Australian Warbirds and Vintage Aeroplane News

Australian Warbirds and Vintage Aeroplane News Volume 17 / 05 A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication

QWVAA Management Committee President Gill Vardi president@qwvaa.com.au Past President and Ross Stenhouse past.presidentqwvaa.com.au AWVAN Editor Vice President - Vintage Steve Newing vp.vintage@qwvaa.com.au Vice President-Warbirds Richard Waugh vp.warbirds@qwvaa.com.au Secretary Doug Stott secretary@qwvaa.com.au Treasurer Phil Ridley treasurer@.qwvaa.com.au Membership Officer Jan Stenhouse membership@qwvaa.com.au Committee Member Mark Purdie commember@qwvaa.com.au QWVAA Facebook URL: https://www.facebook.com/queensland-vintage-aeroplane-group-inc- 160487164099644/posts/ QWVAA Web Site: https://qwvaa.com.au/home/ Front Cover Photo A Bonanza V tail Classic and the only Beechcraft E35 in Australia. Resisted VH-VBO, the aircraft is owned by member Gary Pohlner. This aircraft is currently for sale (see add elsewhere in this journal) A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 2

Contents A Message from the Editor... 4 RED THUNDER 2017... 5 Nails... 8 Staples in construction... 8 Glues in Aircraft.... 8 Welcome to new member Walter Sofronoff... 10 Military at Oakey Airfield (RAAF and Army)... 11 World War II History... 11 Immediately Post War II... 20 More Recent History (Circa 1970 s)... 23 Army Aviation Base... 23 Current History (2000s)... 26 Possible Threat to Oakey Army Aviation Base... 27 CAC CA-13 Boomerang Serial Number A46-122... 28 Buried Spitfire Rumour... 29 Australian Army Flying Museum... 29 The Churchill Wing s fourth and last strike... 31 Background... 31 The strike mission: Codename Secret Green... 31 Post mission... 33 Author s comment... 33 What s happing with Watts Bridge Memorial Airfield Inc.... 34 Australian Twin Engined Wooden Aeroplane that Never Was Built... 35 Disclaimer... 46 A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 3

A Message from the Editor Quite often I have been asked the question What makes an aircraft a vintage aircraft and what is a warbird? I used to say it was an aircraft older than 30 years since the prototype first flew. That wasn t an entirely suitable explanation. I think a better answer is the question What is a vintage aeroplane and what is a warbird is as follows: 1 Vintage is a collective term that covers antique, classic, heritage, historic, veteran or vintage aircraft. These are aircraft are of an obsolete type which have been preserved beyond their normal service life. The answer to the question What is a warbird is as follows: 2 A warbird is any vintage military aircraft now operated by military, civilian organizations and individuals. That in turn begs the question: What is a military aircraft? 3 A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat. Combat aircraft are designed to destroy enemy equipment using their own aircraft ordnance. Combat aircraft are normally developed and procured only by military forces. Non-combat aircraft are not designed for combat as their primary function, but may carry weapons for self-defence. These mainly operate in support roles, and may be developed by either military forces or civilian organizations So taking that definition into account isn t the name of our organisation a bit of doubling up on terms and the answer to that question is: Yes it is but we like it! QWVAA s focus is that we actively encourage owners to keep/restore their vintage aeroplanes in airworthy condition so that they can be flown regularly be it just for the owner s enjoyment or to display their aircraft to the public at a fly-in or airshow. We run a number of events each year that allow members to attend and network. Over the years you develop a bond with fellow aviators. I know this to be true because I have been continuously a member since 1976 and have become friends with hundreds of fellow aviators. Please see if you can recruit a follow aviator to become a member of QWVAA more members largely mean more successful events or Happenings as we used to call them back in BC! 1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/antique_aircraft 2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/warbird 3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/military_aircraft A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 4

