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Showing results for tags '771 Sq'.
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In late 1943-1944 771 Squadron FAA based at Twatt in the Shetlands, was issued with a number of Boston and Havoc aircraft, mostly Turbinlites, for use on radar calibration and target simulation purposes for Home Fleet units preparing to deploy to the Pacific. One of these was Havoc II AH507 "T8A" (Sturtivant calls it a Boston II but I think he is wrong on that). Air Britain does not record it as one of the many aircraft from that particular Havoc batch converted to Turbinlite configuration and it had previously served with 85 Sq so I conclude it was one of the aircraft fitted with the Martin-Baker 12-gun nose. In Sturtivant's FAA Aircraft there is a photo of this aircraft, taken from the starboard rear quarter, after running off the runway into mud on 8 November 1943. It is very useful for many details, including the nacelle configuration, but the nose is not visible. Question 1: is anyone aware of any other photos of this incident, preferable showing the aircraft nose. I am assuming that the redundant AI radar has been removed (it clearly has been from the less camera-shy Turbinlite aircraft) but am unclear whether the gun muzzles would have been left open, doped over but still visible or plugged. Question 2: since the chances of a positive answer to q.1 seem very slim, is anyone prepared to speculate on the most likely option? Are there any photos of other 12-gun Havocs on second -line duties late in the war? My inclination is to think that on an aircraft operating from one of the wettest places known to man any superfluous orifices would have been securely plugged against the all-pervasive damp. For me it would be easiest for fill all the gun apertures but my hair-shirt mode says I ought to drill all 12 of them out. Any leads/thoughts?