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Date: | Thursday 18 March 1943 |
Time: | night |
Type: | Boulton Paul Defiant Mk I |
Owner/operator: | 515 Sqn RAF |
Registration: | AA411 |
MSN: | 751 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | RAF Heston, Middlesex, England -
United Kingdom
|
Phase: | Landing |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | RAF Heston, Middlesex |
Destination airport: | RAF Heston, Middlesex |
Narrative:Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.II AA411, 515 Squadron: Written off (damaged beyond repair) 18 March 1943 after undercarriage collapsed during landing in high winds at RAF Heston, Middlesex. Both crew appear to have survived uninjured.
515 Squadron was formed from Defiant Flight, also known as Special Duties Flight – an electronic counter measures unit equipped with the Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.II – at RAF Northolt on 1 October 1942. It moved to RAF Heston later that month. As part of 11 Group, 515 Squadron performed radar jamming duties, using Moonshine and Mandrel equipment.
Moonshine was the code-name for ARI TR1427, (Airborne Radio Installation Transmitter Receiver), a British airborne spoofer/jammer installed in the 20 modified Boulton Paul Defiants of No. 515 Squadron RAF to defeat Freya radar and was developed at the Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE). Mandrel was the code-name for a jammer deployed against Freya and Würzburg radars used by aircraft of 515 sqn and 100 Group. Developed at the TRE, Mandrel was also built in the United States as AN/APT-3.
From May 1943, 515 Sqn re-equipped with the Bristol Beaufighter Mk.IIF.
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft AA100-AZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain (2nd Edition) 2000 p.6)
2. 515 Squadron ORB for March 1943: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/1981/14:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8413890 3.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._515_Squadron_RAF 4.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heston_Aerodrome#Military_operations_1939%E2%80%931945 Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |