Misplaced Pages

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71-544: The system of producing aircraft to a specification ran from 1920 to 1949 during which the Air Ministry was replaced by first the Ministry of Aircraft Production (MAP) in 1940 and then the Ministry of Supply (MoS) in 1946. The system was applied to commercial aircraft as well, two being the de Havilland Comet and Vickers Viscount . During the period, over 800 specifications were issued. Each specification name usually followed

142-462: A prone position in the forward section of the nose, which was provisioned with a bombsight , driftsight, and other appropriate instrumentation, including a landing light . The pilot was located in a cockpit behind the bomb aimer's position and was provided with a variety of contemporary instrumentation, including those to enable flight under instrument flight rules (IFR) and indirect instrument lighting for night flying purposes. Immediately behind

213-480: A month, with the number of heavy bombers – a priority – doubling to a monthly average of 458 by 1944. Production Efficiency Boards were established to monitor production and remove inefficiency with, in extreme cases, the ministry taking direct control of factories. Joint Production Committees were set up in each factory to aid an exchange of views between management and workers, with Cripps making over five hundred visits to factories in order to meet staff. Cripps left

284-417: A pattern. A leading letter was usually present to identify the aircraft purpose. The codes used included B for "heavy bomber ", e.g., B.12/36, P for "medium bomber", e.g., P.13/36, F for " fighter ", e., F.10/35, and A for "army co-operation", e., A.39/34. The second part was a number identifying it in sequence and then after the slash, the year it was formulated, so in the example given above, B.12/36 signifies

355-447: A reduced diameter in order to reduce their negative impact on external visibility, which was considered to be valuable to the type's reconnaissance function. These engines drove two-bladed Fairey -built metal propellers . The Anson was the first aircraft equipped with retractable landing gear to enter service with the RAF. While the main undercarriage was retracted into recesses set into

426-474: A signalling lamp and float flares . Aft of the rear spar is the wireless operator's station – a table with contemporary wireless equipment, including a winch for the trailing aerial, which was attached to the upper fuselage immediately behind the aircraft's cockpit. The armaments of the Anson consisted of a single .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun which was fixed within the forward fuselage and aimed by

497-431: A specification for a heavy bomber , the twelfth specification of all types issued in 1936 . Specifications were not always issued in sequence. Admiralty specifications were identified by the letter N (Naval), e., N.21/45, and experimental specifications identified by the letter E (Experimental), e., E.28/39, with training aircraft signified by the letter T (Training), e., T.23/31, and unpowered aircraft , signified by

568-556: A third, while no Ansons were lost. The aircraft achieved more success training pilots for flying multi-engined bombers , such as the Avro Lancaster . Ansons were first deployed to Flying Training Schools in November 1936, replacing the obsolete bombers then used for twin-engine training. The Anson was also used to train the other members of a bomber's aircrew, such as navigators, wireless operators, bomb aimers and air gunners. Postwar,

639-539: A trainer and communications aircraft until 28 June 1968. Post-war, a small number of Ansons (known as Avro 19s) were built new for the civilian market, along with a much larger number of civil conversions from surplus military stocks, being used as light transport and executive aircraft. By the end of production in 1952, a total of 8,138 Ansons had been constructed by Avro in nine variants. A further 2,882 aircraft were manufactured by Federal Aircraft Ltd in Canada from 1941. By

710-573: Is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro . Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), Royal Australian Air Force and numerous other air forces before, during, and after the Second World War . Initially known as the Avro 652A , the Anson was developed during

781-523: Is used in service would change from that for which the specification to which it was designed was issued, and so there are some discrepancies and inconsistencies in designation, the Royal Navy in particular liking to specify multiple roles for its aircraft in an attempt to make the best use of the necessarily limited hangar space onboard its aircraft carriers . In this case this resulted in several types designed to specifications originally intended to signify

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852-460: The AT-20 . The Egyptian Air Force (EAF) operated a fleet of Ansons in communications and VIP duties. A specially outfitted Anson was presented to the then King of Egypt by the RAF. The Royal Afghan Air Force obtained 13 Anson 18 aircraft for various duties from 1948. These aircraft survived until 1972. After the war, Ansons continued in production with Avro at Woodford. At this time, large amounts of

923-477: The Handley Page Hampden and Handley Page Hereford . Typographical designation of mark numbers (Mk.) varied over time and inconsistencies are common, e.g., Mark II , Mk. II , II , etc. Initially Roman numerals were used, changing to Arabic numerals post- World War II , e.g., Supermarine Spitfire Mk I to Supermarine Spitfire Mk 24 . Note 1: where possible mark numbers are given here in this list in

