Boeing Stearman Model 75, part one, European Users

 

The Boeing-Stearman Model 75 was one of the most widely produced American trainer biplanes of the 1930s and 1940s, with almost 11,000 machines being built and the type being exported to various countries around the globe, among them, the following ones:

• Greece: In 1945 the Royal Hellenic Air Force (RHAF) acquired 30 Stearman Kaydet PT-13/PT-17 trainer biplanes (the main difference between them was the engine). They were employed in anti-malaria dusting campaigns all over Greece, equipped with removable DDT gear. 
  The unit, aptly called 'Anti-Malaria Squadron' was based at Eleysis Air Base, in central Greece, being dependent of the RHAF, but also of the Agricultural and Health ministries. 
  Since the aircraft were a donation of the American Mission for Aid to Greece (AMAG), they had not Greek roundels painted. 
  The Stearmans were part of the RHAF until 1969 (although they were sent to supply depot units -IE, withdrawn from active service- years earlier) when they were sold to private aeroclubs. 
  It is known that at least one was employed during the Greek Civil War (1946-1949) in reconnaissance duties.
• Yugoslavia: Jat Airways, the national airline of Yugoslavia, acquired six Stearman PT-17 machines in 1946/1947 for crop dusting duties. They received the following registrations: YU-AER, YU-AES, YU-AET, YU-AEU, YU-AEV and YU-AEW. 
  They were used for crop dusting duties, operated by Jat's pilots until the late 1950s. At least one (YU-AET) was reconverted into a two-seater trainer for civilian pilot training in the winter of 1970-1971. 
  During their career with Jat, they suffered numerous accidents and mishaps affecting to five out of six machines.
  One machine, YU-AEW is known to have been stored for the Belgrade Air Museum in 1984, however, it was destroyed during the Yugoslav Wars (1991-2001) and the ones showed nowadays there are two ex American machines registered as YU-BAD and YU-BAI.

Sources:

1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing-Stearman_Model_75

2ns https://www.haf.gr/en/history/historical-aircraft/stearman-kaydet-pt-13-17/

3rd https://air-britain.com/pdfs/archive/Archive_2010.pdf

Supermarine Spitfire. European Users, part nineteen. Yugoslav Spitfires.

 

The No. 352 (Jugoslav) Squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF), was designated in internal Yugoslav documents as '1 Lovacka Eskadrila Vazduhoplovstva NOVJ' (1st Fighter Squadron of NOVJ Aviation). It was formed at Benina (Libya) on 22nd April 1944 and was initially equipped with the Hawker Hurricane, however the unit quickly transitioned to the Spitfire and by June-July they were already fully equipped with the Mk. V/Trop. 
After their training was complete, they became part of No. 281 Wing RAF, which was subordinated to the Balkan Air Force (an Allied formation operating over the Balkans during World War 2). In that formation, they were joined in September by a second Yugoslav squadron, No. 351, equipped with Hurricanes. 

The Yugoslav No. 352 squadron operated from south-eastern Italy performing a wide variety of missions, such as fighter escort, fighter sweeps or ground attack. In October 1944 a detachment was sent to Vis airfield, a small Croatian island on the Adriatic Sea, which served as an advanced operating base, and since January 1945 the entire squadron was based there. 
In mid-April the entire squadron was rebased at the liberated airfield of Prkos, on the Yugoslav coast. In spite of Yugoslav efforts, the squadron was not re-equipped with the Spitfire Mk. IX or Mk. VIII, although it seems that they managed to acquire three Mk. IXs.

On 18th May 1945 (although some sources claim it was later, on 15th June), at Zemunik airfield, the squadron was officially deactivated from RAF's command, together with No. 351 Squadron (AKA 2 LEV NOVJ, the Hurricane-equipped Yugoslav squadron) and it was reformed into 1. Lovacki Puk (1st Fighter Regiment). 

The first squadron of this regiment took over all operational Spitfires they could find, a total of 17 Mk. V Trop and 3 Mk. IX.

Soon after, linked to the formation of a new bomber regiment equipped with the Soviet Petlyakov Pe-2 aircraft, all experienced personnel of the 1st Regiment was transferred to this new bomber unit, so 1. Lovacki Puk was disbanded and the Spitfires were sent to warehouses in Mostar. 

