Jagan

Is that a Hurricane Construction Number painted on the bottom side of the elevator? Do not recall too many war time photos of Hurricanes showing this on the underside of the elevator... Any more samples? Lastly 41H/138801 ? or 41H/135801 ? So what aircraft is it? Some known C/Ns here https://www.rafcommands.com/database...&qcntry=&qt=FN with V7497 being 41H-136172

but they didnt. there was only one Wapiti V that was actually longer and it was a one-off. Most Mk V's were the same length as Mk IIs. https://www.key.aero/comment/1823913#comment-1823913 https://www.key.aero/comment/1823951#comment-1823951 https://www.key.aero/comment/1909264#comment-1909264 (JohnAero)

That number includes those commemorated on the Runnymede memorial, so many airmen lost over Europe or over the sea with no trace are included in this 'Home' Table.

The Wapiti engines are a Rabbit hole.. Jupiter VI, Jupiter VIII, differnent type of partial cowlings or now cowlings at all, different exhaust pipes, or none at all... you name it they are all out there..

So the photo that appears in the Chinese book at http://cwlam2000.epizy.com/book3.jpg?i=1 is the same as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vultee_A-31_Vengeance#/media/File:A-35B_in_Flight.jpg "If there are no pictures, it doesn't exist"

Cant see the image.. can you post it again?

@Geoffrey Sinclair Geoff.. I am the current webmaster of RafCommands and I built that Serial look up tool. Was there something you wanted to help correct?. Please do email me [email protected] ..or PM me here.. I can confirm that I haven't received any of your previous emails. They must have disappeared into the black hole of the internet. Cheers

The TOCH Forum is back up and running!

Slight Correction Jim. AX815 lost West of Delhi , not Lahore. The ac was being ferried by 21FC from Lahore to Karachi and was on the Delhi-Jodhpur leg.. details below. http://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=AX815

Everyone is going through the withdrawal symptoms... No ETA/information on when it will be back up.. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?21131-TOCH-Forum-Problem

More of an inspection panel? J- --- http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Galleries/History/WW2/Imphal/21-BR-Rao-Ground-Crew.jpg.html (Hurricane IIB) or could be this https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Galleries/History/WW2/Agnihotri/Akyab45/Akyab-HurriCamFit.jpg.html (Hurricane IIC)

@Troy Smith Great Catch at connecting HV538 to the three elephants and Hurricane photo! I had seen this photo in Indian books in the mid 80s so to have its actual serial is a great find.. I have HV538 as having served with 6 Sqn IAF. as noted here : http://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=HV538 EDIT: Here you go - its there in Feb and March of 1944 http://www.rafcommands.com/galleries/var/albums/members/HV538.PNG

@hendie My mind boggles at the skills required at doing this cad work and hours of work that had gone into this - kudos!. One observation,. the Oil Radiator positioning has its fair share of headaches. It appears that in the 30s the radiator has moved from the port side of the fuselage to the bottom of the fuselage Eg This classic photo has it on the port side of the fuselage on the side http://www.rafcommands.com/galleries/var/resizes/Aircraft-Database/Westland-Wapiti/MkIIA-J9835-J9871/J9842.jpg?m=1427860303 Moved to the bottom of the nose right before the struts. http://www.rafcommands.com/galleries/var/resizes/Aircraft-Database/Westland-Wapiti/Mk-IIA-K1316-1415/K1397.jpg?m=1454276289 The 1930s photos of Wops based in India show the radiator on the bottom .. PS: Note the wheel hub variations!

Photos showing the underside of the Wapiti are rather scanty, but did find two handily available. Here is a drawing from the manual http://www.rafcommands.com/galleries/members/Camera-P7-Wapiti A nice shot showing the camera panel and the observer / bottom bomb aimer's observation sliding panel in open position as well http://www.rafcommands.com/galleries/members/Wapiti-K1127 Another one http://www.rafcommands.com/galleries/members/Wapiti-IIA-K1300-C-60-sqn-ca-1934

@hendie The plans you are working from appear to the be UK Home based versions of the IIA that had a Jupiter VI I invite you to check out this gallery http://www.rafcommands.com/galleries/Aircraft-Database/Westland-Wapiti where I have been collecting 1 image of every Wapiti every built - and i am probably a third of the way there. The variants have never been properly documented in any book - especially the engine, cowling and exhaust differences. Here is a thread i have done on the Key Forum a few years ago. https://www.key.aero/forum/historic-aviation/140804-westland-wapiti-iia-engine-variant-question-see-attached-image I will look into the question of the camera port/door - i do have an illustration of it taken from the relevant AP manual