RED THUNDER 2017 Well Red Thunder is over for this year and in the next edition of AWVAN we will have the story and greater pictorial coverage of the activities of the Red Thunder week. Red Thunder not only involves the flying of aircraft, it is also about people. One aspect of Red Thunder of which I am most impressed is the effort that is but into the crew briefings. These briefings are of an extremely high standard and their purpose is to improve all aspects of the flying activities. An exercise of the scale of Red Thunder requires a high level of discipline from all involved. The briefings not only convey the methods that the flying missions entail; they include briefings about the discipline necessary from the crews involved ensures that those missions are achieved with the exercise of a high level of flying skill and safety. This event will grow in size and complexity and we here at QWVAA are working to ensure it will. Congratulations to all involved on achieving a very successfully week. Thanks to all who were involved in looking after the Ladies. It s important that the YLs are well looked after and that activities occur that provide for their interests and enjoyment. Red Thunder web site: https://www.redthunder.com.au/ A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 5

Queensland Warbird and Vintage Aeroplanes - Calendar of Events Saturday 10 June Saturday 10 June Sunday 11 June Sunday 11 June Sunday 25 June Saturday 8 July Sunday 9 July Sunday 9 July Saturday 12 August Sunday 13 August Saturday 9 September Sunday 10 September Saturday 14 October Sunday 15 October Sunday 15 October Saturday 11 November Sunday 12 November Sunday 12 November `Rolleston Flyin QWVAA 2 nd Saturday Evening In Month BBQ WBMA Breakfast at Watts 0800 1000 hrs. QWVAA Management Committee Meeting QWVAA Grass Roots Fly-in Gatton Airpark 0900 1300 hrs. QWVAA 2 nd Saturday Evening In Month BBQ WBMA Breakfast at Watts 0800 1000 hrs. QWVAA Management Committee Meeting 1200 hrs. QWVAA 2 nd Saturday Evening In Month BBQ QWVAA Management Committee Meeting QVAG 2 nd Saturday Evening In Month BBQ QWVAA Management Committee Meeting QWVAA 2 nd Saturday Evening In Month BBQ WBMA Breakfast at Watts 0800 1000 hrs QWVAA Management Committee Meeting 1200 hrs. QWVAA 2 nd Saturday Evening In Month BBQ WBMA Breakfast at Watts 0800 1000 hrs. QWVAA Management Committee Meeting 1200 hrs. NB - Green highlighting signifies a QWVAA event For Sale Bonanza V tail Classic. Only E35 in Australia. Restored 2015 with full C of A. Everything has either replaced, overhauled or serviced. Continental E225 HP overhauled & all accessories by the specialists Poplar Grove Airmotive. Updated Hartzell prop. Wing bolts, cables, gear all done. 4 new windows, new Y belts. TAS 130 at 43Lph 2300RPM. 4seats + baggage. TT 4,000. Fresh paint Imron white. VBO is a 1954 so has 50's interior. VFR (no glass). Dual VHF and S Txpdr. message me on 0487 749439 or gary.pohlner@hotmail.com No price with ad. Owner Will negotiate. A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 6

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Nails, Staples and Glues in wood built Aircraft Author: Gary Button (This s a very informative article and we are grateful to long-term aircraft restorer, Gary Button for putting into writing knowledge that he has gained over the years of plying his trade - Ed) Nails Anyone who has owned an old (wood) aircraft over time may have noticed nails all over it.when a restoration was needed. Nails where used for gluing pressure and stayed with the aircraft. There is nothing wrong in using nails even in current built aircraft. However weight was added with hundreds of these nails. Nails in timber ARE NOT STRUCTURAL WHAT NAILS? Because timber has 12% to 14% Moisture content you must only use BRASS or STAINLESS Steel nails because these two metals can cope with the moisture content and not RUST.BRASS nails with points and thin flat heads where and are still used today. NEVER put a flat head STEEL nail into timber, it looked nice from the packet? THIS NAIL WILL RUST with the STANDARD moisture content in TIMBER, when it starts to rust it EXPANDS in size and OPENS the timber cells and grain to let MORE Moisture in to accelerate the rust. Staples in construction This improved construction greatly and used correctly did the same work as a nail and was REMOVED after a set time of the glue. What STAPLES, to use? It is not wise to use BLUNT end staple. WHY? Because this blunt end will DESTROY the cells in this area by punching holes in them. ALWAYS use pointed ended staples to spread and not damage the cells, STAPLES should NOT be used directly onto construction timber or plywood and must have a tacking strip to protect the finished surface. If you look at where nails or staples are used you will notice they are through plywood skins or gussets. Depending on the material the staples will enter, the staple length guide is 1/4 length through the ply 3/4 (grip) length into the joining material. You must also allow for the tacking strip thickness which is commonly 1.5 mm off cut low grade plywood. Glues in Aircraft. CASEIN Way back in time around in the early 1900 s aircraft had glues which were called casein and over time would fail if MOISTURE entered the glue. Casein glue can be found to be still bonding after a load and pull test after all these years yet ONLY if NO moisture ever entered the glue line. A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 8

