OK, so who wants a UK based Sharkmouth Tomahawk?

[Dave Fleming]

Based at Hixon, pics from Stafforshire County historical archive site (Links to respect their copyright) - timescale would have to have been winter 1943

http://www.search.staffspasttrack.org.uk/e...p;resource=2579

http://www.search.staffspasttrack.org.uk/e...p;resource=2578

Edited October 3, 2011 by Dave Fleming

[thx6667]

Good find Mr F!

[Harry Lime]

A Tomahawk with DG/OG/MSG colours and a sharkmouth? I like the idea of that, it would certainly be a little different to the usual DE/MS/AB desert schemed suspects. I make the unit code to be BT and the aircraft letter to be H from the pic of the one on the runway, anyone want to agree or disagree?

That is a gem of a find Mr Fleming!

Mark.

A quick footnote, some sources from the net quote the serial for this Tomahawk to be AK128, but I can't be sure of the accuracy of this. Anyone able to confirm this?

Edited October 3, 2011 by Harry Lime

[Dave Fleming]

I reckon the serial is AK2?? possibly a 'AK22?' - the code is apparently BT rather than 8T (although I'm not convinced about that!)

I've known about these for a few years, but I remembered about them over the weekend!

Edit - found a copuple of simmer sites that reckon BT-H is AK128

Edited October 3, 2011 by Dave Fleming

[brewerjerry]

Hi

I often add 2 +2, and maybe make 10,

And wondered if this was the unit that had the sharkmouth whirlwind.

A by just the use of the sharkmouth

B a whirlwind could be seen in a sketch coded BT-Y, (drawn by a FAA pilot and on dislay at the FAA yeovilton museum)

C the fighter affiliation role

But the above is assumption as I say

1686 Bomber Defence Training Flight was attached to 30 OTU, maybe it borrowed the code from 30 OTU or the aircraft ?

( anyone able to check air brit serials ? )

No 30 Operational Training Unit Formed in No 93 Group on 28 June 1942 at Hixon, it was equipped with Wellingtons to train night bomber crews and by 1944 it was operating Wellington III and Xs. It also used a wide variety of other types for support activities including Defiants, Lysanders, Martinets, Oxfords, Masters, Hurricanes and Tomahawks. As the need for bomber crews diminished, the unit was reduced to three-quarter strength in October 1944, was transferred to No 91 Group and relocated to Gamston in February 1945, where it remained until disbanding on 12 June that year.

Codes used: - BT May 42 to Feb 45

There is another site can't find the link that has more photos, ( must be on my old computer )

cheers

Jerry

Edited October 3, 2011 by brewerjerry

[Dave Fleming]

Thomas/Flintham's Combat Codes lists BT as being used by both 1686Flt and 30 OTU. Their Tomahawk example is AH769/BT-G. I did correspond with Vic about these, and they were of the opinion it's a 'B'.

'AK122' is listed by one source as a 1686 Tomahawk.

[chaddy]

1686 Bomber Defence Training Flight was attached to 30 OTU, maybe it borrowed the code from 30 OTU or the aircraft ?

( anyone able to check air brit serials ? )

No 30 Operational Training Unit Formed in No 93 Group on 28 June 1942 at Hixon, it was equipped with Wellingtons to train night bomber crews and by 1944 it was operating Wellington III and Xs. It also used a wide variety of other types for support activities including Defiants, Lysanders, Martinets, Oxfords, Masters, Hurricanes and Tomahawks. As the need for bomber crews diminished, the unit was reduced to three-quarter strength in October 1944, was transferred to No 91 Group and relocated to Gamston in February 1945, where it remained until disbanding on 12 June that year.

