34 RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION BOMBERS
ARMSTRONG WHITWORTH WHITLEY
Above
Whitley VIII Z6633 of
612 Squadron based
at Davidstow Moor. It
carries the complex
aerial array of the Anti-
Surface Vessel Mk.II
radar. This machine
served with 612 from
the autumn of 1941
until June 1943.
PETE WESTWHITLEYWHITLEY
ARMSTRONG WHITWORTH
1918 2018T
wo months after the prototype
Whitley completed its maiden
flight, on March 17, 1936, the
Air Ministry placed an order for 80
Mk.Is. When the RAF’s previous
heavy bomber, the Hendon, made its
debut in November 1930 it took just
over two years to sign a contract and
it was for a paltry 14 aircraft. Six years
later the world was a very different
place, Britain had a lot of catching up
to do.
Hitler, having gained absolute
power, was re-arming Germany at
an alarming pace. Ten days before
the first Whitley took to the air, the
German army occupied the previously
demilitarised Rhineland, and four
months later the Spanish Civil War
erupted.
In October, Germany and Italy
announced the Rome-Berlin Axis,
a treaty of mutual co-operation
bringing the territorially ambitious
Mussolini into Hitler’s orbit.
Half the world away, Japanese
expansionistic intents were
becoming obvious.
Britain could be facing three wars, in
western Europe, in the Mediterranean
and in the Far East. In 1936 the UK
announced a rapid expansion of its
own armed forces in response to
growing world tensions.
Alongside Handley Page Hampdens
and Vickers Wellingtons, Whitleys
were the first generation of Bomber
Command’s strike force that might
be called on to deter, or failing that,
attack, a variety of enemies.
With increased power, armament
and equipment changes, Whitley
Is, IIs and IIIs were built at the
Armstrong Whitworth factory at
Whitley – the origin of the bomber’s
name – and, from late 1936 at thehuge new assembly plant at Baginton,
Coventry.
With the Mk.IV the switch was
made to the ubiquitous Rolls-Royce
Merlin. This engine was also fitted
to the Mk.V, the variant produced in
the largest numbers (1,466), which
appeared in 1939. The final version
was the Coastal Command configured
GR.VII; the Mk.VI remaining on the
drawing board.
The Whitley was inaugurated into
the RAF by 10 Squadron at Dishforth,
receiving its initial examples in March- Whitleys went into action
during the opening night of the war
and were the first RAF bombers over
Berlin, dropping propaganda leaflets
on October 1/2, 1939. The type
was withdrawn from the Bomber
Command inventory in late 1942.
SUB-KILLER
Whitleys proved to be reliable
workhorses for Coastal Command.Two incidents in May 1943 over the
Bay of Biscay illustrate their typical
involvements in the struggle against
U-boats in the twilight of the type’s
frontline career.
Aircrews dreamed of finding
U-boats on the surface and just after
midnight on May 1 a Wellington XII
of Chivenor-based 172 Squadron did
just that. Caught in the glare of its
searchlight was U-415 on its way back
from a patrol and heading for Brest in
France.
Gunners on the submarine put
up effective defensive fire, but the
Wellington unleashed six depth
charges (DCs) and damaged its
quarry. Slowed down, U-415
continued on its way, but with a ‘live’
contact and a likely direction, Coastal
Command was determined not to let
it slip away.
Around midday a Short Sunderland
flying-boat of 461 Squadron RAAF
engaged U-415, again on the surface.Type: Five-crew medium bomber
First fl ight: March 17, 1936, entered service March 1937
Powerplant: Two 810hp (608kW) Armstrong Siddeley Tiger IX radials
Dimensions: Span 84ft 0in (25.6m), Length 69ft 3in (21.1m)
Weights: Empty 14,275lb (6,475kg), All-up 21,660lb (9,824kg)
Max speed: 135mph (217km/h) at 16,000ft (4,876m)
Range: 1,250 miles (2,011km)
Armament: Two machine guns in nose turret, two in rear turret. Up to 3,365lb
(1,526kg) of bombs
Replaced: Handley Pages Heyford, Vickers Virginia from 1937
Taken on charge: 1,814
Replaced by: HP Halifax from 1941, Consolidated Liberator and Vickers Wellington
from 1943ARMSTONG WHITWORTH WHITLEY I
1937 TO 1943