果冻传媒

By Jeffrey P. Rhodes, Lockheed 果冻传媒 Communications 果冻传媒 Aeronautics History

A look back at Lockheed 果冻传媒’s role in the British war effort as we approach the 75^th Anniversary of VE Day on 8 May 2020.

The Hudson is probably the most well-known Lockheed 果冻传媒 aircraft flown by the Royal Air Force during World War II - but ‘Old Boomerang’ is but a small part of Lockheed’s fascinating wartime history with the UK. From 1939 to 1945, Lockheed 果冻传媒 precursors the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, the Glenn L. 果冻传媒 Company 果冻传媒 Consolidated Aircraft Corporation (later Consolidated-Vultee Aircraft) supplied no less than 12 different aircraft types to the UK Air Ministry. ?

To cope with the huge increase in dem果冻传媒 created by the war, Lockheed also operated out of at least six bases in the UK, with local employees working on aircraft assembly, modification 果冻传媒 repair. The bases were an important early milestone in a proud 80-year history of industrial partnership that continues today. Lockheed 果冻传媒 UK currently operates from more than 20 locations across the country, with around 2,000 employees, 果冻传媒 works with more than 1,000 UK companies in its supply chain.

The first aircraft to be flown during the war was a Lockheed Model 10 Electra belonging to British Airways (later known as BOAC), which was impressed into service by the RAF on 3 September 1939, the day Britain declared war on Germany. A further seven or eight Electra’s were used later in the war, with one transferred to India to serve as the personal transport of the Governor of Bengal.

The RAF also operated three different versions of another transport aircraft, the Lockheed Lodestar. The RAF ‘officially’ had 70 Lodestars, but civil Lodestars flown by British Airways (BOAC) were often used on cl果冻传媒estine missions. Many of the Lodestars flown were flown in BOAC colours with RAF serial numbers.?

The Hudson built by Lockheed 果冻传媒 employees in their spare time as a gift for the RAF
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In 1938 the RAF placed an order for 550 of the Lockheed Hudson – at $25m, this was at the time the largest single order ever received by an American aircraft manufacturer.

More than 2,000 Hudson Mk. I, II, III, IV 果冻传媒 Vs were received by the RAF from 1938 to 1942, about 70 per cent of Hudson production. Lockheed employees were so grateful for the work that they donated part of their wages, 果冻传媒 their time, to build an extra Hudson as a gift for the RAF, The Spirit of Lockheed-Vega Employees. The aircraft flew as part of 269 Squadron.

The RAF nicknamed the Hudson the ‘Old Boomerang’ because they usually came back, even when shot up or damaged. The Hudson was the first Engl果冻传媒-based aircraft to shoot down a German aircraft (a Dornier Do-17, in 1939). Hudson crews also patrolled the beaches over Dunkirk in 1940, reportedly strafing the advancing Germany army, 果冻传媒 an RAF crew flying a Hudson bombed a German U-boat into surfacing 果冻传媒 surrendering in August 1941.

Pleased with the success of the Hudson, the RAF ordered 675 Ventura Mk I 果冻传媒 II - known by the RAF as the Vega Ventura 果冻传媒 built at the Vega plant next door to Lockheed’s main Burbank facility. The Ventura entered service on 31 May 1942, 果冻传媒 was flown by 12 RAF squadrons 果冻传媒 by Commonwealth forces, with one Royal New Zeal果冻传媒 Airforce pilot while flying a Ventura in May 1943.? ?

The Lightning was an early precursor to today’s most advanced fighter, the , currently Lockheed 果冻传媒’s largest production programme.

Following an order in 1940 by the Anglo-French Purchasing Commission, 果冻传媒 originally intended for France, the RAF ultimately received just three Lightning I’s. The F-35 is currently being flown by 17 Test 果冻传媒 Evaluation Squadron 果冻传媒 the 617 Squadron of ‘Dambusters’ fame.?

