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No.86 Sqn RAF |
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Name : No.86 Sqn RAF Founded : 1st September 1917 Disbanded : 25th April 1946 Country : UK Fate : Disbanded 25th April 1946 More Details : Ad libertates volamus - We fly to freedom |
| Pilots and Aircrew for : No.86 Sqn RAF | ||
| A list of all aircrew from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name. | ||
| Name | Info | |
| Tucker, Arthur D Click the name above to see a profile of Tucker, Arthur D | Tucker, Arthur D Joined the RAAF in March 1941. Arthur Friar Tucker was trained and commissioned in Australia and flew Wirraways until October 1941. In March 1942 he was posted to 75 Sqn being formed at Townsville. In late March, Tucker went north with the squadrom and flew and fought with Jacksons Few during the legendary forty four day Battle for Port Moresby. During this period he was credited with downing Japanese Ace Miyazaki - later confirmed by Saburo Sakai. After withdrawing to Australia on 4th May to rest and re-equip, he flew S A29-133 during preparations for 75 Sqns return to New Guinea in July. Tucker participated in many scraps and strafing ops during the Battle for Milne Bay in August. In January 1943 he was posted to the new 86 Sqn equipped with Kittyhawks. During September he was credited with a Zero confirmed near Merauke. Arthur ended the war with 2 confirmed victories, a number of probables and several damaged. | |
| Aircraft for : No.86 Sqn RAF | ||
| A list of all aircraft associated with No.86 Sqn RAF. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | ||
| Aircraft | Info | |
Beaufort 
Manufacturer : Bristol Production Began : 1939 Retired : 1944 Number Built : 1821 | Beaufort The Beaufort was developed from the Bristol Blenheim - originally built in 1934 as an executive aircraft for the proprietor of the Daily Mail, Lord Rothermere, who wanted a fast plane capable of carrying six passengers. Equipped with two Bristol Mercury engines, the Bristol Type 142, as it was then called, was 30 mph (48km/h) faster than the RAF's latest biplane fighter, the Gloster Gauntlet. Beauforts first saw service with Royal Air Force Coastal Command and then the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm from 1940. They were used as torpedo bombers, conventional bombers and mine-layers until 1942, Some of the Beaufort's actions were attacks on warships of the German Kriegsmarine. The first attack was on 21 June 1940, when nine Beauforts of 42 Squadron attacked the German battleship Scharnhorst off the Norwegian coast. No torpedoes were available at RAF Wick and a dive bombing attack was carried out using two 500 lb (230 kg) bombs. The Beauforts encountered Messerschmitt Bf 109s protecting the battleship and only four returned; shortly after, Beauforts were grounded for modifications to their Taurus engines. In early April 1941, after an air raid on Brest by Bomber Command, the German battleship Gneisenau had to move out of dry-dock because of an unexploded bomb. Photo reconnaissance revealed that the ship was in the inner harbour. An estimated 1,000 flak guns of all calibres protected the base and adding complication to the danger was the realisation that Gneisenau was only about 500 yd (460 m) from a harbour mole, requiring extremely accurate torpedo drops. The aircraft would be forced into a steep banking turn during the escape to avoid rising ground surrounding the harbour. In spite of these dangers 22 Squadron, based at RAF St Eval, was ordered to make a torpedo attack, timed to take place just after dawn on 6 April 1941. It was planned to attack the torpedo nets thought to be protecting the ship, using three Beauforts armed with bombs; another three Beauforts would then attack the ship with torpedoes. Following heavy rain that had drenched the airfield, the bomb-carrying aircraft became bogged down. Because of a sea mist, the other three Beauforts arrived at Brest independently; one, flown by F/O Kenneth Campbell, managed to penetrate the harbour and torpedo Gneisenau but was shot down immediately afterwards. Campbell was awarded the VC and his Observer, Sergeant J. P. Scott of Canada, the Distinguished Flying Medal. The other two crew members were Sgts R. W. Hillman and W. Mallis; all were lost. On the night of 12/13 June 1941, 13 Beauforts of 42 Squadron, based at RAF Leuchars and a detachment of five Beauforts of 22 Squadron from Wick, were sent out to find the cruiser LĂĽtzow and an escort of four destroyers, which had been sighted near Norway. At midnight, a signal from a Blenheim of 114 Squadron confirmed the position of the ships but most of the Beauforts failed to find them.[43] One 42 Squadron aircraft piloted by Flight Sergeant Ray Loviett (who had become separated from the main force) took LĂĽtzow by surprise (the Beaufort had been mistaken for a Junkers Ju 88, known by the ships to be on patrol in the area) and without a defensive shot being fired, Loviett's torpedo hit her on the port side. One Beaufort found Lūtzow limping back to port and attacked but was shot down by a Messerschmitt Bf 109; LĂĽtzow was under repair for six months. During the famous Operation Cerberus, the "Channel Dash" by Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, which took place from 12 February 1942, three Beaufort units, with 33 serviceable aircraft were available: 22 Squadron was under orders to move to Singapore. 