model aircraft 2014-10

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Vol 13 Iss 10 October 2014 4.25SPECIAL

DUTIES VENTUR

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HISTORY AND SCA

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PART 2 SABRE D

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Special Ventura

Modelling the Revell Ventura Mk II in 1575 (SD) FlightColours & MarkingsBy Tony OToole

30

Contents www.sampublications.com4

Cover Artwork by John Foxwww.design-phoenix.com

Red Banner FighterPart Two Sabre Dancing

By Leonid Krylov and YuriyTepsurkaev

The Lockheed Ventura in Commonwealth Service Part 4

Ventura Mk IIs in action over Italy part 1By Tony OToole

Red LeaderPepelyaevs Korean War MiG

By Bill Bunting

Scaling down a Sea GodThe P-8A Poseidon in 1/144

By Mike Verier

IPMS UK Column (Chris Ayre)

Kit News

Accessories News

Decal News

WorkbenchPearl of the Sky

Events

Shop & Web Guide

And Finally

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42

Airwars in Focus

Flying with the TigersA look at the history of No.74 Squadron By Andy Evans

24A Bit on the SideVogts Ugly Baby the BV 141By Ben Bailey

20The Avro Anson in RAFService

A Photo EssayBy Tony O`Toole

6

04-05-Contents-MA-1014_MAM-08 12/09/2014 16:46 Page 4

Enigma Variations

Spitfire back seat drivers By Andy Brook

34 The Sea God LandsClose-up of Boeings P-8A PoseidonBy Mike Verier

46Take the TRAMSecond Time Intruder By Garry F. Prettyman.

38

5CONTENTS

VOLUME 13 ISSUE 10

Model Aircraft | October 2014

The Past, the Present and theShape of Things to Come

Viva Espania andSwedish Rhapsody

AgainWaddington International Air Show 2014By Ray Ball

50

Having just worked through this month's material, Ihave to take my hat off to the various contributorswhose work has made up this issue. It really is oneof the best Ive seen for ages.

Im also pleased with the new format, as it enables me to gauge thecontent better and ensure that the core historical material is betterrepresented. In this issue it has been my very great pleasure to cram it in

so tightly that I can guarantee we have morevalue per page than we ever have before if

youre looking for quality aviation and modellingjournalism, that is.

Historically we have part two of the fascinating eye-witness account from the Soviet side of the fence in Korea,along with Tony OTooles in-depth research on the VenturaMk II a subject that gets covered in the modelling sectionalso. The Anson photo feature gave me no end of pleasuretoo, as it is among my very favourite aircraft, ranking upthere with the Fw 58 and the Blackburn Skua.

Modelling and history cross over a few times this month, with the 1/72MiG-15, 1/48 Ventura and some fascinating insights into a couple of over-looked Spitfire sub-types. Andy Brookes work is redolent of this magazinein the heyday of Neil Robinson, and he has not only done the research, buthe has built the models too!

Right up to the minute is this months helping of modern stuff fromMike Verier, with a walkaround of the new P-8A at RIAT, along with ascratch conversion from a Revell kit in 1/144, and this is joined in the

Contemporary section by a photo report fromWaddington, just to make sure we havesomething in for everybody.

So, a packed and essential issue this month.Plenty of everything for everyone, and lots moreof the same to come!

Model Aircraft just got better again!

Gary HatcherEditorModel Aircraft

04-05-Contents-MA-1014_MAM-08 12/09/2014 16:47 Page 5

www.sampublications.com

Inception

The Avro Anson, or `Faithful Annie' as it wasoften called, has a number of claims to fame,being the first monoplane twin-enginedaircraft to enter RAF service, the first to have

a retractable undercarriage and it was one of the morelong-lived aircraft of its era, serving with the RAF forover thirty years between 1936 and 1968. The originaldesign was adapted from a civilian passenger aircraftknown as the Avro 652 ordered by Imperial Airways,

and this was so successful that the Air Ministryapproached Avro during May 1934 to see if their chiefdesigner Roy Chadwick could adapt the Avro 652 to filla requirement they had for a coastal patrol type, whichwould result in specification 18/35. Thus the Avro 652Aor Anson was born, and powered by a pair ArmstrongSiddeley Cheetah engines the first one flew on the31st December 1935, and the first RAF unit to receivethe type was 48 Sqn which received its first examplesthree months later.

WartimeWhen war broke out the Anson was in widespread service withCoastal Command in the general reconnaissance (i.e. coastalreconnaissance) role but it was already in the process of beingreplaced by the more modern American Lockheed Hudson, whichwas faster and had a longer range plus a larger bomb load.Nevertheless the Anson still proved effective and over the EnglishChannel on 1st June 1940 an Anson from 500 Sqn Auxiliary Air Forcemanaged to down two Bf 109E fighters! By 1941 the Anson was

Photo EssayThe Avro Anson inRAF ServiceBy Tony O`Toole(All Photos - Tony O`Toole Photo Collection)

THE AVRO ANSON IN RAF SERVICE6

Another 502 (Ulster) Sqn AAF Anson Mk I, this time after the codes had changed following the commencement of hostilities. Thecodes were changed to YG and YG-O here appears to be N5713, still serving at RAF Aldergrove during late 1939 or early 1940 asthe yellow outline has yet to be added to the red white and blue A Type roundel on the fuselage and no fin stripes are present.The undersides appear to be silver and the upper surfaces are Dark Green and Dark Earth

Seen wearing its pre-war codes KQ-E during 1939, this Anson Mk I is serving with 502 (Ulster) Sqn of the Auxiliary Air Force based at RAF Aldergrove, Northern Ireland and used for coastal patrolduties, note the red hand of Ulster situated within the star marking on the tail fin. It wears red and blue B Type roundels and although the codes should be Medium Sea Grey, they actuallyappear white

Anson Mk Is were used operationally by Coastal Commandfrom 1939 well into 1941 and this trio of 48 Sqn aircraft areseen flying over the Mersey estuary during 1940 while basedat RAF Hooton Park near Ellesmere Port, which was ideallysituated to protect the sea lanes approaching the vitallyimportant docks at Liverpool

06-12-Avro-Anson-HIST-MA-1014_MAM-08 12/09/2014 16:08 Page 6



The Anson also served in an operational training role and at the start of the war this duty wascarried out by squadrons such as 185 Sqn, which was a Bomber Command Hampden trainingunit based at RAF Cottesmore. Anson Mk I, N9832 of this unit bears the codes GL-G and istaxiing out for a training sortie on the snow during the winter of 1939-40

Another role undertaken by the Anson Mk I was Air Sea Rescue, by searching for downed crews anddropping emergency supplies to them. One of the units to fly the type was 278 Sqn, which alsooperated the Lysander and later the Spitfire, Sea Otter and Warwick. In this photo Tiger MothR5059 of this unit, coded MY, can be seen alongside a pair of Ansons, one of which is EG540 coded G

Ansons were also used overseas and this early Mk I with the original sloping windscreen isL9145, which was used by the C-in-C Middle East during 1940. It is seen here wearing a DarkGreen/ Dark Earth and black colour scheme in the desert at Summit landing ground alongside adesert camouflaged Wellesley coded KU from 47 Sqn

This Anson is NK530 and represents the specialised transport variant of the Mk I that had astrengthened floor and was designated the Mk X. It served with 1697 Flight, RAF HendonStation Flight, 2nd Tactical Air Force Comms Sqn, 575 Sqn and the Airborne Forces ExperimentalEstablishment, which moved to RAF Beaulieu in 1945 and this is most probably the location ofthe photo. Although NK530 has the late-style smooth engine cowlings, which were common tomost mid-late war Ansons, it is strange in having a gun turret fitted and stranger still this turretappears to be set higher than usual, much like those fitted to some Marylands. As the AFEE wasinvolved in trials of parachute and glider technology this `enlarged' turret may have been usedas a cupola for filming parachute drops until NK530 was finally struck off charge on 30.6.49

Mk I

The Avro Anson Mk I was the most numerousversion of the aircraft. A total of 6,742 wereproduced, 3,935 at Woodford and the rest atYeadon. It was powered by two Armstrong SiddeleyIX radial engines, it was usually armed with twomachine guns one fixed forward-firing Vickers gunin the nose and one Lewis gun in a dorsal turret, butat least one was unofficially fitted with a 20mmcannon and in the trainer role the guns were oftenomitted. The bomb load was a miniscule 360lb,contained in cells under the wing centre section.

Mk II

This was the first Anson to be produced entirely inCanada and it was powered by two Jacobs L-6MBengines. Most of the fuselage was the same as inthe Mk I apart from the nose, which was made ofmoulded plywood, and it was equipped withhydraulically operated flaps and landing gear. Thefirst Mk II flew on 21st August 1941 and 1,832were produced.

Mk III

The Mk III and Mk IV both appeared before the Mk IIand were produced for the British CommonwealthAir Training Plan, with the fuselage built in Britainand the wings in Canada, and the Mk III waspowered by Jacobs L-6MB engines.

Mk IV

The Mk IV again combined a British built fuselagewith Canadian wings and it was powered by twoWright Whirlwind R-975-E3 engines. A total of 223Mk IIIs and Mk IVs were built before productionmoved to the all-Canadian built Mk II.