A test for a sure sign of water entering the glue line was to open inspection panels and if the air had a bad smell this was an indicator of the glue breaking down and this test plus investigation grounded many wood built aircraft. RESORCINOL We moved on from there and in the 1950's into the 1970's water clean-up resorcinol glue was the preferred glue to use. Resorcinol is cherry red in colour which had to be mixed 5 to 1 l by weight on a scale. Very time consuming. This glue was easy to work with and it would have a Viscosity to spread and enter the timber surface. This glue was not affected by moisture or decay when cured. You had to be a VERY good wood worker because this glue would have less strength if the joint was not closed to a hair line gap. EPOXY After resorcinol glues things changes to using EPOXY glues which made structural matters safer. What happened is that these modern glues are much more forgiving in their use. Most common EPOXY glues being used on Australian built aircraft. To my current knowledge are, K134, and EPICRAFT EPIGLUE. K134 is CASA approved and is white in colour. This epoxy is mixed by weight 100 parts Resin: 40 parts Hardener OR by volume 100 parts Resin: 50 parts Hardener (2:1) The other glue is NOT approved (by CASA). EPICRAFT EPIGLUE a clear light honey colour glue. This epoxy is mixed by volume 2 parts resin 1 part hardener and is personally easier to mix and use than K134. So why is EPICRAFT not approved by CASA. EPICRAFT glues are approved for use by CASA approved people. All you need is an E O (Engineering Order) to use this glue. This epoxy is the preferred glue and is used extensively on DH restoration work in Australia. A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 9

Welcome to new member Walter Sofronoff QWVAA would like you all to welcome Walter to our ranks. Walter is a Tiger driver and the proud owner of Tiger Moth VH-BCC. Image above: Walter in the process of refuelling his Tiger Moth VH-BCC. The Tiger didn t fly for many years and in early 2000s Alan sold the aeroplane to then QVAG President Shane Winter. Shane commenced the restoration of BCC and that was well underway when unfortunately Shane was killed in the prang of a glider at Watts Bridge in 2008. Some of you may recognise the rego VH-BCC. BCC has had a long association with QWVAA (or more correctly our ancestor organisation QVAG) I first come across this Tiger at Stampford Hill in the 1970s when it was owned by then QVAG member Alan Parsons. Alan had inherited the Tiger from his father Cliff Parsons. The aeroplane then changed hands to another QVAG member Alan McVinish. Al restored the aeroplane and whilst still owned by Al the aeroplane was involved in a prang whilst being flown by the current owner Walter Sofronoff and Al had the pleasure of restoring BCC to flying condition for a second time. Walter purchased the aeroplane from Al and now is VH-BCC s proud owner. A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 10

Military at Oakey Airfield (RAAF and Army) Compiled by Ross Stenhouse I have a special interest in Oakey since I worked there during the mid-1970s. I was a student at the Department of Civil Aviation Technical Training School and during fourth year I was sent to Oakey for three months field training. My role was to assist with the installation of our transmitters and receivers in the operations building. I also had to test some of the fire control system and that led to a few exciting moments when I accidently set of the crash alarm. The Army Fires were extremely quick off the mark (due to a recent incident with a helicopter and a few of their mechanics getting badly burnt.) At that time I knew that many aeroplanes had been destroyed there and was surprised that there was not a trace that could be seen of them on the airfield. World War II History Oakey airfield started with the establishment of No. 6 Aircraft Depot (6AD) on 14 October 1943. The original plan approved on 25 May 1942 called for 6AD to be located at Chinchilla. On 22 December 1942, the RAAF Development Program was reviewed and 6AD was approved for establishment at Oakey. The proposed personnel establishment for 6AD was as follows:- RAAF: 70 Officers, 5 nurses, 218 Sergeants and above and 1,458 Corporals and below. Total 1,751 WAAAF: 5 Officers, 7 Sergeants and 236 Corporals and below: Total 248 Total Establishment 1,990 Work on the construction of 6AD was started by the Civil Construction Corps on 15 March 1943. The Aircraft Depot's primary function was to relieve, repair and carry out overhaul work then being done at No. 3 Aircraft Depot at Amberley airfield and to act as a forward depot for aircraft operating from New Guinea and northern Australia. The Depot serviced, assembled and conducted test flights of Beaufort, Mustang Norsemen, Wirraway and Spitfire aircraft. They also serviced large quantities of communications equipment and radio compass receivers. Nine American type workshop hangars originally consigned from the USA to the Admiralty in Singapore were obtained from the USASOS for 6AD at Oakey airfield. The airfield site (RAAF Property No. 2520) was 934 acres which comprised a 400 feet landing strip and 2 hard surfaced runways on bearings 45 degrees and 135 degrees. 99,300 was allocated for the airfield and 200,000 for buildings and engineering services. 4 4 http://www.ozatwar.com/airfields/oakey.htm A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 11