994-617: The Isle of Man until 1951. Finglands Airways operated an ex-RAF Anson I on inclusive tour flights and on scheduled flights from Manchester Airport to Newquay Airport between 1949 and 1952. Kemps Aerial Surveys operated several Anson XIXs on survey work within the UK until their retirement in 1973. In 1948, India ordered 12 new Anson 18Cs for use by the Directorate of Civil Aviation as trainers and communications aircraft; these were delivered from Yeadon in

1065-498: The Manufacturer X.XX/XX , e.g., the Avro B.35/46 – this is in addition to the manufacturer's own separate internal designation for the aircraft, e.g., Avro 698. With several manufacturers submitting designs to the same specification this could result in a number of different aircraft with the same X.XX/XX designation, e.g., Handley Page B.35/46 , etc. Upon acceptance of the design(s)

1136-582: The Manufacturer Service-name , e.g., the Avro Anson , however upon acceptance of a new variant the previous (initial) version automatically became the 'Mark I', so in the example given, the previous (first) version of the Anson retrospectively became the Avro Anson Mk I upon acceptance of an Avro Anson Mk II . Sometimes planned variants would be later cancelled leading to 'missing' mark numbers, or

1207-464: The North Sea and other coastal areas; however, it lacked the range to reach the coast of Norway. Its weapons against German U-boats were two small 100 lb bombs, which required a direct hit on the hull of a submarine to be effective, at least in theory. On 3 December 1939, an Anson mistakenly attacked a surfaced Royal Navy submarine, HMS  Snapper , and although the aircraft succeeded in hitting

1278-712: The Royal Flying Corps and Royal Navy Air Service , with separate series for the RFC and Navy. Not proceeded with, but similar conversions made for RN as TT.20 Ministry of Aircraft Production The Minister of Aircraft Production was, from 1940 to 1945, the British government minister at the Ministry of Aircraft Production, one of the specialised supply ministries set up by the British Government during World War II . It

1349-463: The Second World War . The Avro Anson was a twin-engine, low-wing cantilever monoplane . Developed as a general reconnaissance aircraft, it possessed many features that lent itself to the role, including considerable load-carrying ability, and long range. The structure of the Anson was relatively straightforward and uncomplicated, relying on proven methods and robust construction to produce an airframe that minimized maintenance requirements. Much of

1420-469: The conning tower , the only damage was four broken light bulbs. In an earlier friendly fire incident off the coast of Scotland in September, the bombs of an Anson of No. 233 Squadron had bounced off the surface of the water and exploded in an air burst , which holed the aircraft's fuel tanks causing it to ditch off St Andrews . Despite numerous claims of attacks on U-boats by Ansons in the first months of

1491-601: The 21st century, the vast majority of Ansons had been retired, but three aircraft still appear at flying displays. In 1933, the British Air Ministry proposed that the Royal Air Force (RAF) acquire a relatively cheap landplane for coastal maritime reconnaissance duties; the proposed aircraft would perform as a supplement to the more capable, but expensive, flying boats which the RAF had adopted for conducting maritime reconnaissance missions. The Air Ministry looked for designs from British manufacturers. Avro responded to

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1562-522: The Air Ministry, interaction was informal, characterised by personal intervention, crisis management and application of willpower to improve output. "Few records were kept, the functions of most individuals were left undefined and business was conducted mainly over the telephone". One important change made within days of the creation of the ministry was it taking over the RAF 's storage units and Maintenance Units which were found to have accepted 1,000 aircraft from

1633-506: The Anson I served as operational training squadrons which were used to prepare crews for frontline service. 12 of the squadrons were in No. 6 (Operational Training) Group . Newly formed crews, having previously completed individual flying and technical training courses, were first trained as bomber crews in Ansons before advancing to the various frontline aircraft types, which were in the same squadrons with

1704-518: The Anson and its ordnance had failed in RAF anti-submarine work. Now in Canada, it was remobilized as an aerial scarecrow. German views varied as to Canadian countermeasures. The captain of U-517 found his operations increasingly restricted by strengthened air patrols. In October 1942, U-69 reported "strong sea patrol and constant patrol by aircraft with radar." The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), employed 50 Canadian-built Ansons, which were designated