Codes used: - BT May 42 to Feb 45

There is another site can't find the link that has more photos, ( must be on my old computer )

cheers

Jerry

I found this: http://www.hixonairfieldservices.co.uk/history.htm

[brewerjerry]

I found this: http://www.hixonairfieldservices.co.uk/history.htm

Hi

Know that is a nice wellington photo.

cheers

jerry

Edited October 3, 2011 by brewerjerry

[Harry Lime]

Another image from the same unit, but one which appears to show the cowling machine guns removed and the fairings for them blanked off. I think the second image confirms the wing guns were removed too, but I'm happy to be proved wrong. Would the removal of all the weapons be a standard thing across all the Bomber Defence Training Flights?

These images are actually posted on a 112 Squadron website, probably as they show sharkmouth Tomahawks, but someone has pointed out that they actually belong to 1686 BDTF.

http://raf-112-squadron.org/112_photos_page_7.html

Mark.

[John]

Nice - that's quite a sharkmouth! Wonder why the Sky spinner has been overpainted?

John

[brewerjerry]

Thomas/Flintham's Combat Codes lists BT as being used by both 1686Flt and 30 OTU. Their Tomahawk example is AH769/BT-G. I did correspond with Vic about these, and they were of the opinion it's a 'B'.

'AK122' is listed by one source as a 1686 Tomahawk.

Hi

AK122 & AH769 were both allocated to 1686 flt, ( I just found my air brit AA to AZ serials).

cheers

Jerry

[hacker]

Nice - that's quite a sharkmouth! Wonder why the Sky spinner has been overpainted?

John

Probably just because it would look better in black?

[tonyot]

I`ve known about these Tomahawks for years after seeing photos of them in an old issue of Flypast (back when it had really interesting historical content!!) but I`ve only just noticed the anti glare exhaust stubs on these Tomahawks after viewing these pics. The stubs have `porcupine' like extensions a bit like those seen on the Beaufighter!!

Thanks for recindling my interest in these Tomahawks Dave,

Cheers

Tony O

[Dave Fleming]

Hi

AK122 & AH769 were both allocated to 1686 flt, ( I just found my air brit AA to AZ serials).

cheers

Jerry

Anything on an 'AK22' series one? (I wouldn't ask you to check all the AK2**s!)

[Dave Fleming]

Another image from the same unit, but one which appears to show the cowling machine guns removed and the fairings for them blanked off. I think the second image confirms the wing guns were removed too, but I'm happy to be proved wrong. Would the removal of all the weapons be a standard thing across all the Bomber Defence Training Flights?

These images are actually posted on a 112 Squadron website, probably as they show sharkmouth Tomahawks, but someone has pointed out that they actually belong to 1686 BDTF.

http://raf-112-squadron.org/112_photos_page_7.html

Mark.

Thanks Mark - also shows that the mouth had a lip round it. I'd imagine that BDTF aircraft would have had no need for guns, so they would have been removed as (a) lighter to fly and ( they could have been used elsewhere?

I'd imagine the spinner was overpainted to make the aircraft more difficult to track for the bomber gunners in beam attacks (and more like the German aircraft)

I've played about but have never been able to find an existing sharkmouth that matched this style - and my painting skills aren't good enough to hand paint it!

Good spot on the exhausts Tony - will check other RAF Tomahawks, but 1685 aircraft had similar exhausts

[brewerjerry]

Anything on an 'AK22' series one? (I wouldn't ask you to check all the AK2**s!)

Hi

AK210 to AK224, AK226 to AK241 lost at sea en route to UK.

only one made it.

AK225 231/Ouston/409 swung on landing acklington undercarriage collapsed 30.9.43.

cheers

Jerry

[Miggers]

Great find Dave.

I've been wanting to do a Fighter Affiliation kite for ages,and to find one that was

actually based in the county I live in is a bonus.

In addition to those fancy exhausts,notice that the fuselage gun tubes are blanked off or was that

a standard practice for RAF Tomahawks?.

Mark

[alvin5182]

Another interesting item present is the day fighter yellow leading edge on the wings. I've seen 414 Sqn photos with the same exhausts and the yellow leading edges.

Alvin5182