Night Fighter
Ted Paprocki
it have? Which air forces used them?
ANDREW BREEN
>What designates a plane as a "night fighter". What characteristics does
>it have? Which air forces used them?
1. An aeroplane used to attack other aeroplanes at night.
2. Part of a fighter squadron trained to fly at night.
3. Just about all air forces during WW2.
Night-fighters ranged from specialised, dedicated designs (Heinkel 219,
Bristol Beaufighter, Northrop Black Widow) through conversions of
day fighters, equipped with air search radar (Boulton-Paul Defiant,
Me 110, Chance-Voight Corsair) and light bombers (DH Mosquito, Ju 88,
Dornier 217, Bristol Blenheim) to day-flying aircraft altered only
in having flame-dampers on the exhausts (Bf 109, FIAT CR-42 Falco).
A night fighter was a fighter aeroplane operating at night.
--
Andy Breen ~ PPARC Advanced Research Fellow, Interplanetary Scintillation
Solar Physics Group, UW Aberystwyth
"When I was young I used to scintillate
now I only sin 'til ten past three" (Ogden Nash)
Nightjar
Ted Paprocki <te...@halcyon.com> wrote in message
news:8aqpog$66m@beast...
> What designates a plane as a "night fighter". What characteristics
does
> it have? Which air forces used them?
>
Generally, night fighters did not need the manoeuvrability of their
daytime cousins. Visibility at night did not lend itself to dogfighting
between fighters. They would, for the most part, be required to
intercept bombers either using ground controlled interception radar or
airborne radar. Flying a fighter at night also produced a greater
workload for the pilot and certainly all the purpose built night
fighters I can think of had two or even three crew to alleviate this. I
know of night fighters being used by Britain, the USA and Germany, but
do not know the other air forces well enough to comment on them.
Colin Bignell
Bill Shatzer
Ted Paprocki <te...@halcyon.com> wrote:
> What designates a plane as a "night fighter".
An aircraft designed or intended to serve in the fighter role at night
or under other conditions of limited visiability.
> What characteristics does it have?
The characteristics would vary from the extremely basic - a coat of
black paint and flame dampers for the exhausts on a day fighter or
light bomber - all the way up to purpose-designed aircraft like the
Northrup P-61 which was designed to be optimized for the night-fighting
role. There was no particular characteristic or characteristics which
characterized all night-fighters - any more than day fighters all
shared a common set of characteristics.
>Which air forces used them?
All of 'em - although the Soviets and the Italians generally used very
basic adaptions of ordinary dayfighters in the nightfighter role.
The Brits, Germans, Americans, and, to a lesser degree, the Japanese,
tended to use aircraft more highly modified to the nightfighter role -
usually twin engined aircraft with airborne radar and other specialized
adaptions.
--
- Bill Shatzer - bsha...@orednet.org-
"Being weak minded is not necessarily a detriment"
-Jesse Ventura
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
S Unger
night-flying heavy bombers. Equipped with specialized radar and specialized
weaponry, the night-fighter usually attempted to enter the enemy bomber
stream, position itself underneath an individual bomber, and then pull the
trigger. The Me-110 was equipped with an automatic cannon(popularly termed
"organ-music") that was aimed forward-up and used to essentially disembowel
the unsuspecting bomber from beneath.
In the overall picture, these warplanes, to my understanding, did not make
a major dent in strategic bombing operations against Germany.
Stuart
Ted Paprocki wrote:
> What designates a plane as a "night fighter". What characteristics does
> it have? Which air forces used them?
Emmanuel Gustin
> What designates a plane as a "night fighter". What characteristics does
> it have? Which air forces used them?
Well, it evolved gradually.
Night fighters needed fine handling and landing characteristics,
because flying at night tended to be more hazardous
(considering the wartime black-out). They also needed some
shields or shrouds to reduce the exhaust glare and the blinding
muzzle flash, which would destroy the pilot's night vision. (They
also fired ammunition without tracers or with very faint tracers,
for the same reason.) Some extra navigation tools were also
highly desirable. Early in the war, nightfighters were single-seat
or two-seat day fighters with a few modifications. Even late in the
war the Russians and occasionally the Germans used such aircraft.
The introduction of aircraft radars in 1941 changed the situation.
The typical night fighter became a twin-engined two-seat fighter,
because a second crewmember was needed to operate the radar
and the extra power was necessary to cope with bulky (and often
drag-inducing) radar installations. Nightfighters also tended to
have more powerful armament than dayfighters, because they
needed to ensure a quick kill before losing contact. German and
Japanese nightfighters had 45 degrees upward-firing guns to attack
from below the bomber, where they could approach unseen; the
Germans called this "Schraege Musik" --- oblique music, a term
for Jazz.
The best known German nightfighters were the Bf 110, Ju 88, Do 217
and He 219, derived respectively from a day fighter, a fast bomber,
a medium bomber, and a multi-role fighter. The British used the
Blenheim, Beaufighter and Mosquito, derived from a light bomber, a
multi-role fighter, and a fast unarmed bomber. The Americans based
the P-70 nightfighter on the A-20 light bomber, but later put into service
WWII's only specialized nightfighter design, the P-61 Black Widow,
which was not entirely successful. The Japanese also used derivatives
from twin-engined fighters and light bombers.
The night war in the air became more and more sophisticated, with
interceptor radars (the British had the edge there), identification
equipment, tail warning radars, listening devices, jamming, the
broadcasting of false orders, various homing devices, IR viewers,
and such. By 1944 a well-equipped nightfighter was heavily loaded
with high-tech devices. At times the RAF's night bomber force suffered
very heavy losses, around 10%; they reacted by sending in their own
nightfighters to attack the German nightfighters on their bases, around
homing beacons, or in the bomber stream itself.
Finally, there were a number of attempts to develop single-seat,
radar-equipped nightfighters; the most successful of these was
probably the F6F-5N of the US Navy. There was also a night
version of the F4U Corsair, but this did not have very good handling,
and a nigh version of the P-38 Lightning, but this was handicapped
by its brightly glowing turbines. Most of these had small radars with
limited performance, however.
--
Emmanuel Gustin <gus...@NoSpam.uia.ac.be>
Fighter Guns Page: http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/8217/
(Delete NoSpam. from my address. If you can't reach me, your host
may be on our spam filter list. Check http://www.uia.ac.be/cc/spam.html.)
Nightjar
Emmanuel Gustin <gustin...@uia.ua.ac.be> wrote in message
news:8at91c$3thco$1...@fu-berlin.de...
>
> The introduction of aircraft radars in 1941 changed the situation.
Radar equipped Beaufighters entered RAF service on 2 September 1940 and
scored their first kill (a Ju 88) on 19th November 1940.
Colin Bignell
Tony Williams
dsu...@shentel.net wrote:
> In the overall picture, these warplanes, to my understanding, did not make
> a major dent in strategic bombing operations against Germany.
Depends what you mean by a major dent. Even the vaunted Lancaster lost
5 percent of its numbers on each and every raid, almost entirely due to
night fighters. By the end of the war, it was safer to bomb by day -
provided a fighter escort was available.
--
Tony Williams
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~autogun/
Military gun and ammunition website
Daniel F Donovan
message news:8aqpog$66m@beast...
> What designates a plane as a "night fighter".
What characteristics does
> it have? Which air forces used them?
>
The US Navy flew F6F (Hellcat) night fighters and
Night Attack Avengers (for both anti-ship and
anti-submarine). I believe the TigerCat (F7F ?,
not sure of the designation) was also used as a
night fighter.
--
________________________________
Daniel F. Donovan
ddon...@shore.net
http://www.shore.net/~ddonovan/acw.html
Rich Rostrom
>What designates a plane as a "night fighter"?
That it is configured for nighttime intercept operations.
IMHO that excludes the Fw-190s used in "Wildesau" (Wild Boar)
operations by the Luftwaffe; these were dayfighters attacking
targets illuminated by searchlights.
>What characteristics does it have?
Nightfighters were almost always larger planes, including
many converted medium bombers. They needed to be large to
carry the bulky airborne radar sets of the time and the
extra aircrew to operate the radar.
Even those that did not carry radar were large, to carry
the heavy armament needed to bring down large bombers,
and extra crew to act as spotters. Such nightfighters would
make the intercept based on directions from ground-based
controllers using radar.
They were not especially fast or agile; they counted entirely
on stealth to make their attacks.
One feature found on many nightfighters but unknown on other
planes was a battery of guns firing up and forward at a slant.
The Germans called this "Schrage Musik" (Slant Music = jazz).
These guns would be used to attack an unsuspecting bomber
from below.
>Which air forces used them?
Britain, Germany, the US, and Japan all had specialized
nightfighters.
Britain used converted Blenheim medium bombers in 1939-1940,
switched to a night version of the Beaufighter heavy fighter
in 1941-1942, then adopted the fast Mosquito bomber in 1943.
The Mosquito was used to hunt German nightfighters over Germany.
Britain also made some use of the Defiant dayfighter, whose
turret-mounted armament proved grossly unsuited to day combat
but was modestly useful to a nightfighter. Britain also used
the American built Havoc (Douglas A-20) as a night fighter.
Germany converted its Me 110 'heavy' fighters to night operations,
and they were the bulk of its nightfighter forces. The Do 17
bomber was converted to nightfighter service, and Ju 88 bombers
were also so employed. The He 219 Uhu (Owl) was also used.
Finally a few Me 262 jet fighters were adapted as nightfighters;
these were 2-seater training aircraft, with a mass of electronics
and antennas slapped on - but they were quite dangerous.