Mk V

The Mk V was a development of the Canadian MkII and this time the entire fuselage was producedfrom moulded wood. The square windows of theearlier models were replaced by circular portholesand the Mk V was powered by two 450hp Pratt &Whitney R-985-AN-12B engines. The Mk V couldaccommodate five trainees, compared to three inthe earlier models, and 1,050 Mk Vs wereproduced.

Mk X

The Mk X was a transport version of the Ansonbased on the basic Mk I. It was built in Britain andfitted with a reinforced cabin floor but it stillretained the manually operated hand crankedlanding gear.103 Mk Xs were produced at Yeadon.

Mk XI and Mk XII

The Anson Mk XI and XII were the first to featurethe later style of raised roof designed to increaseheadroom inside and were also equipped withhydraulically operated flaps and landing gear. TheMk XI was powered by the 395hp Cheetah XIXengine while the Mk XII used the 420hp CheetahXV. 91 Mk XIs and 254 Mk XIIs were produced,beginning in 1944. Late production Mk XIIs weregiven an all-metal wing under the designation MkXII Series 2.

Mk 18

The Anson Mk 18 was a version of the C.19ordered for the Royal Afghan Air Force andequipped for police duty. Twenty-five Mk 18s werebuilt, twelve for Afghanistan and the rest for India.

Mk C.19

As the end of the war came close the BrabazonCommittee was established to examine how toconvert the British aircraft industry to civilproduction. The Anson C.19 was first developedduring 1945 to match the Brabazon CommitteesSpecification 19 for a small passenger aircraft andit saw civil service as the Avro 19. Based on the MkXI, the C.19 could be distinguished by five ovalwindows on each side of the fuselage and it had aproperly furnished interior suitable for VIPpassengers. Between 1945 and 1946 264 C.19swere produced, twenty by converting Mk XIIs andthe rest as new production.

T.20

The T.20 was a post-war development of theAnson, built as a training aircraft for SouthernRhodesia. Fifty-nine were built, starting in 1947.

T.21

The T.21 was a navigation trainer produced forFlying Training Command. 252 were producedbetween 1948 and 1952 and a T.21 was the lastAnson to be completed.

T.22

The final variant of the Anson was the T.22 radiotrainer. Fifty-four examples of this model werebuilt, starting in 1948.

Production Versions


www.sampublications.comTHE AVRO ANSON IN RAF SERVICE8

Just to represent the worldwide training role undertaken by the Anson during WW2, especially as part of the Empire Air Training Plan, this photo depicts Anson Mk I, DG824/19 from 6 SFTS atMallala, Southern Australia in 1945. Australia was a pre-war customer for the Anson but this particular aircraft is a wartime EATP Anson finished in overall Trainer Yellow and it wears the blueand white roundels and fin flashes adopted by the RAAF in the Pacific to prevent confusion with the red Japanese Hinomaru. The white fin and rudder tip is a flight marking

Towards the end of WW2 an extensive redesign of the Ansonwith a larger and taller cabin area was made, and one of thefirst to see military service was Anson Mk XI, PH734 which isseen in service on the continent here with 85 GroupCommunications Squadron, which was again part of 2nd TacticalAir Force. It wears the standard transport camouflage of DarkSlate Grey and Extra Dark Sea Grey with Azure Blue undersides

The redesign of the Anson was further refined with the appearance of the Anson C.XIX which later became known as the C.19when an Arabic numbering system was adopted. This variant utilised smaller cabin windows instead of the larger squarewindows of the earlier variants, and the overall silver aircraft seen here at Nicosia in Cyprus is VP534, a C.19 Series 2 aircraftoperated in the Middle East between 1947-49 by the Levant Communications Flight and later the RAF Nicosia Station Flight.

This rather plain looking Anson C.19 in its overall silver scheme is PH845, which is probablyseen here serving with its first unit, the 47 Group Communications Squadron

Anson C.19, VP524 coded `L' and wearing a silver and white scheme with a blue cheat line,possibly during its last spell of service with the 18 Group Comms Flight during the early 1960s,this group forming part of Coastal Command in the UK

Another Anson Mk XI, this is PH616, which now wears a post-war overall silver finish. It servedas transport for the British Air Attach in Panama and may have been converted to Anson C.19status later but it was sold on 3.11.48 onto the Mexican Civil Register where it became XA-GOXor XA-GOZ, according to conflicting sources

Seen visiting a night fighter station equipped with Meteor NF.14s, this Anson C.19 is VL354which wears the early transport scheme of silver with a white cabin roof


THE AVRO ANSON IN RAF SERVICE

being phased out of operational service but it was already provingideal as a twin-engined pilot and crew trainer and for light transportduties, and this was the niche that it would fill for most of the war.Before war broke out many embryo bomber units had also formedon Ansons until more modern operational types became available,and Operational Training Units also operated the type but when theEmpire Air Training Plan was devised the Anson became one of thestandard trainers to equip its training schools and over 3,000 were inuse, many of which were produced in Canada.

Serving at various pilot training, air gunnery, navigational airbombing and wireless training schools throughout theCommonwealth from the UK to Canada, South Africa, Rhodesia, NewZealand and Australia the Anson went on to become the mount ofthousands of trainee pilots, navigators, air gunners and bombaimers, and it also served extensively in the communications role,especially with the Air Transport Auxiliary, which used them as `airtaxis' for their ferry pilots. Some Ansons even flew in the Air SeaRescue role with several squadrons and after the D-Day landings

Model Aircraft | October 2014 9

Seen here in the last days of WW2, this Anson Mk I, NK325 coded AQ belongs to 276 Sqn,which was based in Belgium to provide Air Sea Rescue cover for the 2nd Tactical Air Force.The unit was also equipped with Spitfires, Walrus and Sea Otters and on the 23rd August1945 it transferred to Kjevik in Norway following the liberation of this country, but returnedto Dunsfold in the UK during November 1945 where it disbanded. Anson NK325 went on tojoin the Royal Netherlands Air Force in November 1946 as D-18 and in the wartime photo itwears the distinctive C1 Type upper wing roundel adopted by 2nd TAF during January 1945.It was most likely finished in a Dark Earth and Dark Green finish with Sky undersides, thecodes are red and note that the blue of the left hand upper wing roundel is much lighterthan that on the right

This Anson C.19 Series 2 is VP519, which served with the Transport Command DevelopmentUnit, Malta Comms Flt, 31 Sqn, the Metropolitan Comms Sqn, 11 Group Comms Flt and theFighter Command Comms Sqn until sold on 19.2.68

Another Anson C.19, this is VM363 wearing the code K on its silver and white transport finish. It served with theCommunications Flights of 61 & 63 Groups, the Metropolitan Comms Sqn & 116 Sqn

Anson C.19 TX214 is preserved in Transport Command colours at the RAFM Cosford

Cockpit of an Anson C.19


www.sampublications.comTHE AVRO ANSON IN RAF SERVICE10

A trainer version of the updated Anson also existed as the Anson T.21 and here is a colour view of VV964 wearing the initial trainer scheme of overall silver with yellow trainer bands on the wingsand rear fuselage. Like many Ansons this aircraft operated with a number of units such as 1 Bombing and Navigation School (1.BANS), Home Command Communications Sqn (HCCS), FlyingTraining Command Communications Sqn (FTCCS), 16 Reserve Flying School and the RAF Marham Station Flight

Demonstrating the planform of the redesigned metal wings fitted to most of the large-cabin Ansons and seen shortly after it was built in 1952 with the training scheme of silver with yellowtrainer bands, this is Anson T.21, WJ561. It actually went on to fly in the transport role with the 22 Group Communications Sqn with which it served until it was withdrawn from use in 1960

Although they were built as trainers, some Anson T.21s alsoflew in the transport role and vice-versa but whatever schemethey wore the trainers could usually be identified by theirastrodome on the roof. This Anson T.21 is VV881, which servedwith the RAF West Malling Station Flight, although it didoriginally serve in its designated role with Central Navigationand Control School before being re-roled and repainted fortransport duties at West Malling where it served until 1960

Wearing a silver and dayglo orange scheme, this is Anson C.19 TX213, which was built at Yeadon during 1946. It had a long career,serving with the Communications Flights of Reserve Command, 2, 18, 22 and 61 Groups, 2nd Tactical Air Force plus 527 Sqn, theCentral Signals Establishment, the Officer Cadet Training Unit and finally the Western Comms Sqn before retiring in 1968


THE AVRO ANSON IN RAF SERVICEModel Aircraft | October 2014 11

Anson T.22, VV367 coded O-S of the RAF Technical College based at RAF Henlow, but it became an instructional airframe as 7232M during July 1955

Many Ansons served with Station Flights and this one is another T.21 trainer, WB451, which was operated by RAF Biggin Hill whose title appears within the blue cheat line. Built for the trainingrole, it served with the Central Navigation School which was later combined with the Control School to become the SNCS, and after service in the transport role at Biggin Hill it went on to join 13Group Comms Flt before retiring in May 1960

Anson Mk I, NK941/603/C in service as a radar trainer (known as `classroom') for Firefly nightfighter observers and flown under contract by Air Service Training at Hamble during 1949,having previously served with 783 NAS. It was finished in overall Trainer Yellow with pre-warstyle roundels. It has the later smooth style engine cowlings and the pitot has beenrepositioned to above the nose in order to fit the radar pod on a pylon under the nose

Seen here again later in its career, still in radar trainer or `classroom' configuration but with the radar pod removed here, this is Anson Mk I, NK94 again, this time in a silver finish with yellowtrainer bands and wearing the code 604 of 750 NAS at St Merryn in 1952. It entered naval service with 799 NAS at Lee on Solent in 1946 as a radar trainer and went on to join 781 NAS, 783 NASand 51 MAG at Lee on Solent, then Air Service Training at Hamble, then after St Merryn it joined the Station Flight at Gosport until it was stripped for spares in 1955

Another overall yellow naval Anson Mk I, this is NK836, which had served with 720 NAS at Fordas FD8A & 602/FD before conversion into Classroom Type C status at Stretton as seen here in1950. It passed around various storage units at Stretton, Anthorn & Culham until it waseventually SoC during February 1955



Ansons were used to fly fresh bread into the beachhead, adornedwith black and white invasion stripes. Others flew with anti-aircraftcalibration units but another secretive but extremely vital role wasin radar countermeasures and wireless intelligence duties wherespecially equipped Ansons were responsible for finding and bendingthe German Knickebein and other radar beams which led Luftwaffebombers to their targets in the UK.

