Evenin’ All,
Having been researching 161 Sqn (the SOE and SIS agent insertion unit) and the crews of a couple of Lockheed Hudsons, I’ve noticed that most published stuff on the unit majors on the Lysander ops, and basically glosses the Hudson and Halifax flight achievements. Similarly, 138 Sqn, the other unit based at Tempsford is overlooked lacking the glamour of the Lysander boys.
I don’t want to detract from the amazing Lysander operations, but there’s a bigger story to be told, and I wondered if any forumites had come across anything authoritative on the Hudsons? I’m mainly interested in first half of 1944. Yes, I’ve got copies of the ORB from the National Archives, and books like ‘We Landed by Moonlight’ and Foot’s SOE books refer to the Hudsons indirectly, but there is little firsthand or focussed. The Airlife book on the Hudson had about as little as you could put in to avoid being a joke.
Questions like ‘did the Hudsons ALL keep their Boulton Paul turrets?’ and ‘what colours were they painted?’ come up, and while we can conjecture reasonably reliably, the evidence is scant to say the least. As for questions like ‘what other mods where there for SOE ops?’ ‘Where did the agents jump from?’ (not the normal side door with the door attached, as it had a huge dinghy pack in it- was it removed for dropping ops? Was there a ventral hatch?) just don’t seem to have any info… Unless YOU know different!
The absence of Halifax data is another whole area; and as far as I’m concerned, for another day!
Cheers!
By: Dave Homewood - 21st November 2004 at 12:39
Additionally, I do not think that people would want to jump using a static line from a Hudson’s door as it is awfully close to that big tail. So if they did jump it might have been through to bottom – ie the retractable gun position may have been modified so spies could jump through the floor. However I doubt either scenario is likely, and this link states that 161 Sqn’s Hudsons landed in open fields to drop off and pick up spies, or supply weapons to the resistance.
By: archieraf - 21st November 2004 at 12:38
James, it might be worth contacting Bob Body who runs the http://www.161squadron.org/ website. He has written a book about the loss of his uncle (a 161 Sqdn Hudson Pilot) and has talked to a good number of 161 veterans over the years.
By: Dave Homewood - 21st November 2004 at 12:31
James, have you seen this?
http://www.64-baker-street.org/transport/transport_hudson.html
and
By: RadarArchive - 21st November 2004 at 12:20
I’m not sure if this is the book Melvyn is referring to or not, but in Royal Air Force at War edited by ACM Sir Christopher Foxley-Norris is an account by ACM Sir Lewis Hodges entitled, ‘Flying Secret Agents To and From Enemy Territory’. This includes a photo of Halifax II NF-W of No 138 Sqn (no serial given) which comes from AIR 27/1068 at The National Archives. A quick scan of the text indicates that it is almost entirely devoted to Lysander ops and I can see no mention of Hudsons.
By: Melvyn Hiscock - 21st November 2004 at 12:06
There was something in RAF at War. I am not sure if my copy is to hand or not. I will try to remember to look.
Melv
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November 21, 2004 at 12:00 pm