In early 1946 the Spitfires were re-registered according to the Yugoslav Air Force's system. The Mk. Vs received consecutive numbers, ranging from 9476 to 9493, and the few Mk. IX, from 9501 to 9503. 
During autumn/winter of 1946, the six Spitfire Mk. Vs which were in the best flying conditions, were assigned to the 3rd Fighter Division, receiving each of the two regiments that division was equipped with, (flying the Yakovlev Yak-3) three Spitfire Mk. V each.
The goal was to develop appropriate tactics to fight the Spitfires, as the Yugoslav aerial space was violated various times by Greek Spitfires. Those incidents took place regularly in the context of the Greek Civil War, as the Yugoslav authorities supported the local Greek communist rebels and even were allowed to take shelter and set up camps in the Yugoslav region of Macedonia. 
Oddly enough, the conclusions from those comparisons showed that the Yakovlev Yak-3 had no special advantage over the Spitfire Mk. V Trop in combat, apart from its greater maximum speed.

In May 1947 a regiment (named just as 'Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment') equipped entirely with Spitfires was formed again. This time this unit acted as a reconnaissance unit, and the planes were modified with Soviet photo-cameras installed in them.

In autumn 1948 some Spitfires Mk. IX bearing Yugoslav roundels appeared in Yugoslavia, but actually they were Czechoslovak Spitfires which were sold to Israel, as part of Operation Veletta. Those Mk. IXs were ferried from Czechoslovakia to Israel via Yugoslavia, and refuelling at Niksic (southern Yugoslavia) where they refuelled to continue the flight to Israel. They were temporarily painted in Yugoslav markings to avoid raising alerts among observers.

After Soviet-Yugoslav split, when Yugoslavia broke off 'brotherly relations' with the USSR in early 1949, the Yugoslav forces were reorganized. As part of this reorganization, the previous 'Reconnaissance Regiment' was given the number 103 and was rebased to Pancevo, in Serbia, due to the change in the expected direction of the aggression. 

Either way, by August 1952, the Spitfires were written off and replaced by more modern types.

Sources:

1st AJ-Press - Monografie Lotnicze 40 - Supermarine Spitfire Part 3 (translated)

2nd http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/352_wwII.html

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

Junkers Ju.52/3m various European Users

 

The Junkers Ju.52/3m is a German cargo aircraft which was widely used all around the globe. It was used, among many other ones, by the following countries:

• Slovak Republic: Two Ju.52/3mg7e were purchased from Germany in 1942 when the Slovak Air Force (SVZ) replaced their old inherited Czechoslovak-made material. They were destined to their flying school. Their fate is not known, but they were most probably destroyed on the ground during an aerial strike. 
• USSR: The Soviet Union employed the Ju.52/3m both before and after World War 2. Before the war, the type was evaluated by the NII-VVS (Soviet Air Force's Technical Research Unit) in 1937. 
  The Soviet State airline, Aeroflot, began operating captured Ju.52/3m on the Perm to Samara aerial route in the summer of 1944. These aircraft were also used to transport sulphur from mines in Central Asia to Soviet factories. Many of them were retrofitted with Soviet RPK-10 radio compasses and remained in active service until the late 1950s.
• Sweden: The Swedish national airline, AB Aerotransport, bought five Ju.52/3m, (according to some sources it was just 5 of them) in 1932. Though the airline's main aircraft was the famous Douglas DC-3, the Ju.52/3m was kept in service for routes from Sweden to Germany. They were extensively used, even during the war years, with neutrality markings. After the War, they served until 1948. 
  In order to prepare the country for a possible invasion during World War 2, the Swedish Air Force hired five Ju.52/3m from Aerotransport which gave them the designation of 'TP-5'. They were employed in many different roles, like cargo, personnel and VIP transport, but also as trainers and some of them were allocated to train the first Swedish paratroopers, though, eventually, they never served as such.
• Yugoslavia: During the very end of World War 2 and the immediate postwar, the Yugoslav Air Force operated some ex-German Ju.52/3m. They were complemented in 1946 with two French-made AAC.1 Toucan which were ordered in late 1945. In 1950 they acquired four more Toucans and two years later they were replaced by the Soviet Lisunov Li-2, the Soviet copy of the Douglas DC-4. The AAC.1s were passed on to JAT, the Yugoslav state airline, which operated the type until 1964. Nowadays one of them is preserved in Belgrade.

