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I940's Pics - Catalinas, RAAF

  • Topic Author
13 years 11 months ago - 13 years 11 months ago #25817 by
G'Day all.

I was going through some of my Dads old photos and thought these may be of general interest.
While I was over in Oz, a forum member asked me if I had any Catalina pics.. Heres two

Mallala 1943


Darwin 1944


Mallala - Avro York 1943 ( whats the tanker ?)


And heres a really rare one taken in Yarram Vic. 1946
Its a German V1 Doodlebug, brought to Oz just as an exhibition piece. ( Interesting Ute in the background )


Its amazing what you can do with 2" high, 65 year old photos and a decent scanner. ;)

Cheers
RS :)



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13 years 11 months ago #25818 by
Replied by on topic Re: I940's Pics - Catalinas, RAAF





Mallala - Avro York 1943 ( whats the tanker ?)




Cheers
RS :)




As a real wild guess,---- I reckon it could be one of these.

regards greenie [smiley=vrolijk_1.gif]

au.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images...xargs=0&pstart=1&b=1

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13 years 11 months ago #25819 by
Replied by on topic Re: I940's Pics - Catalinas, RAAF
Hi Greenie,

You could be right there ?

I have no idea at all, its before my time (just ;))

Cheers
RS :)

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13 years 11 months ago - 13 years 11 months ago #25820 by
Replied by on topic Re: I940's Pics - Catalinas, RAAF
Roland - They are just fabulous WW2 pics, thanks for putting them up.

The Catalinas are revered in Aussie war history, as they were the most versatile, the most useful, and the most reliable, of any of the aircraft ever put into use here .. and worldwide as well .. during WW2.
I know that's a strong statement, but anyone who had anything to do with Catalinas during that era will back me up.
They were used as long distance transport, anti-submarine work, mine-laying, bombing, cargo-carrying, search and rescue, Jap warship attacks .. and they even shot down more than their share of Jap warplanes.

There is a Catalina Society here in Perth, backed up by the Australian-American Catalina Memorial Foundation. These old Catalina-loving fellas, who flew in them, or were rescued by them (and their numbers are now few and far between) want the world to never forget the vital part that Catalinas played in the defence of Australia during the darkest days of WW2.

By far the most famous Catalinas were the 5 lend-leased to Qantas during WW2. These planes came from BOAC originally. These 5 Catalinas were the only regular air transport between Australia and the rest of the world, during the period from June 1943 to July 1945, after the Japs gained ascendency in control of the countries, and the air, between Australia and S.E. Asia from early 1942.

The 5 Qantas Catalinas, operated between Perth and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) were known as the "Flight of the Double Sunrise", and they performed the longest regular non-stop air service in the history of air transport, up until the arrival of the huge four engine trans-ocean airliners of the mid-1950's (such as the Lockheed Constellation). The Catalinas travelled 3153 miles in around 27 to 32 hrs, non-stop .. a world record that stood for nearly a decade.

These Qantas Catalinas were so overloaded with fuel on takeoff, there was only room for 1000 lbs of passengers or cargo. They took off with 7 TONS of fuel aboard, 4 TONS over their maximum recommended takeoff weight (MTOW). It took several hours of flying before they could gain adequate flying height, as the fuel was burnt off. In over two years and many millions of miles and thousands of takeoffs, there was not a single engine failure. Those old Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp, and Wasp Juniors, were the most remarkable engines built.

Unbelievably, 4 of the Qantas Catalinas were destroyed by scuttling off the W.A. coast, and the 5th off Sydney in 1945, in an almost criminal act, under the Lend-Lease rules.
These rules stated that no Lend-Lease equipment was to be sold or returned to the U.S., but destroyed at the end of hostilities.
These rules were never carried out properly, however, and much Lend-Lease equipment was sold to the public, and a lot was salvaged after the war.
It would have been no problem for the U.S. to give the Qantas Catalinas to us, just as memorials.
As it is, the local Catalina Society struggled for years to find a suitable Catalina to put on display.
The old Catalina blokes march on every Anzac Day, in their own group, and we give them a special cheer.

Australia's RAAF got 168 Catalinas in total, and they are all listed in the ADF serials page, with their registrations and service history.
Catalina RB-Q in your picture (RAAF A24-48), was wrecked on takeoff on 20/04/1943, near the Bowen (QLD) lighthouse, and was salvaged for parts on 30/05/1943.
I can't read the RAAF/ADF serial on the tail of the first Catalina, and neither can I read the large ID number around the roundel (looks like LJ-F?) ..

