© M.D. Howley Sept 2005 / No. 214 Squadron Association
Short Stirling Mk III
In service from February 1943 to January 1944
Short Stirling video clip
Video from YouTube. Press play to start the video
STIRLINGS
S-G?
?-G?
Stirlings BU-C, BU-G (R9326) and BU-S (R9319?)
Source : Richard Miller and Len Tonkin
Stirlings BU-C, BU-G (R9326) and BU-S (R9319?)
Source : Richard Miller and Len Tonkin
214
SQUADRON STIRLING Q-BU
SOURCE
: Cartmel War Memorials and Priory Church
The
Stirling was the tallest of any aircraft to serve with the RAF in
World War Two being 22 feet and 9 inches from the ground at her highest
point. Tip of the nose to the end of her guns at the tail was a shade over
87 feet, which also made her the longest of any RAF aircraft in the War.
The
Stirling was the result of Air Ministry specification B12/36, which called
for a "heavy bomber, capable of being launched via a catapult
system?, able to maintain height with one of its four engines shut down
and carry a heavy bomb load. The spec also called for a wing span of no
more than 100 feet. The Shorts company (of Sunderland flying boat
fame) produced plans for a heavy bomber that drew on some of the successful
design points of the Sunderland. A wingspan of 112 feet was part of the
design, but the Air Ministry was opposed to it and insisted on the maximum
wingspan of 100 feet in order that the Stirling would fit in the then
standard RAF hangar. This shortened wingspan would prove to be a concession
resulting in serious drawbacks of the Stirling in later years. ie:
the sacrifice of ceiling which was important to keep the aircraft above
flak defenses) The war was looming quickly and the RAF urgently needed these
aircraft, undoubtedly this urgency would have had considerable influence
right from the design through production.
An
excellent and very unusual photo of a Stirling in flight, taken from another
in the formation, the object in the foreground is the wing and port side
air intake of another Stirling. In order to get this photo the Stirling
taking the picture would have been dangerously close to the one in the foreground.
SOURCE
& COPYRIGHT: Special thanks to Jeremy Kearns for this photo, son of
Bob Kearns a two tour veteran of the 214 squadron
On May
the 14th 1939, just four months before the war on Germany, the Stirling
(serial number L7600) made her first flight. The flight seemed encouraging
however the undercarriage collapsed when the aircraft landed, and the resulting
damage was so severe that the aircraft was scrapped. On December 3rd the
second prototype was completed and made her maiden flight and soon after
the first of the production models were coming off the line at Shorts. These
went into service with Bomber Command. 7 Squadron, then resident at Leeming
in North Yorkshire. Not only were they the first to receive the Stirling,
but with it they became the first squadron in the RAF to take delivery of
a four-engined bomber. As a result, Sunderland and Singapore pilots with
Coastal Command were seconded to 7 Squadron to begin training men
on four engine aircraft. Deliveries from the factory at Rochester
were slow so Shorts opened up a second Stirling manufacturing plant
at Belfast. There were however numerous mechanical problems with the aircraft
through the early stages which led to a somewhat tarnished reputation. All
of the early Stirlings fitted with Hercules Mk.II engines were designated
Stirling Mk.Is, and intended for training only. By the end of 1940 7
Squadron received their first operational Stirlings fitted with the much-improved
Hercules Mk.X engine. The Stirling saw action for the first time when 7
Squadron dispatched 3 Stirlings, as part of a force of 43 aircraft, to attack
oil storage tanks at Rotterdam. The Stirling beat the Halifax into operational
service by exactly one month.
The
navigational aid "GEE" was first fitted to a Stirling (N3639)
for airborne trials which later would prove to save countless lives and
imeasureablly improve bombing accuracy. By the Spring of 1942, the 218 (Gold
Coast) and 214 (Federated Malay States) Squadrons had both started to equip
with the Stirlings as well as the famous "Pathfinder Force" ,
an elite group picked specifically for target marking.
The
new Mk.III Stirling, now operating with most of the squadrons, was
hoped to give improved climb, speed, and maximum ceiling capabilities. While
this was so, the Loss rates were still unacceptable compared against the
higher flying Lancasters and Halifaxes. This could be directly attributed
to the limited wingspan imposed by the Air Ministry as it couldn't maintain
the height of her four-engined counterparts. Flying below them in the bomber
stream, they were at the mercy of German flak defences below. These
appalling loss rates, resulted in the Stirling being withdrawn from bombing
operations over Germany as sufficient Lancasters and Halifaxes became available
to replace them. By July of 1944, most of the 3 Group squadrons that had
been operating the Stirling had converted to the Lancaster.
SOURCE:
picture from RAF site
SHORT
STIRLING SPECIFICATIONS
Engines:
4 x 1650hp Bristol Hercules XV1 14 cylinder
sleeve valve engines
Height:
22ft 9ins
Length:
87ft 3ins
Wing
Span: 99ft 1in
Weight:
70 000lbs (loaded)
Max.
Speed: 280 mph
Ceiling:
18 000ft
Range:
3 000 miles
Bomb
Load: 18 000lbs
Accommodation:
Crew of seven, normally consisting of Pilot, Navigator, Wireless Operator,
Bomb Aimer / Front Gunner, Mid-Upper Gunner, Rear Gunner, Flight Engineer
/ 2nd Pilot
The
bomb aimer was in the nose below the Pilot's floor and under the Front Gun
Turret. The twin Pilots' compartment gave extremely good all-round vision
permitting the Fighting Controller to operate with the minimum interference
during enemy fighter attacks. The navigator was also seated in the pilot's
compartment behind them. An armoured bulkhead, with a hinged door, separated
this flight compartment from the Flight Engineer and Radio Operator. The
first Pilot, and aircraft captain, had armour protection to his back and
head, and the Fighting Controller had armour protection to his chest when
supervising the Air Gunners' action. The centre section, above the bomb
compartment, was braced to allow access aft and provided storage space and
rest quarters for any member of the crew with a bunk on the starboard side.
Aft of the centre section was the mid upper turret and a walkway aft to
the rear turret. Access was by a door on the port side aft of the rest section.
Armament consisted of three power operated turrets, in the nose, mid-upper,
lower and tail. Total eight Browning .303 machine guns.
SOURCE
& RESEARCH: Short Stirling Specs and Accommodations by kind permission
of Arthur Skone. (excerpt from A Peacefull View, the autobiography of Alan
Raymond Collier Skone
TOP OF PAGE