The Lysander was originally designed for Army Co-operation duties including artillery spotting and reconnaissance. However, its lasting fame is not in this role, but as a Special Duties aircraft ferrying Allied agents in and out of enemy occupied Europe. Despite some notable successes, the Army Co-operation units suffered extremely high casualties – over 170 Lysanders were sent to France in 1939 and only 50 came back. Following their withdrawal from France, Lysanders patrolled the coastal areas of south and east England as an anti-invasion reconnaissance measure and later, began air-sea rescue duties in the Channel and North Sea.

The Museum’s example, serial number R9125 first became operational with No. 225 Squadron in 1940 as a coastal patrol and photo reconnaissance aircraft, based along the south coast of England. It took on the Special Duties role with No. 161 Squadron in 1944 and was operational for a further two years until they became obsolete from the RAF in 1946.

Our Lysander Mk III (SD) is the only surviving Special Duties variant of its type. It has recently been restored to its former glory through a lengthy conservation process including a new fabric outer skin and complete repaint in the Museum’s Michael Beetham Conservation Centre. The Lysander is now painted in No. 161 Squadron Special Ops colour scheme, reflecting its service towards the end of the war in non-operational special transport services.

www.rafmuseum.org.uk

The Mustang was undoubtedly one of the most versatile and successful single-seat fighters of World War Two. Originally designed to meet a British requirement early versions quickly demonstrated their superior performance and when later Mustangs were fitted with a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine the Allies had one of the truly great fighters of the 20th Century.

The fitting of drop tanks allowed Mustangs to escort American bombers all the way to Berlin and back. The everyday appearance of such a superb Allied fighter over the German capital sounded the death knell of the Third Reich.

Apart from being the most successful aircraft of its type, the Mustang illustrates the close co-operation between the USA and the UK. The Americans produced one of the best fighter airframes in the world and when matched to the superb British Merlin aero-engine a thoroughbred was born

www.rafmuseum.org.uk

The Ju87 was one of the most feared aircraft during World War Two. Its fixed undercarriage and cranked wing gave the Ju87 an evil appearance and the scream of its ‘Trumpets of Jericho’ sirens as it dived helped to spread terror amongst both soldiers and civilians.

Widely known as the ‘Stuka,’ from the German word for dive-bomber (Sturzkampfflugzueg), the Ju87 first saw action in the Spanish Civil War (1936 to 1939). The campaigns in Poland and France added to its legendary reputation. With little aerial opposition it was able to attack targets with great accuracy.

After the fall of France it was used to attack shipping in the Channel. The Ju87 went on to sink more ships than any other aircraft in history. ‘Stuka’ units then turned their attention to coastal airfields and radar stations, but by August 1940 heavy losses from defending fighters resulted in their withdrawal from operations. This poorly armed, slow and highly vulnerable aircraft found it impossible to operate without air superiority over the battlefield.

Later in the war a specialist anti-armour version was produced which brought havoc to the tank armies on the Russian Front.

www.rafmuseum.org.uk

The Heinkel He111 provided the Luftwaffe with a fast, manoeuvrable medium bomber which it used as a spearhead for the Blitzkrieg tactics so successfully employed during the early campaigns of World War Two. The He111’s defensive shortcomings were harshly demonstrated in 1940 and 1941, but the Germans had little alternative than to continue production of an ageing and inadequate aircraft.

Designed in 1934, the Heinkel He111 first appeared as a high speed civil airliner/transport. The first bomber deliveries were made in 1936 and a number were sent to Spain the following year. By providing support for the Spanish Nationalist forces the Germans could test their new equipment and tactics under operational conditions.

In 1940 the variants in use by the Luftwaffe were the He111H and the He111P which introduced the all-glazed asymmetrical nose. In daylight attacks the He111 proved vulnerable to fighter attack, being too slow to take effective avoiding action and too poorly armed to defend itself.

