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1/72nd Liberator Mk.III, `Wottawitch' 159 Sqn, SEAC, India, 1944


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Hiya Folks,

              I`m on a bit of a Liberator spree at the moment and my 2nd 159 Sqn aircraft is this 1/72nd Academy B-24D kit converted into an Indian based Liberator Mk.III, BZ938/W `Wottawitch' which was used for night time Radio Intelligence Gathering sorties over Burma, Singapore and Thailand. The 4 gun .303in turret came from a Matchbox Halifax and the decals were from the excellent DK Decals. Brush painted with Olive Drab on top, the undersides were sprayed black using a Tamiya rattle can with brush applied matt varnish. A set of blackout curtains made from painted paper were added behind the nose glazing, as the real aircraft had these fitted. Most of the Mk.III`s operated by 159 Sqn wore the USAAF Olive Drab and Neutral Grey scheme with SEAC markings but C Flight appear to have added Night black to the sides and undersides of its two SD aircraft and photos of `Wattawitch' most certainly had black added. 

This aircraft was flown by the C Flight commander, Squadron Leader Bradley, DFC,...which was returning from a special radio duties sortie over Rangoon and Mandalay when it was shot down over the Burmese coast by a Japanese night fighter on the night of 31st January 1945, see bottom of post for details including a story of immense courage.

I must thank Matt Poole for his help with photos of this aircraft and his book, `RAF Liberators Over Burma- Flying with 159 Sqn' was a smashing read and of great interest as a reference source and inspiration too.

 

The Model;

26628575648_5c9459f315_k.jpgDSCF2521_NEW by Tony OToole, on Flickr

40499643281_ca8997d555_k.jpgDSCF2510_NEW by Tony OToole, on Flickr

39789660924_bb52cf6451_k.jpgDSCF2494_NEW_NEW by Tony OToole, on Flickr

26628576668_f18f992cfc_k.jpgDSCF2519 by Tony OToole, on Flickr

25628795657_a7d60e367b_k.jpgDSCF2520_NEW by Tony OToole, on Flickr

DSCF2510_NEW by Tony OToole, on Flickr

40499649561_adc123b829_h.jpgDSCF2500_NEW by Tony OToole, on Flickr

26628577408_9efde491d0_k.jpgDSCF2512 by Tony OToole, on Flickr

 

 

Here is Matt`s book;

25643718057_7818d1c208_b.jpgFINALCover by Tony OToole, on Flickr

 

 

 

And here is an account of what happened after BZ938 was lost on the night of 31st January 1945,....a tragic story but one of immense bravery too; 

 

January 31, 1945 -- Aircraft "W" BZ938 lost in action;


Three crew members were declared "missing in action" and are commemorated on the Singapore memorial with a date of death as January 31.
LESLIE ADAMS Flight Sergeant 1592986 159 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Age 35.
Son of Henry and Mabel Adams; husband of Gladys Adams, of Leeds, Yorkshire.
SINGAPORE MEMORIAL, Singapore, Column 449.

 

WILLIAM JAMES JOHN LOWERY Flying Officer 156576 159 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Age
28.
Son of Eli and Maude Victoria Williams, of Bagotville, Richmond River, New South Wales, Australia.
Son of George William and Charlotte Wooddage, of Maidenhead, Berkshire.
Son of Arthur and Edith Lowery; husband of Nellie May Lowery, of Bow, London.
SINGAPORE MEMORIAL, Singapore, Column 447.


ARTHUR ROLAND WILLIAMS Warrant Officer 421484 Age 34.
SINGAPORE MEMORIAL, Singapore, Column 458.


Four of the crew members who survived baling out were beheaded by the Japanese on February 7, 1945 and are buried in Rangoon.


LESLIE BELLINGAN Flight Sergeant 710193 Co Pilot 159 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
RANGOON WAR CEMETERY, Myanmar, Coll. grave 3. F. 6-9.


ROBERT JAMES SNELLING Flight Sergeant 1234723 Flt. Engr. 159 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Age 25.
Son of Robert John and Kate Snelling, of Brightlingsea, Essex. His brother, Peter Roy Murray Snelling, also died on service.
RANGOON WAR CEMETERY, Myanmar, Coll. grave 3. F. 6-9.