1775-548: The Anson continued in the training and light transport roles. The last Ansons were withdrawn from RAF service with communications units on 28 June 1968. During the 1939–45 war years, the British Air Transport Auxiliary operated the Anson as its standard taxi aircraft, using it to carry groups of ferry pilots to and from aircraft collection points. There was no fatal mechanical failure of an Anson in ATA service, and it

1846-540: The Anson in this role with the American-built Lockheed Hudson , which was 100 mph faster, had three times the range, carried a much heavier bomb load and had a superior defensive armament. The first squadron to be reequipped with the type was already training with them in September 1939. Meanwhile, the remaining Coastal Command Anson squadrons had to go to war with what they had. The Anson had an endurance of only four hours so it could only be employed in

1917-499: The Ansons. After training the crews would advance to the frontline bomber squadrons with aircraft such as the Fairey Battle , Bristol Blenheim , Vickers Wellington , Armstrong Whitworth Whitley or Handley-Page Hampden . Even before the start of the war, it had been realized that the Anson's limited capabilities would make it ineffective in its intended main role as a maritime patrol aircraft. In 1938, it had been decided to replace

1988-759: The BAC Lightning; the British Aircraft Corporation itself and Hawker Siddeley (HS) then later merged and became British Aerospace , subsequently becoming BAe (now BAE Systems ). Thus the previously mentioned Avro Vulcan was subsequently referred to as the Hawker Siddeley Vulcan; similarly, the Blackburn Buccaneer later became the Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer. Where possible, for clarity the aircraft in this list are listed under

2059-511: The Commonwealth Government decided to ground the majority of wooden-winged aircraft then in operation; amongst those aircraft affected, the Anson and De Havilland Mosquito were included. Of the Ansons, no such aircraft were re-registered as the government had mandated a test that essentially destroyed the wings, thus requiring the fitting of new wings. Most owners decided to voluntarily scrap their aircraft well before this time. During

2130-506: The ORIGINATING company's name or the name of the manufacturer under which it first entered production. Specifications within the tables are listed in numerical order by year of issue; where a given number appears more than once, with one or more letter prefixes, the entries are presented in alphabetical order. In 1917, the Air Board began to issue specifications for new aircraft on behalf of

2201-558: The Royal Canadian Legion magazine entitled Eastern Air Command: Air Force, Part 14 ; the author Hugh A. Haliday wrote: "The need for Atlantic patrols was undiminished, yet the Battle of the St. Lawrence stretched EAC resources. Based at Charlottetown, 31 General Reconnaissance School was mobilized to fly patrols using Avro Ansons, each carrying two 250-pound bombs. At the very outset of the war,

List of Air Ministry specifications - Misplaced Pages Continue

2272-770: The Second World War, (alongside the more numerous Airspeed Oxford ), and acquired more Ansons as communication aircraft immediately after the war. A preserved navigation trainer is in the Air Force Museum of New Zealand at Wigram. The Royal Indian Air Force operated several Ansons as part of the No.1 Service Flying Training School (India) for Pilot and Navigation training. These Ansons continued this role post-independence and were retired at an unknown date. The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) operated 4,413 Anson aircraft, 1,962 British built and 2,451 Canadian built aircraft. The RCN operated

2343-578: The aircraft programmes set bore little relation to expected aircraft production. Beaverbrook deliberately inserted an extra margin of 15 per cent over and above the very best that British industry could be expected to produce. The extra margin was added to provide an out-of-reach target to British industry so that it would push as hard as possible to increase production. The ministry was characterised by, for its time, highly unorthodox methods of management, including its initial location at Beaverbrook's home, Stornoway House . Personnel were recruited from outside

2414-651: The aircraft until 1952. Although the Canadian Ansons were used throughout the training schools of the British Commonwealth Air Training plan for training aircrew, some aircraft were pressed into operational service with the RCAF's Eastern Air Command. A good example of the training schools' involvement in combat operations with the EAC during the emergency of the battle is illustrated in an article dated 1 March 2006 of

2485-418: The bottom of the engine nacelles, the tail wheel was fixed in position. Commonly, the undercarriage was fitted with Dunlop -built wheels, tyres and pneumatic brakes and Turner legs. The retractable undercarriage was mechanically operated by hand; 144 turns of a crank handle, situated beside the pilot's seat, were needed. To avoid this laborious process, early aircraft would often perform short flights with