He111 formations suffered such heavy losses that by mid September it was obvious to the Luftwaffe that a change of tactics must be introduced, so from the 16 September the Heinkel bomber was largely confined to night attacks against Great Britain.

www.rafmuseum.org.uk

On the 27^th April 1942 at 2030 hours W1048 took off on her first operational mission as the 7th of the 11 No.35 Squadron Halifaxes airborne from Kinloss. W1048 was part of a total force of 31 Halifaxes drawn also from Nos.10 and 76 Squadrons. The No.10 Squadron aircraft carried 4000lb bombs, as did those of No.76 squadron, these intended specifically to attack the defences of Foettenfjord (modern day Fetfjorden) near Trondheim where the Tirpitz was moored.

W1048 was the 8th aircraft to attack, being on target at 0030 hours; pilot Don MacIntyre had arranged to fly in formation with his friend Reg Lane, and they had agreed that whoever was leading at the target would go in first – as McIntyre was in the lead as they reached the initial point, he went in first (Flypast December 2009 p.75). Tirpitz was rapidly obscured by a smoke screen, but W1048 shallow dived to 200ft to release her mines; immediately afterwards the aircraft was hit by flak, which was intense from both Tirpitz and shore batteries, and the starboard outer engine and wing mounted fuel tanks and surrounding wing structure set alight as the aircraft ran in at 200 feet.

The pilot, Don MacIntyre, quickly realised that W1048 was so badly damaged it could not reach base or neutral Sweden; he therefore made a skilful wheels-up landing on the frozen surface of nearby Lake Hoklingen in central Norway 25 miles east of Trondheim. W1048 had just 13 hours flying time in her logbook. The six crew escaped from the aircraft when it had slithered to a halt, the only injury being to Sgt Stevens who broke his ankle during the crash. He was helped over the 150 yards of ice to the shore by the others and was later taken POW and hospitalised by the Germans. The rest of the crew, aided by Norwegian resistance, reached neutral Sweden after a three-day hike; Hewitt and MacIntyre were repatriated after a few weeks, Perry, Blanchet and Wilson after about a year.

Some twelve hours after the crash W1048 sank through the ice in the southern corner of the lake.

The aircraft was eventually recovered from the lake on the 30^th June 1973.

For a more complete account please read here.

www.rafmuseum.org.uk

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater of Operations and dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during World War II. It is the third-most produced bomber of all time, behind the American four-engined Consolidated B-24 Liberator and the German multirole, twin-engined Junkers Ju 88. It was also employed as a transport, antisubmarine aircraft, drone controller, and search-and-rescue aircraft.

In a USAAC competition, Boeing's prototype Model 299/XB-17 outperformed two other entries but crashed, losing the initial 200-bomber contract to the Douglas B-18 Bolo. Still, the Air Corps ordered 13 more B-17s for further evaluation, which were introduced into service in 1938. The B-17 evolved through numerous design advances[4][5] but from its inception, the USAAC (from 1941 the United States Army Air Forces, USAAF) promoted the aircraft as a strategic weapon. It was a relatively fast, high-flying, long-range bomber with heavy defensive armament at the expense of bombload. It also developed a reputation for toughness based upon stories and photos of badly damaged B-17s safely returning to base.

The B-17s were primarily involved in the daylight "precision" strategic bombing campaign against German targets ranging from U-boat pens, docks, warehouses, and airfields to industrial targets such as aircraft factories.[79]In practice European weather meant there was often cloud cover obscuring the targets and bombing was intrument aided. In the campaign against German aircraft forces in preparation for the invasion of France, B-17 and B-24 raids were directed against German aircraft production while their presence drew the Luftwaffe fighters into battle with Allied fighters.

en.wikipedia.org

The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in every theater of World War II, and after the war ended, many remained in service, operating across four decades. Produced in numerous variants, nearly 10,000 B-25s were built, It was the most-produced American medium bomber and the third most-produced American bomber overall. These included several limited models such as the F-10 reconnaissance aircraft, the AT-24 crew trainers, and the United States Marine Corps' PBJ-1 patrol bomber.

