Short Sterlings airlift refugees August 1945
 

Does anyone have any information about the units that airlifted 300 refugee children from Prague Czechoslovakia to RAF Crosby-on-Eden near Carlisle on 14 August 1945?

I have seen film of what look like Short Sterlings being loaded. Details on two of the aircraft:
V8oK serial TS???
ZOoQ serial LK368

Which squadron was this and who were the crews? Any other interesting details, aircraft or unit histories etc.

Mark

Re: Short Sterlings airlift refugees August 1945
 

V8 is 570 Sq
ZO is 196 Sq

Re: Short Sterlings airlift refugees August 1945
 

Thanks, Graham.
Did they usually fly together or were they just using any aircraft available on the day?

Mark

Re: Short Sterlings airlift refugees August 1945
 

TS266, Stirling rebuilt from LJ575 at SEBRO Cambridge, V8-K of 570 Sqn, 23MU
LK368, ZO-W, Mk IV, 196 Sqn. Built contract 2009/C4 at Belfast
(Source - Bowyer)

Re: Short Sterlings airlift refugees August 1945
 

Thanks Alan,

However in the movie LK368 is clearly ZO-Q and not ZO-W. Could they have changed the letter or is it a Bower typo?

Mark

Re: Short Sterlings airlift refugees August 1945
 

Quite possibly a typo, Mark. The entry says, "ZO-W96, 15/3/45....". 96 Sqn never operated Stirlings.
Just found a great photograph of V8-K, TS266 of 570 Sqn loading "Czechoslovak orphans, many of whom were internees in concentration camps.." Taken in Summer '45. It is in p54/55 of Falconer's "Stirling in Combat"
Maybe this is part of your airlift?

Alan F

Re: Short Sterlings airlift refugees August 1945
 

I guess if it is scrawled badly enough Q1(96) can turn into W(96).

The picture is exactly to do with the airlift. The movie showed them loading the kids onto the aircraft. But they were not necessarily Czech or orphans and as far as I know they were all from the camps. It may be a still from the same film. I do not know how many trips each aircraft made.

Mark

Re: Short Sterlings airlift refugees August 1945
 

Pics :
http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205210743
http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205220277

Film :
http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/it...ect/1060018234

2 squadrons from no. 38 Group RAF

Re: Short Sterlings airlift refugees August 1945
 

Thanks for the links, udf_00.
From the description it looks like the same film.

Mark