Post WarAfter World War Two the Anson remained in service with the RAF inthe trainer and light transport role but a comprehensive redesignhad taken place towards the end of the war under the auspices ofthe Brabazon Committee, which had been established to helpconvert the British aircraft industry for civil production. This led to

the Anson Mk XI and XII, which had a larger cabin area with a raisedroof line that was more passenger friendly, and by this timehydraulically operated flaps and undercarriage were also fitted,finally dispensing with the well known Anson feature of handcranking these features. Later production Mk XIIs were also fittedwith a redesigned all-metal wing under the designation Mk XIISeries 2, and the next variant was the Anson C.19, which had thesame sized cabin but now with five smaller windows on each sideand this was also produced as the civil Avro 19. Between 1945 and1946 264 C.19s were produced, twenty by converting Mk XIIs andthe rest as new production aircraft. The Anson C.19 remained in useas a light transport and communications aircraft with the RAF until1968 and its last official mission was a flypast by aircraft of theSouthern Communications Squadron on 28 June 1968. MA


This Anson Mk I is NK201/ 999 /SZ from the Belfast Station Flight in 1954-55 wearing an overall silver scheme and large Royal Navy titles applied to the fuselage. It had previously seen RAFservice with 2nd Tactical Air Force Comms Sqn and 119 Sqn but was then converted into a radar trainer for the Fleet Air Arm, serving with 778 & 720 NAS`s at Ford, 792 NAS at Culdrose and theTelecommunications Flying Unit at Defford. During 1950 it was converted again to the communications role by Avro at Bracebridge Heath and went on to serve with the Gosport Stn Flt untilfinishing its service in Northern Ireland in 1955

Finished in a later scheme of overall silver with yellowtrainer bands on the wings, this naval radar trainer with aradar pod fitted under the nose is Anson Mk I, LT304/601,possibly seen during its period of service oncommunications duties with the TelecommunicationsFlying Unit at Defford during 1954

Anson C.19, VL348, seen wearing trainer colours at the Newark Air Museum


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On the following day pilots of the divisionencountered the enemy for the first time.The results of the first air engagement withSabres were not very favourable for pilots of

the 176th GvIAP. Shooting down one F-86, theregiment lost three MiG-15s and one pilot to Sabreattacks (Senior Lieutenant Nikitchenko was killed inthe air engagement). A flight of eight aircraft of the196th IAP, headed by Captain B.V. Bokach, leader ofthe 2nd Squadron, was more successful. Bokach's

MiGs, protecting a bridge across the Yalu River,conducted an air engagement with a numericallysuperior group of Sabres. The pilots acted incompliance with the order, given by the regimentalcommander: not to lose any aircraft in the first aircombats, while victories would be scored later, as thepilots gained experience. Not only did pilots of the196th Regiment fulfil their commander's order to theletter, but also helped their colleagues from the 176thGvIAP. Divisional commander I.N. Kozhedub wrote inhis combat report on 3 April: The squadronencountered up to twenty enemy F-86 fighters at analtitude of 3000m over the bridge, and rebuffed enemyattacks by barrage fire from under our aircraft, whichhad taken off before it, without engaging in an activedog-fight. The squadron conducted the air engagementin an orderly manner, and returned to its home base atfull strength It was definitely a success for the firstair combat - three months of intensive training paidoff. Pepelyaev had managed to train his pilots to alevel comparable to that of Sabre pilots.

The Commander of the 196th IAP did not participate in the firstcombat sorties himself, as various issues pertaining to organisingcombat operations of the regiment kept him on the ground. Only aweek later did he manage to carry out his first combat mission.

At 1007 hours Beijing time on 8 April the divisional commanderscrambled fourteen MiGs of the 196th Regiment. Lieutenant ColonelPepelyaev led a team of eight aircraft from the 3rd Squadron, whileCaptain Antipov, the squadron leader of the 1st Squadron, headedsix aircraft from his squadron. At the same time the radars detectedan RB-45C reconnaissance aircraft flying at a distance of 130 kmfrom Antung at an altitude of 10,800 m towards the base airfield. Itwas escorted by a flight of Sabre fighters. I.N. Kozhedub ordered

Pepelyaev's team to intercept and destroy the reconnaissanceaircraft. E.G. Pepelyaev recalls:

My first combat sortie was interesting due to the behaviour ofthe aircraft mechanic, rather than my own behaviour. When I drove tothe aircraft to take off, many pilots were already sitting in theircockpits and starting the engines. The mechanic of my aircraft stoodpale, and instead of reporting that the aircraft was ready to take offand helping me into the cockpit, he fearfully asked: Are you reallygoing to fly now?

I answered rather rudely something like: Stop wailing for me anddo what you have to: help me into the cockpit and start the engine!The mechanic was very embarrassed and did everything clumsily.

Try to imagine the state of mind of a pilot in his first airengagement, especially in the beginning, when closing in on theenemy. From my experience, I can say that during the first combatswith F-86s I was afraid both for myself and my brothers-in-arms. Iwas constrained and overly tense and took unreasonable decisions

Red Banner FighterPart 2 Sabre DancingEvgeniy G. Pepelyaev - the foremost Soviet ace of the Korean WarBy Leonid Krylov and Yuriy Tepsurkaev, Colour views by Yuriy Tepsurkaev

RED BANNER FIGHTER PART 216

Senior Lieutenant F.A. Shebanov (six victories in Korea). On 4April 1951 he gained the second victory of the 196th IAPover an F-86

MiG-15, c/n 108023, of the 196th IAP, damaged in air combat. Antung Airfield, April 1951

Camera-gun shot from the aircraft of Senior LieutenantShebanov. 4 April 1951, target - F-86, distance - 250 m, aspectangle - 0/4, two medium bursts from three cannons

16-19-Soviet-Korean-HIST-MA-1014_MAM-08 12/09/2014 16:08 Page 16

when carrying out one manoeuvre or other. I do not think that I wasthe only one to have experienced such feelings, thoughts, and actions,but rather all pilots, whether they had had combat experience beforeor not, felt the same things to various degrees.

My first air engagement was as follows. I headed a team of eightfighters to intercept a reconnaissance aircraft. We climbed to altitudeand closed in on the enemy. The reconnaissance aircraft was escortedby four Sabres, with the fighters flying slightly back and above. Istarted to approach the aircraft from the rear, but I also saw an enemydrop behind my fighter. Then I told the leader of the second flight:Attack the reconnaissance aircraft, and I will restrain the fighters! Myflight engaged the four Sabres. I almost managed to get to one ofthem from the rear. It was such a feelingMy heart pounded so hard,I thought I could hear it, as if somebody were hitting me on the head. Itook a deep breath, thinking that I was going to shoot him down rightabout now! But of course, I did not shoot down a damn thingI sawthe second pair of Sabres closing in on me from behind, and I switchedmy attention to them. We whirled around some more and thereconnaissance aircraft managed to fly away. One of the pilots fromthe second flight took an excellent picture of it at a range of 150-200m! It turned out that his cannons were not switched on, but hiscamera gun was. That is why the picture turned out to be excellent, aspictures were usually smudged due to vibrations, caused by firing

After the first air engagements pilots of the 324th IAD startedto complain about the aircraft they had to fly. Air combats withbombers, either piston-engined B-26s and B-29s, or RB-45 jets,were not a problem. Dog-fights with F-80 and F-84 fighters alsoended in favour of MiG-15s. However, it was very difficult to counterSabres with the aircraft in service with the 324th Division.Pepelyaev:

We started the war on MiG-15s powered by RD-45F engines.It was also a big problem. I do not know if it was our Russian

carelessness, obstinacy, or foolishness. A MiG, powered by the RD-45Fengine, was inferior to a Sabre with respect to almost allcharacteristics, including horizontal and vertical manoeuvres. Itscannons were practically the only advantage the MiG had. MiG-15bishad already been delivered to Korea, while we were still on our waythere, but when we started participating in combat the MiG-15bis hadalready been sent to rear-area airfields, while we had to fight withMiG-15s powered by the RD-45F. Thus, I had to come up withsomething of a strike there: Give me MiG-15bis aircraft, period! I willfight the enemy on them, but I won't fight without them at all!

Command listened to the pilots' viewpoint, and in mid AprilKozhedub's division exchanged its aircraft with the 151st GvIAD,receiving forty-seven MiG-15bis fighters. The 50th and 151stdivisions in succession had flown those fighters since earlyDecember 1950. In late May the 324th IAD received another sixteenbrand new MiG-15bis aircraft, delivered from the Novosibirsk aircraftfactory. Thirteen of them were allocated to the 196th Regiment.

