Excellent photos. I’ve been to Shuttleworth a couple of times but not for a display. Must try.

I would imagine so, can you hang a prop without and engine?

Alex

Hi,

I’ll post some of their other Hart later today.

By the way, these were all taken on a pretty bog standard digital camera. An Olypmus C-960 Zoom 1.3Megapix, although at the time of purchase it was a top of the range camera. But nothing stays that way for long.

Alex

Hi Neilly,

Here is what I have for the 10 March 1944.

During the course of the Second World War a number of German and Japanese submarines carried vital war materials and exchanged information on weapons, engines and aircraft designs. One such Japanese submarine was I-29, which left Singapore for occupied France on 16 December 1943. The submarine, code named Matsu (Pine), was the fourth Japanese submarine to undertake this type of mission. She carried on board 16 passengers, which consisted of Naval officers, Engineers and specialists.

Allied code breakers had deciphered a signal that indicated I-29s final destination. Plans were put in motion to intercept the submarine in the Bay of Biscay. On 13 February I-29 was being refuelled from U-488, a ‘Milch Cow’, when she was spotted by an aircraft. She escaped any damage. While off Cape Finisterre I-29 was caught on the surface at night by an aircraft carrying a Leigh Light. Again the submarine escaped undamaged. I-29 finally arrived at the Bay of Biscay on 9 March.

Allied Intelligence was informed of the submarines presence in the Bay. Two Tse-tse, HX904/E (Sqn Ldr Philips/Fly Off Thomson) and MM425/L (Fly Off Turner/Fly Off Curtis) with an escort of four FB VIs (HJ828/R, HP922/U, MM431/Z and LR349/Y) from 248 Squadron set out to attack the submarine on the 10th. With a cloud base of 1,500ft and visibility at 8-10 miles the vessel was finally spotted off Cape Penas just before 0920hrs with an escort of two German destroyers, Z-23 and ZH-1, and two torpedo boats, T-27 and T-29. Overhead there were eight Ju88C-6s from III/ZG 1 circling the ships down below. The Mosquitoes initially approached from the North before circling around to the west and then further still to come in from out of the sun. The four FB VIs went for the Junkers in an attempt to draw them off the Tse-tses. Flt Sgt Tongue, LR349/Y, claimed one of the Junkers shot down and Fly Off Forest claimed hits on another, as did Flt Lt Jeffreys.

Of his attack on the Junkers Flt Sgt Tongue wrote:

‘ As we dived through the clouds I was in line astern of Fly Off Forrest Z/248. Three Ju88’s were in line astern ahead of us at about 1500ft and as we came in the last one broke off to port and turned to make cloud cover. Fly Off Forrest turned after it and I followed the other two which had started a climbing turn to starboard, still holding formation. At between 400 and 500 yards range and angle off 30 degrees I fired a two second burst and the second e/a and although no hits were observed it swung to port and turned back to starboard almost immediately. Again I fired a two second burst and saw hits on the port engine and the port side of the cockpit. Smoke began to stream from the engine and the e/a started to lose height and tried to turn into the convoy, either for covering fire or with the intention of ditching. Following him down we experienced erratic return fire from the position in the rear of the cockpit. A final burst brought a sheet of flame from the starboard engine of the e/a and another larger one from where the trailing edge of the port wing joined the fuselage. The e/a broke up and disappeared in the water leaving only a column of black smoke. No survivors or wreckage were seen on the surface.’

Despite the flak coming up from the escorts the Tse-tse dived in to attack. Sqn Ldr Philips carried out four separate attacks and Fly Off Turner made two. A total of six hits were claimed on the submarine, although reports seem to indicate that the submarine suffered no actual damage. It would appear that a destroyer was also damaged during the attack as well. Sqn Ldr Phillips tangled with one of the Ju88s and claimed to have hit it after firing four shells from his Molins gun. The port engine was reportedly knocked out of the Junkers. According to German records 7/ZG 1 lost one Ju88 at 0924hrs. Sqn Ldr Phillips’ aircraft, HX904/E, suffered category ‘B’ damage during this mission. A repair team from De Havillands arrived on the 14th to carry out the repair and the Mosquito was back in service by the 15th.

Later in the day at approximately 1700hrs a further wave of ten aircraft attacked the I-29 and her escorts. Again the submarine would appeared to have escaped any damage. Ju88s from ZG 1 were in the air again providing an air umbrella for the Japanese submarine. This time they lost one of their number, Ju88C-6 Wrk Nr 750965 2N+AA of Stab/ZG 1 to a 157 Squadron Mosquito.

The I-29 arrived safely at Lorient. For the journey home to Japan she was loaded with a HWK 509A-1 rocket motor, as used on the Me163 Comet, plus a Jumo 004B engine, as used on the Me262. She also carried plans for Isotta-Fraschini torpedo boat engine, a V-1 ‘Buzz bomb’ fuselage, TMC acoustic mines, bauxite and reportedly mercury-radium amalgam. During the journey home the American submarine USS Sawfish torpedoed and sank the I-29 on 26th July 1944.

The info on 248 comes from the squadron ORB, info on I-29 and German formations from other sources. Ju88 losses from Chris Goss.

From speaking to A H Hilliard the Tse-tse did not carry squadron codes only individual letters.

As always I am always on the look out for further info on Tse-tse operations.

Alex