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Post by spongemike on Oct 22, 2006 17:59:29 GMT 12
Hi there
Does anyone know if the Harvards used by the RNZAF during WWII (either Harvard II or III) carried the gun and flexible mount in the rear cockpit?
Also, I've read that the all over yellow Harvards, when repainted in DE/DG camo on topsides, where also repainted in Sky underneath; other sources say they remained yellow. Although personally I think that yellow makes more sense, can anyone verify this for me?
MTIA
Mike Aldridge
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Post by Bruce on Oct 23, 2006 8:41:11 GMT 12
Certainly some Harvards used for gunnery training did have the rear gun mounts. Amongst them was NZ1099 which I helped maintain when I was working at Ardmore. Charles Darby, who at that stage owned a share in it managed to source or remanufacture virtually all the gunnery training kit and on at least one occaison it was flown with everything installed. If I recall the weapons kit consited of: .303 machine guns in the cowl and LH wing (the wing gun had a distinctive blister underneith to collect the spent cartridges and links.) Gun sight, "Flipover" rear canopy section (attached to the sliding rear cockpit canopy - it swung overhead and formed a kind of windshield in front of the cockpit) Swivel rear seat, 303 rear gun on a ring mount, ammunition racks inside the rear cockpit and a rack of 4x 25lb practice bombs under each wing. As mentioned, we restored all these systems on 099 based on Charles' extensive research into the aircraft's history. The Ferrymead Harvard is also a weapons trainer and I believe it will be restored as such as well. Incidentally all the IIa and III aircraft were delivered with provision for weapons, an identifying feature being the side windows on that "flipover" canopy section. Even though most had this section permanently fixed, the triangular side windows are a different arrangement to the Mark IIs where the frames went straight down to the fuselage decking.
Hope that helps a bit.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 26, 2006 15:46:37 GMT 12
Welcome to the forum Mike, long time no see.
There were a number of gunnery training Harvards used in the RNZAF, especially by the likes of 25 Squadron, and I think 30 and 31 Squadron, plus I imagine Gunnery Training School, etc. The Commemorative Air Force's Harvard at North Shore is another ex-RNZAF one with rear mounted weapon.
The use of Sky undersides on Harvards was common with the OTU and Squadron owned aircraft. The likes of 14, 15 and 16 Squadron began with Harvards painted the same as the latter P-40's. The yellow was only really for training aircraft rather than operational. I guess target towing aircraft also had yellow (My great uncle was shot down in a Harvard - alledgedly by an American pilot - while towing a target from Ardmore. He refused an order to ditch at sea and bellied it into Ardmore. He went to prison for disobeying the order, but the plane was saved and back in the air before he got out a few weeks late... so the family story goes. I want to check that story further one day.)
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