painted with exaggerated American markings and rudder stripes even if they were eliminated three years earlier. 

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_G4M

2. https://captured-wings.wikia.org/wiki/FI-11

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

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_Air_Force#Before_Indonesian_independence_(1941–1945)

5. https://ww2db.com/photo.php?list=search&sp&startRow=40&keyword&source=colorall&color&foreigntype=A&foreigntype_id=12&dt&image_id

6. https://j-aircraft.com/captured/capturedfrom/TAIC/TAICSG4M/mitsubishi_g4m2_betty.htm

Junkers Ju.52/3m more European and British users

 

The Junkers Ju.52/3m is a German passenger and cargo airplane that was used all around the globe by both air forces and airways from the 1930s to the 1950s and, in some cases, even beyond. In this post we're covering the following users:

• United Kingdom: Although not used by the Royal Air Force, the Ju.52/3m saw service in the United Kingdom as it served with the following airlines:
• British Airways Ltd.: In 1936 and 1937 three Ju.52/3m were operated by this airline together with some other types, to operate various night mail contracts to Lille in France and Cologne and Hannover, in Germany. 
• British European Airways/Railway Air Services: In November 1946 British European Airways (BEA) opened its first aerial link between London Croydon airport and Belfast Sydenham airport via Liverpool. This line was served by ex-Luftwaffe Ju.52/3m and was operated by another airline called Railway Air Services on behalf of BEA. The next month Sydenham was replaced by Nutts Corner, also in Northern Ireland, and the Ju.52/3m (which received the nickname of "Jupiters" by their British pilots) were replaced with Douglas Dakota cargo and passenger aircraft. 
• British Overseas Aircraft Corporation (BOAC): According to Wikipedia the BOAC had one or more Ju.52/3m in inventory, however, we couldn't find any graphical evidence, so it was decided not to drawn an hypothetical version.
  
  
• Estonia: In 1939 the Estonian A/S Ago (the Estonian national airline back in the 1930s - not to be confused with the German aircraft manufacturer AGO Flugzeugwerke) ordered two Ju.52/3mg3gce passenger planes in 1939. The first one arrived in Estonia on 5th October 1939, piloted by the Estonian pilot Peeter Olt, and the second one was delivered on 19th October. 
  When the Soviets occupied the Baltic States in June 1940, both were assigned to Aeroflot, the Soviet national airline, however, they remained parked at Jägala airport, in Estonia, until February 1941 when they were taken back to Riga. Later they were assigned to some special squadron of the VVS (Soviet Air Force) in Moscow, where, apparently were not employed for the remaining of the war.
• Finland: In 1936, with the completion of Helsinki's and Turku's airports, Finland's national airway back then, Aero Oy, sought for larger passenger airplanes. That's when three Ju.52/3m were bought with an additional one being bought later. At the outbreak of the Winter War in late November 1939, any civilian aerial operation from Helsinki was deemed as too risky, so Aero Oy ceased operations, but they were resumed when this conflict terminated in March 1940. It seems that during peace negotiations, in June 1940, one Ju.52 was shot down over the Gulf of Riga by two Soviet Tupolev SB-2 bombers. 
  During the Continuation War, the company kept regular flights to Stockholm, Tallinn and Berlin, among other destinations until the outbreak of the Lapland War in September 1944. Overall the Ju.52/3m served with Aero Oy (which, by the way, was the forerunner of Finnair) until 1948 when they were replaced by more modern types.

Sources:

1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Junkers_Ju_52_operators

2. https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnair (translated)

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnair

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

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

6. http://www.militaar.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=28659 (translated)

Arado Ar.96, various users

 

The Arado Ar.96 was a German single-engined monoplane made entirely out of metal which was used by the Luftwaffe and many other users around the world, among them, the following ones:

• United Kingdom: At least one Ar.96B was used by the 435 Disarmament Service and Repair Unit of the Royal Air Force, located in Schleswig-Holstein, in the British Occupation Zone of Germany in 1945, as it was captured after the war. This aircraft was moved to the United Kingdom and, in 1946 it was at Woodley aerodrome, in Berkshire where it was flight tested. By 1947 it was scrapped with other captured Ar.96Bs.
• Slovak Republic: Shortly after the creation, in 1939 of the Slovenské vzdusne zbrane (Slovak Air Force or SVZ) four Ar.96A (the initial production version) served with the SVZ. Their fate is unknown but they were, most likely, destroyed during the war.
• Spain: There are some reports of two Ar.96A serving with the Nationalist Air Force during the Spanish Civil War. However, those reports seem to be false as the Ar.96A entered service in 1939, after the end of the War. However, we've drawn an hypothetical Ar.96A serving with Spain in 1940 just for the fun of it.
• Sweden: The Swedish company AB Norrlansdflyg acquired one Ar.96B after the war (aircraft which defected to Sweden at the end of the World War 2) and, in July 1946 it was in service with this company at Lulea registered as SE-AOA. It was used to train pilots of this Swedish airline.
• United States of America: The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) used at least one captured Ar.96B-7 after the war in Mannheim-Sandhofen, in the US Occupation Zone. Further details, however, are unknown.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arado_Ar_96