The US followed the British example and used the A-20 as a
nightfighter in the Pacific, redesignating it the P-70. In
1944-1945, the US switched to the P-61 Black Widow, the first
aircraft designed from scratch as a nightfighter. Despite
this advantage the P-61 was not especially good.
Japan converted the J1N1 "Gekko" heavy fighter to night ops;
and in the last months of the war deployed Ki-45 "Toryu"
nightfighters. The Japanese nightfighters were effective
despite having no radar except a very rudimentary installation
in some Gekkos.
--
It seemed incredible that the petty manipulations | Rich Rostrom
we had done so quietly in the dark could result in |
such a glorious catastrophe. | rrostrom@
--- Vladimir Peniakoff, _Popski's Private Army_ | 21stcentury.net
Peter Verney
<The night war in the air became more and more sophisticated, <with
<interceptor radars (the British had the edge there), identification
<equipment, tail warning radars, listening devices, jamming, the
<broadcasting of false orders, various homing devices, IR viewers,
<and such. By 1944 a well-equipped nightfighter was heavily
The best AI radar set of WW11 was without doubt AI Mk 10 or SCR 720 which
was a direct descendant of the set designed by E.G.Bowen at MIT using the
cavity magnetron that he had brought from U.K with the Tizard mission. I
think all sets were US built but relied on UK knowhow. The best nightfighter
was the incomparable Mosquito equipped with this set from 1944 on.
I was lucky enough to be trained to use this set in 1951 in the Mossie and
used it until1954 in those a/c and in the Meteor which succeeded it, some of
these were still in frontline Sqdns in 1956
Peter Verney
Tony Williams
Rich Rostrom <rros...@21stcentury.net> wrote:
> One feature found on many nightfighters but unknown on other
> planes was a battery of guns firing up and forward at a slant.
> The Germans called this "Schrage Musik" (Slant Music = jazz).
> These guns would be used to attack an unsuspecting bomber
> from below.
The RAF never used upward firing guns (despite having experimented with
them) except for the Defiant's turret-mounted guns. They did adapt one
Douglas Boston to carry six MGs in an elevating mounting in the roof.
These were normally covered by doors rather like bomb doors, which when
opened enabled the guns to elevate to the desired angle. Far too
complicated, and the .303"s weren't powerful enough anyway.
--
Tony Williams
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~autogun/
Military gun and ammunition website
Tero P. Mustalahti
Bill Shatzer <bsha...@oregonVOS.net> writes:
> In article <8aqpog$66m@beast>,
> Ted Paprocki <te...@halcyon.com> wrote:
>
>> What designates a plane as a "night fighter".
>
> An aircraft designed or intended to serve in the fighter role at night
> or under other conditions of limited visiability.
I do not want to be nit-picky, but the WW2 night fighters did not have
accurate enough radars to be truly "all weather". They were capable of
operating at night, but not very well in other limited visibility
conditions. The first true all-weather fighter was probably the F-89,
and even its all-weather capability was limited until the radar homing
Falcon missile entered service with the F-89H in 1956.
Tero P. Mustalahti
Rob Davis
>German night-fighters played a minor role in the interception of
>night-flying heavy bombers. Equipped with specialized radar and specialized
A "minor role" ?
German night fighters played a very major role in the air battles
betwen RAF Bomber Command and its opponents. If you look at the
numbers of aircraft known to have been destroyed by Luftwaffe NJG
aircraft, and add the number damaged, you would see differently. I
can post details if you wish, up to end October 1943 anyway.
If you then add an admittedly theoretical estimate of the number of
missing aircraft for which no fate is known, based on percentage
calculations, you will see that your assumption of "minor role" is
incorrect.
>weaponry, the night-fighter usually attempted to enter the enemy bomber
>stream, position itself underneath an individual bomber, and then pull the
Most attacked from directly below and slightly underneath.
>a major dent in strategic bombing operations against Germany.
Tut
=====================
Rob Davis MSc MIAP
Telford Shropshire UK
ken...@cix.compulink.co.uk
(Emmanuel Gustin) wrote:
> Night fighters needed fine handling and landing characteristics,
> because flying at night tended to be more hazardous
In theory, however during WW1 the Sopwith Camel was used as a night
fighter. During WW2 single engined fighters were used by Britain and
Germany. Britain relegated the Defiant to night fighting and target
towing. Some German Me 109 and Fw 190 were fitted with Naxos Z and
Flensburg and used as night fighters.
Ken Young
ken...@cix.co.uk
Maternity is a matter of fact
Paternity is a matter of opinion
HCALTMANN
>The Mosquito was used to hunt German nightfighters over Germany.
Just a little anecdote:
I was in an 88mm battery in the defense of Stuttgart in 1943. The Stuttgart
air port, Echterdingen, was about five miles from our battery. After a night
raid, the runway was always illuminated to allow our night fighters to land.
One night, after they had landed, and before the lights were turned off again,
a Mosquito came in and strafed the airplanes that had landed. I was on the
radar; we never knew the Mosquito was there, because its low radar crossection
(wooden fuselage), and because it had loitered around at a low altitude.
-- Heinz
HCAl...@aol.com (Heinz Altmann)
"I have no desire to win, only to get things right." A.J.P. Taylor
Gerard
<gustin...@uia.ua.ac.be> wrote:
>The Americans based
> the P-70 nightfighter on the A-20 light bomber, but later put into service
> WWII's only specialized nightfighter design, the P-61 Black Widow,
> which was not entirely successful.
Please qualify this statement and sources. Not doubting you but just
interested. Finally, "not entirely successful"- Pacific, ETO or both?
> The night war in the air became more and more sophisticated, with
> interceptor radars (the British had the edge there),
The P-61's radar was of British design in conjunction with MIT was it not?
Louis Capdeboscq
Britain also used converted fighters, e.g. Hurricanes armed with four 20mm
cannons.
Terence O'Brien
> I was in an 88mm battery in the defense of Stuttgart in 1943.
> a Mosquito came in and strafed the airplanes that had landed. we never knew the Mosquito was there, ... because it had loitered around at a low altitude.
When converting from Blenheims to Hudsons in the spring of 1941 we c
afrrfied out a number of these so-called INTRUDER operations, mostly in
the Blenheim period. And mostly into Dutvch airfields. Thne idea was as
you say, you hung around away from the airfield, as low as the moon
conditions allowed, and waited for signs of activity - chance light or
aircraft recognition light-flashing. Then you used guns and/or bombs in
in a flashing attack - we carried four 250's, two with ten-second delay
fuses, and two with delayed fuses ( I can't remember how many hours).
Terence O'Brien
R SVEINSON
> German night-fighters played a minor role in the interception of
> night-flying heavy bombers.
97 RAF bomber were lost on the Nuremburg raid, the most falling to
night fighters.
97 aircraft with a minimum of seven men per bomber for a loss
of 679 crewmen.
That was significant.
Peter Verney
<The P-61's radar was of British design in conjunction with MIT <was it not?
As I wrote earlier this set was SCR 720 or as we knew it AI Mk10.
It was designed at MIT by E.G.Bowen who had come over with the Tizard
mission carrying the precious cavity magnetron with him.
He was a member of Watson Watt's small team and had been made responsible
for airborn radars and had already designed built and flown the ASV radar
which caught the U-boats.
He was an absolute genius which I only realised on seeing the display on
later radars which was inferior to his design.
If one imagines that SCR 720 displays in plan the 180 arc forwards of the
night fighter, his display is rectangular! The top of the scope os the 180
circumference, each side is the corresponding radius, and the bottom is the
fighter. This means that lateral displacement of the target at close range
is magnified and therefore easier for the operator to appreciate. In
addition a target on a collisin course tracks straight down the scope.
Peter Verney (ex nav/rad)
Louis Capdeboscq
> aircraft, and add the number damaged, you would see differently. I
> can post details if you wish, up to end October 1943 anyway.
If you can spare the time, I'll be glad to read them !
Not that you'll need to convince me that night fighters played a definitely
more than "minor" role in the Allied strategic bombing offensive...
Emmanuel Gustin
news:2000032017...@mason2.gmu.edu...
> > WWII's only specialized nightfighter design, the P-61 Black Widow,
> > which was not entirely successful.
>
> Please qualify this statement and sources. Not doubting you but just
> interested. Finally, "not entirely successful"- Pacific, ETO or both?
The first problem with the P-61 was its slow development. Well, not
that slow considering that Northrop was a small organisation
and that only four years passed from first specification to service
entry. But nevertheless it was disappointing; and there were numerous
problems with the prototypes and the first production aircraft.
Hence the operational need for the type, conceived during the
1940-1941 German 'Blitz', had almost disappeared when it entered
service.
When it reached the frontline units the P-61 was evaluated as a
a good aircraft, with excellent manoeuverability for an aircraft
of this size. However, it soon became clear that it had a serious
fault: It was too slow. A P-61B was capable of 590 km/h, a speed
comparable with that of the German Ju 88G, but substantially
inferior to the He 219 and contemporary NF Mosquitos.
Considering that the Ju 88 and Mosquito were pre-war and
early-war bomber designs, many considered that the development
of the P-61 had been pointless.
Still, its lack of performance was a serious problem. At Leyte
in December 1944 P-61s proved incapable of intercepting fast
Japanese night raiders and were withdrawn to be replaced by
F6F-5Ns.
The USAAF decided to adopt the P-38 a makeshift nightfighter,
a not very suitable aircraft but capable of carrying (very
uncomfortably) a radar operator, and a small (APS-4) radar.
Although inferior to the P-61 in terms of efficiency and radar,
the P-38 was faster and it was much better in encounters with
enemy day fighters.
