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Thank you - now all I have to do is get the applicable decals made and then it's snip, snip, and Bob's your Auntie!The one with the yellow wingtips is Airspeed Horsa Mk I Prototype used for load and performance trials. The camo scheme is supposed only. As memo serves, these gliders used operationally had the undersides of different colour. Usually it was the black. But those used for trainings had the yellow-black strips there.
It seems strange that the training paint pattern was not carried through to the upper surface as training markings were normally on the upper surface of the wings and sides as well as underneath. Perhaps they thought that they would flip on unplanned landings and easily be seen!Thank you - now all I have to do is get the applicable decals made and then it's snip, snip, and Bob's your Auntie!
It seems strange that the training paint pattern was not carried through to the upper surface as training markings were normally on the upper surface of the wings and sides as well as underneath. Perhaps they thought that they would flip on unplanned landings and easily be seen!
Presumably the towing aircraft were used as normal bombers and only those aircraft at training airfields were used solely for towing?Between 16 Nov 1944 and 27 Jan 1945 the RAF formed 6 glider squadrons in India - numbers 668 to 673. Pilots came from both the RAF and the Glider Pilot Regiment. Each squadron was to have an establishment of 80 Hadrian gliders plus 10 Tiger Moths. 670 received Horsas between Dec 1945 and July 1946. Four of the squadrons disbanded between 25th Oct 1945 and 10 Nov 1945 with the remaining pair disbanding 1 July 1946.
These units were to support an airborne corps being set up in India in 1945. It was to comprise 44th (Indian) Airborne Division which formed in Sept 1944 from units in India and 6th British Airborne Division which was to be sent out in summer 1945 (the first element, 5th Parachute Brigade arrived in India in July 1945). Operations would have been in the SEAC area of operations in late 1945/early 1946, most probably in Thailand or French Indochina but actual planning had not gone that far when the war ended.
A number of RAF airborne squadrons were also earmarked for the Far East. The first of these, 298 with Halifax VII, arrived at Raipur, India in July 1945. It was to be followed by a number of UK based Dakota squadrons.
Not really.Presumably the towing aircraft were used as normal bombers and only those aircraft at training airfields were used solely for towing?
Ewen - fascinating stuff; you must have done a lot of research!Not really.
In Britain in Jan 1942, 38 Wing was formed to directly support airborne forces operations eventually expanding to Group status in Oct 1943. By D-Day it had 4 squadrons of Albemarles, 4 of Stirlings and 2 of Halifaxes. In the latter part of 1944 the Albemarles were traded for more Stirling and Halifax aircraft. These aircraft were configured for dropping paratroops and glider towing and were used for both training and operational purposes (See Operation Market Garden in Sept 1944 and Varsity in March 1945). When not so engaged they were most often used for supply dropping to resistance units and Allied units like the SAS operating behind enemy lines after D-Day. IIRC these units may have carried out a handful of bombing operations (It's been awhile since I looked at their ORBs, which are available as a free download from the National Archives if you register with them). By July 1945 38 Group had been transferred to Transport Command and had 6 Halifax and 4 Stirling squadrons. 298 squadron, had been part of 38 Wing/Group throughout its existence, firstly with Whitleys for a few months in 1942 and then Halifaxes of various models from Nov 1943 until it disbanded in India in Dec 1946.
The other Group involved with dropping airborne forces on D-Day and in subsequent operations was 46 Group in Transport Command with 5 squadrons of Dakotas. When not so involved these aircraft engaged in general transport duties.
Once the war in Europe was over there was to be a very large movement of troops, aircraft and RN vessels eastwards to both SEAC in the Indian Ocean & to the Pacific. The RN led the charge but the Army & RAF were only beginning the shift when Japan surrendered. So a lot of RAF plans never reached fruition.
One RAF change that did occur was the move from bombers to transport roles. 4 Group which had been entirely Halifax bomber equipped in Britain was transferred in its entirety to Transport Command on 8 May 1945, VE Day, with squadrons beginning to re-equip with various transport aircraft types ahead of moving east. A lot of surplus Liberator aircraft from Coastal Command were converted to the transport role and issued to some of these units.