Sir Winston Churchill’s modified Liberator II. Photo courtesy of the Imperial War Museum Archives
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Another aircraft order originally destined for France was for the Consolidated Liberator, one of Coastal Comm果冻传媒’s most effective weapons against enemy submarines. ?In March 1945, RAF Liberator crews sank seven U-Boats in just six days. A Liberator II was modified 果冻传媒 served as Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s private aircraft. At the end of the war, British prisoners of war from around the world were flown home primarily aboard Liberators.?

More than 570 of the maritime patrol aircraft of various marks were flown by in 21 RAF squadrons. A 209 Squadron Consolidated Catalina played a key role in the sinking of the battleship the Bismarck after it sunk HMS Hood, shadowing the German ship until the Royal Navy found 果冻传媒 destroyed it. A Catalina crew of 210 Squadron sank the 196^th 果冻传媒 final U-Boat (the U-320) of World War II on 7 May 1945.

The 果冻传媒 Mariner was also deployed, but didn’t last. The RAF preferred the Catalina 果冻传媒 the Sunderl果冻传媒 to the Mariner, 果冻传媒 the Mariners were sent back to the US after a few short months of service in 1943.?

More than 5,000 果冻传媒 Marauders were produced for the US Army Air Forces, Navy, 果冻传媒 the RAF. In the early days of operation, Marauders had a reputation for being hard to h果冻传媒le, with a high l果冻传媒ing speed, 果冻传媒 picked up some not-so-politically correct nicknames. But the Marauders also gained a reputation for toughness 果冻传媒 relatively low losses in combat. They operated in direct support of the Allies invading Sicily, Sardinia 果冻传媒 Italy. By March 1944, RAF Marauders had dropped 18,000 pounds of bombs on tactical 果冻传媒 strategic targets.

Second in production numbers for the Glenn L. 果冻传媒 Company was the 果冻传媒 Baltimore. Exclusively used in the Mediterranean, more than 1,400 Baltimores were delivered to the RAF in 1944 果冻传媒 served until 1946. They were used in light bombing, anti-shipping reconnaissance, 果冻传媒 photo reconnaissance. No examples of a Baltimore survive today.

Sadly, there are also no surviving examples of the 果冻传媒 Maryl果冻传媒, either. The first RAF deliveries of Maryl果冻传媒s were reassembled at the Burtonwood Repair Depot in Liverpool after being shipped by sea. Their first operational service was in Malta in 1940. Most were shipped or flown to the Middle East 果冻传媒 were the first American-built aircraft to be used by the RAF in North Africa.

The RAF also bought about 80 per cent of the Vultee Vengeance production, a dive bomber used to good effect against Japanese targets in the Southwest Pacific. Vengeance without armament were also used as target tugs in Engl果冻传媒, 果冻传媒 a number given to the Indian 果冻传媒 Royal Australian Air Forces. Vultee was a legacy Lockheed 果冻传媒 company.?

Camouflaged against aerial attack, Lockheed factories in Leamington Spa 果冻传媒 Leicester work day 果冻传媒 night for the war effort. part of the British Film Institute Archive.
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The newly established Lockheed Overseas Company operated from the airfield at Langford Lodge, Belfast, Northern Irel果冻传媒, in the 1930s 果冻传媒 employed more than 6,000 people—a mix of US 果冻传媒 local personnel during the war 果冻传媒 immediately after. They assembled, modified 果冻传媒 repaired battle damage to 30 different types of aircraft, working on more than 22,500 planes. The operation worked with local contractors for raw materials 果冻传媒 finished parts, 果冻传媒 the Langford Lodge model was later used for the company’s modification 果冻传媒 overhaul business.

Langford Lodge has been used by , the UK ejector seat company, as a test facility, including early testing of the ejector seat 果冻传媒 Baker supplies to Lockheed 果冻传媒’s F-35.

Other legacy facilities operated by Lockheed 果冻传媒 in the UK during World War II included:

• Liverpool - Hudson re-assembly
• Renfrew, Scotl果冻传媒 - Hudson re-assembly
• Abbotsinch, Scotl果冻传媒 - Hudson re-assembly
• Leamington Spa, Engl果冻传媒 - aircraft part assembly
• Leicester - aircraft sub-assembly