RAF Mitchell – In 1950?!

Thanks again guys.
Ken, it is staggering given this apparent choice that we indeed let C-54s get replaced by Lancastrians in airliner role and to an extent Yorks in RAF service.
the Lancaster replacing the excellently suited, and arguably more modern layout Liberator (Davis wing for made for better loitering) in Coastal has alway struck me as odd, and not taking up the option of B-29s earlier we could have done a way with the Lincoln.

These Mitchells getting through do seem unusual for a major military type – they must have been liked!

Lend/Lease, an Act to Promote the Defense of US, 11/3/41 and its later Mutual Aid Agreement, became otiose on VJ Day and was terminated by the President on 2/9/45. On 15/7/46 US Approved a Reconstruction Loan (the one UK cleared in May,2006), which included $650Mn. to extinguish Lend/Lease (UK had received $27Bn., gross of $6Bn. Reverse Lend/Lease: WW2 Official History, Civil Series, R.S.Sayers, Financial Policy,HMSO,1956,Pp.498/522). Those numbers were net of UK buying whatever it had then declared it wished to keep..though only Lord Keynes, who did this deal, might have known how that was measured – every UK Munitions factory had its Lend/Lease Administration store filled with sheet metal, extrusions and fasteners to be assembled as “British” kit. Odd Mitchells might have been “bought”, or per bager, might have been “forgotten”.

If the price was a guessed auction scrap yield, we might have bought rather more than Daks/Harvards/FAA Expeditors and their life-of-type spares, but a clause of the Act prohibited recipients from copying, or civil-competing with US taxpayers’ benevolence. Fair dos, I suggest. C-45, Grasshoppers, Harvard, Lycoming engines had civil scope, so the Brabazon Committee Types excluded freight/fun/trainers. Type II {to be Ambassador/Apollo/Viscount} was funded as the first “DC-3 replacement”, but US did not protest as the original needed no Protection. But C-54D did. In March,1945 RAF had embraced 22 of them: to free Tudor/Hermes from US’ right to moan, ludicrous Lancastrian ousted them in March,1946.

The King’s Dominions made direct settlements on their Lend/Lease assets, so e.g SAAF flew Harvards to about last week.

I’m not that knowlegable about American service aircraft in British forces, but I was under the impression that all lend-lease stuff had to go back to the States and anything brought had to be scrapped.

No… the provision was that anything NOT returned or scrapped had to be paid for, but was then the property of the UK, to be used as the UK saw fit.

Anything returned or “rendered unfit for further use” was “free of charge”.

As the UK was basically broke after WW2, the vast majority of Lend/Lease items were returned or scrapped to avoid having to be paid for.

The question is whether the odd aircraft or two that were kept were paid for or if they had disappeared from the records (listed destroyed or missing in action), only to be “found” after the accounting period was over?

With thanks to Dave Fleming from another forum 2008: FR209 AAEE/ECFS/EFS/Met Res Flt To 6891M 13.9.51

FR209 is interesting as it served into the early 50s in overall natural metal, and was converted to glass nosed standard.

Hope this solves the identity.

Now where have I heard that name before….:cool::). There are a few pics of FR209 in various publications.

There were a few things that lurked around for a while (as well as the C-45s, Harvards and Dakotas that were purchased) – some Baltimores were used by Fleet Requirements units, and a Hadrian was used at AFEE (?).

Thanks Dave and T-21, that sounds like the one.
I’m not that knowlegable about American service aircraft in British forces, but I was under the impression that all lend-lease stuff had to go back to the States and anything brought had to be scrapped.
In hindsight this seems a slightly backward step, ie Lancaster having to replace Liberator in Coastal and York etc instead of C-54
I assume because this (or indeed these) Mitchell remained in service that it got away with that. I guess it was ultimately scrapped?
Did any other American types remain with other post-war establishments?

It looks great in post-war markings and I’m considering making a model of it like that now!

With thanks to Dave Fleming from another forum 2008: FR209 AAEE/ECFS/EFS/Met Res Flt To 6891M 13.9.51

FR209 is interesting as it served into the early 50s in overall natural metal, and was converted to glass nosed standard.

Hope this solves the identity.

Almost certainly FR209.

FR209 is particularly interesting as it actually started life (and it’s RAF Service) as a big-gun B-25G, with the short nose, and at some time in it’s life had the nose from a bomber Mitchell fitted on the front of it.

Was at one point the personal transport of AVM Sir Roderick Hill

ETPS were allocated a Mitchell in August 1943,as the first T-P Course had started earlier at AAEE B-D.(no serial given). Further info shows that they `used` Mitchell IIs,FL192,FL215,FL688,FV984,between 8/43-10/44; I would suggest that these were aircraft already at AAEE,and `borrowed` periodically. The School moved to Cranfield 10/45,and a line-up of a/c for the n0.4 Course in Jan `46 makes no mention of Mitchells,only a Boston B3,a DC-3,a Hudson C3,as part of the `multi` fleet..(Bostons used,BZ252/346,Dak TS431,Hudsons T9418,V9222,,)

Thanks for the replies and information everyone, be nice to tie down which of the two possible Mitchells it is.

Last SOC from the RAF was in October 1951, a Mk II FR-209 having served post war with the A&AEE among other places. B-25’s served as instructional airframes and “hacks” after most were SOC in 1946-1947.

ETPS used Mitchell II FL215 at some point.

Was the Mitchell not an ETPS machine, used to give multi-engined pilots the (then novel) experience of handling nosewheel aircraft?

There was a silver Mitchell at Farnborough around that time. I have a photo but can’t find it!