349 Sqn Tempests at RAF Predannack, Feb - Apr 1945

[Smithy]

Hoping that someone here can give the serial numbers for the Tempests that 349 Sqn were using at Predannack during February through til April 1945 whilst converting to the type. I know the conversion was aborted (along with the similarly stationed 485 Sqn) but trying to find out which Tempests they used during this 6 to 7 week period.

Thanks,

Tim

[johngilly]

I have

NV 772, NV 782, NV 919.

Regards, John G

[Smithy]

Many thanks for that John!

Were there possibly more or was it just these three airframes?

Cheers,

Tim

[johngilly]

Hi Tim

Probably five in all, have these codes, A,C,N,P,Q. They also had some Typhoons.

485 Sq were also at Predannack at this time with Typhoons and Tempests,
and likely some sharing of aircraft.

I have Guy De Win's three volumes "From sunrise till sunset" on 349's history,
I can find a bit more detail from these if you wish.

Regards, John G.

[Smithy]

Originally Posted by johngilly

Hi Tim

Probably five in all, have these codes, A,C,N,P,Q. They also had some Typhoons.

485 Sq were also at Predannack at this time with Typhoons and Tempests,
and likely some sharing of aircraft.

I have Guy De Win's three volumes "From sunrise till sunset" on 349's history,
I can find a bit more detail from these if you wish.

Regards, John G.

Hi John,

Thank you once again and any further information is very welcome.

The reason why I am asking this is because I am trying to find out whether 485 and 349 shared airframes during this conversion period at Predannack. The previous thinking is that they did and therefore the aircraft did not carry 485 nor 349 codes. But your post above is a bit of an eye-opener as the Tempests you have listed were not flown by 485 personnel during their time there. Which makes me start to wonder whether there were several airframes which were only used by 485 and several which were only used by 349. Whether this means there were several others that were for shared usage between the units I don't know.

Here are the serials for the Typhoons and Tempests flown by 485 at Predannack:

Typhoons: EJ900, EJ904, EJ975, EK252, EK347, EK492, EK512

Tempests: EJ882, NV701, NV682, NV756, NV762, NV922, NV939

John, could you possibly check your 349 Sqn references and see if these any of these airframes were flown by 349 and if so, how many and which ones?

The three Tempest serials you have listed above appear to be solely used by 349 and I am wondering whether there are similar airframes that I have listed above which were only used by 485.

Also, do you have any inkling if any of the Tempests flown by 349 were carrying 349's GE codes?

Very best regards and thanks for the help!

Tim

[Stig Jarlevik]

Smithy

Concerning Tempests, checking the batches NV639 - NV793, NV917 - NX288 I located NV698, NV757, NV772, NV782 and NV919 as used by 349 Sq.

If any sharing took place between 349 and 485 Sqds it seems such action was unofficial, since there is no connection between the above listed serials and the latter unit. Same thing with the serials you list with 485 Sq, ie no connection with 349 Sq.

Two oddities though. You list EJ882 and NV701 as being with 485 Sq, but the below source has none as delivered. Both went to 222 Sq. Your source please?

Courtesy Air Britain (Jim Halley) RAF serials NA100-NZ999

Cheers
Stig

[Smithy]

Thanks for that Stig, that is really fantastic.

My source for 485 Tempest serials is Sortehaug and Listemann's 485 book.

I'm very pleased that you can confirm there was no official sharing of Tempests and that although they were scarce it does appear that both units had their own (albeit not full) complement of Tempests to work with.

Cheers and thank you once again,

Tim

[johngilly]

Revised 349 sq Tempest's

NV698, NV757, NV772, NV782, NV919.

Codes, A, C, N, P, Q. Cannot match codes to serials.

Source Air Britain serials and "From sunrise till sunset".

485 sq Tempest's

EJ779, EJ 865, EJ875, EJ882 ?, NV 682, NV701 ?, NV752, NV756, NV762,

NV922, NV939. No codes and same sources as above.

Will post later with Typhoon info and some notes from the 349 sq book.

Regards John G.

[Smithy]

Hi John,

Thanks for the extra information. Are there any photos of 349's Tempests at Predannack in "From sunrise to sunset"? And also there wouldn't happen to be any photos showing 485's Tempests such as in any background shots?

Best,

Tim

[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