PBY Catalina .. Wiki .. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PBY_Catalina

Catalina display and history .. www.raafawa.org.au/museum/aircraft/catalina/index.html

The Qantas Catalinas .. www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/history-catalinas/global/en

ADF serials .. www.adf-serials.com/2a24.shtml

The Catalinas & the Double Sunrise route .. sundaytimes.lk/000227/plus6.html

Catalina Society U.K. .. www.catalina.org.uk/catalina-latest-news...ws-may-2007-a19.html

Interesting Catalina Double Sunrise discussion .. www.aviationkb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/au-avi...le-Sunrise-Catalinas

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13 years 11 months ago - 13 years 11 months ago #25821 by
Replied by on topic Re: I940's Pics - Catalinas, RAAF
Roland - The two refuelling tankers are a CMP (Blitz, to us) 6x6 (facing side-on to the camera), and the other is most likely a GMC CCKW-353 fuel tanker.
It could be a Studebaker or Reo, as the greatest % of 6x6 U.S. Army trucks here in Australia were Studebakers, with a few Reos.
There is disagreement over how many Studebaker/Reo 6x6's served here in WW2, as it appears that all the Studebaker/Reo 6x6's were delivered in 1945 .. but many were left in crates, and not assembled until the mid-to-late 1950's .. :o

The CMP 6x6 fuel tanker is quite rare, I don't recall having seen one before. There were plenty of CMP 6x6's, but the fuel tanker version was rarely seen.
In the case of the GMC or Studebaker/Reo, the GMC fuel tanker was produced by the thousands.
They were issued to all airstrips, and they followed the armour around, as fuel had to be dispensed from the GMC tankers into jerrycans .. by the hundreds of thousands of gallons a day, in some places .. :o

Reo refuelling tanker FS .. www.milweb.nl/classifieds/large_image.php?ad=50658&cat=4

Interesting discussion about the Studebaker 6x6's .. (warning - the page count on this site, goes backwards - start at 5 and work forward to page 1 .. ) .. www.aulro.com/afvb/remlr-army-inter-chap...tudebaker-6x6-5.html

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13 years 11 months ago - 13 years 11 months ago #25822 by
Replied by on topic Re: I940's Pics - Catalinas, RAAF
Hi Onetrack.

I thought the pics were too good to keep to myself, and do have more but mostly people shots.
If you PM me with an email address I can send larger versions to you, if you like?

You are a mine of information :)
Heres some for you.
My Dad was one of the 'Child emigrants' and came from the UK at 9 years old and sent to Fairbridge School near Pinjarra from 1934 -1943.
Signed upfor RAAF in Perth for initial training,
Went to Mallala in late 43, trained and worked as Engine Mechanic on various makes including the radial wasps.
Left Mallala at end of 44, to go to Darwin.
He was there when it was bombed, and left at end of war.
He was posted to Parkes NSW until demobbed in 1946.
He is now 85 and still has a strong recollection of his Oz years, particularly Fairbridge.

My Dads past is one of the reasons I made the trip last year, to see some of the places he went to.

Cheers
RS :)
With some Oz in my blood I think ?

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More
13 years 11 months ago #25823 by Cunning Stunt
Fascinating reading guys. Roland, those photos are superb and I especially love the Doodlebug even though it is rather morbid............

Onetrack, the Catalina story is excellent. I always thought that the Qantas seaplanes were Short Sunderlands or did they have those as well??

Some play hard to get

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13 years 11 months ago - 13 years 11 months ago #25824 by
Replied by on topic Re: I940's Pics - Catalinas, RAAF
CS - Yes, Qantas had Shorts, too, as well as Catalinas. However, the Shorts were much larger 4 engine floatplanes, as compared to the 2 engined, much smaller Catalinas.
Before WW2, in 1937 and 1938, Qantas bought several of the forerunners of the Sunderland, the Short Empire (S.23).
The Short Sunderland (S.25) was the redesigned, improved, enlarged, and armed, military version .. with increased HP and a redesigned hull, as compared to the Empire.

During WW2, Qantas acquired some Sunderlands, and after WW2 (1950-51), they bought 5 of the civilian, passenger version of the Sunderland .. the Sandringham .. which the factory produced by converting numerous Sunderlands, to the passenger-carrying variant.

The Short Empire story (Sunderland info is in a link) .. wapedia.mobi/en/Short_Empire

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13 years 11 months ago #25825 by
Replied by on topic Re: I940's Pics - Catalinas, RAAF
I'm pleased you like the pics.
I of course have the pics much bigger. The ones on here are at 600 dpi.
On my pics the numbers are :-

On the water RB-Q A24 372 This is very clear
20 Sqn 11/7/45. Loaned to Qantas 5/2/48. Exploded 27/8/49 at Rose Bay (VH-EAW), Lord Howe Island.

on the land A24 69 This is not so clear
First Amphibian taken on charge by RAAF, delivered to Lake Boga 17/12/43. 11 Sqn 18/2/44.Coded FJ-A (18-2-44) Destroyed by fire Darwin 14/12/45.

I am now re-scanning them at 1200 dpi. to see if I can confirm A24 69 ?

I will post if I am successful in this.

Cheers
RS :)

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13 years 11 months ago #25826 by
Replied by on topic Re: I940's Pics - Catalinas, RAAF
Heres my best results..





What do you think Onetrack ?

Cheers
RS :)

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