JOHN DEREK WOODAGE Flight Sergeant 1803337 W.Op. [Air] 159 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Age 22.
RANGOON WAR CEMETERY, Myanmar, Coll. grave 3. F. 6-9.


STANLEY JAMES WOODBRIDGE GC (George Cross),  Flight Sergeant 1393806 W.Op. 159 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Age 23.
Son of James Henry and May Ashman Woodbridge; husband of Florence Edith Woodbridge, of Chingford, Essex.
RANGOON WAR CEMETERY, Myanmar. Col. grave 3. F. 6-9.

 

George Cross Citation:
The following details are given in the London Gazette of 24th September, 1948, in which the award of the George Cross was announced: Flt. Sgt. Woodbridge was the wireless operator in a Liberator aircraft which crashed in Burma on 31st January 1945, and was taken prisoner by the Japanese together with 5 other members of the crew. All six were subjected to torture, and eventually the four N.C.O.'s were separated from the others, taken to a forest and there put to death by beheading. During the subsequent trial of three officers and three N.C.O.'s of the Japanese Army at which they were found guilty of the torture and murder of these four airmen, it was revealed that they had concentrated their efforts on Flt. Sgt. Woodbridge, in an endeavour to obtain techincal information (this was a special radio intelligence gathering sortie and he was the main radio operator) which would have been useful to the Japanese Intelligence service. Despite repeated and prolonged torture this gallant airman steadfastly refused to speak, and was beheaded on February 7th, 1945. Flt. Sgt. Woodbridge behaved throughout with supreme courage. His fortitude, loyalty to this country and complete disregard for his own safety constitute one of the highest examples of valour in the annals of the Royal Air Force.
Two crew members, both officers survived as Japanese prisoners of war.

 

Here is a fuller account of the sortie from a 1992 letter to Matt Poole from the navigator, RAF F/O Allan Graham Jeffrey:

 

On this particular tour BZ938 made eight operational flights including the last one, the first seven of which were relatively uneventful. The last flight included a tour of southern Burma. Everything had gone to plan and we were just leaving the coast to survey some islands a few miles off-shore before setting course for home when it happened. There was a fierce vibration on the port side of the aircraft. Sqn Ldr Bradley DFC (Pilot) came on the intercom to say that we had lost an engine and asked for a course for home, which I gave to him. I took a look at the repeat altimeter beside my desk and saw that we were losing height rapidly.

Bradley came on the intercom again almost immediately to ask where we were heading, and when I told him out to sea, he asked me to direct him to turn the plane towards the coast, which I did. It was clear that the plane was going to crash and that we would have to bale out.Bradley told the crew the situation and told us to prepare to bale out. The question was would we make the coast in time to bale out over land, and I could see that it was going to be a very close thing. We were now so low, and, not yet at the coast, that Bradley had to give the order to bale out at the individual’s discretion before we reached it. To bale out I had to leave my desk, put on my parachute and open the door to the nose wheel, which was my emergency exit. I could see the altimeter, and as land appeared before me I left with the altimeter reading 1000 feet.I landed on the shore about ten feet from the water. The five on the flight deck left very soon after me at about 700 feet and landed in paddy fields.

Although this is the end of BZ938’s story there are still some questions to answer. The first is what happened to cause the crash. Enemy action is highly unlikely. The failure of one engine should not have been enough to cause it. Liberators were expected to fly on three engines. What else happened I do not know, and I have no recollection of discussing this with Bradley later. No doubt we had other things on our minds.

The really important question is what happened to the three in the rear of the plane. They had to exit via the bomb bays, which Bradley had opened for them. There are three possibilities to consider. Did they stay on the plane and perish in the crash? This can be ruled out for two reasons. There is evidence in one of the post-war documents sent to me by Ivor Smith that Bradley was sure they had left. And the search teams sent to the spot after the war found no evidence of bodies being found in the crashed plane. If there had been, the locals would have known and told the searchers.