Northrop tried to improve the performance of the P-61 by
installing turbosupercharged engines; the resulting P-61C was
fast but overweight and unstable in flight. Few were built.
When WWII was over the USAAF considered the P-61 already
obsolescent. They were replaced as soon as possible, by the
F-82 Twin Mustang from 1948 onwards.
> The P-61's radar was of British design in conjunction with MIT
> was it not?
Essentially it was the British cavity magnetron radar, but thoroughly
redesigned to US engineering standards -- British radars worked
well but they also showed that they had been developed by
scientists, not by engineers. British scientists working at MIT's
Radiation Laboratory co-operated to this effort.
ANDREW BREEN
Peter Verney <Peter....@tesco.net> wrote:
>Gerard writes
><The P-61's radar was of British design in conjunction with MIT <was it not?
>
>It was designed at MIT by E.G.Bowen who had come over with the Tizard
>mission carrying the precious cavity magnetron with him.
Taffy Bowen - a great man and the real father of modern radar. In his
later career he was always very forceful in making sure that members
of his team got full credit for their work - something that he felt
he'd not got from Watson-Watt.
>He was an absolute genius
Unarguable!
Rob Davis
>> aircraft, and add the number damaged, you would see differently. I
>> can post details if you wish, up to end October 1943 anyway.
>
>If you can spare the time, I'll be glad to read them !
Here are the ones we KNOW about, that were "shot down by night
fighter"
There's over 1,000 - sorry a long list - for brevity's sake I haven't
included the "damaged" or "attacked" aircraft.
Note also that my records are full and complete only up to mid
November 1943. Beyond this point I have only 2,700 records.
Date Serial Aircraft Type
19/07/1940 P5007 Whitley V
02/09/1940 P4370 Hampden I
18/09/1940 N1425 Whitley V
18/09/1940 P5008 Whitley V
14/10/1940 X2910 Hampden I
14/10/1940 X2993 Hampden I
16/11/1940 P9286 Wellington IC
15/12/1940 P5012 Whitley V
10/02/1941 T2702 Wellington IC
10/02/1941 X3001 Hampden I
28/02/1941 T1895 Blenheim IV
10/03/1941 X2918 Hampden I
13/03/1941 T2278 Blenheim IV
13/03/1941 T2970 Wellington IC
14/03/1941 L7858 Wellington IC
27/03/1941 R1335 Wellington IC
27/03/1941 Z6470 Whitley V
31/03/1941 T2703 Wellington IC
07/04/1941 T4145 Whitley V
09/04/1941 N6011 Stirling I
09/04/1941 R1440 Wellington IC
09/04/1941 W5375 Wellington II
10/04/1941 AD789 Hampden I
10/04/1941 AD828 Hampden I
10/04/1941 X3066 Hampden I
10/04/1941 X3148 Hampden I
10/04/1941 X3153 Hampden I
17/04/1941 R1599 Wellington IC
02/05/1941 R1214 Wellington IC
08/05/1941 R1506 Wellington IC
10/05/1941 R1379 Wellington IC
11/05/1941 AD900 Hampden I
16/05/1941 Z6493 Whitley V
02/06/1941 W7430 Stirling I
11/06/1941 P9281 Wellington IC
11/06/1941 R1464 Wellington IC
11/06/1941 Z6657 Whitley V
12/06/1941 T2996 Wellington IC
12/06/1941 T4279 Whitley V
12/06/1941 Z6489 Whitley V
16/06/1941 Z6479 Whitley V
17/06/1941 N1462 Whitley V
18/06/1941 R1365 Wellington IC
18/06/1941 R1696 Wellington IC
18/06/1941 W5665 Wellington IC
22/06/1941 T2990 Wellington IC
23/06/1941 L9492 Halifax I
27/06/1941 T4297 Whitley V
27/06/1941 Z6630 Whitley V
29/06/1941 AD895 Hampden I
29/06/1941 N3664 Stirling I
29/06/1941 N6001 Stirling I
29/06/1941 N6016 Stirling I
29/06/1941 W5459 Wellington II
29/06/1941 X3133 Hampden I
30/06/1941 T4233 Whitley V
02/07/1941 AD862 Hampden I
02/07/1941 Z6558 Whitley V
03/07/1941 P5014 Whitley V
03/07/1941 R1492 Wellington IC
03/07/1941 Z6573 Whitley V
05/07/1941 Z6793 Whitley V
06/07/1941 R1063 Wellington IC
07/07/1941 AD735 Hampden I
07/07/1941 AD937 Hampden I
07/07/1941 R1040 Wellington IC
07/07/1941 Z6644 Whitley V
07/07/1941 Z6799 Whitley V
08/07/1941 L9521 Halifax I
08/07/1941 X3139 Hampden I
09/07/1941 R1762 Wellington IC
12/07/1941 AE226 Hampden I
12/07/1941 AE230 Hampden I
13/07/1941 R1502 Wellington IC
14/07/1941 R1613 Wellington IC
14/07/1941 W5513 Wellington II
15/07/1941 R1222 Wellington IC
15/07/1941 R1536 Wellington IC
16/07/1941 R1718 Wellington IC
24/07/1941 AE189 Hampden I
24/07/1941 X9620 Wellington IC
25/07/1941 AD835 Hampden I
25/07/1941 Z6576 Whitley V
02/08/1941 N3663 Stirling I
02/08/1941 R1800 Wellington IC
05/08/1941 AE120 Hampden I
06/08/1941 Z6488 Whitley V
07/08/1941 N3658 Stirling I
08/08/1941 T2625 Wellington IC
12/08/1941 L7381 Manchester I
12/08/1941 L9531 Halifax I
12/08/1941 N3659 Stirling I
14/08/1941 Z6819 Whitley V
14/08/1941 Z6829 Whitley V
14/08/1941 Z6842 Whitley V
14/08/1941 Z6877 Whitley V
16/08/1941 AD756 Hampden I
16/08/1941 AE134 Hampden I
16/08/1941 L7311 Manchester I
16/08/1941 L7384 Manchester I
16/08/1941 X9700 Wellington IC
16/08/1941 Z6577 Whitley V
16/08/1941 Z6729 Whitley V
16/08/1941 Z6754 Whitley V
17/08/1941 AE185 Hampden I
18/08/1941 N2844 Wellington IC
18/08/1941 X9704 Wellington IC
18/08/1941 Z6569 Whitley V
24/08/1941 Z6505 Whitley V
28/08/1941 AE126 Hampden I
31/08/1941 AD912 Hampden I
31/08/1941 AE187 Hampden I
06/09/1941 X9767 Wellington IC
06/09/1941 Z6478 Whitley V
06/09/1941 Z6824 Whitley V
06/09/1941 Z6881 Whitley V
06/09/1941 Z6970 Whitley V
07/09/1941 Z8845 Wellington IC
13/09/1941 AE249 Hampden I
15/09/1941 AE232 Hampden I
15/09/1941 N6021 Stirling I
29/09/1941 W7441 Stirling I
29/09/1941 X9673 Wellington IC
29/09/1941 X9910 Wellington IC
13/10/1941 AD975 Hampden I
13/10/1941 L7321 Manchester I
13/10/1941 L7373 Manchester I
20/10/1941 R1046 Wellington IC
31/10/1941 Z9141 Whitley V
01/11/1941 Z6749 Whitley V
07/11/1941 L9603 Halifax I
07/11/1941 N3677 Stirling I
07/11/1941 P1201 Hampden I
07/11/1941 X9976 Wellington IC
07/11/1941 Z1211 Wellington IV
07/11/1941 Z6948 Whitley V
08/11/1941 AE433 Hampden I
08/11/1941 P1206 Hampden I
08/11/1941 X9977 Wellington IC
08/11/1941 Z6567 Whitley V
08/11/1941 Z9212 Whitley V
30/11/1941 Z1099 Wellington IC
21/12/1941 AE151 Hampden I
27/12/1941 Z1097 Wellington IC
27/12/1941 Z9306 Whitley V
28/12/1941 P1165 Hampden I
15/01/1942 Z9424 Whitley V
20/01/1942 AT148 Hampden I
20/01/1942 Z8370 Wellington II
21/01/1942 AT119 Hampden I
22/01/1942 Z1285 Wellington IV
06/02/1942 AE308 Hampden I
24/02/1942 AT194 Hampden I
24/02/1942 X2969 Hampden I
27/02/1942 Z9280 Whitley V
08/03/1942 L7426 Manchester I
08/03/1942 R5779 Manchester I
08/03/1942 Z8409 Wellington II
12/03/1942 Z9227 Whitley V
25/03/1942 L7390 Manchester I
25/03/1942 L7497 Manchester I
25/03/1942 L7518 Manchester I
26/03/1942 N3709 Stirling I
26/03/1942 R1590 Wellington IV
26/03/1942 W5371 Wellington II
26/03/1942 W5372 Wellington II
26/03/1942 Z1143 Wellington IC
26/03/1942 Z1269 Wellington IV
26/03/1942 Z7307 Blenheim IV
05/04/1942 AT156 Hampden I
05/04/1942 X9764 Wellington IC
06/04/1942 L7470 Manchester I
06/04/1942 P1203 Hampden I
10/04/1942 R1320 Wellington IC
12/04/1942 X3596 Wellington III
12/04/1942 Z1213 Wellington IV
14/04/1942 DV593 Wellington IC
14/04/1942 Z1098 Wellington IC
14/04/1942 Z1379 Wellington IV
15/04/1942 Z8951 Wellington IC
17/04/1942 Z1267 Wellington IV
