Assistance please... details for Beaufighter T5258

[Jim Kiker]

Hi all,

 

So we have Beaufighter T5258, coded as ND-B from 236 Squadron.  On 1 Jun 1943 she sank a German submarine using 25 lb rockets.  I would like to find pictures of her although I am without luck in that part of the search.  I do know what her markings should have been but I'd like more.  In addition, I have a list of Beaufighter serials which identifies this a/c as a Mk I; however, in the book "The Strike Wings: Special Anti-Shipping Squadrons 1942-45," Roy Conyers Nesbit ID's this plane as a Mk VIC.  If the list of serial blocks I have found is correct, I would expect this a/c would have flat tail planes, versus the VIC which would, I think, have the canted tails.  As I read material however, there were some instances where the flat tail planes were seen on later series a/c, and a few canted tail planes of Mk I's.  So much for intuition!  Can anyone help me unravel this knot of data?

 

My targeted kit is the Tamiya Mk VIC /Mk X in 1/48 scale.  For a late MK I I would prefer the flat tail planes but I know there are corrected horizontal tails for both flat and canted tails for this kit.

 

Thanks in advance, Jim

[Dervish]

The Air-Britain serial listing has this built as a Mk VI, the only difference from the Mk I being the higher power Hercules engines. Canted tailplanes were introduced in production at some point but also embodied on earlier aircraft as a modification, so for earlier production aircraft, the Mk number is not a guide. To be definitive you’ll need a photo of the actual aircraft.

[Seahawk]

The aircraft with the nearest serial to T5258 that I have notes on is T5273 H of 46 Squadron, Edku, Egypt, in December 1942.  Chaz Bowyer's Beaufighter At War has 5 photos of this aircraft on p.72 and Simon Parry's Beaufighter Squadrons In Focus (Red Kite) has 2 on p.37.  Angle of tailplanes ought to be visible in at least 1 of those photos but even then reading across to T5258 is something of a leap of faith.  Afraid I can't help further as I don't have access to either book at present.

 

HTH

[dogsbody]

You could take a look through the IWM Beaufighter photos, to see if there's anything there. If/when you see anything interesting, just click on the image for a larger view. 

 

If you want to save an image, click on the red USE IMAGE box, then on DOWNLOAD. The image can then be saved.

 

 

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/search?query=Bristol Beaufighter&pageSize=&media-records=all-records&style=image

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[rossm]

'Search, Find and Kill' by Norman Franks also has it as a VIC, operating from Predannack. The Mark may be derived from the ORB which just has a general heading for the page of aircraft types as VIC.

 

Looking through the ORB it was not the first attack on a U Boat by a 236 Sqdn Beaufighter but it was the first successful one.

[Jim Kiker]

Hi all,

 

Thank you for the information and source references.

 

For rossm, thanks for the clarity for this attack- first successful 236 Sqn sub sinking.  Were they the first Beaufighter crew to sink a sub?  I have that impression but confirmation (or not) would be most helpful.

 

Cheers and thanks, Jim

[rossm]

Sorry, I'm locked down away from my references so I can only tell you what is on my laptop which relates to Devon and Cornwall airfields only. For those counties it was the only successful Beaufighter attack on a U-Boat, there was another partially succesful one on 12th June when 3 aircraft of 248 Squadron damaged U-441. Anyone with 'Search, Find and Kill" by Norman Franks can check for you although it will take some time as you have to scan every page in the book!

[Muddyf]

Just to throw some more info, my venerable ‘British Military Aircraft serials 1912-1963’ (publish 1964) has Serial T5258 as a Beaufighter I/VI in the series block that several aircraft sent to Australia (as A19) serials. Preceding aircraft T5255 became A19-88 and subsequent T5264 became A19-87 and photos show flat tail planes on both aircraft.

 

[brewerjerry]

Hi

    If you have time, a search of this website might bring the answer, i tried just using  search term ' beaufighter' 

 

seems the sinking by 236Sqn might be more of a probable ? 

 

https://uboat.net/boats/u418.htm

 

 

 

losses by date in 1943 

 

 

https://uboat.net/fates/losses/1943.htm

 

 

 

cheers

   jerry 

 

Edited May 25, 2020 by brewerjerry

[Jim Kiker]

Welcome Muddyf and Jerry, the more the merrier as they say.

 

Thanks to Muddyf for the information, if only I had a few pictures of this particular machine!

 

For Jerry, I too have seen a couple of write-ups regarding the Catalina sinking the same u-boat.  Of course the same boat wasn't sunk twice; that said, the Catalina got shot up pretty badly so the Germans must have spotted them before they got dropped their depth bombs (not sure what ordnance).  I think it possible that the Catalina damaged the sub and T5258 finished the job the next day.  On the other hand, mistakes get made when entering information onto official logs and that could just as easily have occurred.  Anyone with further evidence for this attack want to chime in?  I have copies of the write-up from Nesbit's well known book and also “Coastal Command's Air War Against the German U-Boats,” plus the entry in the ORB (passed to me as plain text).

 

Cheers, Jim

Edited May 25, 2020 by Jim Kiker

[Geoffrey Sinclair]

On ‎25‎/‎05‎/‎2020 at 02:29, Muddyf said:

Just to throw some more info, my venerable ‘British Military Aircraft serials 1912-1963’ (publish 1964) has Serial T5258 as a Beaufighter I/VI in the series block that several aircraft sent to Australia (as A19) serials. Preceding aircraft T5255 became A19-88 and subsequent T5264 became A19-87 and photos show flat tail planes on both aircraft.

The RAAF states A9-93, ex EL438 was the first dihedral tail Beaufighter delivered, arriving in January 1943.  A19-73 to -93 (and beyond) were mark VIc, T or EL serials.  The ADF Serials A19 Beaufighter page has a number of photographs.

 

T5258 was a mark VIc.

 

The Book U-boats destroyed by Paul Kemp credits U-418 as sunk by "B" or 236 squadron, on 1 June 1943, 56.31N, 8.55W, F/O M.C. Bateman as pilot, Lt-Cdr. F.J. Brookes RN specialist ASW officer as observer, 4 rockets fired, only evidence was a large patch of green water, attack graded as serious damage, later (September) upgraded to a kill, and the pilot received the DFC.  No mention of the 30 May 1943 attack by Catalina G/210 Squadron.

 

Coastal Command's weekly report notes on 30 May 1943 in the Bay of Biscay, a Catalina dropped 4x270 (250?) pound Torpex depth charges on a U-boat which slowed down.  For 1 June in the Bay of Biscay a Beaufighter fired 8 rockets at a U-boat which entered the water short of the target, no results seen.