Venturas of No. 25 Squadron, South African Air Force returning from a raid on railway marshalling yards in Yugoslavia 'C-Charlie' belongs to the leading vic but has dropped back through loss of power. 'A-Able' has put its wheels down to avoid overrunning. Note the US star markings on 'W' showing through the paint on the top wing. Under the Geneva Convention, the crew could have been shot for flying an aircraft claiming to be of two different nationalities. Doubtless, nobody was ever convicted under this particular chapter.

Самолёты на фотографии: Aircrafts on the photo: Lockheed B-34 Lexington / PV Ventura / PV-2 Harpoon - СШАUSA - 1941

Still on Venturas, Mr. J.H.Simmonds has sent in the photograph of JS980 after a crashlanding at Ramat David on 30 April 1944. However, since No.75 OTU reported that this aircraft had been crashed on 25 August 1944 by them. A possible answer is that the photo is not of JS980 'R' as the Operations Record Book of No.459 Squadron shows JT980 as 'U'. So the wreckage, which looks very like a write-off may have been another serial but there does not seem to be an accident record which ties up with the 30th April date. A tyre burst on landing and an attempt to go round again was cancelled by a barrel just off the runway which smashed the port wing.

Самолёты на фотографии: Aircrafts on the photo: Lockheed B-34 Lexington / PV Ventura / PV-2 Harpoon - СШАUSA - 1941

SAAF 6008 'J' of No. 25 Squadron SAAF was hit by flak over Yugoslavia, hit another's slipstream on landing and was wrecked on landing, Termoli, 8 November 1944

Самолёты на фотографии: Aircrafts on the photo: Lockheed B-34 Lexington / PV Ventura / PV-2 Harpoon - СШАUSA - 1941

Saro Lerwick L7250 runs up on the slipway at Calshot shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. Visible is the well-glazed cockpit which gave the pilots a good view of the whirring propellers in a position to neatly decapitate them if a blade came loose, a not-unknown event in any aircraft of the time. The portly hull had aerodynamic (and hydrodynamic) problems and the purposeful appearance of the Lerwick gave little hint of its rapid demise.

Самолёты на фотографии: Aircrafts on the photo: Saunders-Roe Lerwick / S.36 - ВеликобританияUnited Kingdom - 1938

David Vincent has provided the above photograph showing the 'nose art' on Stirling LJ995. It originates from Frank Priest, a former RAAF navigator and a member of No.295 Squadron (second from the right in the picture). It is NOT Santa Claus with a top hat but an old aborigine with a top hat! Most of the crew were Australians which accounts for the Australian theme. He is sitting on a rock (not a sleigh!) with a bottle in one hand and cooking a lizard on a stick over an open fire with the other. The mission symbols comprise a Horsa silhouette for a glider towed to Arnhem on 17 December 1944 and winged daggers for SAS operations while large white daggers appear to denote SOE operations and small daggers other tasks.

Самолёты на фотографии: Aircrafts on the photo: Short Stirling IV/V - ВеликобританияUnited Kingdom - 1943

Самолёты на фотографии: Aircrafts on the photo: Fairey Fairey IIIF - ВеликобританияUnited Kingdom - 1926