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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 12, 2019 16:20:31 GMT 12
I stumbled onto this, a great line up of Vickers Vildebeest Mk IV's, with the Bristol Perseus engines. A handful of them came to New Zealand in 1939-40, perhaps some of the eleven or so seen here. The caption reads: "Giant aerial torpedoes about to, be loaded into British bombers for a mock battle over the Channel." NORTHERN ADVOCATE, 22 APRIL 1938  |
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Post by baz62 on Jul 13, 2019 8:21:15 GMT 12
Holy cow that's quite the line up.
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Post by davidd on Jul 13, 2019 12:54:41 GMT 12
Actually the RNZAF received two thirds of the production Vildebeest Mk. IVs (but not the prototype, which was a conversion from an earlier mark); so far as I know, all these aircraft shipped to NZ were formerly with 42 Squadron in the UK. These aircraft were released to NZ in 1940 after they had been relieved by the rather more modern Beauforts.
David D
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 13, 2019 13:47:44 GMT 12
Thanks David,so these above may all have become RNZAF ones then. I recon they probably were on a par with the Swordfish, if not better.
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Post by davidd on Jul 13, 2019 23:16:03 GMT 12
I think that by the time these Vildebeests were sent to New Zealand, they would have been in whatever camouflage was in vogue with Coastal Command at the time, so they would no longer be in the (probably aluminium and light grey) scheme they are wearing in photo at top of this thread. Incidentally Swordfish never had variable pitch propellers as fitted to the Mk. IV Vildes, they had fixed pitch Fairey Reed metal props. The Vilde IV props were of the Rotol hydraulic type.
David D
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