Vol. XVI No. 4 September-October 1975 Price $1.55 Registered for posting as a periodical Category B. Aviation Historical Society OF Australia r Founded 1959 1, RAAF Zeke The Lockheed Era(WW2) ■ill ■■ il 11 111111 ilil illlliiillllH lii ill 1 iiii iiiiii■11... - H The Qantas operated L.18 Lodestar "VH—CAA" seen at Archerfield, Queensland late in 1943. Qantas Lockheed Lodestar "VHCAK" being operated by Qantas during November 1942, Qantas 11 ■ llUl * Lodestar "VHCAK" and Lockheed 10 VH—AAU at Wards Strip near Port Moresby on December 14, 1942. Qantas The Qantas Lockheed 10A Eiectra at Archerfield during July, 1941. Qantas AVIATION HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA JOURNAL -41 - Vol. XVI No.4 September-October 1975 Patron: Sir Donald Anderson CBE President: Dr. L.V. Turner Vice President: R.J. Gibson THE LOCKHEED ERA - WORLD WAR TWO by G. Goodall Secretary: G.H. Stone In mid 1938 the R.A.A.F. ordered fifty Lockheed Hudson bombers Treasurer: P.J. Ricketts Journal Distribution: C.H. O'Neill through Brown & Bureau, for delivery in 1940. An early proposal to invite Journal Editors: P.J. Ricketts Lockheed Aircraft Corporation to establish a factory in Australia was rejected, and F. Walters the order was later increased to a total of 100 Hudsons. In early 1941 another 52 Photo Pages — Hudsons were ordered, but due to problems with the Australian production of Layout: J. Gallagher Bristol Beauforts, the Prime Minister (The Right Honourable R.G. Menzies) took Movements: E. Favelle personal action in London to have a number of RAF Hudsons diverted immediately Museum Notes: P. Anderson to Australia, and the order was increased to 146 aircraft on May 20, 1941 as it was Third Level: R. McDonald felt that the majority of these Hudsons would be in Australia before Beauforts were Contributors: being completed G. Reid J. Vella N. Apperley D. ThoHar The first RAAF Hudson was taken on charge at No.2 Aircraft Depot at A. Hope D. Eyre Richmond, NSW on February 9, 1940, and a report dated May 8, 1942 stated that Lae Aviation News the total order for 246 Hudsons was now on charge or en route to Australia from Western Airletter USA. In actual fact one extra aircraft was received, and the total RAAF Hudson South Australian Air Journal inventory was 247 aircraft, serials A16”1 to -247. The majority of these were transferred from British orders, and had been allocated both USAAC and RAF serial numbers while on the production line. The story of the Hudson in RAAF services is a fascinating one - they flew the first offensive mission of the RAAF Contents: against the Japanese on the beach landings of Kota Bharu, Malaya on December 8, The Lockheed Era 41 The RAAF Zeke 47 1941, then had extensive combat use throughout the Pacific campaign serving with Monthly Notes — Civil 48 no less than seventeen different RAAF Squadrons and Units. The full story of Military 49 military Lockheeds in Australia is however outsidethe scope of this article, and only Third Level 50 basic details are given as a basis to the subsequent use of military aircraft by civil People 49 operators. Museum 50 Papua New Guinea 51 As the war situation darkened in Europe it had a marked effect on Letters to the Editor 51 Australia's airlines. More and more troops and military personnel were being Movements 52 carried, and more contract work for the armed forces was available. In July 1940 the RAAF began issuing Impressment Requisitions on civil aircraft that were needed for the airforce, and soon most airlines were critically short of aircraft to All manuscripts for publication in carry out their schedules. the Journal should be typed (if possible) double spaced using one Guinea Airways purchased two Lockheed 14W Super Electras from side of each sheet only. All work on Aer Lingus Teoranta, Dublin through the British agents W.S. Shackleton Ltd, and this Journal is voluntary and no on March 20, 1940 Ministerial permission was given for the import of these two payment can be made for published machines EI-ABV & -ABW (C/n's 1497 & 1498) and preparations began for the long material. ferry flight to Parafield. Guinea's pilots left Adelaide on April 17 to collect the Membership is for one full calendar aircraft, and the pair of Lockheeds arrived back on June 9, both in full camouflage year commencing March 1st. Annual and bearing their Australian identities VH-ADW & =ADY in black on the fuselage membership fees of $10.00 sides, with red, white and blue tricolour nationality strips under the registrations. (Australian currency) will be due The delivery was made in an impressive 6572 hours flying-time, but this could not for renewal during February each be publicised due to the war situation. Both