23/04/1942 X9829 Wellington IC
25/04/1942 X3633 Wellington III
29/04/1942 L7516 Manchester I
03/05/1942 Z1183 Wellington IV
06/05/1942 W1050 Halifax II
19/05/1942 W7660 Halifax II
30/05/1942 BJ674 Wellington III
30/05/1942 DV707 Wellington IC
30/05/1942 DV740 Wellington IC
30/05/1942 N2894 Wellington IA
30/05/1942 P2116 Hampden I
30/05/1942 R1791 Wellington IC
30/05/1942 W1042 Halifax II
30/05/1942 W5704 Wellington IC
30/05/1942 X3598 Wellington III
30/05/1942 Z9307 Whitley V
01/06/1942 AT191 Hampden I
01/06/1942 Z6581 Whitley V
02/06/1942 AT154 Hampden I
02/06/1942 N3728 Stirling I
02/06/1942 R5613 Lancaster I
02/06/1942 W7500 Stirling I
02/06/1942 X9787 Wellington IC
03/06/1942 L7432 Manchester I
03/06/1942 R5627 Lancaster I
03/06/1942 R5847 Lancaster I
03/06/1942 R9457 Halifax II
03/06/1942 W7474 Stirling I
03/06/1942 W7537 Stirling I
05/06/1942 DV812 Wellington IC
05/06/1942 R9321 Stirling I
05/06/1942 W7508 Stirling I
05/06/1942 Z1467 Wellington IV
06/06/1942 N3761 Stirling I
06/06/1942 W7471 Stirling I
06/06/1942 X3279 Wellington III
08/06/1942 DV773 Wellington IC
08/06/1942 W1021 Halifax II
16/06/1942 R9324 Stirling I
16/06/1942 R9530 Halifax II
16/06/1942 W1117 Halifax II
16/06/1942 W7651 Halifax II
16/06/1942 X3723 Wellington III
16/06/1942 Z1608 Wellington III
19/06/1942 N3762 Stirling I
19/06/1942 Z1256 Wellington IV
19/06/1942 Z1611 Wellington III
20/06/1942 AT185 Hampden I
20/06/1942 W7472 Stirling I
20/06/1942 X3713 Wellington III
20/06/1942 X3760 Wellington III
23/06/1942 DV831 Wellington IC
23/06/1942 T2921 Wellington IC
25/06/1942 BD201 Whitley V
25/06/1942 DV441 Wellington IC
25/06/1942 DV475 Wellington IC
25/06/1942 DV765 Wellington IC
25/06/1942 DV951 Wellington IC
25/06/1942 N3754 Stirling I
25/06/1942 T2254 Blenheim IV
25/06/1942 T2612 Wellington IC
25/06/1942 V9993 Halifax II
25/06/1942 W1067 Halifax II
25/06/1942 W7442 Stirling I
25/06/1942 W7503 Stirling I
25/06/1942 Z6084 Blenheim IV
27/06/1942 R5675 Lancaster I
27/06/1942 W1110 Halifax II
29/06/1942 BF310 Stirling I
29/06/1942 N6082 Stirling I
29/06/1942 W1113 Halifax II
29/06/1942 W7714 Halifax II
29/06/1942 X3539 Wellington III
02/07/1942 AD605 Wellington IC
02/07/1942 BF313 Stirling I
02/07/1942 P5332 Hampden I
02/07/1942 R1617 Wellington IC
02/07/1942 Z8579 Wellington II
08/07/1942 R5861 Lancaster I
09/07/1942 BB249 Halifax II
09/07/1942 Z1324 Wellington IV
21/07/1942 W1040 Halifax II
21/07/1942 X3561 Wellington III
21/07/1942 Z8420 Wellington II
23/07/1942 W7567 Stirling I
23/07/1942 W7580 Stirling I
25/07/1942 R3837 Blenheim IV
25/07/1942 W7576 Stirling I
25/07/1942 Z8502 Wellington II
26/07/1942 BJ670 Wellington III
26/07/1942 R5748 Lancaster I
28/07/1942 BJ661 Wellington III
28/07/1942 N6129 Stirling I
28/07/1942 R1450 Wellington IC
28/07/1942 W7509 Stirling I
28/07/1942 Z1624 Wellington III
29/07/1942 R5728 Lancaster I
29/07/1942 R9161 Stirling I
29/07/1942 R9442 Halifax II
29/07/1942 X3712 Wellington III
29/07/1942 Z1316 Wellington IV
29/07/1942 Z923- Whitley V
31/07/1942 AE244 Hampden I
31/07/1942 BB195 Halifax II
31/07/1942 BJ876 Wellington III
31/07/1942 N9062 Hampden I
31/07/1942 P1185 Hampden I
31/07/1942 X9983 Wellington IC
05/08/1942 R5761 Lancaster I
05/08/1942 W1215 Halifax II
06/08/1942 N6072 Stirling I
06/08/1942 W1237 Halifax II
06/08/1942 Z8585 Wellington II
09/08/1942 BJ608 Wellington III
09/08/1942 W7709 Halifax II
09/08/1942 Z1593 Wellington III
12/08/1942 BF329 Stirling I
15/08/1942 DF666 Wellington III
17/08/1942 BF330 Stirling I
17/08/1942 X3654 Wellington III
17/08/1942 Z1409 Wellington IV
18/08/1942 W7618 Stirling I
24/08/1942 BJ831 Wellington III
24/08/1942 R5537 Lancaster I
24/08/1942 R5610 Lancaster I
24/08/1942 W7572 Stirling I
24/08/1942 W7765 Halifax II
24/08/1942 Z1594 Wellington III
27/08/1942 BF315 Stirling I
27/08/1942 BF327 Stirling I
27/08/1942 R9160 Stirling I
27/08/1942 W1270 Halifax II
27/08/1942 W4124 Lancaster I
27/08/1942 W7624 Stirling I
27/08/1942 X3367 Wellington III
27/08/1942 X3418 Wellington III
27/08/1942 X3802 Wellington III
27/08/1942 Z1212 Wellington IV
27/08/1942 Z1245 Wellington IV
27/08/1942 Z1613 Wellington III
28/08/1942 AE197 Hampden I
28/08/1942 AE227 Hampden I
28/08/1942 BB204 Halifax II
28/08/1942 BB214 Halifax II
28/08/1942 BJ688 Wellington III
28/08/1942 DF665 Wellington III
28/08/1942 N6081 Stirling I
28/08/1942 R5502 Lancaster I
28/08/1942 X3675 Wellington III
28/08/1942 Z1281 Wellington IV
28/08/1942 Z1491 Wellington IV
01/09/1942 N3714 Stirling I
02/09/1942 DT487 Halifax II
02/09/1942 R5763 Lancaster I
02/09/1942 X3711 Wellington III
04/09/1942 BJ663 Wellington III
04/09/1942 R5755 Lancaster I
06/09/1942 X3867 Wellington III
08/09/1942 W7782 Halifax II
08/09/1942 X3745 Wellington III
09/09/1942 R5628 Lancaster I
10/09/1942 BF351 Stirling I
10/09/1942 R1616 Wellington IC
10/09/1942 R9170 Stirling I
10/09/1942 W7630 Stirling I
10/09/1942 Z1258 Wellington IV
13/09/1942 BB205 Halifax II
13/09/1942 HD991 Wellington IC
13/09/1942 W4108 Lancaster I
13/09/1942 W4169 Lancaster I
13/09/1942 X9786 Wellington IC
16/09/1942 BJ650 Wellington III
16/09/1942 BJ969 Wellington III
16/09/1942 R9164 Stirling I
16/09/1942 R9350 Stirling I
16/09/1942 R9365 Halifax II
16/09/1942 X9920 Wellington IC
19/09/1942 W7657 Halifax II
21/09/1942 HE110 Wellington IC
02/10/1942 BK269 Wellington III
02/10/1942 R9167 Stirling I
05/10/1942 W1216 Halifax II
06/10/1942 W1189 Halifax II
06/10/1942 W7763 Halifax II
11/10/1942 R9190 Stirling I
13/10/1942 BK599 Stirling I
15/10/1942 BJ606 Wellington III
15/10/1942 R9146 Stirling I
15/10/1942 W1108 Halifax II
15/10/1942 W4195 Lancaster I
15/10/1942 W7526 Stirling I
15/10/1942 W7854 Halifax II
24/10/1942 W1188 Halifax II
21/11/1942 R9262 Stirling I
22/11/1942 W4360 Lancaster I
29/11/1942 R9150 Stirling I
02/12/1942 BK618 Stirling I
03/12/1942 W7913 Halifax II
06/12/1942 R9259 Stirling I
09/12/1942 W4764 Lancaster I
17/12/1942 ED333 Lancaster I
17/12/1942 ED355 Lancaster I
17/12/1942 W4786 Lancaster I
20/12/1942 BJ589 Wellington III
20/12/1942 DT511 Halifax II
20/12/1942 ED4259 Lancaster I
20/12/1942 Z1729 Wellington III
21/12/1942 R5914 Lancaster I
21/12/1942 W4191 Lancaster I
21/12/1942 W4234 Lancaster I
31/12/1942 W4799 Lancaster I
03/01/1943 W4134 Lancaster I
03/01/1943 W4840 Lancaster I
04/01/1943 W4274 Lancaster I
08/01/1943 W4159 Lancaster I
09/01/1943 ED319 Lancaster I
09/01/1943 R5738 Lancaster I
13/01/1943 R5680 Lancaster I
16/01/1943 ED737 Lancaster III
17/01/1943 ED444 Lancaster III
18/01/1943 W4761 Lancaster I
21/01/1943 W4335 Lancaster I
27/01/1943 DT705 Halifax II
27/01/1943 DT721 Halifax II
29/01/1943 Z1415 Wellington IV
02/02/1943 ED440 Lancaster III
02/02/1943 ED488 Lancaster III
02/02/1943 R9264 Stirling I
03/02/1943 BF406 Stirling I
03/02/1943 BF415 Stirling I
03/02/1943 BK604 Stirling I
03/02/1943 R9197 Stirling I
03/02/1943 R9250 Stirling I
03/02/1943 R9274 Stirling I
03/02/1943 R9282 Stirling I
03/02/1943 W7921 Halifax II
11/02/1943 LM303 Lancaster I
14/02/1943 BF448 Stirling I
14/02/1943 DT694 Halifax II