The second possibility is that they baled out over land. If they were killed or fatally injured in the process, and it is highly unlikely that this would have happened to all three, their bodies would have been found and reported eventually to the search teams. If they had baled out over land successfully, they would have landed near to the flight deck people and would have been captured along with them. The countryside was flat and open; there was nowhere to hide.

This leaves the third possibility, that they baled out over the sea. If Bradley and I thought we knew that they had left the plane, it must surely be because we thought that they had left before us. I landed on the beach, so that anyone leaving before me must have fallen into the sea. I do not know what the chances are of surviving the immediate shock of baling out into the sea, but many have done so.

It seems highly unlikely that all three were drowned immediately, so if, as I am convinced, they did bale out over the sea, why did none of them make it to the shore? They cannot have been too far out at sea. The sea was like a mill pond. There seemed to be virtually no tide, and it was a clear, starry night. The answer is probably that as the coast at that point is very low, there was just a narrow beach, a band of mangrove swamp, and then the paddy fields with very little rise from the sea. Anyone at sea level some way out to sea would have been unable to see the coastline.

You will gather from this that it is my strong opinion that W/O Arthur Williams and his two companions were drowned off the coast of southern Burma. I think you will understand me when I write that I consider this a blessing, bearing in mind that, if they had survived the crash, Arthur Williams and Sgt Adams would certainly, and F/O Lowery probably, have suffered the same fate as the four members of our crew who were executed by the Japanese. (Cited from: http://www.militarian.com/threads/les-juicy-adams-raf-rear-gunner.5632/)

 

This is the recollection of S/Ldr James Bradley DFC, the skipper. The source is the booklet "Five Times Reprieved", written in 1957. You will note that Bradley said that two crewmen were unaccounted for, but of course it was three: Lowery, Williams, and Les Adams. 

 

     In 1945 came a mission that Jim Bradley, for many more months to follow, thought would be his last. He tells it this way:-

     "Early in that year we were flying over dangerous territory - Mandalay, Moulmein and Rangoon. We were all under tension. On this particular mission - January 31st, 1945 - my crew appeared to be in good spirits...that is until something out of the ordinary took place. We were approaching the coast of Burma - AND FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT I CAN BRING TO MEMORY IN ALL OUR MISSIONS I ORDERED THE CREW TO BUCKLE ON THEIR PARACHUTES. This was extraordinary. It could only have been God who prompted me to take this action!!!"

     "I remember the fuss the crew raised. Over the intercom came the voice of Jefferys, the navigator, 'Hey Skipper, I can't get my job done with that heavy junk on my back...you don't really mean it, do you?' From away back in the tail, came a sigh from Adams, a former boxer, 'Oh no! As if it isn't uncomfortable enough back here now - not a 'chute, Skipper!' Gripes came from every part of the ship. I stuck to my guns. Orders were orders. Bellingham, my South African co-pilot, climbed into his, and then turned to me and said, 'Say, Skipper, aren't you going to put yours on?' Horse-laughs flooded the intercom. I hadn't had the thing out of the bag since drawing it from the parachute section.

     "A little later I went back to the flight deck for coffee to shoot the breeze with Woodbridge, one of my radio men. I mentioned something to him about the thing not being properly adjusted and hard to get on. He turned, and with a smile, said, 'Skipper, I used to work in the parachute section. I know how to adjust that harness. I wouldn't mind a bit getting you set in yours.' I knew he was ribbing me, but I pulled it out, and we both yanked at the straps until it was adjusted - STILL WITHOUT THE SLIGHTEST IDEA OF ITS HAVING ANY PARTICULAR SIGNIFICANCE.

     "We were well satisfied with our night's work. I was heading the plane toward home, when suddenly without warning, there was an eerie whine of a runaway engine. Number one engine revved up to full power and caused our B-24 to vere sharply to the left. I tried to feather it with the emergency control. Nothing happened. Automatically I was countering the reaction of the aircraft and resetting a normal course.

     "While this was taking place, Bellingham called over the intercom that number three engine was on fire. I pulled the lever and released the anti-flame jets which are fitted around the engine. Number one engine was feathered, and we were flying on two engines. They threw overboard everything that could be moved.