2. https://modellbygge.ifokus.se/discussion/1216512/lite-arado-ar-96-researchfragor-se-aoa (translated)

3. https://gustavsviksflygfalt.se/text/tengler_arne/Bilder_Norrlandsflyg.htm (translated)

4. http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_arado_ar_96.html

5. https://www.valka.cz/Arado-Ar-96-t54856 (translated)

6. http://bioold.science.ku.dk/drnash/model/spain/didnt.html

7. http://silverhawkauthor.com/axis-warplane-survivors-german-aircraft-part-i-arado-ar-96-to-fockewulf-fw-58_320.html

Fairey Firefly, British users, part four

 

During the Korean War (1950-1953) both British and Australian Fireflies performed anti-shipping patrols and ground strikes from aircraft carriers positioned offshore. 

They also performed other mission roles like anti-submarine patrols and aerial reconnaissance as well as assisting battleships in providing effective naval gunfire support. Many Fireflies of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) were loaned during this period to the Royal Australian Navy as we've seen in our previous two posts. In spite of the many incidents with anti-aircraft fire, the Firefly proved to be relatively sturdy. In fact, it was routinely used for strike operations against targets such as bridges and railway lines to damage North Korean logistics and communications. Furthermore, as the war was going on, pilots developed new low-level dive bombing techniques to achieve greater accuracy. In fact, the Firefly was present until the very final part of the conflict, when the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed on 27th July 1953 and they kept on flying post-armistice patrols for many years afterwards. 

The Korean War, however wasn't the end of the operational history for the Firefly, as it was deployed again in the Far East amid the Malayan Emergency, where it was employed in ground attack operations against Malayan Communist Party insurgents. However, it was replaced shortly after the introduction of the Fairey Gannet which eventually fully replaced it.

Sources:

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

2. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 28 - Fairey Firefly

3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Fairey Firefly, British Users, part three

 

After completion of the prototype, handling trials were executed at RAF Boscombe Down, in Wiltshire. In 1944 the Firefly was cleared for using underwing rockets and, by April that same year, a payload of 16 rockets plus a pair of 45 gallon (205 L) drop tanks were successfully carried out with an acceptable handling. Various further testing was also carried out with different, albeit acceptable, results. 

During the Second World War, the primary used variant was the Firefly Mk.I, which saw action in every theatre of the conflict. 

In March 1943 the first Firefly Mk.I was delivered to the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), but their entry into operational service was delayed until July 1944 when they were assigned to the 1770 Naval Air Squadron on board of HMS Indefatigable (R10) Aircraft Carrier. 

Their first operations took place in the European Theatre where the Fireflies performed many armed reconnaissance flights and anti-shipping strikes along the Norwegian coast. 

Throughout its operational career, the Firefly assumed on more demanding roles, from fighter to anti-submarine warfare, while being stationed in the Far East with the British Pacific Fleet and the Pacific Theatre. In these theatres the type was used against both Japanese ground targets and fighters aircraft. FAA's Fireflies performed attacks on both oil refineries and airfields and they were dispatched numerous times to attack many Japanese-controlled islands until Victory over Japan Day. 

The Firefly gained public renown when it became the first British designed and built aircraft to overfly Tokyo, the Japanese capital. 

Sources:

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

2. Hall Parks Books - Warpaint 28 - Fairey Firefly

3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Fairey Firefly, British Users, part two

 

The Fairey Firefly was a low-level cantilever monoplane which featured an oval shaped metal semi-monocoque fuselage and a conventional tail unit with a forward-placed tailplane. 

The initial versions were powered by the Rolls-Royce Griffon liquid-cooled piston engine which drove a four-blade Rotol-built propeller. 

The aircraft also featured a large chin-mounted radiator in order to provide extra cooling for the engine. 

