Production
of the Hawker Typhoon totaled 3,317 including two prototypes and 15 Hawker built
examples (the rest being built by Gloster). A
total of 23 Typhoon equipped sqns flew with the 2nd TAF from France
and nine other sqns flew the type from the UK with Fighter Command. Of these, 60 ac were built as the FR Mk IB.
This mark carried cameras for tactical recce.
The two inboard cannon were removed and a forward facing camera was
fitted in the starboard gun bay. An
oblique camera could be fitted in the port wing and vertical cameras in the
fuselage.
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An FR Mk
IB shows its camera installation in the starboard cannon fairing. |
The
only Indian pilot to fly the type during WW II was Sqn Ldr Karun Krishna
“Jumbo” Majumdar.
Jumbo gave the
fledgling Indian Air Force its first war hero in World War 2. He was
the only pilot in the IAF to be decorated with a Bar to the DFC. On
commissioning he joined No.1 Squadron (The Tigers) as Flying Officer in
the Mid 1930s. Flying the Wapiti, then the Hart, he rapidly rose to the
rank of Sqn Ldr and took over command of No.1 Squadron in June 1941, when
it was based at Miranshah, NWFP. After its conversion to Westland
Lysanders in August 1941, the sqn was moved to Drigh Road for training and
then onto Toungoo (east of Prome on the Sittang river) on 1 Feb
1942. |
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Jumbo
in a Typhoon of 268 Sqn RAF
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The
Japanese Army Air Force attacked Toungoo the very next day, destroying allied
airfield installations and aircraft, only 1 Squadron’s aircraft were
unscathed. The next day, when Majumdar took off in a solitary Lysander armed
with two 250 lbs. bombs for the Japanese airfield at Mae-Haungsan (just west of
Chiangmai in todays Thailand), 67 RAF sqn New Zealanders, sharing Toungoo, sent
an escort of two Buffalo fighters to the Lysander. Majumdar flew at low level,
almost skimming tree tops to achieve complete surprise at the Japanese airfield.
He dropped his bombs with unerring accuracy on an aircraft hanger at the
airfield, destroying it as well as the aircraft in the hanger.
The
very next day, Majumdar was in the thick of the action again, this time he led
the whole squadron on a bombing mission on the same airfield, destroying several
buildings, wireless installations and aircraft on the ground. From then till the
fall of Rangoon in April, the Lysanders provided close air support work for the
Army. Finally withdrawing after handing over their Lysanders to the Burmese Air
Force.
Jumbo
was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his leadership of the
squadron during the Burma Campaign, thus becoming the first Indian Officer to be
so decorated. After spending two years in India in various staff and flying
assignments, Majumdar returned to the front in 1944. Now a Wing Commander, he
volunteered for a posting to the European theater.
He ultimately accepted a ‘demotion’ to the rank of Sqn Ldr so as to
fly under the Wg Cdr CO of No.268 RAF Squadron flying Mustang IAs over the
beachhead at Normandy during the allied invasion of Europe.
The sqn
converted to the Typhoon FR IB in Aug 44 and then to the Spitfire XIV
(although Jumbo was recalled before converting to the Spitfire).
During his stint on the Typhoon he was the sole volunteer for a
recce mission in bad weather over the Falais gap, one of many missions
that earned him a bar to the DFC.in Jan 45. On return to India he
joined the Indian Air Force Display Flight, and toured the country
conducting aerobatic shows and displays to attract and bring to the public
notice, the Indian Air Force's exploits. On 17 February 1945, whilst
practicing low level aerobatics at Lahore on a Hurricane, Jumbo lost
control during a high speed dive when the starboard undercarriage extended
un commanded, and crashed killing him instantaneously. Jumbo died as he
wanted to live, carefree, daring and at the controls doing what he wanted
to, fly to his heart's content. |
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Jumbo
receives the DFC from Field Marshal Sir Claude “The Auk”
Auchinlek
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As part of a series of Indian
aviation Greats I decided to build Jumbo’s Typhoon.
Lacking any details on the aircraft I came across Colin Ford’s article
on the history of 268 sqn on ARC. Colin
was considerate enough to provide some information from his soon to be published
history of the sqn. 268 sqn flew
the three bladed FR IB and these ac sported a single letter ID usually forward
of the fuselage roundel and painted their spinners initially night then sky and
some red. The ac were in standard
temperate RAF camo and by Aug had the Invasion stripes only on the
undersurfaces. I have never seen a
FR Mk IB done before and so fell upon Green and Swanborough’s RAF fighters
part 2 for references. I’d
already done the Monogram Typhoon in the four bladed OOB version with blue/white
checkered tail band. Mind you I had
hand painted it and ‘feathered’ the paint edges with a forceps-held sponge.
Miracle Easy off, surgery to make a four blade prop to three and lopping
off the inner cannon muzzles provided for a fresh FR Mk IB for painting.
Future, Testors, chalk pastels and Tally Ho products rounded off the
conversion. Jumbo, at least on one
occasion each flew EK 247-F and JP 371-A. I
did EK 247-A simply because I had more ‘A’s left on my RAF grey sqn code
letter decal sheet.
So
here it is. Makes me think; what
times those were; and what men they were.
Polly
Click on
images below to see larger images
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Monogram’s
Typhoon in its first avtar |
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