Concorde247
Senior Airman
nice pic! 8)
RAF Coastal Command B-17s
- Thread starter the lancaster kicks ass
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- Thread starter
- #42
the lancaster kicks ass
Major General
- 19,937
- Dec 20, 2003
a nice shot of a 100Sqn Fortress Mk.III there pD......
mosquitoman
Master Sergeant
I'll take a pic of the Coastal Fort I've got on my ceilinmg if you want it
What makes you say that the Fortress I showed was part of 100 Sqn. - lanc? The Fortress I showed is carrying a 'RU' prefix - which 100 Sqn. never had. Also, 100 Sqn. never had B-17s - the RAF official squadron history states "On 15 December 1942, No 100 Squadron reformed at Waltham with Lancasters and commenced operations over Germany..."
Another site states that 100 Sqn. was part of Bomber Command - 1 Group.
I may be wrong here but the only way I see it possible is if they had the Fortress for an extremely short time or Coastal Command has a different system.
Am I wrong, lanc? Sorry, it was bugging me when I saw the picture and I was trying to find the squadron then I remembered this thread.
Another site states that 100 Sqn. was part of Bomber Command - 1 Group.
I may be wrong here but the only way I see it possible is if they had the Fortress for an extremely short time or Coastal Command has a different system.
Am I wrong, lanc? Sorry, it was bugging me when I saw the picture and I was trying to find the squadron then I remembered this thread.
evangilder
"Shooter"
According to my records, RU was used for 414 squadron that flew Lysanders, tomahawks and later, Mustangs. 451 squadron was an RAAF squadron. But that is RAF markings. Not sure with coastal command.
Maybe Bomber Command and Coastal Command have a different system? I use two websites for my information the official RAF website and this other one that has all the squadrons on it - it's a pain trying to find the code because I have to go to the different squadrons, it's long and tedious.
superunknown
Airman
http://www.rafweb.org/Sqn400-410.htm
If you go here though - it states 404 (Buffalo) Sqn. used 'EE', '2' and 'EO' during World War 2, at different times.
No. 414 (Sarnia Imperials) Sqn. used 'RU' from August 1941 to 'early' 1943 - according to the same website.
If you go here though - it states 404 (Buffalo) Sqn. used 'EE', '2' and 'EO' during World War 2, at different times.
No. 414 (Sarnia Imperials) Sqn. used 'RU' from August 1941 to 'early' 1943 - according to the same website.
superunknown
Airman
Typical! It amazes me that WW2 was only 60 years ago, and yet so much of the historical information is wrong (I'm not saying I am right by the way). It is almost impossible to gather information on any subject in WW2 without finding either mistakes or inaccurate references, it's so bloody annoying. Looking again at my website I think it is a typo as it lists 404 as being Buffalo Sqn. but using the same aircraft as 414 in evanglider's thread.
NO WAIT!! MY MISTAKE, IT IS 414 SQN.
it's just my brain, it 'urts!
NO WAIT!! MY MISTAKE, IT IS 414 SQN.
it's just my brain, it 'urts!
I know, it's stupid but with a little research - there's no squadron that operated the Fortress III with the squadron code 'RU' - the closest is 'BU' - but it certainly looks like 'RU' in the picture - and the picture can't be wrong.
The squadron is 214 (Federated Malay States) Sqn. - 100 Group (Maybe lanc's mistake) - it operated Fortress II and III and carried the code 'BU' - closest I've got.
Great site, superunknown, by the way - it's speeded up my ID of the aircraft squadrons in all my pictures! And I will use this oppurtunity to show off my whole three pictures of British Fortresses - one of each variant! And see - I IDed the 90 Sqn. one - using that site...which again, is great. 8)
The squadron is 214 (Federated Malay States) Sqn. - 100 Group (Maybe lanc's mistake) - it operated Fortress II and III and carried the code 'BU' - closest I've got.