The RAF received nearly 900 Mitchells, using them to replace Douglas Bostons, Lockheed Venturas, and Vickers Wellington bombers[citation needed]. The Mitchell entered active RAF service on 22 January 1943. At first, it was used to bomb targets in occupied Europe. After the Normandy invasion, the RAF and France used Mitchells in support of the Allies in Europe. Several squadrons moved to forward airbases on the continent. The USAAF used the B-25 in combat in the European theater of operations

en.wikipedia.org

The Airspeed Oxford was a military development of the same company’s Envoy airliner. The prototype first flew on 19 June 1937 and when it entered service with the Central Flying School in November of that year it became the Royal Air Force’s first twin-engine monoplane advanced trainer.

The first Oxfords were intended for all aspects of aircrew training including gunnery and had an Armstrong Whitworth dorsal gun turret fitted. The turret was removed from later versions and they were used mainly for pilot training. In addition to their main role as trainers Oxfords were used as air ambulances, communications aircraft and for ground radar calibration duties.

It saw widespread use as an advanced trainer in the United Kingdom, Canada, Southern Rhodesia, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East and in 1951 they received a new lease of life as Flying Training Command expanded to train National Service pilots.

www.rafmuseum.org.uk

For the last three years of the Second World War the Avro Lancaster was the main heavy bomber used by Bomber Command to take the war to the heart-land of Nazi Germany.

It resulted from design work undertaken by Roy Chadwick and his Avro team to overcome the problems experienced with the twin-engined Manchester bomber. The prototype made its first flight in January 1941.

With an impressive performance and excellent flying characteristics it soon established its superiority over other allied four-engined bombers operating in Europe.

The industrial and military organisation needed to build and operate the Lancaster was huge. Six major companies built 7377 aircraft at ten factories on two continents; at the height of production over 1,100,000 men and women were employed working for over 920 companies. More service personnel were involved in flying and maintaining it than any other British aircraft in history.

The Lancaster’s operational career is littered with impressive statistics, some are set out below, but it is worth remembering that the average age of the seven-man crew was only 22 years. They endured danger and discomfort and many showed great courage in continuing to fly knowing the odds against survival were high. Bomber Command suffered the highest casualty rate of any branch of the British services in World War Two.

www.rafmuseum.org.uk

The Mosquito was a remarkable aircraft for its time; not only was it made largely of wood but it was designed as an unarmed bomber, depending on its superior speed to escape enemy fighters. It was nicknamed ‘The Wooden Wonder’.

On 12 March 1945 the last bomber variant of the Mosquito, the B35, made its first test flight. The war had ended before it could be used operationally, but it entered service with the post-war Royal Air Force and served as a bomber until the beginning of 1954.

Some Mosquito B35s were converted for other duties including target-towing and in this role they continued in service until 1963. No.105 Squadron introduced Mosquitos into service in May 1942 as daylight bombers.

However, as the RAF’s night bomber offensive grew, they were used with the Pathfinder Force and in other roles within Bomber Command.

The Mosquito also proved a remarkably versatile aircraft in other roles. It was a great success as a night fighter and intruder, as well as an anti-shipping strike aircraft. Both the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Force used Mosquitos for photographic reconnaissance duties.

Apart from its tremendous versatility, this aircraft demonstrated, perhaps more than any other at the time, how innovative production methods and the use of different materials can produce a high-performance world beater.

www.rafmuseum.org.uk

Designed and in service as a strategic nuclear bomber, some were converted to in-flight refuelling tankers and remained in service until 1993. Much use was made of them in the 1982 Falklands campaign and the 1991 Gulf War.

The Victor was produced to Specification B35/46 and fifty MkI aircraft powered by Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire engines were built and delivered as bombers. Most were converted to tankers in 1965 and their bombing role taken over by the more powerful and higher flying MkII aircraft with Rolls-Royce Conway engines. After initial service carrying free-fall nuclear weapons, the Avro Blue Steel stand-off missile was fitted. Eight aircraft were converted to the Strategic Reconnaissance role and served with No.543 Squadron.

The Victor K2 aircraft carried out all of the in-flight tanking requirements during the Falklands campaign. The final major use of these machines occurred in the Gulf War when 299 sorties were demanded and all were completed successfully in spite of the aircraft being over 30 years old.

www.rafmuseum.org.uk