eBay: Handley Page Hampden

Snautzer01 · Mar 4, 2016

Ameland Holland

Wurger · Mar 4, 2016

Capt. Vick · Mar 4, 2016

Couldn't the German knucklehead have gotten some shots from different angles? Geez! :lol:

Steve Hnz · Mar 5, 2016

Nice pictures even if all the same aspect, I see Holland in the heading but if someone had said the desert I'd have believed that too.
Steve.

Airframes · Mar 5, 2016

Maybe he was just ordered to take a picture or two, without anybody telling him to take shots from different angles - Befehl ist Befehl !!

stona · Mar 5, 2016

The second picture, the fellow standing in the cockpit, shows why it was called the flying suitcase.
Cheers
Steve

Gnomey · Mar 16, 2016

Nice shots!

nuuumannn · Mar 18, 2016

It's only fitting; the Hampden's designer was German.

stona · Mar 19, 2016

nuuumannn said:
It's only fitting; the Hampden's designer was German.

From TNA, a synopsis with references to the original files, on Lachmann from Security Service files released in 2008.

Gustav Lachmann (KV 2/2733-2735)

Lachmann, who was a German air lieutenant in the First World War, became an outstanding aeronautical engineer during the inter-war years. He worked in Germany and then Japan, before marrying his British wife in Tokyo and settling in Britain, where he was engaged on aircraft design by Sir Frederick Handley Page. This reconstituted and heavily weeded file records the deep suspicion with which Lachmann was viewed, as a potential spy for both Germany and Japan.

KV 2/2733 (1928-1936) shows how Lachmann's mail was intercepted to look for signs of espionage activity – none were found, but efforts were still made to control his activities with Handley Page Ltd. By 1936 (KV 2/2734, 1936-1942) it was noted (serial 197) that "It appears undesirable that a German should be employed in the works of a firm carrying out contracts for the Air Ministry, but…enquiries for over two years have produced nothing to lead to suspecting that he is using his position…to give information either to Germany or to any other power." Sir Frederick is named as employing "verbal cunning" to defend his continued employment of Lachmann, but the pressure on the firm grew until in November 1938 the Secretary of State instructed Handley Page to dismiss Lachmann (serial 358x).

Lachmann was interned at the outbreak of the Second World War, though while he was on the Isle of Man arrangements were made for him to continue working on aircraft design (e.g. serial 595a in KV 2/2735, 1942-1955).

By 1944 consideration was given to Lachmann's post-war employment, with the fear that he might go back to Germany or to the United States. Eventually he resumed his work with Handley Page.

He was clearly viewed with deep suspicion by our Security Services in the period before the war, though these suspicions were evidently unfounded.

Cheers

Steve

Wayne Little · Mar 19, 2016

cool.

Tracker · Jun 5, 2016

Great info!

Snautzer01 · May 12, 2020

WORLD WAR II ORIG Photo of RAF Hadley Page Hampden Bomber W/Bombs Being Loaded | eBay

Admiral Beez · Jun 3, 2020

2018 article on restoration

Handley-Page Hampden Fuselage Whole Again at RAF Museum Cosford

Capt. Vick · Jun 3, 2020

I have always loved the look of that plane

nuuumannn · Jun 3, 2020

Admiral Beez said:
2018 article on restoration

Handley-Page Hampden Fuselage Whole Again at RAF Museum Cosford

I took this photo in 2018 when I was over that way. I got a good look around it and was able to poke my head inside. It looks great and on the ground like that you get to really appreciate just how snug the crew compartments are in the Hampden. It's progressed a lot more since that photo was taken though.