Great site, superunknown, by the way - it's speeded up my ID of the aircraft squadrons in all my pictures! And I will use this oppurtunity to show off my whole three pictures of British Fortresses - one of each variant! And see - I IDed the 90 Sqn. one - using that site...which again, is great. 8)
Attachments
superunknown
Airman
evangilder
"Shooter"
Nice! I had seen that site before, but had failed to bookmark it. Thanks!
superunknown
Airman
Here's another site that may or may not be of interest to you-
http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/fortress.html
http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/fortress.html
evangilder
"Shooter"
That one is pretty cool too. Thanks!
Do you think it could be 'BU' then and belong to 214 Sqn?
And I have another problem now - not to do with the Fortress but to do with squadron identification - here it is. I have a picture (attached) of a Hurricane IIC with the code 'LK' which belonged to 578 Sqn. - and it appears that squadron only. 578 Sqn. operated the Halifax and Mosquito by my understanding - so where the hell is this Hurricane from? I've even checked OCU and OTUs with no find!
And I have another problem now - not to do with the Fortress but to do with squadron identification - here it is. I have a picture (attached) of a Hurricane IIC with the code 'LK' which belonged to 578 Sqn. - and it appears that squadron only. 578 Sqn. operated the Halifax and Mosquito by my understanding - so where the hell is this Hurricane from? I've even checked OCU and OTUs with no find!
Attachments
evangilder
"Shooter"
Now that's an interesting conundrum. I also find it interesting that it is black, or near black. Could it have been maybe an armed scout, or maybe a wing commanders aircraft?
They did use the Hurricane in night fighting duties - maybe it was to lead the bombers over the Channel at night? It could have been a personal rig - but the RAF were a little more strict with things like that, I think.
I know some very high ranking RAF officer had his own Lightning during the Cold War! Maybe this is the same - but surely he'd fly unmarked? Unless he's the squadron leader - I don't know.
I had a problem with a Hurricane with the code 'PA' because no squadron used 'PA' - that really annoyed me. Luckily on that site I get my squadron history from it has the OTU and OCUs on there - so I found it to be from the No. 55 Operational Training Unit - problem is; I don't know if it's a Hurricane Mk.I or Mk.X. There's no way of telling from the picture! - here's the picture -
I know some very high ranking RAF officer had his own Lightning during the Cold War! Maybe this is the same - but surely he'd fly unmarked? Unless he's the squadron leader - I don't know.
I had a problem with a Hurricane with the code 'PA' because no squadron used 'PA' - that really annoyed me. Luckily on that site I get my squadron history from it has the OTU and OCUs on there - so I found it to be from the No. 55 Operational Training Unit - problem is; I don't know if it's a Hurricane Mk.I or Mk.X. There's no way of telling from the picture! - here's the picture -
Attachments
evangilder
"Shooter"
I was thinking that it might be someone higher up the food chain, so to speak. Plus the radio call sign would be "A". It might make sense that a leader would have the first callsign. Of course, I am only speculating here.
I don't know. I'm just sorting out all my pictures that I've gathered - of aircraft and armour - they've all got names like "Hurri_1" so I'm trying to find out more and name them properly. The tank ones are the worst - they're named like "Pz1_G" - there was no such thing as the Pz.1 G so it's just annoying. But I'm getting there, bit by bit. I gave up on the tank one for now - that's why I'm going to be asking A LOT of questions about aircraft. 
I might just start a thread - pDs doesn't have a clue where this aircraft comes from thread - or, pDs doesn't have a clue thread...
I might just start a thread - pDs doesn't have a clue where this aircraft comes from thread - or, pDs doesn't have a clue thread...
superunknown
Airman
With reference to the "LK" code hurricane, at various points during WW2 several RAF squadrons operated at different times, or sometimes at the same time with the same code as another squadron. This is why it is such a pain to identify individual aircraft. I have serial numbers for USAAF aircraft so it is easier to cross reference them with their codes, unfortuntely the RAF didn't use this system as alot of their aircraft were being sent all over the place, and often passed on to other squadrons or loaned out. The "A" code usually indicates the aircrafts callsign, but it is hard to tell whether or not this is a lead a/c. Confused yet?
Lucky for you I know what it is! It is from 87 Sqn. and it is a nightfighter.
Lucky for you I know what it is! It is from 87 Sqn. and it is a nightfighter.
