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ILLUSTRATED
SHORT STIRLING
THE RAF’S FIRST
FOUR-ENGINED ‘HEAVY’
ICONS
Icons No 22 £7.95
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STIRLING
BOLSTERING THE NATION’S SPIRITS
U
nfairly criticised for many years by
historians, the Short Stirling was
one of the most important aircraft
of the early stages of the Second
World War. During those years, Britain
was seriously on the back foot; the defeat
at Dunkirk, the evacuation of British
troops from Greece, the unchallenged
threat of the U-boat in the north Atlantic,
all combined to create a pretty
depressing picture for the nation.
The Stirling may not have been the
answer to these problems, but it was the
symbol of defiance that Britain needed. It
gave the public a boost to its morale
knowing that an aircraft of this
magnitude could take the fight back to
Germany. There is no doubt that the big
bomber had its share of developmental
and operational problems, but the vast
majority of these were aggravated by Air
Ministry interference, if not directly
caused by it. So, although the RAF
appeared to have received a very
impressive aircraft, in reality the Stirling
fell short of reaching an acceptable
operational altitude with a full weapon
load, could not carry any bombs larger
than 2,000lb and rumours quickly spread
that the bomber was difficult to fly. All,
except the latter, were undoubtedly true
but from an operational point of view,
the aircraft was hugely popular with its
crews and there were very few men
happier than the pilot at the controls of a
Stirling when he was given the
opportunity to carry out manoeuvres
that were more suited to a fighter. The
Stirling was a well-built machine and, as
well as potentially out-manoeuvring an
enemy night fighter, the bomber could
soak up a large amount of punishment
and still make it home, which gave the
crews huge faith in its ability.
Introduced into service with
7 Squadron at Oakington in February
1941, the unit was still operating the
Stirling when it became one of the
founders of the Pathfinder Force which
formed in August 1942. The inevitable
losses caused by flying several thousand
feet below the Halifax and the Lancaster,
especially during the costly Battle of
Berlin, saw the Stirling withdrawn from
Bomber Command in November 1943;
but that was not the end.
The Stirling found itself in a
clandestine role delivering agents and
dropping supplies across occupied
Europe; a task that it continued until the
end of the war. The introduction of the
Mk IV extended the type’s life further, this
variant proving to be a useful paratroop
transport and glider tug. Battle honours
over Normandy during Operation
Overlord, Arnhem during Operation
Market Garden and the crossing of Rhine
during Operation Varsity, were all
received. At the end of the war, the
Stirling had a part to play in helping to
repatriate POWs and the aircraft
remained in the RAF transport role until
1946.
Despite its failings, the Stirling was
the British propaganda machine during
those early, dark days of the Second
World War and whether or not the aircraft
lived up to this image is immaterial. The
spirit of the nation was lifted by this huge
machine which, there is no doubt, could
inflict more damage on Germany than
any bomber in service with the Luftwaffe
could do in return.
Martyn Chorlton
For more than a century of aviation history
and for further titles in this series, visit
Acknowledgements
G Allington, F D Bradbrooke, Andy Hay, D Murray Peden, M Pitchers
All material supplied by Martyn Chorlton unless noted
Aeroplane Icons: STIRLING
Editor
Martyn Chorlton.
Design and Layout
Paul Silk.
Publisher and Managing Director
Adrian Cox.
Executive Chairman
Richard Cox.
Commercial Director
Ann Saundry.
Distribution
Seymour Distribution Ltd +44 (0)20 7429 4000.
Printing
Warners (Midlands) PLC, The Maltings, Manor Lane, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH.
ISBN 978-1-910415-24-5
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Published by
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Tel: +44 (0) 1780 755131. Fax: +44 (0) 1780 757261. Website:
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STIRLING
|
3
CONTENTS
6 13
THE SHORT STIRLING
First Details of Great Britain’s Biggest Bomber; a period
article from
Flight
dated January 29, 1942
16 23 STIRLING PRODUCTION
In production from May 1940 until November 1945, 2,223
examples of this huge bomber were delivered to the RAF
26 35 OPERATING THE STIRLING
Outstanding interior views of the
Stirling from the archives
38 49 SALUTE TO THE STIRLING
A first-hand account of flying Britain’s first four-engined
bomber of World War Two by D Murray Peden
52 55 A STIRLING JOB
By F D Bradbrooke –
The Aeroplane
September 11, 1942
60 65 A KIWI’S NEST IN FENLAND
75 (NZ) Squadron and the Stirling at Mepal
by Martyn Chorlton
The prototype Stirling Mk IV, LJ530 which only served the manufacturers and the
A&AEE (Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment) before it was SOC
(Struck Off Charge) on October 17, 1946.
Editor’s collection
4
STIRLING
68 77 THE STIRLING VCS
Just two airmen, both pilots, earned the Victoria Cross
whilst in command of a Short Stirling. Their stories
are told by Martyn Chorlton
80 81 THE HEAVY
CONVERSION UNITS HCUS
88 93 ONE OF THE BIGGEST
‘SPOOFS’ OF THE WAR
Operation Glimmer by 218 (Gold Coast)
Squadron by Martyn Chorlton
96 103 STIRLING WORK
The post-war service use as a transport aircraft by Mike
Pitchers, who flew as second pilot on Stirling Mk Vs
106 113 STIRLING CIVIL SERVANTS
Geoffrey Allington tells how during the winter of 1946/7
he purchased ten brand new ex-RAF Stirlings for Trans-Air
120 127 AT THE SHARP END
The Stirling served with 28 front-line, operational
squadrons from August 1940 through to the
end of the World War Two
STIRLING
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