The Sailor
03-01-2008, 05:24
After the story of U-461, here is another article taken from one of my books, Coastal Command at War by Chaz Bowyer.
Of the 50 different types of aircraft on active service that rotated through Coastal Command only one lasted from the first to the last day of hostilities.
This was the queen of flying boats, the Short Sunderland.
The Sunderland made it's first flight on the 16 October 1937.
Stationed at Mount Batten was number 210 squadron and it was to this squadron that some of the first deliveries were made from the Short works.
210 squadron included four Australian pilots who had arrived to take delivery of four aircraft to be flown back to Australia.
At the outbreak of hostilities, this RAAF detachment was enlarged and became 10 squadron RAAF based at Pembroke Dock.
The Squadron's major tasks during the war were escorting convoys, conducting anti-submarine patrols, and air-sea rescue. It sank its first U-boat on 1st July 1940.
No. 10 Squadron sank a total of six U-boats between February 1940 and May 1945.
It also set a Coastal Command record in February 1944 for the most patrol hours flown in a single month: 1143. Unit losses during the war were 19 aircraft and 150 men. Following the end of hostilities in Europe No. 10 Squadron began preparations to deploy to the Pacific theatre, however this was curtailed by the Japanese surrender and it remained in Britain, disbanding in October 1945.
Of the 50 different types of aircraft on active service that rotated through Coastal Command only one lasted from the first to the last day of hostilities.
This was the queen of flying boats, the Short Sunderland.
The Sunderland made it's first flight on the 16 October 1937.
Stationed at Mount Batten was number 210 squadron and it was to this squadron that some of the first deliveries were made from the Short works.
210 squadron included four Australian pilots who had arrived to take delivery of four aircraft to be flown back to Australia.
At the outbreak of hostilities, this RAAF detachment was enlarged and became 10 squadron RAAF based at Pembroke Dock.
The Squadron's major tasks during the war were escorting convoys, conducting anti-submarine patrols, and air-sea rescue. It sank its first U-boat on 1st July 1940.
No. 10 Squadron sank a total of six U-boats between February 1940 and May 1945.
It also set a Coastal Command record in February 1944 for the most patrol hours flown in a single month: 1143. Unit losses during the war were 19 aircraft and 150 men. Following the end of hostilities in Europe No. 10 Squadron began preparations to deploy to the Pacific theatre, however this was curtailed by the Japanese surrender and it remained in Britain, disbanding in October 1945.