[Chris Thomas]

Hello again Smithy! The following notes are taken directly from the Form 78 movement cards and the unit ORBs.

I agree with the 5 serials for the 349 Sqn Tempests; very interested to learn they had codes, and a bit surprised as they appear to have received the Tempests on 24 February 1945 and had the "taken away" barely a week later on 3 March (349 ORB). The Form 78 show them taken on charge by 33 or 222 Sqns at dates between 5 and 15 March. So full marks to 349's 'B&Q Section'. The squadron struggled on with a small number of Typhoons (mostly FR IBs, if not all) on loan from 84 GSU and gave up on 14 April.

485 Sq's allocated Tempests are a bit more difficult to define. Certainly EJ779, EJ865, NV682, NV756, NV762, NV922, NV939. Two of the other serials quoted I believe to be erroneous entries on their record cards and two were 222 Sqn Tempests (EJ882 and NV701) which had been damaged at Predannack and were repaired on site. It appears the repairs were completed after 222 had left for the Continent and possibly were test flown by 485 Sqn pilots (indeed, the ORB mentions 'occasional test flights for the MU').

The two Tempest cards which have entries apparently made in error (it was a common occurrence for entries to be made on adjacent cards or on those with similar serial numbers) were EJ875 and NV752. The former has an entry for 485 Sqn on 1 March 45 which appears between two 83 GSU entries (485 was in 84 Group of course) and the latter has a 485 Sqn entry on 15 March 45 between two periods when it was known to be with 56 OTU. Possibly these entries were in error for EJ865 and NV762 respectively.

485 Sqn's ORB records Typhoon flying throughout March with the occasional Tempest test flights mentioned above (serials not quoted in the ORB).
CT