14/02/1943 DT788 Halifax II
14/02/1943 HE164 Wellington X
14/02/1943 W7880 Halifax II
20/02/1943 BK435 Wellington III
26/02/1943 BJ886 Wellington III
26/02/1943 Z1599 Wellington III
01/03/1943 BB223 Halifax II
01/03/1943 DT556 Halifax II
01/03/1943 DT641 Halifax II
01/03/1943 DT797 Halifax II
01/03/1943 ED592 Lancaster III
01/03/1943 EF347 Stirling I
01/03/1943 W7518 Stirling I
01/03/1943 W7877 Halifax II
02/03/1943 BK495 Wellington III
05/03/1943 HR687 Halifax II
05/03/1943 W4847 Lancaster I
08/03/1943 W7851 Halifax II
09/03/1943 DT734 Halifax II
09/03/1943 R9149 Stirling I
11/03/1943 BB250 Halifax II
11/03/1943 BF469 Stirling III
11/03/1943 ED313 Lancaster I
12/03/1943 BJ756 Wellington III
12/03/1943 BK340 Wellington III
12/03/1943 DT751 Halifax II
12/03/1943 DT774 Halifax II
12/03/1943 EF330 Stirling I
12/03/1943 HR692 Halifax II
27/03/1943 DT634 Halifax II
29/03/1943 BB244 Halifax II
29/03/1943 BJ762 Wellington III
29/03/1943 DT744 Halifax II
29/03/1943 ED391 Lancaster I
29/03/1943 ED435 Lancaster III
29/03/1943 ED469 Lancaster III
29/03/1943 ED596 Lancaster III
29/03/1943 ED761 Lancaster I
29/03/1943 HE385 Wellington X
29/03/1943 HE545 Wellington X
29/03/1943 HR654 Halifax II
29/03/1943 MS484 Wellington X
29/03/1943 W4327 Lancaster I
03/04/1943 DT617 Halifax II
03/04/1943 DT723 Halifax II
03/04/1943 DT808 Halifax II
03/04/1943 ED334 Lancaster I
03/04/1943 ED694 Lancaster III
03/04/1943 JB866 Halifax II
04/04/1943 ED696 Lancaster III
08/04/1943 JB847 Halifax II
09/04/1943 ED502 Lancaster III
09/04/1943 ED554 Lancaster I
09/04/1943 ED806 Lancaster III
09/04/1943 R5898 Lancaster I
10/04/1943 BK760 Stirling III
10/04/1943 DT775 Halifax II
10/04/1943 DT806 Halifax II
10/04/1943 HE652 Wellington X
10/04/1943 JB871 Halifax II
14/04/1943 BB311 Halifax II
14/04/1943 BF513 Stirling III
14/04/1943 BK709 Stirling III
14/04/1943 EF331 Stirling I
14/04/1943 HE683 Wellington X
14/04/1943 HZ357 Wellington X
14/04/1943 JB909 Halifax II
14/04/1943 R9278 Stirling I
16/04/1943 BF451 Stirling I
16/04/1943 BK725 Stirling III
16/04/1943 DT752 Halifax II
16/04/1943 ED800 Lancaster III
16/04/1943 HE591 Wellington X
16/04/1943 HE682 Wellington X
16/04/1943 W4317 Lancaster I
20/04/1943 DZ386 Mosquito IV
20/04/1943 ED614 Lancaster III
20/04/1943 JB912 Halifax II
20/04/1943 R9261 Stirling I
26/04/1943 BF383 Stirling I
26/04/1943 BK657 Stirling III
26/04/1943 DG423 Halifax V
26/04/1943 HE168 Wellington X
26/04/1943 HE693 Wellington X
28/04/1943 BF447 Stirling I
28/04/1943 BF515 Stirling III
28/04/1943 EF356 Stirling I
28/04/1943 HE170 Wellington X
28/04/1943 HE395 Wellington X
30/04/1943 DK171 Halifax V
30/04/1943 DT741 Halifax II
30/04/1943 ED783 Lancaster III
30/04/1943 JB783 Halifax II
30/04/1943 JB803 Halifax II
30/04/1943 R9263 Stirling I
30/04/1943 W4925 Lancaster I
04/05/1943 BF505 Stirling III
04/05/1943 BK658 Stirling III
04/05/1943 BK773 Stirling III
04/05/1943 BK782 Stirling III
04/05/1943 EF343 Stirling I
04/05/1943 HE530 Wellington X
04/05/1943 HE864 Wellington X
04/05/1943 HR667 Halifax II
04/05/1943 JB898 Halifax II
04/05/1943 JB904 Halifax II
04/05/1943 JB973 Halifax II
04/05/1943 W4888 Lancaster I
04/05/1943 W7817 Halifax II
12/05/1943 BF523 Stirling III
12/05/1943 ED329 Lancaster I
12/05/1943 ED418 Lancaster I
12/05/1943 EF357 Stirling I
12/05/1943 HE295 Wellington X
12/05/1943 HE321 Wellington X
12/05/1943 HE423 Wellington X
12/05/1943 HE913 Wellington X
12/05/1943 HR786 Halifax II
12/05/1943 JB806 Halifax II
12/05/1943 JB861 Halifax II
12/05/1943 W4762 Lancaster I
12/05/1943 W4955 Lancaster I
13/05/1943 BF479 Stirling III
13/05/1943 BK726 Stirling III
13/05/1943 DT732 Halifax II
13/05/1943 ED589 Lancaster III
13/05/1943 ED667 Lancaster III
13/05/1943 ED693 Lancaster III
13/05/1943 HE697 Wellington X
13/05/1943 HR790 Halifax II
13/05/1943 JB873 Halifax II
13/05/1943 JB892 Halifax II
13/05/1943 JB924 Halifax II
13/05/1943 JB931 Halifax II
13/05/1943 JB964 Halifax II
13/05/1943 JB966 Halifax II
13/05/1943 JD113 Halifax II
13/05/1943 R5611 Lancaster I
13/05/1943 R9242 Stirling I
13/05/1943 W4305 Lancaster I
13/05/1943 W4944 Lancaster I
13/05/1943 W4981 Lancaster I
23/05/1943 BK783 Stirling III
23/05/1943 DK172 Halifax V
23/05/1943 ED707 Lancaster III
23/05/1943 ED970 Lancaster III
23/05/1943 HE290 Wellington X
23/05/1943 HE655 Wellington X
23/05/1943 HR781 Halifax II
23/05/1943 HR836 Halifax II
23/05/1943 HZ582 Wellington X
23/05/1943 JD112 Halifax II
23/05/1943 JD122 Halifax II
23/05/1943 W1217 Halifax II
23/05/1943 W4919 Lancaster I
23/05/1943 W4984 Lancaster III
25/05/1943 BK602 Stirling I
25/05/1943 ED660 Lancaster III
25/05/1943 ED695 Lancaster III
25/05/1943 EH876 Stirling III
25/05/1943 EH887 Stirling III
25/05/1943 HE228 Wellington X
25/05/1943 HE590 Wellington X
25/05/1943 HE990 Wellington X
25/05/1943 HF488 Wellington X
25/05/1943 JB837 Halifax II
25/05/1943 W5001 Lancaster III
25/05/1943 W7813 Halifax II
27/05/1943 BF405 Stirling I
27/05/1943 DK147 Halifax V
27/05/1943 DT674 Halifax II
27/05/1943 DZ432 Mosquito IV
27/05/1943 ED804 Lancaster III
27/05/1943 ED821 Lancaster III
27/05/1943 HE634 Wellington X
27/05/1943 HE752 Wellington X
27/05/1943 HR750 Halifax II
27/05/1943 HR775 Halifax II
27/05/1943 HR795 Halifax II
27/05/1943 JB958 Halifax II
27/05/1943 JD149 Halifax II
29/05/1943 BF507 Stirling III
29/05/1943 BF565 Stirling III
29/05/1943 BK688 Stirling III
29/05/1943 DS627 Lancaster II
29/05/1943 DT804 Halifax II
29/05/1943 EE123 Lancaster I
29/05/1943 EF349 Stirling I
29/05/1943 EF398 Stirling I
29/05/1943 HE212 Wellington X
29/05/1943 HR717 Halifax II
29/05/1943 HR793 Halifax II
29/05/1943 HR840 Halifax II
29/05/1943 JB793 Halifax II
29/05/1943 JB805 Halifax II
29/05/1943 MS494 Wellington X
29/05/1943 W4838 Lancaster I
29/05/1943 W7876 Halifax II
11/06/1943 BK817 Stirling III
11/06/1943 DK170 Halifax V
11/06/1943 DS647 Lancaster II
11/06/1943 DT805 Halifax II
11/06/1943 ED786 Lancaster III
11/06/1943 ED976 Lancaster III
11/06/1943 ED978 Lancaster III
11/06/1943 HE593 Wellington X
11/06/1943 HF542 Wellington X
11/06/1943 HZ355 Wellington X
11/06/1943 JB785 Halifax II
11/06/1943 W4960 Lancaster I
11/06/1943 W7932 Halifax II
12/06/1943 DK177 Halifax V
12/06/1943 DK183 Halifax V
12/06/1943 DS652 Lancaster II
12/06/1943 DT568 Halifax II
12/06/1943 ED472 Lancaster III
12/06/1943 ED558 Lancaster III
12/06/1943 ED828 Lancaster III
12/06/1943 HR740 Halifax II
12/06/1943 JB790 Halifax II
12/06/1943 W7909 Halifax II
14/06/1943 DV160 Lancaster III
14/06/1943 ED434 Lancaster III
14/06/1943 ED810 Lancaster III
14/06/1943 ED973 Lancaster III
14/06/1943 ED980 Lancaster III
14/06/1943 EE167 Lancaster III
14/06/1943 LM329 Lancaster III
14/06/1943 R5551 Lancaster I
15/06/1943 W4949 Lancaster III
16/06/1943 ED487 Lancaster III
16/06/1943 ED497 Lancaster III
16/06/1943 ED629 Lancaster III
16/06/1943 ED785 Lancaster III
16/06/1943 ED907 Lancaster III
16/06/1943 ED945 Lancaster III
16/06/1943 W4332 Lancaster I
19/06/1943 DS668 Lancaster II
19/06/1943 JD107 Halifax II
21/06/1943 BB375 Halifax II
