- The Airfix Tribute Forum -

Richard M

Welcome to the D-Day 1944 2009 Summer Campaign GB chat thread. To enter the GB please join the usergroup here. I will then set a thread up for you.

For this GB any subject, of any scale may be built so long as it's an Airfix kit. Conversions and aftermarket parts/decals are permitted. The GB will run from 15th July to 15th September 2009.

Models and dioramas may be made which depict subjects from the period May/June/July in 1944 . Any subject, land sea or air from any of the combatant nations which took part in the D-Day operation may be made. Subjects can include those from preparation operations prior to the actual landings, the assault phase, and operations in the weeks after until the breakout in late July.

Best
Rich
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Rich
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"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... Time to die."

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TopGun · Posted: Thu 02 Jul 2009 08:46 am Post subject:

According to Colins reference on RAF units used during D-Day, No 1449 Flight based in St Mary's, Scillies used Hurricane Mk IIbs as part of the RAF Air Defence of Great Britain. So would a Mk IIb be eligible for the GB?
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Richard M · Posted: Thu 02 Jul 2009 09:05 am Post subject:

They were providing air defense in the south in support of the D-Day operation so I would say yes.
Best
Rich
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Best
Rich
---------------------------

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... Time to die."

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TopGun · Posted: Thu 02 Jul 2009 10:34 am Post subject:

Cool, I wonder if anyone knows what markings they used?
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hewman100 · Posted: Thu 02 Jul 2009 11:15 am Post subject:

I have Micheal JF Bowyers book 'Aircraft of the Many'.

This gives a fairly comprehensive rundown of which aircraft from which units were operational during the 5/6 June including serials and aircraft letters.

I'll look up the 1449 Flt info, and any other info, for anybody.

As a sidebar to this 309 (Polish) Sqn were operating Hurricane IIcs also on this day, although not in the South. One of these was LF363, 'WC-F', now with the BBMF
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TopGun · Posted: Thu 02 Jul 2009 12:15 pm Post subject:

Thanks hewman.

I did notice about the 309 IIcs on the reference Colin provided, according to that there were numerous Spitfire Mk Vbs squadron used in the Air Defence of Great Britain including 303 and 402 Squadrons
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Sgt.Squarehead · Posted: Thu 02 Jul 2009 16:09 pm Post subject:

I've just ordered the Airfix 1/72 'Higgins Boat' and am sorely tempted to build it for this GB.....Otherwise it's going to be Jeeps or a stripy fighter of some sort.

All the best
Sgt.S
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XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1175

If I can find details of a glider tug Stirling (especially if it's a converted MkIII rather than a MkIV) I may be in.

Roger 410 · Posted: Thu 02 Jul 2009 22:19 pm Post subject:

All the Stirling glider tugs were Mk IVs.
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XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1175

Sgt.Squarehead · Posted: Fri 03 Jul 2009 13:56 pm Post subject:

I know I've mentioned this before, but I'm sure I've seen a b&w photo of a Stirling with a nose turret, marked with invasion stripes towing a Horsa.....As the invasion markings were only applied at the last moment, this suggests either:

A - Squarehead is loosing the plot.

B - Stirling IIIs may have been used operationally on D-Day.

You decide!

All the best
Sgt.S
PS - I'm going to find that damned photo if it kills me!

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XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1175

I've got a book about Stirling airborne ops at home, I'll get round to checking at some point...

Roger 410 · Posted: Fri 03 Jul 2009 18:53 pm Post subject:

The Stirling IVs had either a solid curved nose or a curved glazed nose which could easily be taken as a nose turret.
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Roger.

XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1175

620 Squadron and 190 Squadron initially used their Stirling IIIs converted for airborne operations when they switched to airborne services from Bomber Command. These were equipped for glider towing and paratroop and supply dropping, and retained both nose and mid-upper turret, but it looks like both squadrons had converted to Stirling IVs by the time of D-Day. Oh well, a conversion it is then

hewman100 · Posted: Sat 04 Jul 2009 10:54 am Post subject:

I'll have a look at MJF Bowyer for you XN923 just in case.
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Roger 410 · Posted: Sat 04 Jul 2009 13:40 pm Post subject:

Ian,
Bowyer`s book needs to read in conjunction with Air-Britain`s Stirling File.

The only MkIII listed by Bowyer is EF203 of 620 Squadron and it was not used on D-Day. I suspect that if 620 were still using it it was only for second line duties and I would doubt if it ever had stripes.

Of those serials listed by Bowyer, EF317 to EF323 and LJ810 to LJ988 were built as MkIV and the rest were MkIII converted to MkIV, almost all of them before delivery to front line units.
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hewman100 · Posted: Sun 05 Jul 2009 14:35 pm Post subject:

Yep, I found EF203 and there was no Asterisk denoting operational on the 5/6 June
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Sgt.Squarehead · Posted: Sun 05 Jul 2009 14:46 pm Post subject:

I guess I'm losing the plot then!

I definitely want a stripy Stirling in my collection, so I'm going to have to have a serious look at this MkIV conversion business at some point.

All the best
Sgt.S
PS - Has anyone got a pair of Stirling upper wings they are not using? Mine have sinkmarks so deep, they look like they actually lead somewhere!

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hewman100 · Posted: Sun 05 Jul 2009 14:55 pm Post subject:

Filling the mid-upper isn't difficult Sarge, just look at my Stirling V. All you really need then is to scratch build the towing gear and find new glazing to replace the nose turret.

Would the Aeroclub Halifax 'Z' nose be adaptable?
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Sgt.Squarehead · Posted: Sun 05 Jul 2009 16:16 pm Post subject:

"All!" he says "All!"

Actually you are doing a very good job of encouraging me to try something a bit more ambitious than a 'Higgins Boat'.....I do have the space to work on a big kit now and I do like Stripy Stirlings!

TBH, even assuming I can find said nose parts, I'm almost as intimidated by the Stirling itself as I am by the conversion. I haven't built a big bomber like this since I was a kid and compared to even the biggest tank it looks rather daunting!

Am I right in recalling that some Sterling MkIVs had the nose glazing largely overpainted or replaced with metal panels? I think that I would prefer not to show any more of the interior of the kit than is absolutely neccessary, as I remember it being rather spartan in there.

I've got some pretty good references for the glider towing gear, but I'm a little underconfident about scratchbuilding it as I'm really not quite sure exactly what I'm looking at.....If it were part of a tank, I'm fairly sure that I'd be on much more familiar ground!

What aftermarket bits are actually out there for the Airfix Stirling that would genuinely be of use for a project like this? Think

All the best
Sgt.S
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