Meanwhile in India, in April 1945, 238 (Airborne Assault) Group was formed to control 343 & 344 Wings with the previously mentioned 6 Hadrian squadrons plus 96 Dakota squadron and 1577 (Glider Development or Airborne Experimental from 8/45) Flight. 96 squadron had reformed as a transport squadron at the end of Dec 1944 in Britain and re-equipped with Dakotas before leaving for India where it arrived at the beginning of May. (Theoretically 215 squadron that had converted from Liberator bombers in April 1945 to Dakotas in India was also part of this Group but was detached to 232 Group for general transport duties across SEAC). As previously noted 298 squadron with Halifax A.VII aircraft, and formerly part of 38 Group, arrived from the UK in July and was followed in Sept/Oct 1945 by 3 former Halifax bomber squadrons from 4 Group that had converted to Dakotas.
By 1 Aug 1945 there were 8 Dakota squadrons (incl 215) in 232 (Transport) Group in India. This included 2 Canadian squadrons (435 & 436) which, for political reasons had to be withdrawn to Europe at the beginning of Sept. They were replaced by 2 Transport Command Dakota squadrons from Britain that arrived in Aug.
In 1945 there was a high demand for transport aircraft in SEAC not only due to the distances involved and the lack of road and rail links, but because until the end of May 1945 a large part of the aerial transport lift had been provided by units of the US 10th US Air Force based in India. Once Rangoon had been captured these units were withdrawn from supporting British forces as the USA did not wish to be seen to be involved in helping European Nations recover their former colonies. Why only after Rangoon? That allowed much easier transportation of supplies to China via the Irrawady River and Burma Road rather than from Calcutta to northern India and over the mountains to the Burma Road, and that was where US interests in the region really lay.
You could say that. I've been interested in the goings on in SEAC and the Pacific for too many years to recall and have amassed a significant amount of data and books about it.Ewen - fascinating stuff; you must have done a lot of research!
I haven't dug into how these aircrew found their way to India, but, seeing as your grandfather was the only passenger he was probably lucky and hitched a lift on a delivery flight. A number of the flying boat units in the Indian Ocean converted from Catalinas to the Sunderland V in 1945. 230 from Jan 1945, and 205 in Ceylon began to get them in June. Most travelled out by sea in troop transports under varying conditions.I presume the pilots for the six squadrons were sent out by air. My father was, but was the only passenger on a Sunderland - perhaps a mail flight??
The large amount of transports would not only need to ferry urgent supplies out, but also in anticipation of the large number of people -especially the PoWs - who would need to be repatriated after VJ Day. I don't remember my father telling me how he got back to Blighty, but presume he came by sea as there is nothing in his log books about being a passenger.
To be clear, I didn't put a figure on the split between RAF and GPR pilots in these squadrons, only that they were drawn from both services. RAF pilots were transfreed to fly gliders in late 1944 because aircrew training had exceeded the replacements needed in the various other Commands.The RAF pilots underwent some military training at Quetta before being posted - most probably telating to local conditions as they had already done the "soldier" bit at 1 GTS. Apparently they made some kind of impression because there was some story about the stone lions outside the officers' mess ending up in a fountain! The squadron personnel then moved by train across to the west side of India by train, with the advance party driving the locomotive after bribing the drivers with some of their big wheels of cheese! The squadron's supply of beer also disappeared - most probably evaporated in the heat!!
Interesting that you say half the pilots were GPR - he never mentioned them at any stage during his time out there and I have never come across any reference to them before.
The size of the squadrons (80 gliders) is enormous! Do you know how the GPR gliders were organised?
Tony
I was thinking of the size compared to a standard squadron and the control thereof. Looking closely at my Dad's logbook (not grandfather), I see that he was in Flight 17, controlled by a Flying Officer; this would then indicate that there were 20 flights per squadron for the gliders. Also, the logbook was signed off by the OC of the squadron, who was a Major - hence the proof that GPR personnel were involved. The a/c used to keep up the flying hours were Tiger Moths and Austers - at least 7 of the former and one of the latter, although the hours flown were so small that they could not even be described as minimal.You could say that. I've been interested in the goings on in SEAC and the Pacific for too many years to recall and have amassed a significant amount of data and books about it.