2556-474: The department. Fraser, whose pre-war career had been with Imperial Chemical Industries , was first appointed director-general of equipment production, before moving to the aircraft production post, which he held throughout the rest of the war. In 1945, Ben Lockspeiser was appointed director-general. The first minister, Lord Beaverbrook, pushed for aircraft production to have priority for raw materials over virtually all other types of munitions production. This

2627-701: The end of April 1941. He was succeeded by John Moore-Brabazon , who was replaced in February 1942 by John Llewellin , who served until November 1942. Sir Stafford Cripps became the Minister of Aircraft Production on 22 November 1942, serving for two and a half years until the end of the war in Europe. He made a number of changes, including replacing unrealistic production targets, deliberately set too high to encourage effort, with realistic forecasts for each type of aircraft. Production levels were maintained at over 2,000 aircraft

2698-573: The extent of the changes may have justified given the new variant a completely new name, e.g., the Hawker Typhoon II subsequently becoming the Hawker Tempest , or the Avro Lancaster B.IV & B.V entering service as the Avro Lincoln . In a few cases the same aircraft ordered with differing engines would be allocated separate names for each variant, e.g., Hawker Typhoon and Hawker Tornado , or

2769-400: The final service names would usually be chosen by the Air Ministry when they placed a production order, in the above B.35/46 cases, where two aircraft were accepted to this specification, Vulcan and Victor respectively. Upon entering service, in the absence of any already-planned variants a new type would initially have no mark number after the aircraft name, being simply referred to as

2840-537: The form that was used at the time of acceptance. Variations may be encountered due to changes in format/typographical convention. Note 2: due to mergers and amalgamations within the UK aircraft industry sometimes the name of the manufacturer changed over time, e.g., English Electric later became part of the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC), so the English Electric Lightning then became

2911-462: The gun turret removed, although specific aircraft used for gunnery training were fitted with a Bristol hydraulically operated gun turret, similar to that used in the Bristol Blenheim . The tail fairing of the starboard nacelle contains an inflatable dinghy which is provided with automatic actuators and marine distress beacons. On 6 March 1936, the Anson entered RAF service, No. 48 Squadron

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2982-458: The industry but issued only 650 to squadrons. These management and organisational changes bore results almost immediately; in the first four months of 1940, 2,729 aircraft were produced of which 638 were fighters, while in the following four months crucial to the Battle of Britain during May to August 1940, production rose to 4,578 aircraft, of which 1,875 were fighters. This production rate achieved

3053-403: The internal structure retained similarities to the earlier Avro 652 airliner from which it had been developed. The Anson Mk I was furnished with a low-mounted one-piece wooden wing, composed of a combination of plywood and spruce throughout the wingbox and ribs . The fuselage was composed of a welded steel tubing framework which was principally clad in fabric ; the exterior of the nose

3124-428: The landing gear remaining extended throughout, which would reduce the aircraft's cruising speed by 30 mph (50 km/h). Initially, the Anson was flown by a crew of three, which comprised a pilot, a navigator/ bomb-aimer and a radio operator/gunner, when it was used in the maritime reconnaissance role; from 1938 onwards, it was typically operated by a four-man crew. The bomb-aimer would perform his function from

3195-618: The late 20th century, the vast majority of Ansons were retired, but there are still three aircraft appearing at flying displays, two in the UK, one in New Zealand. A fourth aircraft in Canada is scheduled for restoration back to airworthiness. The main Anson variant was the Mk I, of which 6,704 were built in Britain. The other variants were mainly distinguished by their powerplant with Canadian-built Ansons using local engines. To overcome steel shortages,

3266-412: The letter X, e., X.26/40. The letter G (General) signified a general-purpose aircraft, e.g., G.9/45, with an M (Multi-role) being applied to aircraft intended for more than one specific purpose, e.g., M.15/35. The letter C (Cargo) was applied to military transport aircraft, e.g., C.1/42, with the letter O (Observation) used for a naval reconnaissance aircraft, e.g., O.8/38 – the letter S (Spotter) used for

3337-460: The mid-1930s from the earlier Avro 652 airliner in response to a request for tenders issued by the British Air Ministry for a coastal maritime reconnaissance aircraft . Having suitably impressed the Ministry, a single prototype was ordered, which conducted its maiden flight on 24 March 1935. Following an evaluation in which the Type 652A bettered the competing de Havilland DH.89 , it was selected as