Lieutenant Colonel Pepelyaev scored his first victory on theMiG-15bis on 20 May 1951. At 1508-1509 hours, Beijing time, twoteams of eight aircraft each from the 196th IAP were sent toaugment twenty MiG aircraft of the 18th Guards Regiment. The firstteam was headed by Lieutenant Colonel Pepelyaev. Up to fortySabres, operating in separate flights, were in the air at that time.Pepelyaev's team engaged in combat at once. According to pilots'estimates, the team countered up to twelve F-86s. At a certain pointof the air engagement Pepelyaev dropped behind one of the Sabres,and did the following, according to his debriefing report I fired atan F-86 at a range of 500-600m. When firing, I saw rounds hit theright wing and explode, after which the aircraft, which was banking to

the left, rolled to the right. Pilots of his team did not see any enemyaircraft falling, but following gun camera footage analysis Pepelyaevwas credited with a shot-down F-86.

A group of pilots from GK NII VVS and service units, headed byLieutenant General Blagoveshchenskiy, arrived at Antung in lateMay. The group was tasked with force landing an F-86 Sabre. TheLieutenant General had already visited Antung before. On 10 May1951 he reconnoitred the area his group would have to operate over,under escort from pilots of the 196th IAP. Pepelyaev recalls:

Blagoveshchenskiy, accompanied by a group of test pilots andservice unit pilots, arrived at Antung on a transport aircraft onceagain. As I learnt from a conversation with pilots, their objectivewas to force land a Sabre. Sabres were fitted with anti-G suits,which our aviation industry was very interested in. However, whenSabres were shot down and their pilots ejected, the pilots were leftwith only the suit and the hose with the coupling, which connected

the suit to the suit pressure control device. While the pressure controldevice, which was the most important component of the entiresystem, was mounted on the aircraft, and was naturally destroyedin the aircraft crash. In order to inspect the pressure device, anintact aircraft was needed.

I had a good laugh at the whole affair. Test pilots had highindividual skills, while service unit pilots were trained far worse. I hadno idea how they had been selected, but I had a chance to assess theircombat skills, as some of them were assigned to my regiment later on.Before coming to us, Blagoveshchenskiy's group had trained on its owneither in Anshan, or Mukden (Shenyang) - they flew and conductedtraining fights for a month or so. They considered such training to besufficient enough, but I knew for sure that it was not. We had trainedfor three months. I offered to help Blagoveshchenskiy's group - theleast I could do was to talk to them, tell them about nuts and bolts.However, they refused my help, as they thought they could look afterthemselves. We had a small argument, as Blagoveshchenskiy's pilotswanted to fly my regiments aircraft and I was against it. They triedpersuading me: How about we give you all our victories?

I responded: I do not need your victories, besides you are notlikely to score any. All of you will be lucky if you return in one piece.

Later on the divisional commander persuaded me to let them flymy aircraft on the following conditions: one day aircraft of onesquadron would be flown by my pilots, and the next day they would beflown by Blagoveshchenskiy's pilots

On 29 May, under the order of Commander of the 324th IAD I.N.Kozhedub, the flight group headed by Lieutenant ColonelDzyubenko (he commanded Blagoveshchenskiy's pilots directly inthe air) was attached to the 196th IAP and put under the



17

Commander of the 1st Squadron of the 196th IAP, CaptainAntipov (one victory in Korea)

Commander of the 196th IAP, Guard Colonel Pepelayev,Antung Airfield, spring 1951

Camera-gun shot from the aircraft of Senior LieutenantLazutin. Target - RB-45C. The attack was unsuccessful as thepilot forgot to switch on the cannons

Commander of the 3rd Squadron of the 196th IAP, CaptainN.K. Shelamonov (five victories in Korea)

Pilots of the 196th IAP, from left to right: Regiment'sNavigator, Captain P. Tkatskiy; Deputy Commander of theRegiment, Major A.I. Mitusov (seven victories in Korea); flightCommander of the 196th IAP, Captain L.N. Ivanov (sevenvictories in Korea)



operational command of Colonel Pepelyaev, the RegimentalCommander.

Flight and technical crews of the 324th IAD right away gaveBlagoveshchenskiy's group the nickname Group Nord , and theywere very sceptical of the group's objective. The common opinioncould be summed up in the following words: It is difficult enough toshoot down a Sabre, not to mention to force it to landIt is easy to doit on paper for those chair-borne Moscow paper-pusher.

On 31 May Dzyubenko's group took off for its first flight over theKorean Peninsula. The flight ended in failure just as the pilots of the324th IAD had expected. On that day twelve pilots of the groupcarried out a fly-around of the combat area. Approaching Anju at analtitude of 11,000 m, they spotted a pair of B-29s, escorted by fourSabres. In the ensuing air engagement, Major Perevozchikov wasshot down and killed, while two other aircraft were damaged.Attacks, carried out by pilots of Dzyubenko's group, did not yield anyresults. Right after this sortie ground crews changed the nicknameof the 324th IAD to Group Pukh (pukh from the Russian expressionrazbit' v pukh i prakh, literally to destroy to fluff and dust, meaningto defeat utterly, probably hinting at the fact that it had been rippedto tatters in the air combat with a numerically inferior enemy unit.

Having buried Major Perevozchikov at the new Russiancemetery in Port Arthur, NII VVS group command, which had beenconvinced in practice that its pilots were insufficiently trained forcombat operations in Korea, finally turned to command of the 196thIAP for help. After several tactical exercises, conducted by ColonelPepelyaev, the group was sent to Korea again. The fly-around of thecombat area was conducted successfully this time, but a tragedyoccurred during landing - Lieutenant Colonel Dzyubenko crashedafter getting into the wake of the aircraft flying ahead of him. TheNII VVS group had not carried out any more combat sorties and wassoon disbanded. Test pilots returned to the GK NII VVS to do whatthey were trained to, while most service unit pilots remained in

regiments of the 303rd and 324th divisions. In particular, MajorMitusov was appointed Deputy Commander of the 196th IAP.Attempts to get a more or less intact Sabre continued, andPepelyaev played the leading part in them.

After-effects of Pepelyaev's crash in a Yak-7, which took place in1943, showed up that summer. The commander of the 196th IAPexperienced heart pains at the end of tense working days. He washospitalised in late June because of these symptoms and spentabout ten days in hospital. On returning to his unit, Pepelyaev learntabout the turning characteristics of the F-86, disclosed by a recentlyshot-down Sabre pilot. Pepelyaev recalls:

A shot-down American pilot ejected during an air combat.This happened only about twenty km from the airfield, and the pilotbroke his leg at touchdown. Well, this pilot misled me by telling ourintelligence officers, who had interrogated him, that it took the Sabre58-60 seconds to make a 360-degrees turn at an altitude of 10,000m.I timed the turn on the MiG several times, but always came up with52-53 seconds. That is why I once decided to conduct an airengagement in turns. I lost my wingman and almost got myself shotdown. Such a sad story it was

That ill-fated air combat took place on 11 July 1951. In themorning Pepelyaev led a group from his regiment to interceptenemy fighters. Senior Lieutenant Larionov flew as Pepelyaev's

wingman. Five to six minutes after the take-off he saw a pair of F-86s, approaching them head-on. By carrying out a intensivemanoeuvre, Pepelyaev dropped behind the American aircraft andfired at the wingman Sabre:

The leading Sabre got into a turn, and I decided to outrun it onthe turn instead of passing by and gaining speed, which I had lostduring the firing attack. At that moment Larionov was still followingme. Then I realised that I was losing to the Sabre and felt that he wasgoing to shoot me down tooHe had already started firing and hitmy aircraft on the wing, making three holes in it. I went into a spin.There was overcast below, with cloud tops at 2000-3000m. I recoveredthe aircraft from the spin right before the overcast at about 3000m.Fortunately, I happened to look up and saw that the enemy aircraftwas right above me, trying to finish me off. I dived under him andstarted shadowing his manoeuvres: he turned to the right - I followedhim, he turned to the left - I was right behind him. I kept toying withhim, and he was backing off, despite the fact that I had alreadyextended both air brakes and flaps. However, his aircraft had better airbrakes. I kept hugging the clouds. By that time I had managed toswitch on the gyro horizon (we circled for a minute) and dived into theclouds

On losing his enemy, Pepelyaev heard his wingman's radiotransmission: I lost you. Where are you? Having ordered Larionov toland, the Commander of the 196th IAP first returned to the area ofthe air engagement, but seeing no one there, he also headed forAntung. It turned out that Captain Larionov had not returned to theairfield. His aircraft was searched for, with the search and rescueoperation supervised by the Air Force Commander-in-Chief himself,

but neither the pilot, nor the wreckage of his aircraft were everfound. Larionov must have been shot down and his MiG must havecrashed into the sea. Ivan V. Larionov remains one of three Sovietpilots missing in action in the Korean War.

In July North Korea and adjacent parts of north-eastern Chinaexperienced cloudy weather. It was often showery, and foggy in themorning. On one such day, on 21 July 1951, the 196th IAP had totake off to intercept a group of American aircraft. Pepelyaev recalls:

Once I shot down an F-94 in a turn by shooting off its tail unit.Enemy aircraft flew in daytime, it was foggy, and our airfield was shutdown. The Americans almost reached the very Mukden. The CorpsCommander, Colonel Belov chickened out. I was fully prepared for afight. The fog had cleared away by that time and we could take off, buthe just turned coward. We took off only after the enemy group hadpassed over our airfield on its way back.