21/06/1943 BK712 Stirling III
21/06/1943 BK799 Stirling III
21/06/1943 ED997 Lancaster I
21/06/1943 EE887 Stirling III
21/06/1943 EF366 Stirling III
21/06/1943 EF387 Stirling III
21/06/1943 HE327 Wellington X
21/06/1943 HE347 Wellington X
21/06/1943 HE924 Wellington X
21/06/1943 HE981 Wellington X
21/06/1943 HR685 Halifax II
21/06/1943 HR735 Halifax II
21/06/1943 HR799 Halifax II
21/06/1943 HR848 Halifax II
21/06/1943 HZ517 Wellington X
21/06/1943 HZ520 Wellington X
21/06/1943 JD205 Halifax II
21/06/1943 R9272 Stirling I
22/06/1943 BK656 Stirling III
22/06/1943 BK665 Stirling III
22/06/1943 DK141 Halifax V
22/06/1943 DK224 Halifax V
22/06/1943 DK225 Halifax V
22/06/1943 ED599 Lancaster III
22/06/1943 EH889 Stirling III
22/06/1943 HF457 Wellington X
22/06/1943 JB855 Halifax II
22/06/1943 LM325 Lancaster III
23/06/1943 HZ412 Wellington X
24/06/1943 BF501 Stirling III
24/06/1943 BK767 Stirling III
24/06/1943 BK800 Stirling III
24/06/1943 ED595 Lancaster III
24/06/1943 ED781 Lancaster I
24/06/1943 ED831 Lancaster III
24/06/1943 HF594 Wellington X
24/06/1943 HR816 Halifax II
24/06/1943 JD147 Halifax II
24/06/1943 JD250 Halifax II
24/06/1943 JD258 Halifax II
24/06/1943 W4311 Lancaster I
25/06/1943 BK699 Stirling III
25/06/1943 BK768 Stirling III
25/06/1943 BK813 Stirling III
25/06/1943 DK135² Halifax V
25/06/1943 DK190 Halifax V
25/06/1943 ED943 Lancaster III
25/06/1943 ED988 Lancaster III
25/06/1943 EF430 Stirling III
25/06/1943 EH898 Stirling III
25/06/1943 HE412 Wellington X
25/06/1943 HF544 Wellington X
25/06/1943 HR731 Halifax II
25/06/1943 JB843 Halifax II
25/06/1943 JB858 Halifax II
25/06/1943 JB928 Halifax II
25/06/1943 JD261 Halifax II
27/06/1943 ED377 Lancaster I
28/06/1943 BK694 Stirling III
28/06/1943 BK703 Stirling III
28/06/1943 DK137 Halifax V
28/06/1943 DT513 Halifax II
28/06/1943 DT783 Halifax II
28/06/1943 ED307 Lancaster I
28/06/1943 ED362 Lancaster III
28/06/1943 ED609 Lancaster III
28/06/1943 ED979 Lancaster III
28/06/1943 EE880 Stirling III
28/06/1943 EH888 Stirling III
28/06/1943 HR697 Halifax II
28/06/1943 HR812 Halifax II
28/06/1943 HR839 Halifax II
28/06/1943 HZ438 Wellington X
28/06/1943 JB907 Halifax II
28/06/1943 JD215 Halifax II
28/06/1943 LM323 Lancaster III
03/07/1943 BF530 Stirling III
03/07/1943 BK717 Stirling III
03/07/1943 DT784 Halifax II
03/07/1943 ED820 Lancaster III
03/07/1943 HR673 Halifax II
03/07/1943 HR734 Halifax II
03/07/1943 HZ478 Wellington X
03/07/1943 JB913 Halifax II
03/07/1943 JD159 Halifax II
03/07/1943 JD262 Halifax II
03/07/1943 LN284 Wellington X
03/07/1943 LN296 Wellington X
03/07/1943 W5012 Lancaster III
08/07/1943 ED663 Lancaster III
08/07/1943 ED923 Lancaster III
08/07/1943 W4275 Lancaster I
09/07/1943 R5573 Lancaster I
13/07/1943 BB323 Halifax II
13/07/1943 DK228 Halifax V
13/07/1943 DS660 Lancaster II
13/07/1943 DS690 Lancaster II
13/07/1943 EE873 Stirling III
13/07/1943 HR720 Halifax II
13/07/1943 HR905 Halifax II
13/07/1943 JD108 Halifax II
15/07/1943 HR752 Halifax II
15/07/1943 HR854 Halifax II
24/07/1943 BF567 Stirling III
24/07/1943 ED389 Lancaster I
24/07/1943 ED878 Lancaster III
24/07/1943 EE890 Stirling III
24/07/1943 EE902 Stirling III
24/07/1943 HR940 Halifax II
24/07/1943 HR941 Halifax II
24/07/1943 JD316 Halifax II
25/07/1943 BF511 Stirling III
25/07/1943 BK805 Stirling III
25/07/1943 ED753 Lancaster III
25/07/1943 EE906 Stirling III
25/07/1943 HE803 Wellington X
25/07/1943 HR864 Halifax II
25/07/1943 JB838 Halifax II
25/07/1943 JD330 Halifax II
25/07/1943 JN884 Halifax II
27/07/1943 DT749 Halifax II
27/07/1943 EE142 Lancaster III
27/07/1943 EE178 Lancaster III
27/07/1943 JA709 Lancaster III
27/07/1943 JA863 Lancaster III
27/07/1943 JB864 Halifax II
27/07/1943 JD150 Halifax II
27/07/1943 W4946 Lancaster III
27/07/1943 W4962 Lancaster III
27/07/1943 W5003 Lancaster III
29/07/1943 DK239 Halifax V
29/07/1943 ED535 Lancaster III
29/07/1943 ED598 Lancaster III
29/07/1943 ED782 Lancaster III
29/07/1943 ED822 Lancaster III
29/07/1943 ED931 Lancaster III
29/07/1943 EE172 Lancaster III
29/07/1943 EF407 Stirling III
29/07/1943 HR906 Halifax II
29/07/1943 JB956 Halifax II
29/07/1943 JD277 Halifax II
29/07/1943 JD309 Halifax II
29/07/1943 LN294 Wellington X
29/07/1943 W7883 Halifax II
30/07/1943 BF519 Stirling III
30/07/1943 EE905 Stirling III
30/07/1943 R5665 Lancaster I
02/08/1943 DS673 Lancaster II
02/08/1943 ED493 Lancaster III
02/08/1943 EH928 Stirling III
02/08/1943 HF605 Wellington X
02/08/1943 HZ467 Wellington X
02/08/1943 JA873 Lancaster III
02/08/1943 W4778 Lancaster I
07/08/1943 DV196 Lancaster III
09/08/1943 HR872 Halifax II
09/08/1943 JD408 Halifax II
09/08/1943 W4236 Lancaster I
10/08/1943 BF460 Stirling III
10/08/1943 HR938 Halifax II
10/08/1943 JA716 Lancaster III
10/08/1943 JD167 Halifax II
15/08/1943 ED722 Lancaster III
15/08/1943 HE768 Wellington X
15/08/1943 JA675 Lancaster III
15/08/1943 W5002 Lancaster III
16/08/1943 EH884 Stirling III
17/08/1943 DK260 Halifax V
17/08/1943 DV168 Lancaster III
17/08/1943 DZ379 Mosquito IV
17/08/1943 EB276 Halifax V
17/08/1943 ED764 Lancaster III
17/08/1943 JA691 Lancaster III
17/08/1943 JA851 Lancaster III
17/08/1943 JA892 Lancaster III
17/08/1943 W4766 Lancaster I
22/08/1943 DV228 Lancaster III
22/08/1943 EB255 Halifax V
22/08/1943 JD378 Halifax II
23/08/1943 BK801 Stirling III
23/08/1943 DK261 Halifax V
23/08/1943 DS676 Lancaster II
23/08/1943 EE894 Stirling III
23/08/1943 EH895 Stirling III
23/08/1943 EH925 Stirling III
23/08/1943 HR725 Halifax II
23/08/1943 HR846 Halifax II
23/08/1943 HR865 Halifax II
23/08/1943 HR928 Halifax II
23/08/1943 HR979 Halifax II
23/08/1943 JA678 Lancaster III
23/08/1943 JD248 Halifax II
24/08/1943 EH875 Stirling III
27/08/1943 BF576 Stirling III
27/08/1943 DK258 Halifax V
27/08/1943 EB216 Halifax V
27/08/1943 JB835 Halifax II
27/08/1943 JD298 Halifax II
27/08/1943 JD368 Halifax II
27/08/1943 JD371 Halifax II
27/08/1943 W4364 Lancaster I
30/08/1943 BK650 Stirling III
30/08/1943 DK207 Halifax V
30/08/1943 EE917 Stirling III
30/08/1943 HR739 Halifax II
30/08/1943 JA116 Wellington X
30/08/1943 JA710 Lancaster III
30/08/1943 JA936 Lancaster III
30/08/1943 JD409 Halifax II
31/08/1943 EB251 Halifax V
31/08/1943 ED409 Lancaster I
31/08/1943 EE878 Stirling III
31/08/1943 EF119 Stirling III
31/08/1943 EF401 Stirling III
31/08/1943 EF501 Stirling III
31/08/1943 EH946 Stirling III
31/08/1943 EH961 Stirling III
31/08/1943 HR738 Halifax II
31/08/1943 HR915 Halifax II
31/08/1943 JA848 Lancaster III
31/08/1943 JA916 Lancaster III
31/08/1943 JD246 Halifax II
31/08/1943 JD331 Halifax II
31/08/1943 JD464 Halifax II
31/08/1943 MZ264 Stirling III
03/09/1943 JA713 Lancaster III
03/09/1943 JB149 Lancaster III
05/09/1943 BK711 Stirling III
05/09/1943 DK223 Halifax V
05/09/1943 DV182 Lancaster III
05/09/1943 EE872 Stirling III
05/09/1943 EH878 Stirling III
05/09/1943 EH931 Stirling III
05/09/1943 JA858 Lancaster III
05/09/1943 LW229 Halifax II
06/09/1943 JB177 Lancaster III
06/09/1943 JD166 Halifax II
06/09/1943 LK628 Halifax V
16/09/1943 BB309 Halifax II
16/09/1943 LW240 Halifax II