42 Squadron, based at Leuchars in Scotland, were supposed to move to Manston but had been delayed by snow. Only 86 and 217 squadrons were in position to attack the German ships. Of the 33 Beauforts, 28 eventually set out to attack the German ships: 13 failed to find them, three were shot down and on one the torpedo failed to release. Only 11 Beauforts sighted the battleships and launched torpedoes, none of which struck a target. One of the conclusions reached by a later Court of Inquiry was that a faster, longer-ranged torpedo bomber than the Beaufort was needed. Bristol was already working on a torpedo carrying conversion of the Beaufighter and were later to develop the Brigand. when they were removed from active service and were then used as trainer aircraft until being declared obsolete in 1945. Beauforts also saw considerable action in the Mediterranean; Beaufort squadrons based in Egypt and on Malta The Beaufort was particularly successful from Malta. No. 217 Squadron was based there from June to July 1942, when it was replaced by No. 86 Squadron. From Malta the Beaufort played an important role in denying Rommel desperately needed supplies. by attacking Axis shipping supplying Rommel's Deutsches Afrikakorps in North Africa. Although it was designed as a torpedo-bomber, the Beaufort was more often used as a medium day bomber. The Beaufort also flew more hours in training than on operational missions and more were lost through accidents and mechanical failures than were lost to enemy fire. The Beaufort was adapted as a long-range heavy fighter variant called the Beaufighter, which proved to be very successful and many Beaufort units eventually converted to the Beaufighter.[ | |
Blenheim 
Manufacturer : Bristol Production Began : 1935 Retired : 1956 Number Built : 4422 | Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim, the most plentiful aircraft in the RAFs inventory when WWII began, was designed by Frank Barnwell, and when first flown in 1936 was unique with its all metal monoplane design incorporating a retractable undercarriage, wing flaps, metal props, and supercharged engines. A typical bomb load for a Blenheim was 1,000 pounds. In the early stages of the war Blenheims were used on many daylight bombing missions. On the day that war was declared on Germany, a Blenheim piloted by Flying Officer Andrew McPherson was the first British aircraft to cross the German coast and the following morning 15 Blenheims from three squadrons set off on one of the first bombing missions The Blenheim units operated throughout the battle, often taking heavy casualties, although they were never accorded the publicity of the fighter squadrons. The Blenheim units raided German occupied airfields throughout July to December 1940, both during daylight hours and at night. Although most of these raids were unproductive, there were some successes; on 1 August five out of 12 Blenheims sent to attack Haamstede and Evere (Brussels) were able to bomb, destroying or heavily damaging three Bf 109s of II./JG 27 and apparently killing a Staffelkapitän identified as Hauptmann Albrecht von Ankum-Frank. Two other 109s were claimed by Blenheim gunners. Another successful raid on Haamstede was made by a single Blenheim on 7 August which destroyed one 109 of 4./JG 54, heavily damaged another and caused lighter damage to four more. There were also some missions which produced an almost 100% casualty rate amongst the Blenheims. One such operation was mounted on 13 August 1940 against a Luftwaffe airfield near Aalborg in north-western Denmark by 12 aircraft of 82 Squadron. One Blenheim returned early (the pilot was later charged and due to appear before a court martial, but was killed on another operation); the other 11, which reached Denmark, were shot down, five by flak and six by Bf 109s. Blenheim-equipped units had been formed to carry out long-range strategic reconnaissance missions over Germany and German-occupied territories, as well as bombing operations. In this role, the Blenheims once again proved to be too slow and vulnerable against Luftwaffe fighters and they took constant casualties While great heroism was displayed by the air crews, tremendous losses were sustained during these missions. The Blenhiem was easy pickings at altitude for German Bf-109 fighters who quickly learned to attack from below. To protect the vulnerable bellies of the Blenheims many missions were shifted to low altitude, but this increased the aircrafts exposure to anti-aircraft fire. In the German night-bombing raid on London on 18 June 1940, Blenheims accounted for five German bombers, thus proving that they were better-suited for night fighting. In July, No. 600 Squadron, by then based at RAF Manston, had some of its Mk IFs equipped with AI Mk III radar. With this radar equipment, a Blenheim from the Fighter Interception Unit (FIU) at RAF Ford achieved the first success on the night of 2–3 July 1940, accounting for a Dornier Do 17 bomber. More successes came, and before long the Blenheim proved itself invaluable as a night fighter. One Blenheim pilot, Squadron Leader Arthur Scarf, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for an attack on Singora, Thailand, on 9 December 1941. Another bomber of No. 60 Squadron RAF was credited with shooting down Lt Col Tateo Katō's Nakajima Ki-43 fighter and badly damaging two others in a single engagement on 22 May 1942, over the Bay of Bengal. Katō's death was a severe blow to the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force. | |
Liberator 