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Image Above: Accommodation buildings at Oakey. Photo taken circa 1945 A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 14

When researching for information to write articles such as this you read hundreds of memos and pick out just a few to publish. However the information from reading all of the memos gives one a good idea of what lay behind many of the engineering decisions made in connection with the earthworks about the airfield. As a good example in the memo of the page opposite there is discussion about building over the black soil and the necessity to put a layer of loam over the black soil before putting the top soil cover on. Some of you may be familiar with black soil and its highly reactive nature and the deep cracking that occurs when it dries out. A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 15

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Immediately Post War II The thing that usually comes to mind about Oakey post WWII is that it was the place where about 350 Spitfires were destroyed (by the scrap man). Other aircraft types were also scrapped at Oakey. Amongst them was CAC Boomerangs. The airframes of Boomerangs were constructed of steel tubing and thus of little value so many found their way to local farms where they were a source of nuts and bolts. The Boomerang wings and centre sections were metal and were melted down. After the war, the airfield was also used to store aircraft pending disposal, with 544 aircraft of various types at the base in December 1945.. A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 20

Image above: Aircraft awaiting their fate with the smelter circa 1947 Many of the aircraft in the background have radial engines so it s a fair guess that they are CAC Boomerangs. One wonders if the Mustangs in the foreground met a similar fate as the Spitfires. As one can imagine at the end of WWII, the RAAF had a lot of assets located at various airfields. These assets were quite valuable and some could be put to direct use to support the local towns. Such a case was made at Oakey by the local Council Jondaryan Shire Council. A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 21

Image above: A diagram from 1951 showing the defence area at Oakey as agreed with the Dept. of Civil Aviation. The military has an increased level of control over privately owned land in a defence area. As an example the heights and position of buildings that the land owner seeks to have constructed can be restricted. A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 22

More Recent History (Circa 1970 s) Army Aviation Base On 1 July 1968, the Australian Army Aviation Corps was formed with the Department of Civil Aviation aerodrome at Oakey transferred to Army control on 1 July 1969 for the Corps base, Image above: An early photograph of the first buildings that formed the fledging Army Aviation Base. 6 Aviation Squadron (Reconnaissance) relocated from RAAF Amberley and additional Army Aviation units were raised including Headquarters Army Aviation Centre to control the airfield and the Army Aviation Centre Base Squadron. By the end of 1973, the remainder of 1st Aviation Regiment had relocated, including the School of Army Aviation formed from the Training Squadron, and also 5 Base Workshop Battalion of the Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RAEME) to provide fleet maintenance. Also, 173 General Support Squadron and 171 Command and Liaison Squadron were formed at Oakley. A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 23

Image above: The helicopter landing pads are clearly visible in this photo. Image above: Aircraft Line-up C180 and three Pilatus Porters A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 24

Image above: Control Tower and Fire Station Building The author worked at Oakey Army Aviation base for about three months over the winter of 1973. He worked in the Control Tower Building installing equipment in that building whilst employed by the Dept. of Civil Aviation. Image above: How much the accommodation blocks have improved since WWII days. A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 25

Current History (2000s) Australian Warbirds and Vintage Aeroplane News Vol. 17/05 A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 26