3408-535: The ministry on 23 May 1945 when the wartime coalition ended. In May 1945 Ernest Brown , leader of the National Liberals was appointed the final Minister of Aircraft Production. In August 1945 the Ministry was abolished and a minister with responsibility for both aircraft production and the Ministry of Supply was appointed and the Ministry of Aircraft Production was fully merged into the Ministry of Supply on 1 April 1946. Avro Anson The Avro Anson

3479-429: The more specialised role of naval spotting, i.e., observing and reporting back the fall of naval gunfire, e.g., S.38/34 – and R (Reconnaissance) for a reconnaissance type – often a flying boat , e.g., R.3/33. Special purpose aircraft would be signified by a letter Q, this being used to specify aircraft such as target-tugs, radio-controlled target drones , etc., e.g., Q.32/55. Sometimes the purpose for which an aircraft

3550-545: The naval Spotting role also being used for other purposes, e.g., S.15/33, resulting in the Blackburn Shark and Fairey Swordfish , the latter aircraft being primarily utilised as a torpedo bomber . Similarly S.24/37, which produced the Fairey Barracuda , again primarily designed for spotting, the dive bomber /torpedo bomber requirements being regarded as secondary when the specification was issued, but for which roles it

3621-507: The outbreak of the Second World War, the Anson was soon found to have become obsolete in front-line combat roles. Large numbers of the type were instead put to use as a multi-engine aircrew trainer , having been found to be suitable for the role, and became the mainstay of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan . The type continued to be used in this role throughout and after the conflict, remaining in RAF service as

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3692-477: The personal direction of the Minister, for a time it operated from his private home. The initial Chief Executive of the Ministry was Air Chief Marshal Sir Wilfrid Freeman , who left after frustrations with Lord Beaverbrook's working methods but returned in October 1942 and served until 1945. The Director-General of Aircraft Production from April 1943 was Eric Fraser , who remained the most senior non-elected figure in

3763-473: The pilot's position is a small folding seat fixed to the starboard side of the fuselage for an additional crew member or passenger, along with racks that would contain a pair of parachute packs that would be clipped onto the harnesses worn by both the pilot and the navigator. Behind these is the navigator's station, a chair and table provisioned with navigational aids such as compasses , Bigsworth chart boards , sea markers, slide rules for course, wind and speed,

3834-455: The pilot, while an Armstrong Whitworth -built manually operated gun turret located on the Anson's dorsal section was fitted with a single Lewis gun . Additionally, up to 360 pounds (160 kg) of bombs, which could consist of a maximum of two 100 pounds (45 kg) and eight 20 pounds (9 kg) bombs, could be carried in the aircraft's wings. Those Ansons that were used in the training role were outfitted with dual controls and usually had

3905-448: The prototype had not been fitted with flaps , production aircraft could accommodate their installation from the onset to increase the viable glide angle and reduce landing speed. On 6 March 1936, deliveries to the RAF commenced. By the end of production in 1952, a total of 11,020 Ansons had been completed, which made it the second most numerous (after approximately 11,500 Vickers Wellington medium bomber) British multi-engined aircraft of

3976-460: The request with the Avro 652A , which was a modified version of their earlier Avro 652 , a twin-engined, six-seat monoplane airliner. de Havilland offered a design based on their D.H.89A Dragon Rapide biplane. After evaluating the various submissions received, the Air Ministry decided to order from Avro and de Havilland respectively, single examples of the Type 652A and the de Havilland DH.89 for evaluation purposes late in 1934; an evaluation and

4047-458: The spring of 1949. Ansons continued to be manufactured by Avro at Woodford for the RAF until March 1952; the type was used as trainers and served in the role of Station communications aircraft until 1968. The wooden wings of Ansons flying in Australia were found to fail at a high rate. The phenolic glue bonds would part, and it was speculated that the problem was due to the high humidity. In 1962,

4118-487: The subsequent selection of a design for production to take place by May 1935. On 24 March 1935, the Avro 652A conducted its maiden flight at Woodford Aerodrome , Greater Manchester . Between 11 and 17 May 1935, the prototype participated in a formal evaluation against the competing DH.89M by the RAF's Coastal Defence Development Unit at RAF Gosport , Hampshire . During these trials, the Avro aircraft proved to be superior and

4189-685: The type were being converted for civilian use, where they were operated as light transports by a range of small charter airlines and as executive aircraft by large corporations . Countries that saw civilian operations with Ansons included the United Kingdom, Canada (Mk. V aircraft only), Australia and Mexico. Railway Air Services operated Ansons on scheduled services from London's Croydon Airport via Manchester to Belfast ( Nutts Corner ) in 1946 and 1947. Sivewright Airways operated three Mk XIX aircraft from their Manchester Airport base on local charter flights, flights to Jersey, and Ronaldsway Airport in

