Sir Winston Churchill visit CYPRUS

Discussion in 'North Africa & the Med' started by TOT GLASS, Aug 8, 2009.

  1. TOT GLASS

    TOT GLASS Member

    These are a collection of views of which my father caught on his camera , when the "MAN " himself dropped in , to see the lads , no destination know , due to censor ship .
    I hope these images are not too small .

    Dispatch rider,s in Cyprus 1941/1943 - Page 2 - World War 2 Talk these are taken at the same time as on this other thread.

    Tot Glass
     

    Attached Files:

  2. TOT GLASS

    TOT GLASS Member

    The other few .............

    Tot Glass
     

    Attached Files:

    dbf likes this.
  3. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    Great photos Tot Glass. The aircraft is Liberator LB.30 AL504 'Commando' Churchill's private aircraft, it also flew Lord Mountbatten to the UK in June 1942 and Churchill to Moscow in August 1942 and then to Casablanca in February 1943.
    In August 1943 it went to Tucson and was modified with a lengthened fuselage and a single fin. I have a photo of the aircraft in that guise, I'll post it later.

    Regards
    Peter
     
  4. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    [FONT=&quot]
    [​IMG]


    AL504 after modification. the fuselage was lengthened by 7 feet and a new single fin and rudder similar to the US Navy's RY-3 the original wings and engines were retained.

    Churchill never used the aircraft after modification
    [/FONT]
     
  5. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    [​IMG]

    Another view of the modified 'Commando'
     
  6. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    The other few .............

    Tot Glass

    Tot Glass,

    An outstanding picture of AL504 'Commando' Its the first I've seen of the aircraft with the twin tail configuration, been looking for one for a few years.

    Regards
    Peter
     
  7. Kuno

    Kuno Very Senior Member

    The modified version looks too ugly!
     
  8. Za Rodinu

    Za Rodinu Hot air manufacturer

    Peter, I'm giving you some negative rep for putting up photos of such an ugly plane. No wonder Churchill never used it again! :lol:
     
  9. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    Peter, I'm giving you some negative rep for putting up photos of such an ugly plane. No wonder Churchill never used it again! :lol:



    :D:D:D:D
     
  10. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    Za,

    If it flies then its beautiful....:)
     
  11. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

  12. Za Rodinu

    Za Rodinu Hot air manufacturer

    Za,

    If it flies then its beautiful....:)

    Whatever you're drinking, may I have some of it?

    [​IMG]

    :lol:
     
  13. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    A few details regarding the single fin Liberator C.IX

    This development of the C-87 (used by the RAF in small numbers as the Liberator C.VII) featured a seven-foot fuselage extension, a new single fin and rudder, new Twin Wasp engines without turbo-superchargers and integral wing fuel tanks. It retained the large cargo door in the port side of the rear fuselage.

    The USAAF placed an order for 125 as the C-87C in September 1943, at which time AL504 Commando had entered the Modification Center shops at Tucson, where it acted as one of the prototypes for the series. Serial numbers 44-52853 to 44-52977 were issued to cover the 125 C-87Cs, but in the event none were produced, the USAAF cancelling the order in favour of the more promising Douglas C-54 Skymaster. However, the US Navy maintained an interest; they were pressing forward with the PB4Y-2 Privateer version, which also featured the lengthened fuselage, single tail, etc., and in March 1944 issued a contract for 112 aircraft designated RY-3, generally similar to the cancelled C-87C, carrying BuAer numbers 90020 to 90131.

    From the start, however, the RY-3 showed undesirable flight characteristics. The prototype, BuAer 90020, was demonstrated to the USN at San Diego from 23rd June to 3rd September 1944 before the authorities would accept it for tests at the Naval Air Test Centre at Patuxent River, where it eventually arrived on 12th October. The Navy trials were equally protracted, lasting from 2nd November until 5th July 1945 and the aircraft was still at Patuxent River in July 1946. Cancellations resulted, and the final tally came down to 34 aircraft, 90020 to 90050 and 90057 to 90059.

    A sign of the US Navy's lack of enthusiasm was reflected in the decision to allocate the whole production run (apart from the prototype) to the RAF, and serial allocations for 111 aircraft were, initially, as follows :

    JT973toJT999 - BuAer 90021-90047 27 aircraft
    JV936toJV999 - BuAer 90048-90111 64 aircraft
    KE266toKE285 - BuAer 90112-90131 20 aircraft

    After the USN reduction of the contract to 34 RY-3s, the serials were cut back to JT973 to JT999 and JV936, a total of 28 aircraft.


    The Liberator in RAF and Commonwealth Service - Oughton.
     
  14. Za Rodinu

    Za Rodinu Hot air manufacturer

    From the start, however, the RY-3 showed undesirable flight characteristics.

    See? It was ugly.
     
  15. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Date:

    27-MAR-1945

    Time:



    Type:

    [​IMG]
    Consolidated Liberator Mk II

    Owner/operator:

    45 Gp Comms Sqn, RAF

    Registration:

    AL504

    C/n / msn:



    Fatalities:

    Fatalities: 14 / Occupants: 14

    Other fatalities:

    0

    Airplane damage:

    Written off (damaged beyond repair)

    Location:

    Near the Azores - [​IMG] Atlantic Ocean

    Phase:

    En route

    Nature:

    Passenger

    Departure airport:

    RAF Northolt

    Destination airport:

    Ottawa
    Narrative:
    RAF Liberator AL504 was one of the best-known individual aircraft of WW II. Named 'Commando' the plane was fitted out as a VIP transport. It had carried many high ranking officials, including Prime Minister Churchill.

    On the 27th of March, 1945 the plane went missing over the Atlantic in the vicinity of the Azores, while on a flight to Canada.
    No trace of the aircraft was ever found and the cause of the disappearance was never able to be determined.

    Among the officials on board was Commander Rupert Brabner DSO DSC RNVR, Member of the House of Commons and Under-Secretary of State for Air.
    In 1941/1942 Rupert Brabner had become a Fleet Air Arm fighter ace, shooting down 5 enemy aircraft in battles over the Mediterranean Sea.


    Sources:
    Royal Navy Casualties, killed and died-1945
    http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/19223-raf-australians-killed-ww2-who-and-what-i-have-found-so-far/
    http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=157730
     

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