Image above: This Pilatus Porter A14-652 from the Army Museum of Aviation. It flew in to attend a QVAG Festival of Aviation. Possible Threat to Oakey Army Aviation Base When Wellcamp airport was approved and constructed the future of the Oakey Army Aviation Training Centre was potentially put under a cloud that would limit the operational utility of the major RAAF base at Amberley and training at Oakey. That was the view put by Australian Defence Association s Executive director Neil James when in 2012 he blasted council's approval for Wagners to build a jet-capable airport under restricted military airspace at Wellcamp Downs. However it s now its five years later and that fear doesn t seem to have been realised. Diagram above: Concept map of proposed Wagner s Wellcamp Airport. A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 27

CAC CA-13 Boomerang Serial Number A46-122 Photo above: In the early 2000s Matt Denning does a meet and greet beside his Boomerang at a QVAG Festival of Flight Aircraft History The Boomerang was built by Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC). Its constructors number was 945. Wartime History During August 1943 delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as Boomerang serial number A46-122. Assigned to 83 Squadron with code MH-R and was allocated to pilot Paul Bash who nicknamed the aircraft "Suzy- Q". During the end of March 1945, flown to Oakey Airfield and placed into storage until the end of the war. During May 1946, authorized to be written off was issued and in November 1948 struck off charge and scrapped. Restoration The tubular steel frame of A46-122 was recovered from Oakey by former QVAG member John Hill. In 1975, it was purchased by 15 year old Matt Denning. For many years Matt was a QVAG member. Components sourced from a number of Boomerang wrecks were used in the restoration. These other aircraft included Boomerang A46-144, Boomerang A46-160 and Boomerang A46-166. The project found itself based at numerous places across eastern Australia, including Point Cook, South Brisbane TAFE College, Coolangatta Airport, Archerfield Airport, RAAF Base Amberley and Toowoomba Airport. Restored to airworthy condition, this Boomerang made its first flight in early 2003. Registered in Australia as VH-MHR and is one of only three airworthy Boomerangs in the world. 5 5 http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/boomerang/a46-122.html A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 28

Photo above: Matt Denning and his Boomerang A46-122 at the 2005 QVAG Festival of Flight. Buried Spitfire Rumour There is a story about Spitfires buried in an underground location during WW2 as an emergency supply in the event that the Japanese invaded Australia. There is a good account of this supposed treasure trove can be found at http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/fact-or-fable-hunt-is-on-for-buried-spitfires/newsstory/e27f3efa75ee074bed011ccd3e4dc56b Australian Army Flying Museum Raised in 1912, the Australian Flying Corps was the branch of the Australian Army responsible for operating aircraft during World War I. The Flying Corps ceased operations in 1921 as the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was formed. Army aviation again took to the skies in the 1950s during the Korean War and continues operations in the present-day Australian Army. The Museum s aircraft displays include; Full scale replicas of pre-world War 1 Beleriot, Deperdussin and Box Kite, World War 1 Bristol F2B, Sopwith Camel and Fokker DR1 Triplane. World War 2 designed and built warbird CAC Boomerang, 1950s Auster Mk 3, 1960s 70s Bell 47 - Souix, Cessna Birddog, CAC Winjeel, Bell 206 Kiowa, and UH-1H Iroquois. A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 29

Other displays include artefacts, memorabilia and photographs from all eras, including that of the No 6 Aircraft Depot RAAF which occupied Oakey Airfield during World War II. The Museum is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00am to 3:00pm and guided tours are available for the Display Hangar on request. Our workshop is open Wednesdays and Thursdays with tours available by booking. by email at AustArmy.FlyingMuseum@defence.gov.au Contact the Museum on 07 4577 7666 or A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 30