We caught up with eight F-94s when they were alreadyapproaching the coastline. De facto, I had no right to attack them, asthey were already over the Yellow Sea. I ordered Captain Bokach toattack the four leading aircraft, and aimed my team at the rear flight. Iattacked the enemy aircraft from a climb. I fired at one of the F-94sfrom below and pieces flew around, and after that I did not follow itany longer. I climbed up and saw another enemy aircraft turning to theleft. I shot off its tail when he was turning, but all this debris flew righttowards my aircraft. I even hunched my shoulders so that my headshould not be ripped off. However, fortunately, the debris did not hitmy aircraft.

The group of F-94s dispersed, and so did my pilots, who attackedtheir own target each. The whole battle was already over the YellowSea, thus, I ordered them to stop the fight.

Everything might have ended differently, if I had been allowed totake off half an hour earlier. I do not know the exact results of thisparticular air engagement. Our regiment was given seven or eightvictories. I even had to write down two destroyed F-94s to one of mypilots. Allegedly, he did not shoot them down, but they collided in airduring his attack. Although, I did not believe it, divisional commandersmade me do this nevertheless

As far as real results of this air engagement are concerned, thefollowing should be noted. First of all, the Soviet fighters engaged


Camera-gun shot from Pepelyaev's aircraft. 21 July 1951,target - F9F, distance - 200 m, aspect angle - 0/4, single longburst from three cannons

E.G. Pepelayev near the flight crew shelter. Antung Airfield,15 August 1951

Camera-gun shot from Pepelyaev's aircraft. 6 October 1951,target - F-86A-5NA, c/n 49-1319. Beginning of firing; distance- 130 m, aspect angle -

Camera-gun shot from Pepelyaev's aircraft. 6 October 1951,target - F-86A-5NA, c/n 49-1319. End of firing; distance - 122m, aspect angle -

Senior Lieutenant I.V. Larionov



F9F Panther fighters, rather than F-94 Starfire night interceptors.According to American sources, the only air engagement with MiG-15s on that day saw participation of aircraft of this very type. Inaddition to that, the pictures, taken by Pepelyaev's camera gun,show the Panther. As for the number of shot-down aircraft, Westernsources mention just one F9F, lost in that air engagement. TheCommander of the 196th IAP reported in his combat debrief on 21July: According to the reports of pilots, who had participated in theair engagement, seven F-94s had been shot down, while according tocamera gun film-interpretation they shot down four F-94s. Evidence,provided by Korean police officers and locals, as well as military unitsof the Korean Army and Chinese volunteers, stated that debris of anaircraft of the F-94 type (the fin and rudder), which had crashedduring the air engagement, had been found near Khakusen. Policeofficers in a village of Zonnon saw an aircraft with a shot-off wingfalling within the territory of the Teisyu region. The aircraft is stillbeing searched for. No evidences of other shot-down enemy aircrafthave been traced

In August the 64th IAK did not conduct active combatoperations due to bad weather. The corps command used this breakto let pilots rest, to discuss their experiences, and draw conclusionsfrom their combat operations. A flight tactics conference was held atthe Tatung-kao airfield, the home base of the 303rd IAD, on 23-28August. Pepelyaev participated in the conference too.

In autumn the air engagements in the Korean skies resumedwith a vengeance, with their intensity increasing considerably. Thescale of air battles increased too. The Americans changed tactics tomassive air strikes. Fighters of the 64th IAK responded by conductingcombat operations in large groups. While one to two squadrons hadsimultaneously been scrambled before, now whole regiments anddivisions participated in combat sorties. Air engagements often sawparticipation of the whole 64th Corps, comprising two regiments ofthe 324th Division and three regiments of the 303rd Division. Inaddition to that, the Chinese air force also stepped up its operations- starting from late September Soviet fighters often had tocooperate with MiGs in service with the 3rd Fighter Air Division ofthe Air Force of the People's Liberation Army of China. TheCommander of the 196th IAP had a chance to socialise with Chinesepilots on the ground too. Their training level left much to be desired.E.G. Pepelyaev recalls:

Just imagine what it means for a young pilot to log fifteen -twenty hours of flying time on a piston-engine aircraft, and then ten -fifteen hours on a jet, and then to be sent into battle. I was ordered tomeet with Chinese pilots. Once I met them after an air engagement, inwhich they had lost a dozen men on MiG-15s. They usually flew in twosquadrons, totalling sixteen - twenty aircraft. Back then they invitedme for consultation, so that I might tell them the main principles. Theysat and listened like tame animals. I talked to them via the interpreter,showing them with the help of models, while the interpreter drew andwrote everything for them to understand what the Americans did,what friendly aircraft should do in an air engagement, how to shoot,how to form combat formations, what speed to maintain, and when tojettison fuel tanks

The more intense combat operations and an increase in their

scale resulted in more victories scored by Soviet pilots. Guard ColonelPepelyaev's personal score increased by ten in autumn 1951.

On 6 October 1951 Pepelyaev did what pilots ofBlagoveshchenskiy's group had failed to achieve - he managed toget a more or less intact F-86. At 0851 hours, Beijing time, ten MiG-15bis aircraft from the 196th IAP, headed by Pepelyaev, took off tointercept enemy aircraft, as part of the rearguard group of theoverall combat formation of the 64th IAK. Approaching the mouth ofthe Chonchongang River at an altitude of 8,000 m, fighters of the196th Regiment encountered Sabres over the town of Pakch'on andstarted an air engagement, which according to pilots' estimates,saw participation of up to sixteen enemy F-86s.

In his first attack Colonel Pepelyaev fired at the leader of a pairof F-86s at a range of 550 m at a 1/4 aspect angle, but he did notsee the results of his fire, as the Americans dived with a leftwingover. When the Soviet fighters were recovering from the attack,they were attacked by the second pair of Sabres on a head-onintersecting course. The leading F-86 fired at Pepelyaev's aircraftfrom right, ahead and above, at a 2/4 aspect angle. Pepelyaev:

I remember that air engagement very well. The Americanleader hit me then and tore off a big part of my air intake

I knew one pre-war trick from the times when my friends and Ihad carried out training dog-fights, looking for various options. I hadthe following trick for such occasions when aircraft flew on head-oncourses, trying to get behind each other: I pretended to carry out aclimbing turn to one side, but then turned the aircraft to the oppositeside and followed the enemy. Thus, when he recovered from theclimbing turn, I always turned out right behind him. That is exactlywhat happened that time. At the point of breaking up the Sabresturned to the right and up, while I flew along the horizon a little andstarted a climbing turn towards the Sabres, but as soon as I achieved apitch of 40-50, I switched from the right turn to the left one and gotbehind the leading Sabre - above it and slightly to the right. He wasahead of me at a range of just over 100m. I pushed the control stickforward, trying to get him into the gunsight. However, the aimingmark always turned out slightly above the Sabre, while the negative g-load tried to pull me out of the cockpit. Then I rolled over so that the g-load pushed me against the seat and I might get a better aim. As soonas I rolled my aircraft, the American did the same, but I had alreadylocked my aiming mark on his canopy and fired at a range of 130m,slightly from the right at an aspect angle of almost 0/4. The 37mmround hit the enemy fighter accurately behind the canopy. Anexplosion followed, and the Sabre plunged to the ground. I did notfollow it, as it was not worth it after a direct hit like that

The debriefing report of the 196th IAP dated 6 October 1951states that after Pepelyaev's attack the F-86 rolled to the left anddived sharply, while the leading F-86, protecting it, spiralled downafter it. Guard Colonel Pepelyaev, Senior Lieutenant Ryzhkov, andGuard Captain Abakumo sawv the enemy aircraft carry out theaforementioned manoeuvres

The pilot of the Sabre could not bail out as his ejection seat hadbeen damaged, thus, he headed towards the Korea Bay with hisengine barely working, leaving a plume of black smoke, and with hisleader escorting him. The American pilot carried out an emergencylanding on the beach at low tide, 13 km to the west of Pkhenvon. Hewas soon picked up by a search and rescue helicopter, while thedamaged Sabre sank in the rising tide.

Then the following story unfolded. Even our political officersquarrelled. I shot down the aircraft and continued fighting with thegroup, while the 176th Regiment did not participate in the airengagement - it just passed underneath. I asked them: Why don't youhelp us! However, they dived away without saying a word, thoughthey used the same radio frequency, and saw the Sabre landing.Sheberstov fired his guns at a range of three to four kilometres,returned to his home base, and reported that he had shot down anenemy aircraft. They wrote a debriefing report, and quickly reported

the kill first to the divisional headquarters, and then to the corpsheadquarters. We started to sort it out. I asked Sheberstov where andhow did you shoot him down?

We went to their photographic laboratory and looked at the film,but it only showed the coastline and the enemy aircraft at a range ofabout three kilometres, while I remember that my film showed it at arange of 130m. There were two Sabre units in Korea. The identificationmarks of one of them were black and white stripes on wings, whileaircraft of the other group featured yellow stripes. I asked Sheberstovwhat aircraft did you shoot down?

The yellow one!Well, fine, I said.If they bring a yellow one, it is yours, but if they

bring the one with black and white stripes, it is mine. Techniciansbrought an aircraft with black and white stripes, with the explosiondamage right behind the canopy

Having inspected the Sabre, pilots of the 64th IAK gave it a highmark. They especially liked the spacious and comfortable cockpit,fitted with more advanced flight instruments and gunsightcompared to that of the MiG. Pepelyaev remembers:

When the Sabre was brought to the airfield, seniorcommanders wanted to send it to Moscow right away. However, Iasked the Corps Commander to leave it at our unit for a short while, asI wanted all pilots to examine it thoroughly, sit in the cockpit, and takea close look at it. I sat in its cockpit myself. It was a very good spaciousone. One got an impression that one was sitting in the best car, let'ssay something like a Chaika, rather than a Moskvich. That would bethe best comparison. The cockpit had an excellent field of view, withnothing interfering with it in the front. The MiG's cockpit had the sighthead mounted in the front, which always hit you right in the faceduring an emergency landing, while the Sabre's cockpit had nothing infront of the pilot's face, save for some unit which displayed the aimingmark directly on the reflector, on the armoured glass panel. The fighterhad a good gyro horizon indicator with every degree of freedom, whichdisplayed the aircraft's position in airspace. The MiG was fitted with amediocre gyro horizon that could fail at a bank angle of over 30, or ifyou did not switch it on in time. In general, it was only suitable for abomber, and even then only in good weather. Only from 1954 wereSoviet fighters equipped with a very good gyro horizon, similar to theAmerican one, although the new gyro horizon featured differentcolours. The American gyro had very beautiful colours. For instance, ifit displayed the sky, it was blue, while the new Soviet horizondisplayed a dark blue sky. However, the colour is not important, themain thing is for it to operate properly(to be concluded next month)

MA

Model Aircraft | October 2014 19

E.G. Pepelyaev's MiG-15bis, c/n 1315325, after repairing thedamage received in air combat on 6 October 1951

See Bill Bunting's 1/72 model of Pepelyaev's MiGelsewhere inthis issue

E.G. Pepelyaev's MiG-15bis, c/n 1315325, damaged in aircombat on 6 October 1951


BV 141B-0 V13, WNr 0210005, NC+RD


Although often regardedas a Luft 46 candidate,by virtue of itsunorthodox appearance,

the BV 141 is far from it, havingstemmed from a 1937Reichsluftfahrtministeriumspecification issued for a short-range reconnaissance aircraft, alsocapable of fulfilling the lightbomber and low-level attack rolethat so often went hand-in-handwith army co-operation. Blohmund Voss submitted the BV 141,which in the interests of better crew visibility a vitalattribute in the reconnaissance role - featured anasymmetrical layout with a tail boom with a radialengine to port, and a crew nacelle to starboard. BothFocke-Wulf and Arado were invited to tender, with theFw 189 and the Ar 198 put forward respectively. TheHamburger Flugzeugbau (a subsidiary of the Blohm & Vossshipyards) had not been invited to tender a proposal,but its technical director, Dr.-Ing. Vogt. submitted thestrange-looking machine as a private venture

The aircrafts design offered another advantage besides thegood all-round visibility from the compact nacelle. Torque from the

single engine could be counterbalanced, as wellas a good field of fire being afforded the threeman crew, but little interest was initially evincedby the RLM until Ernst Udet, by now chief of theDevelopment Section of the Technischen Amt,offered some encouragememnt on theunderstanding that the project be self-financed.The aircraft in its initial configuration flew forthe first time in February 1938 as the Ha 141-0and was given the civil registration D-ORJE

Although subsequently carrying thedesignation V2 once the project was acceptedand three prototypes ordered this machinewas deemed unacceptable and the nacelle was

extensively redesigned. The first official prototype, then, despitebeing designated V1, was actually the second aircraft to be built.

The new nacelle bore more than a passing resemblance tothat of the Fw 189, and the aircraft was dimensionally larger.Flight testing commenced in September 1938, but the machinewas written off after a forced landing in October. The thirdmachine, BV 141 V3 (D-OLGA) consequently went on to operate asa production prototype.

The aircraft was developed in two distinct series the A and

BV 14120

PrototypesBV 141 V1. WNr 141-00-0171, D-OTTO then BL+AUBV 141 V2. WNr 141-00-0172, D-ORJE then PC+BA.Originally designated Ha 141BV 141 V3 WNr 141-00-0359, D-OLGA then BL+AA

BV 141ABV 141A-01 (V4), WNr 01010360, D-OLLEBV 141A-02 (V5), WNr 01010361, BL+ABBV 141A-03 (V6), WNr 01010362, BL+ACBV 141A-04 (V7), WNr 01010363, BL+ADBV 141A-05 (V8), WNr 01010364, BL+AE

BV 141B-0BV 141B-0 (V9), WNr 0210001, NC+QZBV 141B-0(V10), WNr 0210002, NC+RABV 141B-0 (V11), WNr 0210003, NC+RBBV 141B-0 (V12), WNr 0210004, NC+RCBV 141B-0 (V13), WNr 0210005, NC+RDBV 141B-0 (V14), WNr 0210006, NC+REBV 141B-0 (V15), WNr 0210007, NC+RFBV 141B-0 (V16), WNr 0210008, NC+RGBV 141B-0 (V17), WNr 0210009, NC+RHBV 141B-0 (V18), WNr 0210010, NC+RI

BV 141B-1BV 141B-1 WNr 0210011, GK+GABV 141B-1 WNr 0210012, GK+GBBV 141B-1 WNr 0210013, GK+GCBV 141B-1 WNr 0210014, GK+GDBV 141B-1 WNr 0210015, GK+GEBV 141B-1 WNr 0210016, GK+GFBV 141B-1 WNr 0210017, GK+GGBV 141B-1 WNr 0210018, GK+GHBV 141B-1 WNr 0210019, GL+AG (rebuilt D-OTTO)BV 141B-1 WNr 0210020, GL+AH (rebuilt D-OLLE)

BV 141 Production

Hamburger Flugzeugbau wasestablished in July 1933 as a subsidiaryof the Blohm & Voss shipyards

The conical gun mount and housing at the rear of the nacelleis similar to that on the Fw 189

The central section of the nacelle looking forward. Theobservers seat is on tracks and rolls forward to reach thebombsight. The interior seems fairly sparse, and should notprove too great a challenge for the modeller especiallygiven the already good level of detail in the HobbyBoss kit

A Bit on the SideVogts Ugly Baby the BV 141By Ben Bailey

Conventional thinking was partially responsible for the aircrafts demise the OKLcould simply not come to terms with such unorthodoxy!

20-22-BV141-HIST-MA-1014_MAM-08 12/09/2014 16:08 Page 20

the B, and the two differed considerably, despite the superficialresemblance inevitably caused by its striking appearance. Theaircraft carried a crew of three, encompassing a pilot and observerseated side by side at the front. The observers seat, to starboard,was mounted on rails, which enabled it to be tracked forward toallow access to the bombsight. The radio equipment was located tothe rear of this seat-track, as was the rear-facing dorsal MG15. This,along with the camera equipment, added up to a considerableworkload for the observer.

The third crew member operated the rear MG15, which wasmounted in a cone at the tail of the nacelle, and could be rotatedthrough 360 degrees. Two forward facing MG17s were mountedunderneath the nacelle, the blast tubes for which are visible underthe nose, and the aircraft carried four bomb racks mounted in pairson the wings.

As events gathered pace and war appeared imminent, testingcontinued, and the RLM impressed in spite of its misgivings ordered five pre-series machines. Flight testing was completed atRechlin in January 1940, and a number of bombing trials also tookplace, but despite the generally favourable reports by test pilots the

OKL the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL) persuaded the RLMto discontinue production, and the aircraft was shelved.

There are some uncertainties regarding the actual combatusage of the machine. Most sources cite the B variant as having beenthe version to see some limited operational use, but the late BarryKetley did allude to images of the machine on service trials duringthe Polish campaign, which would have to have been the BV 141A.Any further corroboration of this would, of course, be welcome.

One reason cited for the types rejection was that it was

underpowered, and Vogt, anticipating this, had commenced aredesign as early as January 1939. The BV 141B was approved by theRLM in early 1940, and in January 1941 the revised machine took tothe air. This was the V9 prototype, coded NC+OZ, and the first of afurther five pre-series aircraft ordered for trials, with an option forfive more and ten full production machines designated BV 141B-1.

