Bristol Blenheim's
 

Hello,

Not sure how if at all the following info that I have matched up will help with finding RAF serial numbers of the Finnish AF Blenheims, or indeed the Manufacturers serial numbers to match any RAF serial number .

Greek AF

RAF - Civil - Bristol
Serial Serial
L6670
L8384
L8385
L6658
P4910 - G-AFXD - 9392
P4911 - G-AFXE - 9393
P4915 - G-AFXF - 9397
P4916 - G-AFXG - 9398
P4921 - G-AFXH - 9403
P4922 - G-AFXI - 9404
P6891 - G-AFXJ - 9416
P6892 - G-AFXK - 9417
P6897 - G-AFXL - 9422
P6898 - G-AFXM - 9423
P6903 - G-AFXN - 9428
P6904 - G-AFXO - 9429

Yugoslavia

RAF - Civil Yugo
Serial
L6813
L6814
L6817
L6818 - YU-BAR-60
L6819 - YU-BAS-61
L6821 - YU-BAQ-59
L6822 - YU-BAT-62
L6823 - YU-BAE-47
L6824 - YU-BAD-46
L6825 - YU-BAA-43
L6826 - YU-BAR-44
L6827 - YU-BAC-45
L6828 - YU-BAL-54
L6829 - YU-BAM-55
L6830 - YU-BAP-58
L6831 - YU-BAN-56
L6832 - YU-BAO-57
L6833
L6834
- YU-BAF-48
- YU-BAG-49
- YU-BAH-50
- YU-BAI-51
- YU-BAJ-52
- YU-BAK-53

Parts were sold by Germany to Finland late in the War.
Also One (Serial unknown as yet) defected to Hungary to be coded J-104 in the Hungarian AF.

Some (Quantity ?) also were later to be used by the Croatian AF.

Rumania

RAF - Rumanian
Serial Serial
L6696
L6697
L6698
L6699
L6700
L6701
L6702
L6703
L6704
L6705
L6706
L6707
L6708
L6713
L6714
L6715
L6716
L6717
L6718
L8603
L8604
L8605
L8606
L8607
L8608
L8619
L8620
L8622
L8624
L8625
L8626
L8627
L8628
L8629
L8630
L8632
L8652
L8653
L8654

Turkey

RAF...........Civil..........Turkish........Bristo l
Serial.........................serial..........ser ial
................................2501...........815 5
................................2502...........815 6
.............G-AFFP.........2503...........8157
.............G-AFFR.........2504...........8158
.............G-AFFS.........2505...........8159
.............G-AFFT.........2506...........8160
.............G-AFFU.........2507...........8161
.............G-AFFV.........2508...........8162
.............G-AFFW........2509...........8163
.............G-AFFX.........2510...........8164
.............G-AFFY.........2511...........8165
.............G-AFFZ.........2512...........8166
.............G-AFLA.........2513...........9222
.............G-AFLB.........2514...........9223
.............G-AFLC.........2515...........9224
.............G-AFLD.........2516...........9225
.............G-AFLE.........2517...........9226
.............G-AFLF.........2518...........9227
.............G-AFLG.........2519...........9228
.............G-AFLH.........2520...........9229
.............G-AFLI..........2521...........9230
.............G-AFLJ..........2522...........9231
.............G-AFLK..........2523...........9232
.............G-AFLL..........2524...........9233
.............G-AFLM.........2525...........9234
.............G-AFLN.........2526...........9235
.............G-AFLO.........2527...........9236
.............G-AFLP.........2528............9237
.............G-AFLR.........2529............9238
.............G-AFLS.........2530............9239

Portugal

RAF
Serial
R2775
R2781
R3623
R3830
N3544
N3600
T2431
T2434
V5429
V5434
V5501
V5729
V5883
V6395
Z7492
Plus at least five more.

Finland

18 a/c
BL104 - OH-IBA
through to
BL121 - OH-IBR
I do not think that these a/c were ever given RAF serial numbers as I ubderstand that they were delivered straight from the Factory to Finland.

and

12 a/c
G-EZIN - BL122 - OH-IPA
through to
G-EZIY - BL-133 - OH-IPL
These I expect were the First Mk IV's delivered from January 1940.
RAF serial numbers were
L9025
L9026
L9028
L9195
L9196
L9197
L9198
L9199
L9200
L9201
L9202
L9203

One of these was lost over the North Sea on the delivery flight.

Can anyone match these RAF serials to either the Civil or Finnish serials please ?