The Churchill Wing s fourth and last strike Author: Gordon R Birkett 2010 (The reason I published this most interesting story is because within a year or so of this mission, the Spitfires involved ended up at RAAF Base Oakey and were scrapped in 1947 Ed) Background Following the last successful spitfire strike of 1944, the war had moved even further north away from Darwin. Rumours and anticipated plans of increasing the strength of 80 Wing with an allocation of an additional Spitfire Squadron were circulating around February and March 1945. This squadron, to be 54 Sqn RAF, was advised of an intended redeployment to Morotai. By May 1945 however, the three RAAF Spitfire Squadrons of 80 Wing, having all moved earlier to Morotai earlier in late 1944 and early 1945, were being used mainly in ground attack missions due to the lack of the anticipated Japanese air opposition. Thus this reinforcement did not eventuate. Besides operational sweeps and intercepting suspected enemy radar plots that turned out to be either friendly or atmospheric phenomenon, the Wing was busy ferrying aircraft (Spitfires and a few Wirraways) to Oakey for modifications or storage from late 1944 and early 1945. However, several 1st Wing RAF pilots did get to Morotai, albeit to ferry replacement Spitfires fitted with 90 gallon slipper tanks, north from Darwin to Morotai and then returning with Australia with worn airframes or by transport. An example of this was on the 1February 1945 when six RAF pilots (two each from 54/548/549 Sqns) led by Sqn Ldr R A Watts (CO of 548Sqn RAF) flew six replacement Spitfire VIIIs to 452Sqn RAAF located at Morotai. They were A58-417, A58-420(QY-J), A58-427(QY-Q later X), A58-430 (QY-M later X), A58-510 (QY-U) and A58-540 (QY-I) with known future codes in parentheses. That was as close to the then front they had gotten to, that is, until 3 June 1945. On that day, on their last offensive mission of the war, the Churchill Wing would get their last enemy aircraft credited to the Wing. The strike mission: Codename Secret Green It was to be a different proposition to the last three missions insofar that the opportunity to engage Japanese enemy aircraft was high. The target was for a fighter strafing attack and sweep over Cape Chater Aerodrome and the adjoining Sea Plane base, located on the north eastern side of Portuguese Timor. The unit to be involved was to be 548 Sqn RAF. Further planning resulted in a fighter strafing attack by a six aircraft flight, whilst a top cover flight of four Spitfires would cover the mission. Selected aircraft and pilots from each of the RAF squadrons would be now involved. With an impending B-24 Liberator raid by 23 Sqn RAAF around the same date, it was decided to modify the operation with their inclusion and the mission to be synchronised with a strafing attack. The aim was to destroy all aircraft located on the ground at the base. The mission would be commenced some hours earlier with a harassment raid by a loan 23 Sqn RAAF Liberator on the preceding night of the 2 June 1945, followed by a bombing raid the next morning by a further four Liberators. Lead by a B-25 Mitchell to the target, a six aircraft Spitfire flight would then begin strafing of the aerodrome installations and aircraft revetments as the enemy recovered from the Liberator bombing, whilst overhead a four aircraft Spitfire flight would ensure that no enemy aircraft that managed to get airborne would escape. A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 31