4260-486: The war, postwar examination of German records showed that little damage had been inflicted. Despite their obsolescence, Ansons were employed during the Dunkirk evacuation to deter attacks on Allied shipping by German E-boats . On 1 June 1940, a flight of three Ansons was attacked near Dunkirk by nine Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 109s . According to the unsubstantiated claims, one Anson destroyed two German aircraft and damaged

4331-458: The winner, leading to Air Ministry Specification 18/35 being written around the type and an initial order for 174 aircraft being ordered in July 1935. The Type 652A was promptly named after British Admiral George Anson . The type was placed into service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) and was initially used in the envisaged maritime reconnaissance operation alongside the larger flying boats . After

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4402-608: Was a headquarters in London and twelve regions, each with a controller and resident Ministry representatives in most of the larger factories. The department was formed in May 1940 by the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill , to produce large numbers of aircraft to fight the Battle of Britain . The first minister was Lord Beaverbrook ; under his control the Ministry presided over an enormous increase in British aircraft production. Initially under

4473-515: Was accordingly selected as the winner of the competition on 25 May 1935. In response to its selection, Air Ministry Specification G.18/35 was written around the Type 652A; in July 1935, an initial order for 174 aircraft, which had been given the service name "Anson", was received. On 31 December 1935, the first production Anson performed its maiden flight; changes from the prototype included an enlarged horizontal tailplane and reduced elevator span in order to improve stability. Additionally, while

4544-503: Was almost exclusively subsequently used, the original spotting requirement having been made obsolete with the introduction of radar . In addition, some (mostly early) specifications appear to have no letter prefix at all, e.g., 1/21, the Vickers Virginia III . The names of the aircraft shown in the table are not necessarily those they carried when provided for evaluation as at this point an aircraft would usually be referred to as

4615-441: Was clad in magnesium alloy . The Anson was powered by a pair of Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah IX seven-cylinder air-cooled radial engines , which were each rated at 350 horsepower (260 kW). Each engine was provided with its own duplicated fuel pumps and separate fuel and oil tanks; the tanks were composed of welded aluminium and mounted in cradles housed within the wing. The engine cowlings were intentionally designed to have

4686-477: Was needed in the summer and autumn of 1940 but it distorted the supply system of the war economy . It eventually came to be replaced by a quota system , with each supply ministry being allocated a certain amount of raw materials imports to be distributed amongst various projects within the ministries' purviews. Beaverbrook continued to push hard for increases in aircraft production until he left to become Minister of Supply . Controversially, under Beaverbrook's tenure

4757-474: Was responsible for aircraft production for the British forces, primarily the Royal Air Force , but also the Fleet Air Arm . During the war, British aircraft production quickly expanded to be the largest industry in the country, involving hundreds of private firms and employing nearly two million workers. The Ministry was set up to co-ordinate the activity of this industry to maximise aircraft production. There

4828-471: Was successfully used in fleet exercises off the east coast of England in September. By the outbreak of the Second World War , the RAF had received a total of 824 Ansons while there were 26 RAF squadrons that were then operating the Anson I: 10 of these were assigned to Coastal Command and the other 16 were with Bomber Command . By 1939, all of the squadrons assigned to Bomber Command that had been equipped with

4899-439: Was the first RAF unit to be equipped with the type. Upon the type's introduction, it represented a new level of capability for the service, serving not only in a general reconnaissance capacity but also being an effective general-purpose aircraft In July 1937, a Coastal Command Anson was fitted with an experimental airborne early warning radar which was able to detect large warships 5 miles (8.0 km) away in poor visibility and

4970-412: Was two and a half times German fighter production and the ministry repaired and returned to service nearly 1,900 aircraft. The result of this effort and management style was that while the number of German fighters available for operations over England fell from 725 to 275, the RAF's complement rose from 644 at the beginning of July 1940 to 732 at the beginning of October. Beaverbrook left the ministry at

5041-483: Was typically very well regarded. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) initially ordered 33 Ansons in November 1935 to fill the maritime reconnaissance role. The first were delivered in 1936 and 48 were in service before the start of the war. The RAAF eventually operated a total of 1,028 Ansons, the majority of these being Mk Is. These aircraft continued to be operated until 1955. The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) operated 23 Ansons as navigation trainers during

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