Sources:

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

2. https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABA (translated)

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

4. http://www.vrtulnik.cz/ww2/slovac.htm (translated)

5. http://www.lietadla.com/historia/slov-heinkel.htm (translated)

6. https://wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com/2020/04/11/aac-1-toucan-frances-post-wwii-ju-52/

7. https://www.avrosys.nu/aircraft/Transport/255tp5/255Tp5.htm

8. Signal Squadron - Aircraft in Action 186 - Junkers Ju.52 in Action

Airspeed AS.10 Oxford, part five, various European Users

The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford was a British twin-engined multi-purpose aircraft which was designed and developed by Airspeed Ltd. With more than 8.500 exemplars manufactured, it saw service with many countries all around the globe. Among them, the following ones:

• Norway: From 1947 until 1953, when they written off, the Royal Norwegian Air Force had a total of 22 Oxfords serving in three squadrons (Nos. 333, 334 and 335). Four aircraft were sold between 1951 to 1953 to the Norwegian airline Wideroe which employed the aircraft for photo-surveying Norwegian territories in a commission for the Norwegian Geographical Society. Eventually only three of them were sold with the fourth one not being registered as sold and was hold by the Royal Norwegian Air Force for spare parts. The aircraft were taken out of service in 1960 and were used at Fornebu, Oslo, as target practice.
• Poland: At least one unit of the Polish Air Force in exile had some Oxfords in their rows. Among them there was the No.16 (Polish) Flying Training School which from July 1941 until December 1946 employed them as trainers at RAF Newton, in Nottinghamshire.
• Portugal: Both Portuguese Army and Navy received six Oxfords in 1943 as part of the Operation Oatmeal (thanks to which the Allied set up bases in the Azores islands). When the Portuguese Air Force was formed in 1952, there were still four of them in active service. 
• Sweden: The Swedish charter airline Transair Sweden AB had three Airspeed Oxford in 1950 as part of their fleet. They were used with the aim of flying newspapers from Stockholm to other parts of Sweden. They served until September 1955 and December 1959.
• Yugoslavia: Five Oxford were obtained from Norway, via H.A. Berg, under the mutual Defence Aid Programme in 1951. They were used by an unknown unit based at Pancevo as twin-engined trainers for the De Havilland Mosquito crews. They were withdrawn from service in 1958.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airspeed_Oxford#Operators

2. https://www.wikiwand.com/no/Airspeed_Oxford (translated)

3. https://codenames.info/operation/oatmeal/

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

5. http://transairsweden.com/aircraft/airspeed/

6. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7160847?descriptiontype=Full&ref=AIR+29/570

7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Newton

8. http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/yugo/af2/types/trainers.htm

To know more about the Oxford in Norway:

1. https://flyblader.com/onewebmedia/Nr%2012%20Oxford.pdf (in Norwegian)

Avro Anson, part Nine, Portuguese, Soviet, Spanish and Yugoslav users

The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined multi-role aircraft which, more than 11.000 exemplars manufactured by Avro in England and Federal Aircraft Ltd. in Canada, it was one of the most used aircraft in the world. It saw service with many air forces and airlines. Among them the following ones:

• Portugal: Twelve Ansons Mk.I which were refurbished by Avro at Langar, Nottinghamshire, were delivered to Portugal in 1946-1947 for liaison and transport duties. They operated from Portela, close to Lisbon and were active for a long period of time with some of them still being active in 1957 when the unit was renamed as 'Esquadra 82' (Squadron 82). Some unconfirmed sources claim that additional four machines were delivered to Portugal in 1947.
• Soviet Union: When the USSR invaded Estonia and the other Baltic countries, the Estonian Air Force had in service one Anson Mk.I. This machine was captured by the Red Army and was pressed into service with the VVS (Soviet Air Force). It was in service during 1940 and 1941 but it seems that it was either destroyed in the opening stages of Operation Barbarossa or it suffered an accident during early 1941. Either way, it was written off.
• Spain: The Spanish Airline Spantax was founded in 1959 with one Anson in its fleet. This Anson, originally registered as G-ACUX, crashed in Villa Cisneros (Spanish Sahara) on 15th December 1951 when it was taking off. It was reconstructed into airworthiness again in 1955 and registered into Spanish Civil Aviation in 1958. One year later it was bought by Spantax and was used to cover the aerial route between Tenerife Los Rodeos airport (Tenerife North) and Villa Cisneros. However it was written off after suffering, again, another accident on 26th November 1960 and was moved to company's main headquarter in Madrid where it was used as ground instructional airframe for crew training. Another source claims it was used for this same purpose but in Tenerife. Anyway, shortly later it was definitely written off and, most probably, sold for scrap.
• Yugoslavia: The Yugoslav Air Force acquired some Avro Anson Mk.I and Mk.V in the very late 1940s where they served from 1951 until 1959 when they were written off. They served in the Liaison Squadron of the 1st Military District, together with other types from various origins, from 1952 until 1959 when they were written off.

Sources:

1. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 53 - Avro Anson

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

3. http://www.aviationcorner.net/gallery_en.asp?aircraft_type=Avro%20Anson&aircraft_type_id=331 (translated)

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

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liaison_Squadron_of_1st_Air_Command