Further out to sea, a Catalina would stand by, with a fifth Liberator as escort, should any aircraft require Air Sea Rescue services. The second B-25 Mitchell would photograph and film the operation. At 06.30hrs on the 3 June 1945, the six Spitfire of 548Sqn RAF of the strafer flight that were led by Sqn Ldr Glaser and the four top cover Spitfires (three from 54 Sqn RAF) lead by 549 Sqn RAF s Sqn Ldr Bocock, took off from Darwin for Austin Strip on Bathurst Island. All ten Spitfires arrived safely for refuelling before again taking off at 07.45hrs to rendezvousing over Snake Bay with their 2 Sqn B-25 navigation ship to continue their mission to Point Chater Aerodrome. Owing to a fuel fault in feeding fuel from his slipper tank attached to A58-498, F/Lt Greerson- Jackson of the 54Sqn RAF top cover flight, was forced to abort and return to Darwin only after five minutes in the flight. Following the long over water flight, the formation then rendezvoused at 09.15hrs with the four 23 Sqn RAAF Liberators over Jaco Island, located just off the south east tip of Timor. As planned, the Liberators bombed the aerodrome with sixteen 500lb Demolition and thirteen 120lb Frag bombs, destroying three of the five aircraft on the ground in their revetments, and causing a fair amount of dust and smoke. Table below lists aircraft per 3/06/1945 Raid Call Sign Pilot Aircraft Red 1 S/Ldr E D Glaser 548Sqn RAF TS-V/A58-482 Red2 F/Lt C W Saunders 548Sqn RAF TS-P/A58-446 Yellow 1 F/Lt J A Aiken 548Sqn RAF TS-A/A58-453 Yellow 2 F/Lt J M Hilton 548Sqn RAF TS-D/A58-405 Blue 1 F/Lt B L Price 548Sqn RAF TS-W/A58-320 Blue 2 F/Lt F S Everill 548Sqn RAF TS-X/A58-338 Stitcher S/Ldr E P Bocock 549Sqn RAF ZF-V /A58-438 F/Lt J B H Nicholas 54 Sqn RAF DL-W /A58-370 Abort F/Lt M W Greerson-Jackson 54Sqn RAF DL-D /A58-498 P/O F R Booker 54Sqn RAF DL-R /A58-360 HUG.10/1 S/Ldr D H Nannah 2Sqn RAAF (Air Spare and KO-F/A47-14 Photo ship) HUG.10/2 F/Lt J L Legge 2Sqn RAAF (Navigation Ship) KO-* /A47-5 Lon 43/1 F/Lt McKellar 23Sqn RAAF (Pre-Harassing Raid) NV-Z/A72-107 Lon 44/1 S/Ldr Miller 23Sqn RAAF NV-A/A72-100 Lon 44/2 F/Lt Lister 23Sqn RAAF NV-R/A72-82 Lon 44/3 F/Lt Halliday 23Sqn RAAF NV-C/A72-104 Lon 44/4 F/Lt Baines 23Sqn RAAF NV-*/A72-90 Lon 44/5 F/Lt Hockings 23Sqn RAAF (Air cover for ASR) NV-S/A72-102 ZDG 32 F/Lt Penny 43 Sqn RAAF ASR OX-H/A24-359 # All Multi Engine Crew details held; Captains shown only * Code not known if indeed carried The six Spitfires of the strafing flight then went in following a slight delay caused by radio problems with the Liberators, dust and smoke from the exploding bombs, and then strafed the aerodrome buildings with 20mm and.303 inch machine gun fire. The remaining three top cover flights, circled at two and a half thousand feet whilst experiencing some twelve light to medium flak rounds fired. A second run in was made by five of the Spitfires on a camouflaged revetment occupied by a Japanese bomber which was still partially obscured by smoke. After some 869 x 20mm and 3232 x.303 inch machine gun rounds expended, the Spitfires broke contact and turned for an uneventful flight home to Darwin Civil Aerodrome, landing there at 11.35hrs. A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 32

On arrival, a quick cold welcome beer was met by all pilots that participated in the last operational offensive mission of the Wing in WW2.The last mission aircraft to land was Liberator A72-102 after escorting back the ASR Catalina Post mission Both 54 and 548 Squadron RAF records show some doubt as to whether the fourth or fifth Japanese bomber aircraft were actually destroyed, mainly due to poor Spitfire gun camera cine film exposure (mainly caused from dust). Image above: A58-482 TS-V as fitted with 4 x 20mm Cannon Dec 1944 On researching 23 Sqn RAAF records though, credit was given to the destruction of four Japanese bombers by 23 Sqn RAAF; with a fifth bomber aircraft to the Spitfires of 1st Fighter Wing, with some of those destroyed being identified by intelligence as Peggys, the latest suicide bomber type. Records confirming a credit has not been found as yet. The final accolade given, the mission s bomber leader, F/Lt McCallum of 23 Sqn RAAF, was sent a congratulatory note from the AOC North Western Area, Air Commodore Charlesworth, noting the mission s great success. Thankfully, the war would be over in three months hence, and the record of 1 st Fighter Wing losses on these offensive missions would remain zero precent. Author s comment There ends the mission narrations of the four offensive operations of the 1 st Fighter Wing. Though not the longest single engine missions of the war, they did represent what could be accomplished by a determined group of young Australian based A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 33