22/09/1943 BF566 Stirling III
22/09/1943 DS675 Lancaster II
22/09/1943 EB253 Halifax V
22/09/1943 HR776 Halifax II
22/09/1943 JN901 Halifax II
23/09/1943 ED415 Lancaster III
23/09/1943 JA708 Lancaster III
23/09/1943 LW266 Halifax II
27/09/1943 DK266 Halifax V
27/09/1943 ED372 Lancaster I
27/09/1943 HR907 Halifax II
27/09/1943 HX159 Halifax II
29/09/1943 DK259 Halifax V
29/09/1943 JA910 Lancaster III
29/09/1943 JB143 Lancaster III
03/10/1943 DK201 Halifax V
03/10/1943 DK203 Halifax V
03/10/1943 DK247 Halifax V
03/10/1943 EF158 Stirling III
03/10/1943 EH994 Stirling III
04/10/1943 JD204 Halifax II
04/10/1943 JD463 Halifax II
04/10/1943 LK931 Halifax V
07/10/1943 HF490 Wellington X
08/10/1943 DS691 Lancaster II
08/10/1943 EE202 Lancaster III
08/10/1943 JA980 Lancaster III
08/10/1943 LK647 Halifax V
18/10/1943 DV159 Lancaster III
20/10/1943 ED555 Lancaster III
20/10/1943 JA907 Lancaster III
20/10/1943 JB154 Lancaster III
20/10/1943 JB175 Lancaster III
22/10/1943 EE175 Lancaster III
22/10/1943 JB376 Lancaster III
22/10/1943 JD382 Halifax II
22/10/1943 LK666 Halifax V
03/11/1943 JB121 Lancaster III
03/11/1943 LK932 Halifax V
03/11/1943 LK948 Halifax V
11/11/1943 HR985 Halifax II
26/11/1943 ED809 Lancaster III
26/11/1943 JB303 Lancaster III
26/11/1943 JB485 Lancaster III
26/11/1943 LK687 Halifax V
26/11/1943 LK946 Halifax V
02/12/1943 DV325 Lancaster I
20/12/1943 JA674 Lancaster III
29/12/1943 DS834 Lancaster II
29/12/1943 JB607 Lancaster III
01/01/1944 JB280 Lancaster III
15/01/1944 R5729 Lancaster I
20/01/1944 ND368 Lancaster III
30/01/1944 ND360 Lancaster III
15/02/1944 ND363 Lancaster III
15/02/1944 W4272 Lancaster I
24/02/1944 LW427 Halifax III
24/03/1944 DS664 Lancaster II
24/03/1944 MZ507 Halifax III
24/03/1944 ND642 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 DS840 Lancaster II
30/03/1944 DS852 Lancaster II
30/03/1944 DV240 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 DV276 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 DV311 Lancaster I
30/03/1944 ED619 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 EE174 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 HX322 Halifax III
30/03/1944 JB288 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 JB314 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 JB356 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 JB466 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 JB566 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 JB722 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 LK754 Halifax III
30/03/1944 LK800 Halifax III
30/03/1944 LL622 Lancaster II
30/03/1944 LL698 Lancaster II
30/03/1944 LM436 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 LM463 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 LM470 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 LV879 Halifax III
30/03/1944 LV881 Halifax III
30/03/1944 LV898 Halifax III
30/03/1944 LW429 Halifax III
30/03/1944 LW544 Halifax III
30/03/1944 LW549 Halifax III
30/03/1944 LW555 Halifax III
30/03/1944 LW618 Halifax III
30/03/1944 LW647 Halifax III
30/03/1944 LW682 Halifax III
30/03/1944 LW724 Halifax III
30/03/1944 ME624 Lancaster I
30/03/1944 ME686 Lancaster I
30/03/1944 MZ508 Halifax III
30/03/1944 ND337 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 ND361 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 ND443 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 ND492 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 ND585 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 ND622 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 ND795 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 ND798 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 W5006 Lancaster III
30/03/1944 W5009 Lancaster III
04/04/1944 LM297 Lancaster III
09/04/1944 ND675 Lancaster III
11/04/1944 LL899 Lancaster I
22/04/1944 ME741 Lancaster I
23/04/1944 HX151 Halifax II
24/04/1944 LL855 Lancaster I
24/04/1944 LM486 Lancaster III
27/04/1944 JA976 Lancaster III
27/04/1944 LL801 Lancaster I
27/04/1944 ME738 Lancaster III
11/05/1944 JB733 Lancaster III
12/05/1944 MZ575 Halifax III
15/05/1944 ME726 Lancaster I
22/05/1944 LL723 Lancaster II
22/05/1944 LL946 Lancaster I
22/05/1944 ND629 Lancaster III
22/05/1944 NE127 Lancaster III
24/05/1944 LM120 Lancaster I
24/05/1944 ND624 Lancaster III
24/05/1944 NE171 Lancaster III
27/05/1944 DV282 Lancaster III
27/05/1944 LK865 Halifax III
31/05/1944 LM121 Lancaster I
06/06/1944 ME811 Lancaster I
12/06/1944 JA683 Lancaster III
12/06/1944 NA510 Halifax III
14/06/1944 NE172 Lancaster III
15/06/1944 LL690 Lancaster II
16/06/1944 ME810 Lancaster I
21/06/1944 DV280 Lancaster I
21/06/1944 LL900 Lancaster I
21/06/1944 ME843 Lancaster III
22/06/1944 LK840 Halifax III
28/06/1944 NP683 Halifax VII
30/06/1944 JB642 Lancaster III
30/06/1944 LM621 Lancaster III
01/07/1944 ED814 Lancaster III
12/07/1944 PA999 Lancaster I
15/07/1944 ND994 Lancaster III
18/07/1944 PB171 Lancaster III
12/08/1944 LM599 Lancaster III
29/08/1944 PA163 Lancaster I
22/10/1944 EE196 Lancaster III
26/11/1944 T9463 Hudson III
02/01/1945 PB823 Lancaster III
28/01/1945 PB846 Lancaster III
21/02/1945 NE165 Lancaster III
23/02/1945 NG266 Lancaster I
23/02/1945 PA161 Lancaster I
12/03/1945 ME449 Lancaster I
14/04/1945 RF143 Lancaster I
23/04/1945 NA337 Halifax VII
ain't databases wonderful
casita
> 15/07/1944 ND994 Lancaster III
On of Bill's crewmates from 550 Squadron ( where they flew with Ken
Newman ), James C. O'Riordan of the R Australian AF told me that Revigny
"was the biggest balls up" he had ever seen.
It was ND 994's second trip to Revigny and both times they had to bring
their bombs back to Base, yes Base. Target Marking problems created an
unacceptable risk to friendly civilians and both Operations were aborted
over Target. Precision bombing in the RAF meant you drop you bombs with
Precision, or *not at all*. The book "Massacre Over the Marne" goes into
great detail about the 3 raids on Revigny and the 41 Lancasters shot down.
The first two raids were failures due to bad weather over target and the
crews were under strict orders not to bomb under such circumstances.
Apparently, the BBC even broadcast a warning for the people to make
themselves scarce from Revigny those nights. Word leaked to the Luftwaffe.
One survivor of Revigny had this to say: "This was the worst rip we have
done so far. we had no trouble at all but the trip was very terrifying,
and I've never been so scarred in all my life. We had no sooner crossed
the
French coast when the first kite was shot down. From there on to the
target
and all the way back there were kites going down right and left..... The
majority of them were shot down by fighters, but at the time we did not
know what was causing it.
At the time, I thought it was impossible for us to get out of there. When
we got back, the few of of that did, the experienced crews said they've
never seen anything like it before...When we got back and went to bed I
couldn't go to sleep I was so scarred....