It had a retractable undercarriage and tailwheel with the hydraulically-actuated main landing gear retracting inwards into the underside of the central section of the wing. This undercarriage arrangement was was very common and useful for carrier landings. The Firefly was also fitted with an arrestor hook mounted underneath the rear fuselage. Pilot's cockpit was located above the leading edge of the wing and the observer/radio operator/navigator's one was located aft of the wing's trailing edge. Both of those positions were optimum for better visibility when operating and landing. Both crew members were provided with separated jettisonable canopies. 

The Firefly was equipped with an all-metal wing which could be folded manually with the wings ending up along the sides of the fuselage when folded in order to store them inside the aircraft carrier. When deployed in flying position, they were locked hydraulically in place. The wing itself featured square tips and large Fairey-Youngman flaps which provided relatively good handling when flying at low speeds. The Mk.I (AKA FR.1/NF.1) variants were armed with four 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannons buried in the wings, armament which was considered as heavy for the time. According to the pilots, the general handling of the Firefly was relatively well balanced, but a level of physical strength was required to effectively execute aerobatics. 

Sources:

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

2. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 28 - Fairey Firefly 

3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Fairey Firefly, British users, part one

 

The Fairey Firefly was a British Second World War fighter and anti-submarine aircraft that was mainly operated by the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) and was produced and developed by the Fairey Aviation Company.

Its origins can be traced back to 1938, at which point British Authorities were preparing for a major conflict against Germany. In that context, the Air Ministry issued a specification calling for naval fighter, a conventional one and a "turret-fighter". The performance requirements for both was to be able to achieve a speed of 275 knots (509.3 km/h - 316.4 mph) at 15.000 (4.572 m) high while carrying an armament, for the conventional fighter of eight 0.303 in Browning machine guns or four 20 mm Hispano cannons. This new design was intended to replace the Fairey Fulmar which was already seen as an interim solution. These specifications were altered in 1939 while various manufacturers presented their ideas. Further changes to the official specification were made, such as the complete elimination of the turret fighter and the modification of the conventional one calling to cover single and double-seat fighters capable of achieving speeds of 330 and 300 knots (611.16 km/h - 380 mph and 555.6 km/h - 345.23 mph) respectively. 

Fairey presented designs that could fit either single or double-seats, powered either by the Rolls Royce Griffon engine or, combined with a larger airframe, the Napier Sabre engine. 

After some consideration of the manufacturer's feedback, the next year, the specification N.5/40, replaced the earlier specifications and, given the necessity of flying over open sea, it was decided to call only for a two-seater aircraft. In order to protect naval bases, a parallel single-seat design would eventually lead to the design of the Blackburn Firebrand. 

The Firefly was designed by H.E. Chaplin at Fairey and used the Fulmar as a departing point. In June 1940 the Admiralty placed an order for 200 aircraft "off the drawing board" given the imminent fall of France. Of those 200 fighters, the first three of them would function as the prototypes. It wasn't until 22nd December 1941 that the prototype of the Firefly made its maiden flight. As it was powered by the Griffon engine and was armed with two 20 mm Hispano cannons in each wing, it was 4.000 lb (1.810 kg) heavier than the Fulmar though it was 40 mph (60 km/h) faster due to improved aeronautics and the increased power of the Griffon IIB engine, which could generate a power of 1.735 hp.

Sources:

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

2. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 28 - Fairey Firefly

3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Airspeed AS.65 Consul, British users

The Airspeed AS.65 Consul was a British twin-engined light airliner that was produced in the immediate postwar era.
Its roots can be traced back to the Airspeed AS.6 Envoy of 1934, which was militarised in 1937 to create a mass-produced trainer, the Airspeed AS.10 Oxford. The Oxford was massively produced, with almost 9.000 exemplars having been made.
Given that surplus Oxfords were common and inexpensive, from 1946 onwards one hundred and sixty two Oxfords were refitted for civilian use at Airspeed's factory in Portsmouth, and received the name of 'Consul'. They turned to be attractive for various airlines thanks to its clean lines and Airspeed soon offered a conversion kit.
The Consul saw service with various airlines all around the world, the type being specially popular with small scheduled charter and feeder airlines in the United Kingdom, where 32 airlines operated the type, among them, the prestigious British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) though in training flights only. It was also used by various private enterprises as executive transports.
Its wooden structure, however, added to the heavy wartime use, tricky handling and small seat capacity, played against the type. Many of the civil conversions were bought by military operators (such as Argentina, Israel, Turkey or Pakistan, among others - check out our previous posts on the subject) and the Consul was employed as VIP transport on air forces that had previously operated the Oxford.
Nowadays, there are just only two surviving Consuls, one of them being restored and the other one stored in pieces.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airspeed_Consul
2. https://www.baesystems.com/en/heritage/airspeed-as65-consul
3. http://britishaviation-ptp.com/airspeed_as65.html
4. https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Airspeed:_Consul
5. https://www.ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/airspeed_oxford_&_consul.pdf