British Spitfire Pilots who after years of being on the defence, wanted to bring the fight to the enemy s own turf. Research is still ongoing as to the remaining missing radio Call signs, aircraft codes and stories. I d like to thank Buz Busby, Peter Dunn, Peter Malone and William H Bartsch for their help in making this story possible, directly or indirectly for me to write it - Gordon R Birkett 2010 Sources: 1stFighter Wing Combat Reports; 54/548/549 Squadrons (RAF) ORBs; 2/12/23/31/43/452/457 Squadrons (RAAF) ORBs; 82Wing Combat reports and RAAF Intel reports (Northern Command). What s happing with Watts Bridge Memorial Airfield Inc. Author: Ross Stenhouse The answer to the above question is a lot of talking and not much in the way of visible change. Some of you will have heard about possibility of the changing of the governance model for WBMA from an Incorporated Association to that of a Company Limited by Guarantee. My opinion is that there is not a strong driver to warrant change. I am sure that both forms of incorporation have their advantages and disadvantages; HOWEVER we have more important matters at Watts Bridge that we need to achieve. Some of you may know that I was the founding chairman of Watts Bridge and a significant member of the management team for the first 18 years of the airfields existence. During that period most of the visible improvements to the airfield were achieved. Because of this history (and the fact that I have about $400k invested in buildings on the airfield) I have a very active interest in ensuring that the airfield prospers. My main interest is focused on the physical infrastructure development and currently the big picture for me includes: 1. The diversion of Silverleaves Road around the north western end of runway 12/30 and the fencing of that diversion road. The achievement of that would allow restoration of the runways (12/30 and 03/21 to their original lengths; 2. The sealing of runway 12/30 and the development of the parallel runway to be the grass runway for 12/30 3. The establishment of a reticulated fire hydrant system to serve the commercial hangar precinct and the air chalet precinct. This includes the altering of the current settlement pond to serve as both a settlement pond and water storage pond. That would ensure we have a well-established source of water for the purposes of fire fighting and for the watering of plants and trees about the airfield; and 4. The sealing of the main entrance road and the sealing of the road skirting the air chalet precinct and down to the private hangar area, We should be able to achieve the above in the next 10 years if the management team gets focus and remembers that WBMA is an airfield management organisation. It is not an aero club! The club function belongs to the home base groups. Talking to the WBMA President (James Crocket and a QWVAA member) he told me that there is no urgency to change from our current WBMA governance model. It s my opinion that the lawyers should not be involved in the redrafting of the constitution (under either system of governance). They are extremely expensive and the A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 34

cost/benefit ratio is not in our favour. Members drafted the current constitution and it has lasted over 30 years had a couple of modifications and still working successfully!! I think it s a shame that the current board have decided to go down the path of employing lawyers to tell us How to suck eggs. Surely you guys you have the intelligence to think for yourselves, others in the past did and the airfield prospered. Finally I am of the opinion that the airfield has been reaching its potential over the past 10 years and I for one am looking to the new President of WBMA, James Crocket, to show leadership and reverse that trend and take us forward to re-instating Watts Bridges place of being one of the best airfields in Australia. Australian Twin Engined Wooden Aeroplane that Never Was Built Compiled by Ross In researching the Australian National Archives I came upon the documents that form the basis of this article. During WWII Australia had an urgent need to have a twin engined trainer aeroplane. The following images are copies of correspondence that discussed the various possibilities. I have had a very long term interest in aircraft built in Australia and have never heard of the proposal contained in the following letters. What is more surprising to me is that the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) was proposed to be the aircraft designers. When we look at the current descendent organisations (CASA and Air Services) it is hard to imagine at the high levels of engineering skills their ancestor organisation was capable of. For ten years, I was employed by DCA and have long lamented the loss of engineering and technical skill in the successor organisations, The letters give an insight into the uncertainties of supply that prevailed and how that affected the decisions on other aircraft designs with which we are more familiar, aircraft such as the Avro Anson and Airspeed Oxford. Not only were DCA involved in the possibility of building a wooden twin-engined training aircraft, they also were involved in the early design of a twin-engined wooden light bomber /reconnaissance aeroplane the DCA-1. This part of Australia s history has largely been forgotten. The series of letters include one from no less a prominent politician than Arthur Fadden. Arthur became Australia s wartime Prime Minister after the resignation of Robert Menzies in 1941.His letter advised that the proposal for DCA to design a l twin-engined wooden light bomber /reconnaissance aeroplane would not proceed I hope you find reading the letters as interesting as I did. The background history contained in them sheds light on why certain purchases were made. The copies of documents reprinted in the following pages outline the story very well! A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 35

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Disclaimer All views expressed in this journal are not necessarily the views of the author, the editor or the Queensland Vintage Aeroplane Group Australian Flying Museum Inc. They are simply opinions and are not necessarily fact. A Queensland Warbirds and Vintage Aircraft Association Publication Page 46