     I struggled for an optimistic tone of voice and called over the intercom, 'Look fellows-it appears as though we might have to bail out. If I get down to 1,500 feet and I can't hold it-I'll give the order to jump. Get your escape aids, your maps, and make ready to jump if necessary: A Japanese NIGHT FIGHTER HAD FOUND HIS MARK AND WE WERE GOING DOWN.

     "We were losing altitude at about 300 to 400 feet a minute. The navigator informed me that we were about 40 miles southwest of Rangoon where the delta of the Irrawaddy River empties into the Indian Ocean. I couldn't hold a 1,500 foot altitude. And gave the order to jump. My navigator went out through the nose, and the rest, except the radio man, went through the bomb-bays. The fighter had ruined our radio. There was no chance to give our position. And now every second counted as I rode that Bomber toward earth! I glanced at my altimeter and it read 700 feet.

     When I knew that my crew members had cleared away I pulled the controls back sharply to bring it into a stall so that it might crash nearby. We had to make sure that it was destroyed and that no information would fall into the enemy's hands. I dived through the open bomb-bay and yanked at my ripcord. For a moment I was horrified. Nothing seemed to happen. I felt as though I were an inkpot hurtling down through blackness. I tried to pull the chute out with my hands - and then, whoosh - a sudden jerk. It seemed that almost the same time I hit the ground and was rolling over and over.

     "I landed near my radio operator. Almost instantly the plane hit. I did not need to worry about destroying it. Flames from a thousand gallons of high octane gas did that job for us. I was unhurt. I began to run. I whistled and called for the others. I lost contact with everyone.     "I could see silhouetted figures of Burmese standing as near as they dared to the sheets of flame. A crowd gathered. I knew I must be near a village. I spent that night prowling around in the woods. At dawn I noticed a chicken and began to stalk it. Burmese chickens are like our pheasants. Suddenly it flew away.

     "The Burmese soon began a wide-spread search. I reached for my little English:Burmese dictionary and looked for a word of greeting. I was a thousand miles from our front-lines-a thousand miles of jungle. So with my little book in my hand I introduced myself.

     "They chattered like magpies. They took turns in feeling my clothes. They didn't seem to be happy to see me, and I was worried. They were armed with long sticks with sharp knives attached to the ends of these sticks.

     I tried to explain to them that I was from the great king's army and that this great emperor would reward them handsomely if they would help me and my friends to escape. They pretended not to understand me, and marched me off to their village. There I met the rest of my crew,or what was left of them. Two were lost and never heard from again. I was the last one in." (Cited from: http://www.militarian.com/threads/les-juicy-adams-raf-rear-gunner.5632/)

 

l

Edited by tonyot
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Hi Tony,

 

Was wondering what you were up to and very nice too!

 

Guess they were up to same sneaky-beaky stuff that 100 Group were doing in Europe.

 

Now just going to order that book.

 

Christian, exiled to africa

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22 minutes ago, wyverns4 said:

Hi Tony,

 

Was wondering what you were up to and very nice too!

 

Guess they were up to same sneaky-beaky stuff that 100 Group were doing in Europe.

 

Now just going to order that book.

 

Christian, exiled to africa

Cheers Christian,....and I`m sure you`ll enjoy the book too. Although 159 Sqn was a bomber unit they had a flight `C Flight' used for `special duties' which mostly involved monitiring and mapping Japanese signals traffic throughout SEAC. On the night of 31st January 1945 this aircraft failed to return from ops.

 

All the best

                 Tony

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Hi Tony

My wife just asked me why I laughed out loud. 

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was building something you might be interested in, it's actually 2.  I'm just 3/4 through BZ862 of 354 Sqn, and made inroads on KL611 of 356 Sqn.  611 is in the same OD over Night scheme as yours here, and with the same code letter 'W' ! 

 

Fantastic build as usual, I'm always most impressed with your skills with the hairy stick, and the choice of your subject.........and yes I probably say that each time. :winkgrin: I have the book on my watchlist and will place an order when I get back from holiday.