Airspeed AS.10 Oxford, part ten, British users part three

The Oxford, which was nicknamed 'the Ox-Box', was used to prepare complete aircrews for the Royal Air Force's Bomber Command. It could in fact, train pilots, navigators, bomb aimers, gunners and radio operators in the same flight. Additionally, the Oxfords were also used in the Middle East, East Africa and other theatres of the war as communications, anti-submarine and air ambulances thanks to its versatility.
The Oxford was the favourite trainer of both Empire Air Training Scheme and British Commonwealth Air Training Plan which is why it was distributed all along the British Empire.
Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia, was flying an Oxford when she when missing over the Thames Estuary, where she presumably and unfortunately crashed in 1941.
The Oxford continued in service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) well after the war, until 1956 to be more precise. They were used as trainers and light transports.
Most Oxfords in the United Kingdom were equipped with a knotted rope which went from the pilot's seat to the rear door to assist in the evacuation should the plane entered into an uncontrollable spin, which was almost impossible to recover from. When the pilots released their seat belts centripetal force would hurl them to the rear of the plane, beyond the exit door, from where it was impossible to crawl forward to the door. The rope was installed as an answer to a test made by four engineers who tried to recover from a spin at 18.000 ft (5.484 m) high. When the aircraft didn't recover no matter how hard they tried, the four released their harness and were immediately hurled to the rear of the plane where they remained helpless as the spiral descent continued. However, the plane was in such flat spin when it reached the ground that it skidded sideways over the surface of a field until the tail section hit a haystack and broke off. The four engineers walked away with minor injuries and the valuable lesson that the knotted rope was the only positive remedy for the Oxford in case it entered a spin.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airspeed_Oxford
2. https://www.baesystems.com/en/heritage/airspeed-horsa-glider
3. https://www.airvectors.net/avanson.html

Airspeed AS.10 Oxford, part nine, British users part two

The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford was a low-wing twin-engine cantilever monoplane with a semi-monocoque fuselage, a conventional landing gear configuration and a wooden tail. It was thanks to its configuration that it could replicate the flying characteristics of any frontline aircraft of the moment. It was specifically designed for a wide range of training missions such as navigation, flying instruction, night flying, instrument flying, wireless radio training, direction finding, gunnery and vertical photography. The Oxford was specifically designed to include various modern innovations and equipment fittings like a full array of instruments and controls within the cockpit which were very useful in the trainer role. Additionally it could also be used in additional roles such as air ambulance or maritime reconnaissance.
Regarding the flying experience, the Oxford was representative enough to give the pilots the experience needed to migrate onto larger aircraft with ease while possessing smooth flying characteristics.
It was operated by a crew of three, with the seating arrangement being interchangeable to better suit various purposes, such as to better enable a specific training role. The cockpit featured dual controls and a pair of seats in order to accommodate a pilot and either a navigator or a second pilot alongside. When used for bomb aimer training, the second set of controls was removed and the freed space was used for a bomb-aimer in prone position. When used as a navigator trainer, the second seat was pushed back so it would be in-line up with the chart table. Aft of the cockpit was a wireless operator station facing aft of the starboard side of the fuselage. The turret present in the Mk.I version of the Oxford, could also be used for gunnery, navigation, wireless, bomb-aimers or camera operators. The centre section could host up to 16 11 lb (4.98 kg) which could be released via bomb-release switches installed at the pilot and bomb-aimers' stations.
The Oxford was normally powered by a pair of Armstrong-Siddeley Cheetah X air-cooled radial engines which yielded 340 hp each. Those were initially outfitted with wooden fixed-position De-Havilland-built propellers but it was initially designed to have variable-pitch propellers. The starboard engine drove a hydraulic pump and air compressor with this one being used to actuate the undercarriage and flaps and the pump being used on the brake system. The port engine drove a 500 -watts electrical generator. The engine cowling featured an inlet that drew cooling air into a tank. A pair of tinned steel oil tanks were also contained within the cowling. Welded steel construction was used for the nacelles.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airspeed_Oxford
2.  https://www.valka.cz/Airspeed-Oxford-Mk-I-t6612
3. https://www.valka.cz/Airspeed-Oxford-Mk-II-t47500