Then
12 a/c
G-EZAA - BL134 - OH-IPA
through to
G-EZAL - BL145 - OH-IPL
These are said to be those that included RAF srerial numbers -
L1345
L1347
L1354
L1362
Eight more serial numbers required to completye this batch.


And then for one Force

G-AFCE - 8814
G-AFCF - 8815

Refs: were
Scramble Turkish Military Aircraft since 1912
Air Britain books K-File; L1000 to N9999;P1000 to R9999;T1000 to V9999; W1000 to Z9999.
Air Enthusiast Bi monthly

RAF Serial Numbers and Civil codes welcome as is any info that will hepl match the numbers for those Finnish a/c.

Many Thanks for any help.

Alex

Re: Bristol Blenheim's
 

Hi to all! I am interesting to know does two-digit ciphers after yugoslav civil registrations mean construction numbers from Avro factory?

Kind regards

Newcomer

Re: Bristol Blenheim's
 

Alex

With regard to Greece the first batch of Mk IV were registered/serialled B.251 to B.262 and used by 32 Mira. Nothing known, of course,if they were serialled in consequtive order.

According to Greek sources they received from various RAF units SIX Mk I, which received serials B.263 to B.268. B.268 is known to have been captured by the Germans...

Cheers
Stig

Re: Bristol Blenheim's
 

Alex

I have tried to update the Jugoslav Blenheims for you TWICE, but all the time encounter problems with the TOCH connections. I refuse to write the details a third time, so if you are interested, drop me a personal note on hagel.jarlevik@bredband.net

Cheers
Stig

Re: Bristol Blenheim's
 

hello Stig,
I have sent you an e-mail
Alex

Re: Bristol Blenheim's
 

Bristol Blenheim L6670 UQ-R Abschuss Afrikakorpspictures of crashed pplane now on ebay https://www.ebay.de/itm/134148279203...8AAOSw~~Riqw94

Re: Bristol Blenheim's
 

Hi,
Thank you for the update with the picture said to be L6670 UQ⊙R.
The only photos of L6670 that I have seen show L6670 with only the Squadron Code "UQ" .Although some references do say that it was at some time "UQ⊙R".
However
It is my belief that the aircraft shown in this photograph is L6660 which was wrecked on 17th September 1940 when it undershot during a night landing, bounced and hit a car. This was at Qotafiya. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
While L6670 began with 203 Sqdn then moved on to 211 Squadron before being transferred to the Royal Hellenic Air Force from 1st April 1941.

Other Blenheim's in the L66?? serial number range that were with 211 Sqdn were
L6634 - SOC 1.3.44.
L6650 - To 27 Sqdn then to 353 Sqdn.
L6655 - To 72 OTU.
L6658 T RHAF 1.4.41.(I overlooked this one in my first post).
L6660 DBR 17.9.40
L6661 - Mia(ElAdem) 22.7.40.
L6670 - To RHAF 1.4.41.
(ref: AB L1000-N9999).

Alex

Re: Bristol Blenheim's
 

There is a problem with that theory Alex

It would mean L6660 was laying around at its crash place until the Afrika Korp
arrived.
I have failed to locate Qotafiya on a map, so don't even know if the Afrika Korp actually did arrive in the first place.

But just like you I have second thoughts if the aircraft really is L6670....

Cheers
Stig

Re: Bristol Blenheim's
 

Hello Stig,
I think that my spelling was wrong, see the link -

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=19849

RAF Quotafia, Libya.

From a 2001 post on the RAF Commands Forum -
LG 21 Qotafiyah III - 9 nautical miles southwest of Daba

LG 104 Qotafiyah II - 7.5 nautical miles northwest of Daba

LG 20 Qotafiyah I - on the northern fringes of LG 104

Note: Forum spelling, this time not mine :)
Alex

Re: Bristol Blenheim's
 

Sorry Alex

Makes no difference how we spell it, Google Maps cannot find it anyway.
Luckily I located a list with all the British LG listed including coordinates so Qotafiyah (as it is spelled there)
was either LG-020, -021 or 104. All of them pretty much to the east and probably close to El Alamein.
(All I get is map with Arab inscriptions, which is a dead end for me....)

If the Luftwaffe (or Afrika Korp) ever captured any of them is an open question, but they cannot
have been there for long.

Would it have been possible for the wreck of the crashed L6660 to still be around that late?
After all we are talking about some two years here. I myself am very doubtful about that.

Cheers
Stig