The whole crew said when we got back that they thought the same as me,
that
our time had come. We didn't see any fighters at all and there was very
little flak over the target. But it was seeing the other aircraft going
down in flames and blowing up when they hit the ground that made it so
bad."
The end of ND 994 was witnessed by at least two men, Rene Demongeot, a
young Maquisard hiding in the woods near Vitry le Croise and Roland
Jeanvoine standing outside his farmhouse to the north of Loches sur Ource.
They heard the unmistakeable sound of a 4 engined aircraft, apparently off
track. "Then suddenly THUMP THUMP THUMP Just as unmistakeable were the
cannons of a night fighter. Three short bursts and it was all over." It
was 0224 hrs. There was a huge explosion in the air, ND 994 was blown in
two. The tail section fell a hundreds or so from a small road to the north
of Essoyes ( where Renoir is buried ). The rest carried on towards Loches
sur Ource and came to earth in a cornfield several hundred yards away.
Then
two massive explosions sounded down the fields. This went on because the
bombs ( I have a copy of the exact bombload ) because 25% of the 500 lb
bombs were long delay fused to explode any time between 6 and 144 hours
after impact. Because the target was a Marshalling Yard - a hard target -
Medium Capacity and General Purpose bombs were used, rather than
Blockbusters and Incendiaries. Rail yards are blown up, cities are burned
down. The fuel load was 1 990 gallons, with 200 more added for safety.
It
was reconded a Lancaster consumed one gallon every 0.95 miles. The track
was nearly 1 550 miles, double the flying time to the Ruhr.
Doctor Claude Poisson was called and was certain my Uncle Bill lived for at
least one hour on the ground. My father stays regularly at the home of the
Jeanvoine Family in Loches sur Ource, where the crew remains to this day.
They are in the Military section, and are the only non French War Graves
in
the town.
http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/missile/423/mccollom.html
IamJuliusCaesar
that designated a plane as a "night-fighter in World War Two. But please,
correct me if I'm wrong.
Donald Phillipson
You have been misinformed.
The first thing that makes an aircraft a night fighter
is radar equipment that can locate other aircraft in
the dark. In operation:
1. For distances over 2 miles night fighters "navigate"
by radio control from ground radar stations, not the
pilot's eyes.
2. For distances under 2 miles i.e. approaching an
enemy aircraft, the aircraft radar operator guides
the pilot.
3. The pilot's eyes are used only to make the final
approach and fire the weapon. "Sophisticated
navigational equipment" of the WW2 period could
not do this.
--
| Donald Phillipson, dphil...@trytel.com |
| Carlsbad Springs, Ottawa, Canada |
Rich Rostrom
>The first thing that makes an aircraft a night fighter
>is radar equipment that can locate other aircraft in
>the dark...
But not all night fighters had this. Japanese nightfighters
with no radar scored a fair number of successes near the end
of the war.
It seems to me that the while AI radar definitely marks a
plane as a nightfighter, so could its armament.
A 'schrage musik' battery would never be mounted on any
other sort of aircraft, for instance.
Also, night fighters tended to carry heavy armament for
inflicting fatal damage on a big bomber with first blast.
Where day fighters used speed and surprise, nightfighters
relied on stealt and firepower.
ANDREW BREEN
Donald Phillipson <ad...@freenet.carleton.ca> wrote:
>IamJuliusCaesar (iamjuli...@cs.com) writes:
>
>> I believe a sophisticated navigational systemdesignedas the pilot's eyes is all
>> that designated a plane as a "night-fighter in World War Two. But please,
>> correct me if I'm wrong.
>
>You have been misinformed.
>is radar equipment that can locate other aircraft in
And you fit the dedicated Italian CR-42 Night Fighter
squadrons into this definition how?
The CR-42 certainly never had radar, but was operated in
dedicated night fighter form over the Adriatic.
Bill Shatzer
> IamJuliusCaesar (iamjuli...@cs.com) writes:
> > I believe a sophisticated navigational systemdesignedas the pilot's eyes is
all
> > that designated a plane as a "night-fighter in World War Two. But please,
> > correct me if I'm wrong.
> You have been misinformed.
> The first thing that makes an aircraft a night fighter
> is radar equipment that can locate other aircraft in
> the dark.
Night fighters long predated the invention of radar. The World War
One Sopwith Camel "Comic" was, perhaps, the first aircraft extensively
adapted specifically for nightfighting although other, less extensively
modified aircraft had been utilitized earlier in the nightfighting role.
None of the WWI-era nightfighters had more than a pair of Mark X eyeballs
and the occassional assistance of ground based search lights for guidance.
Even in World War II, many nightfighters lacked radar. The Luftwaffe's
first nightfighter units were, for instance, equipped with the
radarless Ar-68 biplane fighter (which had also been used
semi-experimentally as a nightfighter during the Spanish Civil War). The
Luftwaffe Nachtjagdstaffelen subsequently converted to Bf-110C
nightfighters which remained radarless and differed from the "regular"
Bf-110s only by the addition of exhaust flame dampers and anti-glare
shields. Early Do-17Z nightfighters used, not radar, but rather an
infra-red "Q-Rohr" system as a detection and locating device.
While airborne radar eventually became one of the defining characteristics
of the nightfighter, that was not always the case and an aircraft could -
at least prior to 1942 or so - lack radar and still be properly classified
as a nightfighter.
Cheers and all,
Tony Williams
<Pine.SUN.3.96.100032...@compass.oregonvos.net>,
Bill Shatzer <bsha...@oregonvos.net> wrote:
> None of the WWI-era nightfighters had more than a pair of Mark X
eyeballs
Mark X? How did they get those? I swear I've only got Mark 1s - where
can I get an upgrade?
Peter Verney
radar. The aircraft was then classified as NF as Mosquito NFXIX. The
original Blenheim IF had the F day fighter classification.
Peter Verney
Lawrence Dillard
records of night-time victories during the Battle of Britain, you will find
exactly one victory ascribed to a radar-equipped multi-seater a/c at night
during that time frame.
That victory went to a crew led by FO G. Ashfield, observer PO G.E. Morris,
AI Operator Sgt. R.H. Leyland, Flying a Blenheim fitted with AI Mk III
onboard radar; they were assisted by ground controller (and FIU commanding
officer) Wing Commander Chamberlain.
That single victory in the months July-October, 1940, was recorded on July
22-23.
Not until Nov. 7 (somewhat after the BoB was won, by the beginning of
October, but while the "blitz" nonetheless continued), was another
night-time airborne radar-assisted interception to claim a kill, and it was
FO Ashfield once again, this time in a Blenheim equipped with Mk IV airborne
radar. By that time, RAF had fielded three complete squadrons of
radar-equipped Blenheims and three others sans radar.
During the Summer of BoB and the Fall, none of the other Blenheims managed a
confirmed kill. It fell to nightflying Defiants and Hurricanes, whose
pilots depended solely upon GCI vectors followed by visual detection, to
gain another six victories at night.
Enter the versatile Beaufighter. The concept of airborne radar-interception
was probably saved by the introduction of the Beaufighter fitted out with Mk
IV radar which featured a Plan Position Indicator display.
Beaufighter was undoubtedly the world's first truly effective night
fighter. First arriving in September, and then in numbers by November, the
Beaufighters ' success caused the Germans to call a halt to large-scale
night operations by the Spring of 1941: January, (3); February (4); March
(22); April (44); May 100+).
After May of that year, the Luftwaffe dared attempt only measly retaliation
raids at night. They sent the bulk of their bombers east to prepare for
BABAROSSA, to be sure, but they did so in realization that there was no
future in continued large-scale night sorties over Great Britain. Thanks
for the post.
ldil...@EnterAct.com
"Peter Verney" <Peter....@tesco.net> wrote in message
news:3918ee75...@mail.nsw.dialix.com.au...
Peter Verney
>Enter the versatile Beaufighter. The concept of airborne
radar interception
>was probably saved by the introduction of the Beaufighter fitted >out with
>Mk
>IV radar which featured a Plan Position Indicator display
AI MkIV did not have a PPI, the display was by 2 timebases, one for azimuth
and one for elevation, with the range obtained from either. Effective range
was limited by the aircrafts height as the ground returns swamped the tubes.
Please see Bill Gunston's excellent book "Nightfighters", which I will now
re-read, being years since I bought it
Peter Verney
Lawrence Dillard
records of night-time victories during the Battle of Britain, you will find
exactly one victory ascribed to a radar-equipped multi-seater a/c at night
during that time frame.
That victory went to a crew led by FO G. Ashfield, observer PO G.E. Morris,
AI Operator Sgt. R.H. Leyland, Flying a Blenheim fitted with AI Mk III
onboard radar; they were assisted by ground controller (and FIU commanding
officer) Wing Commander Chamberlain.
That single victory in the months July-October, 1940, was recorded on July
22-23.
Not until Nov. 7 (somewhat after the BoB was won, by the beginning of
October, but while the "blitz" nonetheless continued), was another
night-time airborne radar-assisted interception to claim a kill, and it was
FO Ashfield once again, this time in a Blenheim equipped with Mk IV airborne
radar. By that time, RAF had fielded three complete squadrons of
radar-equipped Blenheims and three others sans radar.
During the Summer of BoB and the Fall, none of the other Blenheims managed a
confirmed kill. It fell to nightflying Defiants and Hurricanes, whose
pilots depended solely upon GCI vectors followed by visual detection, to
gain another six victories at night.
Enter the versatile Beaufighter. The concept of airborne radar-interception
was probably saved by the introduction of the Beaufighter fitted out with Mk