Unfortunately the revised design fell short of expectations. Thepleasant handling qualities that had characterised the BV 141A werenoticeably absent, with considerable strengthening of the airframerequired, modification to the tail, and a subsequent deterioration inperformance. Already regarded by the OKL with some suspicion, theaircraft was not winning itself any more friends. Hydraulic problemsthat had dogged the A series persisted, and further issues werediscovered with the BMW 801 engine that hampered the testprogramme. Constant problems in other areas meant that delayfollowed delay. How the programme lasted as long as it did is amatter for some conjecture, but the final prototype V13 was not


A BIT ON THE SIDE BV 141

21

(BV 141A-04, V7)Crew, 3Length, 12.15 m (39 ft 10 in)Wingspan, 15.45 m (50 ft 8 in)Powerplant, 1 BMW 132N 9-cyl. air-cooled radialpiston engineMaximum speed, 340 km/h (211 mph) at sea level,400 km/h (249 mph) at 3,800 m (12,467 ft)Service ceiling, 9,000 m (29,528 ft)ArmamentGuns, 2 fixed forward firing 7.92 mm (0.312 in)MG17 machine guns and 2 rear-mountedflexible 7.92 mm MG15 machine gunsBombs, 4 50 kg (110 lb) SC50 bombs on under-wing racks

Specifications (BV 141B-02 [V10])BV 141B-02, V10Crew, 3Length, 13.95 m (45 ft 9 in)Wingspan, 17.45 m (57 ft 3 in)Powerplant, 1 BMW 801A 14-cyl. air-cooledradial piston engineMaximum speed, 368 km/h (229 mph) at sea level,438 km/h (272 mph) at 5,000 m (16,404 ft)Service ceiling, 10,000 m (32,808 ft)

General characteristics

Pilots position looking to port

The unmistakeable silhouette of Vogts fascinating design

The tail cone revolved to afford a good field of fire for the tailgunner. Here the chrysalis design of the nacelle is apparent not to mention the ninety-odd panes of glass that made upthe greenhouse

These images are dated from the beginning of 1942, andpresumably show B-0 aircraft undergoing trials. The aircraftare fitted with bomb racks, but by this date the future was farfrom certain for these aircraft

It soon became apparent that the BV 141B did not share the pleasant flight characteristics of the A series. Major changesincluded an enlarged wing area and a circular fuselage section instead of the previous oval

BV 141 in level flight note the early tailplanes, which wereinitially symmetrical. This was modified to improve thegunners field of fire and was found to have no adverse effectupon the aircrafts handling

Typical clutter around the front end of the cockpit will offersome challenges to the modeller. Note the bombsight andagain the sealed-over blast tubes



delivered until May 1943, long after the Luftwaffe had abandonedplans for squadron usage..

One machine, V10, is recorded as having been used for trialswith Aufklarungsschule 1 at Grossenhain, Saxony, after whichinstructions were issued for sufficient BV 141Bs to be delivered toform at least one operational squadron on the Eastern Front. Sadlyfor Vogt and his team, by this time the Fw 189 had long beenoperational and was more than adequate in the role, and this - pluslimited factory capacity - ensured the final cancellation of theprogramme. Damage by Allied bombing to the Focke-Wulf assemblyplant had seen some eighty percent of Blohm & Vosss capacity givenover to Fw 200 production. The oddball machine despite havingshown promise in its earlier stages of development was destinednever to see full operational service.

For the modeller this is a far richer seam than one might havesupposed, and it can only be hoped that HobbyBoss will go into the

subject as comprehensively as they have other Luftwaffedevelopment aircraft. The new 1/48 kit is a superb tooling, and avery welcome release in the scale, replacing the HiPm tooling, andjoining the classic Airfix 1/72 kit in the marketplace to ensure thetype is not forgotten. The history and development of the typeleaves ample scope for some interesting modelling projects,although the differences between the A and B series machines maybe too great for the aftermarket to stomach. We will have to waitand see MA

BV 14122

The asymmetric tailplane, offset to port, looks far less absurdthan the original regular design

Kit No: 81728Scale: 1/48Decal Options: 2Panel Lines: RecessedStatus: New ToolingType: Injection Moulded PlasticParts: Plastic 105, Clear 9Manufacturer: HobbyBossUK Importer: Creative Modelswww.creativemodels.com Brand new tooling in 1/48 from HobbyBossfeatures comprehensive interior, nicely designedtransparencies and markings for two aircraft

Blohm & Voss BV 141

Blast tubes for the fixed forward-firing MG17s. These aresometimes seen covered on aircraft, and given the non-operational role of the aircraft they may often have beenseen without armament

BV 141B-0 on trials. Note the sealed blast tubes, bomb racks,and the non-operational flying gear worn by the aircrew

V9 in flight. This aircraft was the first of the B-0 series aircraft,and underwent considerable testing both in the air and onthe ground in connection with excessive vibration andassociated problems

B-0s at the production facility. This is one of a series of well-known photographs showing a considerable number of aircraftgrouped together a sight to gladden the eyes of those who relish unorthodox aircraft


No.74 Tiger Squadron first formedat London Colney on 1 July 1917 asa training unit flying Avro 504Ks.Its first operational fighters

were S.E.5As, which it took on chargein March 1918, and went on to servein France from April until February1919, when it returned to the UK anddisbanded on 3 July 1919. During itswartime service the unit earned its Tigersnickname as a result of the aggressive spirit shown byits pilots, and was credited with 140 enemy planesdestroyed and eighty-five driven down out of control,for 225 victories. Seventeen aces served with thesquadron, including Victoria Cross winner MajorEdward Mannock and Ira Taffy Jones. During theAbyssinian crisis of 1935 the squadron was re-formed

to operate out of Malta, flying Hawker Demon two-seat fighters, and in July of the following year, the

squadron, with its Demons, was shipped back toEngland. It re-equipped with Gloster Gauntletsin April 1937 at Hornchurch and stood up aspart of the newly created Fighter Commandand it was whilst here that the SquadronsTiger head badge and famous I Fear No Man`

motto was authorised. Their Gauntlets wereexchanged for the Supermarine Spitfire Mk I in Feb1939, as the unit headed into World War II.

The outbreak of the Second World War found No.74 still atHornchurch but often operating from the satellite aerodrome atRochford. By this time Sailor Malan had joined the Squadron andduring the months ahead he and his colleagues, including H MStephen, John Freeborn and John Mungo Park, were to be involvedin extensive operations against the Luftwaffe. In the Phoney War

there was little operational activity but when the Low Countrieswere invaded in May 1940, No.74 flew extensively on offensiveoperations and soon afterwards, when Fighter Command wasengaged in establishing air supremacy over the beaches of Dunkirk,the Squadron was fully employed on convoy protection and patrolsover the French coast, and these battles exacted a heavy toll on bothpilots and aircraft. Thereafter they served successfully through theBattle of Britain, and their Mk I Spitfires were replaced with Mk IIAsfrom September 1940 and the squadron moved to RAF Colitishall. InFebruary 1941 they moved to Manston but were then sent up toAcklington before moving across to Llanbedr and Long Kesh where,after the hectic pace of operations, they found themselves in abackwater by comparison. It was at this time that the Governor ofTrinidad made a presentation of Spitfires to No.74 whichsubsequently became known as `Trinidad` Squadron and thisremained so until the 1950s. The squadron then moved back southto RAF Biggin Hill in October for operations towards the end of theBattle of Britain.

No.74 Squadron was sent, without aircraft, to the Middle East inApril 1942, arriving in Egypt in June moving to Palestine to operateas a maintenance unit for USAAF B-24 Liberators. The squadron thenreceived Hurricane IIBs in December 1942 and served in Iran untilMay 1943, moving back to Egypt for shipping patrol work andconversion to the Spitfire Mk VB and Mk VC in September 1943. Inlate October 1943 the squadron received the Spitfire Mk IXs, whichwere subsequently swapped for Mk XVIs in March. No. 74 returnedto the UK just in time to take part in the D-Day landings in June1944, using its aircraft as fighter-bombers supporting the AlliedA Gloster Meteor F.8 in N0.74 Squadron livery

Everything down as this No.74Squadron Hawk comes in to landat RAF Valley

A HISTORICAL LOOK AT No.74 SQUADRON24 sponsored by

Flying with the TigersA look at the history of No.74 SquadronBy Andy Evans

24-26-74Sqn-AIRWARS-HIST-MA-1014_MAM-08 12/09/2014 16:07 Page 24

liberation of France, Belgium and the Netherlands. On D-Day itselfNo.74 Squadron flew patrols over the invasion fleet and after thelandings attacked German positions. In July it moved to Tangmere aspart of 134 Wing and then moved to France as a component of the2nd TAF with 145 Wing. The Squadron moved forward as the Alliesadvanced and it was based fleetingly at Lille, Courtrai, Duerne andSchijndel. In March 1945 it received Spitfire XVIs, which it flewalongside its Spitfire LF.IXs. By April it was at Droppe in Germany andthat is where, on May 2nd, it received news of the Germansurrender. Its last wartime operation was an armed reconnaissancesortie in the Wilhelmshaven area.

Post-War the Squadron was quickly equipped with the new eraof jet fighters, and operating from RAF Horsham St Faith they flewthe Gloster Meteor F.4 and latterly the improved F.8 until 1957,when they were issued with a more modern fighter type, theHawker Hunter F.4, followed a few months later by the F.6.

In June 1959 the squadron moved again to RAF Coltishall and in

July 1960 the Tigers proudly became the unit chosen to introducethe Lightning F.1 into RAF operational service. At the 1961Farnborough show, nine Lightnings were rolled in formation, and in1962 `The Tigers` became Fighter Command's leading aerobaticteam. A move to Leuchars in 1964 saw an end to display flying andin its place came the equally demanding Intensive Flying Trials,designed to prove the operational capabilities of the aircraft whichwere by now Lightning F.3s. It was whilst at Leuchars that No.74hosted its first Tiger Meet, the gathering of NATO squadrons withthe tiger as their emblem.

In 1966, now equipped with the F.6, the unit moved to RAFTengah in Singapore, refuelled en-route by Victor tankers tobecome a component of the Far East Air Force. After four years inTengah, the Tigers disbanded on 25th August 1971, and theirLightnings were flown to Cyprus where they were taken on chargeby No.56 Squadron.