The Wapiti in the IAF Museum was an example that had been put together by IAF maintenance personnel in the late 50s at the Aircraft Repair Depot in Kanpur. It was part of an unofficial museum that included the Hurricane, Tempest Spitfire etc. In 1967 it was moved to the Palam museum when the museum officially opened. It has been as-is since the point in time it was first put together. Rest assured that no one worked on it assuming that it will be under intense scrutiny by warbird restorers or modellers in the age of internet 60 years later, and 77 years after it last flew in Indian skies. We should note that no other half complete Wapiti exists anywhere (Closest would be the Wallace in the RAF Museum) That being said, other aircraft have been cleaned up / repainted / restored to a high degree of accuracy - you can search threads here on the Hurricane and Spitfire by member @Linescriber to see the work that went on. The Wapiti that exists there is ofcourse a much more delicate airframe and does certainly require sourcing of good parts and documentation before any restoration is attempted. Its just that the team is focusing on 'easier' restorations before touching something as delicate as this. (Did i mention they now got a second Hurricane in their collection? ;)) The current aircraft has a lot of original components in it - There is a walkaround and comparisons of closeups in this book https://www.amazon.com/Westland-Wapiti-Indian-Air-Force/dp/8190359142 (COUGH! COUGH!) You can help the IAF Museum with the restoration effort - The Museum would love to acquire a static display condition Jupiter VIIIF engine that can be sent to India. or parts like the corrugated cladding (if that is the term) seen in many Wop Pics, or wheels, or a Scarff ring (For the Lewis mount) or any other parts that will help. You will earn good karma and the gratitude of the Indian enthusiasts..

http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?19834-305-Squadron-Wellington-Prang&p=116066#post116066 This should confirm it as Z1460? Including the DFC Citation for the Pilot

And this is how it ended its life http://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=MV364 In Poona, with a Beaufighter in the background??

I am not an expert on serial number font - but I built this query page just for situations like this http://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/index.php?qname=Hurricane&qmem=&qnum=&qt=FN&qa1=&qa2=&qn1=&qn2=7&qn3=2&qn4=2&cur= Possibilities.. L1722 - Hurricane I N2722 - Hurricane I P2722 - Hurricane I P3722 - Hurricane I V6722 - Hurricane I V7722 - Hurricane I BD722 - Hurricane IIB BG722 - Hurricane IIB and so on.. rounded first digits in bold..

Great Build, and love the photographs esp the background. Though this aircraft was mentioned frequently as No.2 Squadron - the circumstances indicate it was from the time when No.2 Squadron pilots were at the 151 OTU for Hurricane Conversion and flying the OTU's Mk1s. This would have been late 1942

The squadron codes only existed late 1942, early 1943. In Imphal it did not have Squadron Codes. Additionally a KZ serialled aircraft would put the 'date' after July 1944 which is when they got the IICs

Sorry for my late reply. very few images of the Hurricanes exist. None show an elephant. you can check out a few of the images at http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Galleries/History/WW2/Imphal/

This might be relevant here - A Brief history of SEAC Thunderbolts in one table - Every column is a "Quarter Year" . I also invite you to check out http://www.rafcommands.com/database/losses/listing.php?cur=0&qacid=306&qt=TY for Thunderbolt Losses for SEAC. 1944 1945 1946 July - Sept 44 Oct - Dec 44 Jan - Mar 45 Apr - June 45 July - Sept 45 Oct - Dec 45 Jan - Mar 46 Apr - June 46 July - Sept 46 5 Sept 44 30 Aug 44 79 Aug 44 disbanded 10/45 123 Sept 44 Renumbered 81 134 Aug 44 disbanded to 131 135 Aug 44 disbanded to 615 146 Aug 44 Renumbered 42 258 Sept 44 disbanded 31/12/45 261 Sept 44 disbanded 9/45 34 March 45 disbanded 9/45 42 ex 146 Sqn disbanded 31/12/45 60 July 45 disbanded Oct 46 81 ex 123 Sqdn 113 April 45 disbanded Oct 45 131 ex 134 Sqdn July 45 - Sept 45 615 ex 135 Sqdn July 45 - Sept 45

For whats it worth Z5334 is in the history books as the first Hurricane to land in India 18-Jan-42, Plt Offr J S Lamplough put this aircraft down at Karachi as part of a formation of five aircraft.

I have been trying to find a photograph to support this photo and have come up with naught. It doesnt make sense that the No.1 Squadron "Tigers" would have an aircraft painted with an elephant motif. Reg the serials of the IICs, you will find a few here - http://www.rafcommands.com/database/losses/listing.php?qunit=1 Sqdn IAF&qt=UT&qyear=1944