A55-2
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Type: | L-222-62-13 Lightning F-4-1-LO |
MSN: | 5377 * |
Previous Identities: | 41-2159 * |
* IMPORTANT: See here for clarification of identities.
41-2159
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17JAN42 | Received by USAAF. (Source: 4) | ||||||||||||||
18APR42 | Received Long Beach Fighter Command. (Source: 4) | ||||||||||||||
25APR42 | Received Lowry (8th PRS). (Source: 4) | ||||||||||||||
25MAY42 | Received Dallas. (Source: 4) | ||||||||||||||
19JUN42 | Received Lowry. (Source: 4) | ||||||||||||||
23JUN42 | Received Sacramento Air Depot. (Source: 4) | ||||||||||||||
06JUL42 | Received San Francisco (Port of Embarkation). (Source: 4) | ||||||||||||||
15JUL42 | Allotted SUMAC (Fifth Air Force SWPA) (Source: 4) | ||||||||||||||
12AUG42 | Received at CAC, Melbourne. (Source: 8) | ||||||||||||||
25AUG42 | Diverted to Australia. (Source: 4) | ||||||||||||||
A55-2
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04SEP42 | Received at 1AD, Laverton, Vic. The Form E/E88 for A55-2 does not record any previous identity. (Source: 7) | ||||||||||||||
03OCT42 | Flt Lt Talberg, Flt Lt Sinnott and Flt Lt Lawrie received their twin endorsements in Oxford AS311 prior to converting to the Lightning. (Source: 2) | ||||||||||||||
05OCT42 | Solo flight by Flt Lt Talberg 30min. Flt Lt Talberg. (His first Lightning flight. Presumably ex Laverton.) (Source: 2) | ||||||||||||||
06OCT42 | Photography (no details) 1hr 45min Flt Lt Talberg. (Probably photographic training ex Laverton) (Source: 2) | ||||||||||||||
16OCT42 | Issued to 1PRU ex 1AD. (Source: 7) | ||||||||||||||
26OCT42 | R/T test 1hr. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2) | ||||||||||||||
27OCT42 | Aircraft test 30min. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2) | ||||||||||||||
28OCT42 | Laverton-Mildura 2hr 20min. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2) | ||||||||||||||
30OCT42 | Mildura-Alice Springs 4hr. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2) | ||||||||||||||
30OCT42 | Alice Springs-Batchelor 3hr 55min. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2) | ||||||||||||||
30OCT42 | Batchelor-Hughes 20min. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2) | ||||||||||||||
02NOV42 | Melville Island-Darwin-Hughes 2hr 10min. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2) | ||||||||||||||
03NOV42 | Photo Recce Tanimbar Island 3hr 15min. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2) | ||||||||||||||
10-19NOV42 | Between these dates, 1PRU recorded only 5 operational flights by Lightnings A55-1 and A55-2. (Source: 5) | ||||||||||||||
19NOV42 | Photo Recce Dilli and Atamboea 5hr. Flt Lt Talberg. (Source: 2) | ||||||||||||||
20NOV42 | Crashed
2 miles west of Livingstone, N.T. The following report on the accident
is drawn from NAA Series A9845 Item 7127491. "On the morning of 20th November, 1942, Flight Lieutenant A.T. Cridland (424) was instructed by Squadron Leader L.W. Law (144) to carry out an engine test on aircraft A55-2. The test was to be at all heights up to 30,000 feet, R/T contact was to be maintained throughout the flight. The aircraft took off at 1030/K hours. At approximately 1150 hours, No. 3944 Flight Sergeant R.W. Blanch saw the aircraft circling the aerodrome at approximately 5,000 feet with the starboard airscrew fully feathered. While across wind on the second circuit the flaps and undercarriage were lowered. Apparently the pilot misjudged the approach, because when only a few hundred feet up he put on engine and turned to the west of Hughes. At approximately 1210 hours, two miles west of Livingstone, the aircraft crashed and burnt, killing the pilot. An examination of the aircraft by Squadron Leader L.W. Law revealed the following:-
The report concludes with details of the pilot and states that Flight Lieutenant Cridland was buried at the Berrimah Military Cemetry on 20th November 1942. | ||||||||||||||
24NOV42 | Received 1RSU. (Source: 7) | ||||||||||||||
18DEC42 | Converted to components by 1RSU. (Source: 7) | ||||||||||||||
31OCT44 | Condemned by Fifth Air Force, Brisbane. (Source: 4) | ||||||||||||||
09JAN45 | Struck off. (Source: 4) |
1
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Log book of Flt Lt F.H.W. Robilliard via his son Iain Robilliard. |
2
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Log Book of Flt Lt W.H.S. Talberg via David Vincent |
3
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Log Book of Sqn Ldr R.M. Green via David Vincent |
4
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USAAF History Card for 41-2158 accessed by Terry Geary. |
5
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RAAF Unit History sheets (Form A50) [Operations Record Book - Forms A50 and A51] 1 PRU Number 87 Squadron Jun 42 - Oct 53. NAA: A9186, 118 |
6
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Operations Record Book No 51 Operational Base Unit, Groote Eylandt via Phil Vabre. |
7
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RAAF Form E/E88 (Status Card) |
8
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Listing compiled by a CAC employee, Bill Audsley, and published in Aviation Heritage the journal of the Aviation Historical Society of Australia (AHSA) Vol 22 No 4. |
9
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Mosquito Monograph by David Vincent. |
10
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Log Book of FLGOFF P.B. Jones, RAAF. |
11
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The Eight Ballers by John Stanaway & Bob Rocker. Schiffer Publishing 1999 |
12
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Log Book of Sqn Ldr Geoff Atherton. |
1AD | No 1 Aircraft Depot based at Laverton, Vic. | 14ARD | No 14 Aircraft Repair Depot based at Gorrie, N.T. | 8CRD | No 8 Central Recovery Depot based at Darwin, N.T. | 1PRU | No 1 Photo Reconnaissance Unit based at Hughes, N.T. and later Coomalie Creek N.T. | 1RSU | No 1 Repair and Salvage Unit based at Manbulloo, N.T. | 4RSU | No 4 Repair and Salvage Unit based at Pell, N.T. |
Issue | Date | Remarks |
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7 | 01APR16 |
Refreshed
the page layout with no change to data.
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6 | 04JAN11 |
Added
details from the log book of Flt Lt W.H.S. Talberg via David
Vincent. Shown as (Source: 2)
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5 | 22FEB04 |
Added
movements before and after RAAF service from USAAF History
Card supplied by Terry Geary.
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4 | 17FEB04 |
Added
a report on the crash drawn fron NAA Series A9845 Item 7127491.
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3 | 04JAN04 |
Added
date for diversion to Australia from USAAF History Card
thanks to Terry Geary.
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2 | 28SEP01 |
Changed
MSN and USAAF serial to those shown in accordance with reasoning
here
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