FLYING WITH THE TIGERS

25

A superb Hunter line-up

No.74 Squadron introduced theLightning to RAF service

www.testors.com

A Lightning F.6 at RAF Tengah in Singapore

No.74 Squadron Phantom and Lightning on display (Des Brennan)

BAE Hawk T.1 XX228/74 of No.74 Squadron, based at RAFValley. The aircraft is finished in overall black with fullcolour squadron markings

McDonnell Douglas F-4M Phantom FGR.2 XV469/AO of No.74 Squadron based at RAFWattisham in 1992. The aircraft is finished in Barley Grey, Medium Sea Grey and LightAircraft Grey with a black tail

McDonnell Douglas F-4J(UK) PhantomZE352/G of No.74 Squadron based atRAF Wattisham in 1984. The aircraft isfinished in US colours whichapproximated the British shades


As a result of the Falklands War of 1982, No.74 Squadron wasre-formed at RAF Wattisham in October 1984, with a group of ex-USNavy/Marine Corps F-4J Phantoms, which were designated as F-4J(UK)s. These aircraft were purchased by the RAF as a stop-gapmeasure to replace those of No.23 Squadron, which had beendeployed to the Falklands to deter further Argentine actions andprotect the Islands. After a relatively short service career, and withthe arrival of the Tornado ADV, their F-4J(UK)s were exchanged forsurplus Phantom FGR.2s in 1991, and No.74 Squadron disbanded inOctober 1992. Retirement was short lived however, and on the 5thOctober 1992 No.74 (Reserve) Squadron stood up with the BAeHawk as part of No 4 Flying Training School at RAF Valley, in theweapons instruction role.

At the 1993 Tiger Meet, No.74 Squadron won the coveted 'SilverTiger' trophy while competing against Mirages and F-16s, however,with the rationalisation of 4 FTS, No.74(R) Sqn was disbanded on 22September 2000 in a low-key ceremony outside its hangar at awindswept RAF Valley. This brought to an end a long tradition, withits finest hour being alongside many other fighter squadrons, overthe skies of southern England in 1940. MA

A HISTORICAL LOOK AT No.74 SQUADRON26 sponsored by

Aircraft Usage & Notes Federal Standard 595a/b ModelMaster Enamels ModelMaster Acryl POLLY Scale AcrylicsWWII RAF Yellow FS33538 2063 RAF Yellow 4721 FS33538 Insignia Yellow F505282 Deep YellowWWII RAF White FS37875 1768 FS37875 Insignia White 4769 FS37875 Insignia White F505011 WhiteWWII RAF Sky Type S (ANA 610) FS34504 (~) 2049 RAF Sky Type "S" 4840 RAF Sky Type "S" F505254 Sky (Type S)WWII RAF Sky Blue FS35550 1108 Blue + 2720 White (1:1) 1324 Blue + 4696 White (1:1) F505248 K3/195 Sky BlueWWII RAF Roundel Red FS30109 1705 Insignia Red + black (20:1) 4714 Insignia Red + black (20:1) F404079 Oxide RedWWII RAF Roundel Blue FS35044 1719 Insignia Blue 4742 Insignia Blue F414150 ATSF BlueWWII RAF PRU Blue FS35189 (~) 2061 RAF PRU Blue 4744 Intermediate Blue (~) F505268 PRU BlueWWII RAF Night FS37038 1749 FS37038 Black 4768 FS37038 Black F505350 NATO Tricolor BlackWWII RAF Middlestone FS30266 2052 RAF Middlestone (ANA 615) 4673 Wood (~) F505260 MiddlestoneWWII RAF Medium Sea Grey FS36293 2058 RAF Medium Sea Grey 4761 Dark Ghost Gray + black (30:1) F505258 Sea Grey MediumWWII RAF Light Mediterranean Blue FS35177 2031 Blue + white (1:1) 4742 Insignia Blue + white (3:1) F414150 ATSF Blue + white (3:1)WWII RAF Interior Green FS34226 (~) 2062 RAF Interior Green 4850 RAF Interior Green F505270 Interior Grey GreenWWII RAF Dark Mediterranean Blue FS15048 (~) 1719 Insignia Blue + white (10:1) 4742 Insignia Blue + white (10:1) F414230 BAR BlueWWII RAF Dark Green FS34079 (~) 2060 RAF Dark Green 4849 RAF Dark Green F505250 Dark GreenWWII RAF Dark Earth FS30118 (~) 2054 Dark Earth (ANA 617) 4846 Dark Earth (ANA 617) F505252 Dark EarthWWII RAF Black FS37038 1749 Black 4768 Black F505350 NATO Tricolor BlackWWII RAF Azure Blue FS35231 (~) 2048 RAF Azure Blue (ANA 609) 4612 Cobalt Blue + white (3:1) F505262 Azure BlueWWI Ventral Camouflage Doped Linen FS33613-FS33793 1709 Radome Tan 4722 Radome Tan F505029 Doped LinenWWI Dorsal Camouflage P.C.10 1918 FS30108 2096 Schokoladenbraun 4797 Schokoladenbraun F505276 IJA BrownWWI Dorsal Camouflage P.C.10 1917 FS34127-FS34098 1714 Forest Green FS34127 4736 Interior Green + black (10:1) F505032 Brown Drab PC-10WWI Dorsal Camouflage NIVO FS34096 2027 Dark Green 4726 Dark Green (~) F50503 Dark GreenModern RAF High Speed Silver FS17178 1781 Aluminum 4677 Aluminum F414299 AluminumModern RAF BS 381C 641 Dark Green FS34079 2060 RAF Dark Green 4849 RAF Dark Green F505250 Br Dark GreenModern RAF BS 381C 640 Extra Dark Sea Grey FS36099/FS36076 1950 Panzer Gray 4749 Engine Gray F505264 Br Ex Dark Sea GreyModern RAF BS 381C 638 Dark Sea Grey FS36118 1723 Gunship Gray 4752 Gunship Gray F505382 US Gunship GrayModern RAF BS 381C 637 Medium Sea Grey FS36270 2058 RAF Med Sea Grey 4757 Neutral Gray F505258 Br Sea Grey MedModern RAF BS 381C 629 Dark Camouflage Grey FS36173 2035 Air Mobility Command Gray 4754 Dark Gray (~) F505332 Ocean Gray 5-O (~)Modern RAF BS 381C 627 Light Aircraft Grey FS36440 1730 Flat Gull Gray 4763 Flat Gull Gray F505380 Light Gull GrayModern RAF BS 381C 626 Camouflage Grey FS36314 2037 Flint Gray 4757 Neutral Gray (~) F414158 Milwaukee Road Gray

RAF No 74 Squadron

Ask your hobby shop for Testor products or visit www.testors.comNOTES: (~) = approximate

F-4J(UK) ZE362 in flight, prior to the adoption of the all-black tail

Close-in on a No.74 Squadron F-4J(UK) and its Americanlineage notably with the intake mounted ECM fairings

One of the talking points for modellers was the coloursapplied to the F-4J(UK), which had a curious hue to them, asseen here with this example snapped at RAF Brawdy andnote the luggage pods Close-in on the No.74 Squadron emblem I Fear No Man

XT892/J, one of the FRG.2 Phantoms used by N0.74 Squadron towards the end of its front-line operational life

No doubting to whom this Hawk belongs


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32087 IAR-81C Landing Gear (AzFr) (replacement for 1/32 Azur Frrom)

48267 Blohm & Voss BV 141 Landing Gear (HB) (replacement for 1/48 Hobby Boss)

48268 BAC Jet Provost F.5/ 167 Strikemaster L. Gear (Fly) (replacement for 1/48 Fly)

48269 F9F/F-9 Cougar Landing Gear (KH) (improved for 1/48 Kitty Hawk: lengthened nose gear)

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Having already covered the developmentand basic history of the LockheedVentura in Commonwealth service it isnow time to turn to some other lesser

known operations. First off are the Ventura Mk IIsthat flew in the clandestine Special Duties roleover the Mediterranean and Southern Europe with1575 (SD) Flt, which later became 624 (SD) Sqn.

Special VenturaAs the Special Duties role began to expand within the RAFduring 1943, the UK based 161 Sqn at Tempsford spawned anew flight intended to support agents and guerrilla forcesoperating within Southern Europe in the South of France, Italy,Yugoslavia and Greece. This unit became 1575 (SD) Flightduring May 1943 under the command of Flying Officer (butsoon to be Sqn Ldr) John B. Austin DFC, equipped with twoVentura Mk IIs (AE881 & AE948) and three Halifax Mk IIs plusone spare (EB140, EB141, EB142 & EB143). Once it was fullytrained and up to full establishment the first two aircraft leftTempsford for Maison Blanc in North Africa on 11th June 1943(Halifax EB140 and EB141) with the sea party sailing fromLiverpool on the 19th June 1943 aboard the White Star LinerM.V. Britannic, which had been converted to a troop ship.

The remaining pair of Halifaxes departed on 19th June1943 and the first Ventura Mk II to leave Tempsford was AE881which set off for Maison Blanc on 23rd June 1943 flown by FgOff Cyril Denys Boothby DFM, DFC and his crew, consisting of FgOff Figg DFM, DFC, Plt Off Pope and Sgt Lowe, who all arrived

safely next day following an overnight flight. Plt Off Bob ForbesRNZAF was at the controls of Ventura Mk II, AE948 when it leftTempsford on 24th June 1943 with Flt Lt Russell navigating, theother two crewmembers being Plt Off Procter and Flt SgtGibbon. Again they all arrived safely at Maison Blanc

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