Manufacturer : Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California Production Began : 1939 Retired : 1968 Number Built : 18188 | Liberator he initial production batch of B-24As was completed in 1941, with many being sold directly to the Royal Air Force. Sent to Britain, where the bomber was dubbed "Liberator," the RAF soon found that they were unsuitable for combat over Europe as they had insufficient defensive armament and lacked self-sealing fuel tanks. Due to the aircraft's heavy payload and long range, the British converted these aircraft for use in maritime patrols. Learning from these issues, Consolidated improved the design and the first major American production model was the B-24C which also included improved Pratt & Whitney engines. In 1940, Consolidated again revised the aircraft and produced the B-24D. The first major variant of the Liberator, the B-24D quickly amassed orders for 2,738 aircraft. Overwhelming Consolidated's production capabilities, the aircraft was also built under license by North American, Douglas, and Ford. The latter built a massive plant at Willow Run, Michigan that, at its peak (August 1944), was producing fourteen aircraft per day. Revised and improved several times throughout World War II, the final variant, the B-24M, ended production on May 31, 1945. he United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) took delivery of its first B-24As in mid-1941. Over the next three years, B-24 squadrons deployed to all theaters of the war: African, European, China-Burma-India, the Anti-submarine Campaign, the Southwest Pacific Theater and the Pacific Theater. In the Pacific, to simplify logistics and to take advantage of its longer range, the B-24 (and its twin, the U.S. Navy PB4Y) was the chosen standard heavy bomber. By mid-1943, the shorter-range B-17 was phased out. The Liberators which had served early in the war in the Pacific continued the efforts from the Philippines, Australia, Espiritu Santo,Guadalcanal, Hawaii, and Midway Island. The Liberator peak overseas deployment was 45.5 bomb groups in June 1944. Additionally, the Liberator equipped a number of independent squadrons in a variety of special combat roles. The cargo versions, C-87 and C-109 tanker, further increased its overseas presence, especially in Asia in support of the XX Bomber Command air offensive against Japan. So vital was the need for long range operations, that at first USAAF used the type as transports. The sole B-24 in Hawaii was destroyed by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. It had been sent to the Central Pacific for a very long range reconnaissance mission that was preempted by the Japanese attack. The first USAAF Liberators to carry out combat missions were 12 repossessed LB-30s deployed to Java with the 11th Bombardment Squadron (7th Bombardment Group) that flew their first combat mission in mid-January. Two were shot up by Japanese fighters, but both managed to land safely. One was written off due to battle damage and the other crash-landed on a beach. US-based B-24s entered combat service in 1942 when on 6 June, four B-24s from Hawaii staging through Midway Island attempted an attack on Wake Island, but were unable to find it. The B-24 came to dominate the heavy bombardment role in the Pacific because compared to the B-17, the B-24 was faster, had longer range, and could carry a ton more bombs. In the European and North Africa Theatres On 12 June 1942, 13 B-24s of the Halverson Project (HALPRO) flying from Egypt attacked the Axis-controlled oil fields and refineries around Ploiești, Romania. Within weeks, the First Provisional Bombardment Group formed from the remnants of the Halverson and China detachments. This unit then was formalized as the 376th Bombardment Group, Heavy and along with the 98th BG formed the nucleus of the IX Bomber Command of the Ninth Air Force, operating from Africa until absorbed into the Twelfth Air Force briefly, and then the Fifteenth Air Force, operating from Italy. The Ninth Air Force moved to England in late 1943. This was a major component of the USSTAF and took a major role in strategic bombing. Fifteen of the 15th AF's 21 bombardment groups flew B-24s 1st August 1943 Operation Tidal Wave: A group of 177 American B-24 Liberator bombers, with 1,726 total crew, departed from Libya to make the first bombing of the oil refineries at Ploieşti, Romania, the major supplier of fuel to Germany. The mission temporarily halted oil production, but 532 airmen and 54 of the planes were lost. After a 40% loss of production, the refineries would be repaired more quickly than projected.[1] Germany's Radio Reconnaissance Service had intercepted and decrypted the Allied messages about the raid and the departure from Libya, and anti-aircraft defenses were in place despite the low-level approach of the bombers. | |
Vulcan 
Manufacturer : Avro Production Began : 1955 | Vulcan The Avro Vulcan was the worlds first delta winged heavy bomber. the first prototype flew on the 30th August 1952 and the first production Vulcan flew in February 1955. The first Avro Vulcan's arrived for service with the Royal Air Force with 230 operational Conversion Unit (OCU) at RAF Finningley in May 1956. with the first squadron to receive the Vulcan in July 1957 was 83 squadron. In April 1968 Bomber Command merged into the Newly created Strike Command with eight Squadrons being equipped with Vulcan's. A terrain Hugging variant was introduced (the Vulcan SR2) in 1973, to all squadrons except no. 27 squadron (Flying Elephants) which was a Maritime reconnaissance Sqd. The Last Major role for the Avro Bomber was the bombing of Argentinean Airfields in the Falkland Islands During The Falklands Conflict The Avro Vulcan high Altitude Bomber with a crew of five. Top Speed 650 mph with a ceiling of 60,000 feet. maximum range of 5750 miles (with in flight refuelling). with a conventional bomb load of 21 x 1000 lb bombs | |
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