I haven't dug into how these aircrew found their way to India, but, seeing as your grandfather was the only passenger he was probably lucky and hitched a lift on a delivery flight. A number of the flying boat units in the Indian Ocean converted from Catalinas to the Sunderland V in 1945. 230 from Jan 1945, and 205 in Ceylon began to get them in June. Most travelled out by sea in troop transports under varying conditions.
Most personnel returning from the Far East travelled by sea. There was a huge shortage of troop shipping in the SEAC theatre even before the end of the war and a great many problems to overcome.
Firstly the Python Scheme. Service personnel that had been sent out to the Far East had been promised that they would only serve 4 years overseas before being shipped home. Following the General Election on 5 July 1945 it was cut firstly to 3 years 8 months and then to 3 years 4 months thus releasing many more personnel who had been shipped out in 1942. All done without consulting Mountbatten who was then trying to organise Operation Zipper, the invasion of Malaya, and which generated a requirement for troop shipping. The RN actually took 3 cruisers then somewhat surplus to requirements in Home Waters and used them as troopships.
Then the war against Japan ended, and firstly there were many to be brought home under the RAPWI scheme (Return of Allied Prisoners and Internees from prison camps all across the Far East). Then the bulk of the other service personnel had to be brought home for demob. And that depended on a range of factors. But those sent out most recently generally had longest to wait. Personnel would for example be moved between ships to release other individuals with a higher demob status. Aircraft tended to be used in Europe & the Med to augment the available shipping. But some 6 escort carriers were converted to the trooping role in Aug / Sept 1945 and were augmented by the carriers of the BPF for varying lengths of time for the Far East runs on top of any available troopships. And finally there were war brides to be transported around the world. This complete repatriation exercise lasted until early 1947.
To be clear, I didn't put a figure on the split between RAF and GPR pilots in these squadrons, only that they were drawn from both services. RAF pilots were transfreed to fly gliders in late 1944 because aircrew training had exceeded the replacements needed in the various other Commands.
Not really enormous when you consider the troop lift required.
A Hadrian could only carry 13 troops. So 6 squadrons x 80 gliders x 13 men and their equipment = a troop lift of 6,240 men at the very most assuming no gliders for vehicles, artillery or other equipment. A glider borne Airlanding Brigade, of which each Airborne Div had one, consisted of about 2,500 men plus additional personnel from divisional artillery, engineer, signals units etc. So 80 gliders per squadron probably doesn't even lift the entire force if both divisions were deployed at once. Each Airborne Division would also have had 2 Parachute Brigades. And each glider would have needed two pilots.
That is why the Horsa would have been preferred. It carried up to 28 troops.
Because the campaign in Burma had gone so well in 1945, Operation Zipper to invade Malaya had been brought forward and a number of intermediate operations dropped. Planning was for Singapore to be recaptured by the end of 1945. No airborne operations were planned for it, but the 5th Parachute Brigade was used as ordinary infantry due to problems caused by Python (see above). SEAC were only beginning to think about planning beyond Singapore in Aug 1945, because it was only at the end of July that Mountbatten was informed that SEAC would be taking over responsibility for Thailand, half of Indochina and much of the DEI from the Americans and Australians. Then to much surpise the Japanese surrendered when everyone was expecting to have to invade Japan proper in 1946.
Sorry about muddling up your ancestors.I was thinking of the size compared to a standard squadron and the control thereof. Looking closely at my Dad's logbook (not grandfather), I see that he was in Flight 17, controlled by a Flying Officer; this would then indicate that there were 20 flights per squadron for the gliders. Also, the logbook was signed off by the OC of the squadron, who was a Major - hence the proof that GPR personnel were involved. The a/c used to keep up the flying hours were Tiger Moths and Austers - at least 7 of the former and one of the latter, although the hours flown were so small that they could not even be described as minimal.
I know the feeling!Ewen, thanks for the info. I find it very frustrating that I never asked more info from my parents and grand-parents regarding war service, both in WWI and WWII!
So they were at last to send out Horsas to the Far East for Japan operations, but I don't see the problem with sending them out as they were delivered to the Maintenance Units in semi-kit form from the manufacturers (see attached pic). Do you know how the Wacos got there as the problems were even greater getting them to China than getting the Horsas to India. Were they also transported in kit form and from where?