Mike,

Let me know what dates you are interested in and I will search Kew for 252 - though doubt we will get codes to match serials.

Pete

Pete, 1941-42.

Now, for the bad news...The 8-bit, Glide version has severe problems...
















If this can't be worked out then only the 24-bit d3d will be available...

So, I'll need to use a different model if we want new 8-bit skins.

Don't you just love Glide, Mike?

Hi Guys,

I have been doing a bit of research and so far it looks as if the Beau did not reach the area of DAW until May 41 in Malta, and a little later in the main theatre. If anybody knows of a squadron that was there earlier please let me know. 252 were flying Mk IC in Coastal Command until May 41 but were in the desert with 272 by October or a little earlier. They may have flow Mk IF also - I am looking into that, but neither seem to have had the dihedral tail which came in at the end of Mk IIF production and was on all Beaus from then on - ie Mk VI onwards so unless it was retrofitted which seems unlikely, the profile for BT*T is wrong.

Pete

This is what I found Peter:

Mediterranean

No. 39:
Mk X: June 1943 to February 1945: Anti-shipping duties, later combined with intruder duties, from North Africa, Sardinia then Italy.

No. 46:
Mk I: May 1942-July 1942; Mk VI: May 1942- December 1944; Mk X: April 1944-July 1944
Night fighter duties from May 1942 to December 1944; Intruder duties from August 1943, return to UK and converted to Stirlings, December 1944.

No. 47:
Mk X: June 1943-October 1944: Anti shipping strikes as both torpedo bombers and fighters

No. 69:
Mk I: January 1941-February 1942: Only in small numbers, performing reconnaissance

No. 89
Mk I: November 1941-October 1943: Night fighter duties from various bases

No. 108
Mk VI: March 1943-February 1945: Night fighter duties combined with intruder duties
No. 144

Mk VI: January 1943-May 1943; Mk X: May 1943 – May 1945
June-August 1943: Anti-shipping from North Africa

No. 153
Mk I: January 1942 – January 1943; Mk VI: August 1942 – September 1944
May 1942-September 1944: Night fighter and intruder duties

No. 219
Mk VI: May 1943 – January 1944: Night fighter duties

No. 227
Mk I and VI: August 1942 – August 1944; Mk X and XI: September 1943 – August 1944
Anti-shipping duties from Malta and later Egypt

No. 252
Coastal Command’s first Beaufighter squadron
Mk I: December 1940-December 1942; Mk VI: November 1942-April 1944; Mk X: January 1944-December 1946; Mk XI: June 1943-January 1944 May 1941-: Anti shipping duties from Malta, then Egypt, then Libya

No. 255
Mk VI: March 1942-February 1945
November 1942-November 1943: Night fighter duties from Algeria and Sicily
November 1943-January 1945: Intruder duties over Balkans

No. 272
Mk I: April 1941-June 1943; Mk VI: November 1942-February 1944; Mk XI: September 1943-August 1944; Mk X: February 1944-April 1945
May 1941-November 1942: Long range fighter missions over Crete, convoy escort, ground attack from Egypt
November 1942-September 1943: Ground attack against Sicily and Tunisia, from Malta
September 1943-April 1945: Ground attack from Sicily, Sardinia and finally Italy

No. 600
Mk VI: February 1942-February 1945
November 1942-June 1943: Night fighter duties from North Africa
June-September 1943: Night fighter and intruder duties from Malta
September 1943 to end of war: As above but from Italy

No. 603
Mk I and VI: February 1943- October 1943; Mk X and XI: August 1943-December 1944
February 1943-December 1944: Anti-shipping strikes along African and Greek coasts

No. 16 SAAF
Mk X: December 1943-June 1945
Anti-shipping strikes with rockets over Aegean, then over Adriatic

No. 19 SAAF
Mk X and XI: August 1944-July 1945
Ground attack missions to support partisans over the Balkans

Thanks John,

That fits with my research so no Beaus really in DAW before Mid 1941. I have now found a pic of a Mk I with a dihedral tail so clearly some of the latere production had that feature, which is going to complicate things for multi-skins for the early period.

As to Skylark's Profile, I have seen it in 2 books - one serial T4757 BT*T with a dihedral tail and one serial T4767 with a flat tail. Also the photo in the first book seems to have a flat tail as well. As either serial it is a Mk IC built at Filton.

Pete