brewerjerry Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 (edited) Hi Whilst checking my notes for the ASR defiant thread, I noticed four hurricane serials with 276 Sqn, Z3298, Z3394, Z3672 and BE510 And just wondered if anyone had any info on them cheers Jerry Edited April 5, 2020 by brewerjerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossm Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 Haven't checked every month of the ORB but Spitfires appear in February 1943 as does a Master III. Tiger Moth appears in most months in the period I've checked - mid 42 to mid 43. Magister and Anson appear in March 43. No Hurricane spotted yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brewerjerry Posted April 4, 2020 Author Share Posted April 4, 2020 24 minutes ago, rossm said: Haven't checked every month of the ORB but Spitfires appear in February 1943 as does a Master III. Tiger Moth appears in most months in the period I've checked - mid 42 to mid 43. Magister and Anson appear in March 43. No Hurricane spotted yet. Hi Ross yeah got the ansons magister L8352, masters were DL579 AQ- , AZ537 t moths K4279, N6619, R4877, hornet moth AW118, sea otter JM764 and a piper cub ( no idea of serial ) defiants i think were used only from may 42 to may 43 cheers jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted April 5, 2020 Share Posted April 5, 2020 Hurricanes were used by 276 Sq. from December 1941 into 1942. I suggest that these were an early experiment in using fast fighters for search, or possibly to provide fighter cover for the vulnerable Lysanders. They also appearedl late in the war with other units, possibly in single numbers as liaison, but in larger numbers in 297 Sq from April to June 1945. 297 was never a Defiant unit, having Hudsons and Warwicks presumably carrying lifeboats - not a task for the Hurricane. Source: Coastal (etc.) Squadrons of the RAF. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossm Posted April 5, 2020 Share Posted April 5, 2020 No mention of Hurricanes in the ORB for that period that I can see. A Spitfire gets mentioned a couple of times in March 42. There are several references to fighter escorts and missed rendezvous. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted April 5, 2020 Share Posted April 5, 2020 Interesting that 'Squadrons only quote Spitfires from April, so perhaps the mention in March has drawn comment because they were new? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brewerjerry Posted April 5, 2020 Author Share Posted April 5, 2020 Hi Thanks for the replies seems maybe the only thing for me to to do , hopefully in the future , is to get copies of the a/c movement cards from hendon cheers jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl V Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 When I was editing and publishing High Flight, way back, in Vol. 2, Issue 1, ca. 1983, there was an article about John Spence, an RCAF pilot who flew Lysanders, Defiants and Walri with 277 Squadron RAF. There were a lot of illustrations, all of which I have, though I am uncertain as to their familiarity or otherwise. If brewerjerry would be interested I could probably dig out and scan the article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbob Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 1 hour ago, Carl V said: ...and Walri with 277 Squadron RAF. This made me do a double-take, and then wonder if the singular for "Wapiti" would be "Wapitus" In a desperate attempt to make this post relevant to the subject being discussed, I can't at present add anything about ASR Hurris, but I'm staying tuned! Carl, that sounds interesting- if you find it I'd like to see it. bob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsbody Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 Carl has sent me this to post here: " This is the only photograph depicting Hurricanes in the article I referred to in my previous post and which I will be scanning and posting here in the near future. The code letters TV on the Lysander are a bit of a mystery as I believe they were allotted to 4 Squadron. Can anybody enlighten me? Also, I will try and tweak the image to obtain the Hurricane serial but I have no great hopes. I believe this picture has appeared before but it may be new to some. " Chris, for Carl 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brewerjerry Posted April 6, 2020 Author Share Posted April 6, 2020 3 hours ago, Carl V said: When I was editing and publishing High Flight, way back, in Vol. 2, Issue 1, ca. 1983, there was an article about John Spence, an RCAF pilot who flew Lysanders, Defiants and Walri with 277 Squadron RAF. There were a lot of illustrations, all of which I have, though I am uncertain as to their familiarity or otherwise. If brewerjerry would be interested I could probably dig out and scan the article. Hi Yes please, any info helps managed to find my air brit BA-BZ serials BE510 was a hurricane IIc and was allocated to warmwell station flight as 276 Sqn was also based there it is possible it was an un official loan ? cheers jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brewerjerry Posted April 6, 2020 Author Share Posted April 6, 2020 17 minutes ago, dogsbody said: Carl has sent me this to post here: " This is the only photograph depicting Hurricanes in the article I referred to in my previous post and which I will be scanning and posting here in the near future. The code letters TV on the Lysander are a bit of a mystery as I believe they were allotted to 4 Squadron. Can anybody enlighten me? Also, I will try and tweak the image to obtain the Hurricane serial but I have no great hopes. I believe this picture has appeared before but it may be new to some. " Chris, for Carl Hi Many thanks great photo from the hurricane camo it might be between april 41 