underwent Australian Cof A overhauls year. in the Guinea hangar at Parafield, and emerged with camouflage removed and Published by: Aviation Hisotiral finished in stylish scheme of metallic with red trim with names "Darwin" and Society of Australia Limited, "Adelaide" repsectively on their noses. Both Lockheeds had been built in May 1939 Box C.208, Clarence Street, at Burbank and issued with Irish CofA'son November 10, 1939 but the restricted Sydney. N.S.W. 2000. European network caused by the war had made them redundant quickly. The views expressed by named The two new Lockheeds entered service on the Adelaide-Darwin route contributors and correspondents initially in 12-passenger configuration, and such was the frequency of their are their own and do not necessarily operations into Darwin that shortly after their introduction Guinea Airways reflect the views of the Editors or requested DCA approval to change the registration of VH-ADW because of radio the Company. confusion with Millers' Electra VH-ABW, and on August 27, 1940 the L.14 was Printed by: Hotspot Instant Print re-registered VH-AEW. So at the outbreak of the Pacific War Guinea's fleet on the Service, Pitt Street, Sydney. Darwin run was Electras VH-UXH & - AAU and Super Electras VH-ADY & -AEW. Another pair of Lockheed 14s were imported just before the Pacific war broke out, these being for W. R. Carpenter & Co, Sydney who had introduced a (C) 1975 Aviation Historical Sydney-Brisbane-Port Moresby-Salamaua-Rabaul weekly service on May 30, 1938 Society of Australia using DH.86B Express Liners. The company also operated internal services in ISSN 0045-1185 New Guinea under the name Mandated Airlines using mainly DH.84 Dragons and DH.83 Fox Moths, these New Guinea operations having commenced in 1934 to take supplies to Carpenter's trade-stores at the goldfields but soon expanding to charter work and taking over several competitors. By 1940 more modern aircraft were Aviation Historical Society of Australia Journal -42- September-October 1975 desperately need to replace the DH.86Bs on the mainline route to Rabaul, and two Douglas DC-3s were ordered. However the war situation made their delivery uncertain, so in 1941 W.R. Carpenter & Co. purchased two Lockheed 14H Super Electras from Continental Airlines of Denver, Colorado, USA for£22,500 each and the aircraft were shipped to Sydney. NCI 7392 c/n 1431 became VH-ADS and NC17382 c/n 1409 became VH-ADT and the aircraft were named "Carmenia" and "Caronia" respectively following the normal airline practice of the day. The inaugural Lockheed flight arrived at Rabaul on May 30,1941 in VH-ADS under the command of Captain R.O. Mant, the company's Chief Pilot, carrying ten passengers, air hostess, and two relief pilots. Three months later on August 14, VH-ADS made the first one-day flight from Moresby to Sydney, covering the 1,860 miles in 10 hrs. 40 mins. The two Lockheeds maintained the service until January 1942, although they had been taken off for a period the previous month when they were used along with two ANA DC-3s to evacuate civilians from the Territory to Moresby and down to the Australian mainland at Cairns when the Pacific war began - a total of 732 persons were evacuated in eight days, with loads of up to 53 passengers In a DC-3! On January 4, 1942 Rabaul suffered its first Japanese air attack, and the Carpenter Lockheeds then swung Into evacuating citizens from Rabaul, Wau and Moresby down to Cairns. These evacuation flights took place while Japanese attacks were in progress, and the aircraft were flown to the limit - VH-ADT was on the ground at Wau when enemy aircraft made a bombing and strafing attack in late January, but Captain C. Bernard ran to the Lockheed and escaped In the direction of Koranga, outflying his attackers although fired upon by MG and I" cannon. On January 27 a lorry backed into the prop of VH-ADS at Wau and bent the propellor and broke the crancase of the engine - three anxious days later VH-ADT flew in with four mechanics to repair the engine, and on February 2 VH-ADS was flown out. The heroic rescue missions continued into February concentrating now on shuttling civilians from Moresby to Cairns, but on February 12 VH-ADS returned to Mascot with engine trouble shortly after departing from the north, but after hasty repairs set out again for the emergency area. On the morning of February 14 "Carmenia" was attacked by four-engined flying boats near Wau but escaped and proceeded to Moresby and Cairns - later that night while taking off at Cairns to return empty to Moresby for more evacuees, the Lockheed dived into a mangrove swamp off the end of the runway and was deeply embedded in mud, killing the crew Captains C.