Carl_Brisgamer

Moving on from the 'Air Power in the Pacific' exhibit you enter the ANZAC Hall featuring aircraft of WW2 in Europe.

The Avro Lancaster B1 'G for George' takes pride of place here.



"G for George" flew ninety operational missions over Germany and occupied Europe during the height of the bomber offensive. From the time it was built in 1942 until its retirement from active service in 1944, the bomber was flown by No. 460 Squadron RAAF.



The aircraft has always been one of the most popular exhibits at the Australian War Memorial. After undergoing extensive restoration at the Australian War Memorial's Treloar Conservation workshops, it went back on display in Anzac Hall in "Striking by night", a permanent exhibition featuring a dramatic sound and light show that re-creates a night bombing operation over Berlin in December 1943.


Port side of 'G for George'

"George", marked AR-G, was regarded as a "lucky" aircraft, returning from eighty nine bombing operations over Europe during 1942-44. However over thirty of its former crew members were killed when flying other aircraft.


Starboard side of 'G for George'

No 460 Squadron received Lancasters in October 1942, beginning operations the following month. The majority of the squadron's missions were flown against heavily defended targets in the Ruhr Valley and Berlin. In June 1943, No. 460 Squadron dispatched twenty-seven Lancasters against Dusseldorf - setting a Bomber Command Squadron record. Two months later No. 460 became the first Bomber Command squadron fly 1,000 sorties in Lancasters.



The Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 'Gustav' Werknummer 163824 is the only Bf 109G in existence still bearing its original Luftwaffe colour scheme. The service history of this aircraft is unknown however it shows evidence of having been damaged in action and an inscription painted on the fuselage indicates a refurbishment in December 1944.



In 1946 it was located at No 4 Maintenance Unit in the United Kingdom where it was selected for shipment to Australia for the Australian War Memorial's collection. It was stored at RAAF Laverton Victoria and transferred to the Memorial in 1955. In 1961 it was sold to a private vendor who subsequently sold it to Marshall Airways at Bankstown where it was displayed. Later the aircraft was to be exported to the United Kingdom, but it was confiscated by Australian Customs in 1979 before leaving the country. It was then stored at RAAF 2 Stores Depot, Regents Park, New South Wales before it was re-acquired by the Memorial in 1988.



This Messerschmitt Bf 163B Komet Werknummer 191907 was captured in May 1945, probably at Husum in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It was one of a group of stored machines believed to be replacements for Jagdgeschwader 400. There is no evidence that the Memorial's aircraft was issued to an operational unit and it does not appear to have been extensively flown. This aircraft was selected for inclusion in the AWM collection in 1946, at which time it was located at No 4 Maintenance Unit in the United Kingdom, and shipped to Australia that same year. The RAAF Museum repainted the aircraft in 1978. Further work was done by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in 1982. The aircraft was again painted by AWM staff in 2003.



The Messerschmitt Me 262 'Schwalbe' Werknummer 500200 'Black X' of II./KG(J)51 was captured at war's end at Fassberg, Germany. After being test flown in the UK the aircraft was gifted to Australia in late 1946. The 262 reamined in storage for many years and was placed on display at the RAAF museum from 1965 to 1988. It was put on show at the AWM in 2003. During restoration work at AWM a .50 in bullet hole was discovered in a wing, perhaps evidence of some unrecorded aerial combat.

The other side of ANZAC Hall is devoted to the exploits of the Australian Flying Corps in WW1.



The Avro 504K was one of the first combat aircraft used by the RFC and RNAS. Soon obselete as a first line aircraft, it was used extensively as a trainer during WW1 and was later used by fledgling private air services such as QANTAS. More than 10,000 of Avro 504Ks were built between 1913 and 1932, making it the most numerous WW1 combat aircraft. The RAAF used this type as a trainer until 1928.



Seen here in post WW1 livery, the De Havilland DH.9 first flew in 1917. After WW1 the RAAF received 28 of these aircraft from the RAF which were alloted to No.1 and No.3 Squadrons flying in the army cooperation role.



The RAF SE5a was flown by 2 Squadron Australian Flying Corps on the Western Front during WW1 and later 35 examples were delivered to the RAAF in 1920. Although some were flown until 1928, fourteen were never unpacked from their crates due to financial restrictions.



This aircraft serial no. A2-4 was issued to the Australian War Memorial in 1929.



This Albatros D.Va serial D.5390/17 was forced down and captured by an RE.8 of 3 Squadron Australian Flying Corps in December 1917. Investigations have identified the likely pilot as Leutnant Klaus, possibly of Jasta 5, but I don't believe this has been positively established.



After many years spent as a 'dodgy' rpaint, it has been restored to original 'capture' condition. This included the fitting of an original Mercedes Benz engine, whch had been replaced in the 1920's with an incorrect unit.



The Pfalz D.XII serial no. 2600/18on display was one of several of the type handed over to Australia in 1919 as reparations or war booty. It was sent from No 2 Salvage Depot in France by cross-channel steamer ferry to England in late 1919 and thence to Australia by troopship. It was then displayed in the Memorial's temporary exhibition in Melbourne, although during October and November 1920 the Pfalz was moved to Adelaide for display at the Motor Trades Association of South Australia exhibition and was returned to Melbourne on 30 November 1920. During its Melbourne sojourn, the Pfalz was displayed with a Fokker, Halberstadt, Hannover, Albatros and Rumpler. Sometime after 1924 the Pfalz was on display in the Memorial's temporary exhibition display in Sydney.



Despite rumours in circulation in the late 1980's that both the Pfalz and the Albatros were flown by RAAF pilots in the early 1920s, evidence suggests that the fabric on both planes was already in poor condition by the time both were reassembled in Australia. The propeller is stamped 13472, 172 PS MERC 274D, 195 SL, EDULZUG on the boss. The Manufacturer's name is no longer visible on the silver transfer applied to the forward face of each blade, although the following remains: "...ndorf Propellor Werke". The original Maxim LMG08 machine guns remain attached - the port is serialled 9455, the starboard 9290.



Unfortunately, because the Pfalz was ceded and not actually captured by the Australian Forces, we have not been able to link it to any particular squadron.

These are but a small portion of the fantastic exhibits at the AWM - I can spend two days going over the place and still not see everything.

The last photo I'll post is the name of my great uncle Jack Rohweder of the 26th Battalion AIF who was killed at Lagincourt in March 1917. Jack had just returned from an NCO training course before the battle and was shot through the chest by a sniper whilst peering over the parapet of a trench.



I have one more installment of the Cancon 2013 road trip to post - the return journey where I took some time to visit a small NSW country town called Cowra where in 1944 Japanese PW's made a mass breakout.