 

Thanks for the inspiration.

Cheers

Gaz

 

 

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GiddayTony, 

Fantastic job on the Liberator, love the scheme, one you don't see modelled often. Also really enjoyed the history behind this aircraft and the sad fate of her crew. I prefer to model aircraft that have some history, a story to be told, with my own builds too so I really appreciated you writing this.  

Thanks for sharing Mate. 

 

Cheers, 

Ash

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Thanks again for your very kind regards,....... I`m so glad that you appreciated, and didn`t mind the rather lengthy back story,..... unless we pass these stories of heroism on they will be lost forever!

On 28/02/2018 at 12:11 AM, Patrick Martin said:

As always - impressive.

I would love to try your non-airbrush method of painting - is there a link to where you explain this?

 

Pat Martin

Hello Pat,.....gosh I wish I had a quid for every time somebody asks how I brush paint,.....but no worries, glad to help if I can.

- Brushes,...... I use fine artists brushes and find that when covering larger areas a wide flat brush does the trick better as it is quicker to fill them in and uses less paint.

- Paints,.....I use various paints,....acrylics and enamels but prefer the old Polly Scale and Aeromaster acrylics,....however my stock is rapidly running down. I don`t generally thin my paints,....but when using Tamiya paints I find that mixing it with flow enhancer helps,....Vallejo 73.524 Thinner Medium is the one which works best.

- Method,...... I try to apply as little amount of paint as possible and find it easier to sand each coat and then apply another on top,....building the layers up rather than slopping it on. It usually takes 2-3 coats to get a decent finish and for the last one it is more of a dry brush application, scuffing the colour on. This scuffing also helps to flatten any brush marks from earlier coats and a final light sanding and buffing helps to flatten the paint again.

- Varnish,.... I always apply a coat of Humbrol 35 Gloss Varnish (from the large tins,....not the bottles or small tinlets) as this helps to level the paint again and provides a good basis for the decals. Another coat of gloss seals the decals into place and then the matt varnish,.... whichever one I can get,..... is applied in the same way as the paint layers,...... a final dry brushing/scuffing of the varnish helps to remove any brush marks. 

 

I do hope that this helps?

 

On 28/02/2018 at 7:22 AM, kiwitrogg said:

Hi Tony

My wife just asked me why I laughed out loud. 

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was building something you might be interested in, it's actually 2.  I'm just 3/4 through BZ862 of 354 Sqn, and made inroads on KL611 of 356 Sqn.  611 is in the same OD over Night scheme as yours here, and with the same code letter 'W' ! 

 

Fantastic build as usual, I'm always most impressed with your skills with the hairy stick, and the choice of your subject.........and yes I probably say that each time. :winkgrin: I have the book on my watchlist and will place an order when I get back from holiday.

 

Thanks for the inspiration.

Cheers

Gaz

 

 

Haha,....always the way eh Gaz! I had the same with my recent Sea Fury!! I`ll look forward to seeing your models when they are finished,

 

Cheers everybody,

                          Tony

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Hello,Tony - Here’s another beauty from TONYOT Aerospace to grace our screens.This Liberator looks superb.I wonder if this is the kit was the last minute treat from Huddersfield Show?☺️

All The Best,Paul.👏😉👍

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ToT,

 

Damn! That is one gorgeous Lib! Can't believe that it's brush-painted and that it's not the Hasegawa kit! The ole D sure looks different in this scheme as opposed to the OD/grey, desert sand/grey liveries. Well done, sir! Methinks I need to re-examine my Academy Libs!

Mike

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Hi Tony,

I'd seen your B-25 and missed this. Its another great model finished so well. The extract helps to put things into historical context.

Well done again!

Cheers

Terry

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On 01/03/2018 at 11:40 PM, mcdonnell said:

Hello,Tony - Here’s another beauty from TONYOT Aerospace to grace our screens.This Liberator looks superb.I wonder if this is the kit was the last minute treat from Huddersfield Show?☺️

All The Best,Paul.👏😉👍

Hiya Paul,.....yes it was mate!!! Glad you like it!

Cheers

        Tony

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