and aug 41 ( tail band & no black wing ) cheers jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brewerjerry Posted April 6, 2020 Author Share Posted April 6, 2020 (edited) Hi just found this link, to a book https://books.google.ca/books?id=cb2wDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT12&lpg=PT12&dq=4+squadron+asr+flights&source=bl&ots=e9eK1duNyY&sig=ACfU3U12JAn5f9F0zg7YAlxQFPnhiHfMoQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiysvGqs9ToAhUJqp4KHeGEBaAQ6AEwCXoECAMQAQ#v=onepage&q=4 squadron asr flights&f=false captions the lysander as hawkinge asr flight but still wearing 4 Sqn code letters P.S. I currently can't find any hurricane squadron based at hawkinge at this time ( only spitfires ) so maybe ? they are ASR hurricanes cheers jerry Edited April 6, 2020 by brewerjerry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 The early ASR operations were with Lysanders detached from existing squadrons, so they'd continue to carry the original codes. Sometimes these just carried on because no-one could be bothered to repaint them. Is the serial visible on the distant Hurricane? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsbody Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 Carl thought you folks might like to see this article from High Flight magazine. Part 1: Chris, for Carl 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsbody Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 Part 2: Chris, for Carl 4 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72modeler Posted April 7, 2020 Share Posted April 7, 2020 I think your Lysander photo might be of a No. 173 Squadron aircraft. See the link to the squadron history. There were two other WW2 squadrons that used TV codes that I found, No. 4 and No. 151, but they were not listed as having flown Lysanders. Mike https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._173_Squadron_RAF 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAS Posted April 7, 2020 Share Posted April 7, 2020 May I ask for a bit of non-modelling information relating to this thread? I live near Shoreham airport where 277 Squadron (in part) were based. Does anyone have any pictures of 277 aircraft at Shoreham, I have a few from the Air Sea Rescue film made there and at Newhaven but always interested in more pics? Many thanks 12622063_10153527437499005_3486163099722266532_o by Ray Staley, on Flickr 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColFord Posted April 8, 2020 Share Posted April 8, 2020 On 4/7/2020 at 10:03 AM, 72modeler said: I think your Lysander photo might be of a No. 173 Squadron aircraft. See the link to the squadron history. There were two other WW2 squadrons that used TV codes that I found, No. 4 and No. 151, but they were not listed as having flown Lysanders. Mike https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._173_Squadron_RAF No.IV(AC) Squadron RAF certainly operated Westland Lysanders. As an Army Co-operation Squadron they had been equipped with Lysanders pre-War, then took them to France in September 1939. They operated them throughout the Battle of France suffering major losses in aircraft, aircrew and groundcrew (around 60% of the Squadron's ground crew were lost - killed, missing, PoW). Reforming in the UK after the fall of France in 1940, still on Lysanders, they conducted anti invasion patrols along the English coast, participated in exercises with Army units, and also undertook air sea rescue patrols off the English coast. That was common with the experience and what is recorded in the Operational Record Books and pilot's log books for most of the RAF Army Cooperation Command Lysander squadrons for that time period. Even when No.IV(AC) Squadron started to re-equip with Tomahawks in mid 1941 they retained a flight of Lysanders to conduct some of the Army Cooperation requirements that the Tomahawk could not conduct. Similarly, by the time No.IV(AC) Squadron started to re-equip with N.A. Mustang Mk.I aircraft in mid-1942, they still retained a couple of Lysanders for use in a number of activities such as general liaison work, aerial photography and target towing duties for a number of months. No.IV(AC) Squadron Lysanders, Tomahawks and Mustangs all carried the Squadron TV identification codes. Given the apparent timeframe for the photograph of the Lysander alongside the two Hurricanes, this would be around the same timeframe No.IV(AC) Squadron was re-equipping with Tomahawks and so Lysanders surplus to their new authorised aircraft establishment would have been released for realocation to other units, such as the dedicated ASR Squadrons being formed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72modeler Posted April 8, 2020 Share Posted April 8, 2020 @ColFord. Colin, Thanks for the information! The listing of WW2 RAF codes that I use only had Mustangs and Tomahawks as being used by No. 4 Squadron. I appreciate your posting the corrected information. I hope I didn't mess up @brewerjerry's modeling project. I also think I misunderstood his wanting info on the Lysander in the photos instead of the Hurricanes. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brewerjerry Posted April 10, 2020 Author Share Posted April 10, 2020 On 4/8/2020 at 3:45 PM, 72modeler said: @ColFord. Colin, Thanks for the information! The listing of WW2 RAF codes that I use only had Mustangs and Tomahawks as being used by No. 4 Squadron. I appreciate your posting the corrected information. I hope I didn't mess up @brewerjerry's modeling project. I also think I misunderstood his wanting info on the Lysander in the photos instead of the Hurricanes. Mike Hi No prob's the thread drift was i think a good benefit to the thread and increased the info on ASR cheers jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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