RCAF Halifax "Willie the Wolf" antennae

Thank you all.

…which is exactly why I love/hate these threads!

In Steven Fochuk’s book, he prints a photo of the C.O. and pilots of 432 Squadron (inc naming them all), parading in front of what he says is NP707 (with new looking paint and no BABS aerials).

However, having now checked Clarence Simonsen’s book, it would seem that there were indeed two Willy The Wolfs, so they must have borrowed the other one for the photo session.

Thanks to Ballykellybrat for clarifying things!

Two Willies

Top photo (& the panels in the Canadian War Museum) is NP707 QO-W, 432 Squadron.
Bottom is PN240 6U-W, 415 Squadron. Both based at RAF East Moor, North Yorkshire & painted by one Thomas E. Dunn.
Info from a smashing book – RAF & RCAF Aircraft Nose Art in World War II by Clarence Simonsen.

Those aerials are also associated with B.A.B.S. (Blind Approach Beacon System) and are common on Bomber Command aeroplanes of this period.

I can’t say why they may have been removed later on, though, as B.A.B.S. remained standard for some years.

Edited to say….

Grrr, I love/hate these threads! I’ve just gone through a few of my reference books and can add that NP707 was scrapped at Clifton, York. There is a photo of her there, before scrapping, in Bomber Squadrons Of The R.A.F. And Their Aircraft by Phillip Moyes, and the aerial is quite clearly back in situ.

I’ve also found photos of her in Steven Fochuk’s book Metal Canvas – Canadians and World War II Nose Art, and these show her at quite an advanced stage of her career, but without the BABS aerials. However, in one view, the paintwork on the nose looks very clean and unweathered, despite having forty+ bomb symbols on it.

It makes me wonder if, at some point, she has had major surgery, requiring a new nose section that happened not to have the BABS aerials installed, the nose art having been reproduced upon her return to the Squadron and the aerials being re-installed as and when the equipment was available?

Just a thought…

Hi Slummer,

It is associated with the Rebecca system.

Main user was resistance but was also fitted for ASR dinghy location.

Regards
Ross