by Garry Shepherdson

If you have an interest in creating an accurate representation of an aircraft that served in the RAAF during the first half of the 1940's, you have probably had your choice of subjects restricted by (amongst other things) a lack of identifiable airframes - that is, identifiable by serial number AND code letters. For example, if you wanted to build (or illustrate) a 31SQN Beaufighter, you'd probably be limited to those airframes which had had their identity established by a published photograph or two. That being the case, you've probably also have come across examples that have subsequently been shown to have been mis-identified thereby reducing the low numbers of recreate-able options.

Steve Mackenzie has been kind enough to offer me this platform so that my aircraft identification research can be displayed and accessed by those that might be interested.

This project to establish the codes and identities of the airframes of a number of RAAF units was a long term project over a number of years perusing the official records held by AWM (Australian War Memorial), NAA (National Archives of Australia) and the National Library. Much Assistance was also given by Ron Kuskelly, the Vice-President of the Queensland Air Museum, who kindly granted me permission to use information from The Lockheed File from his website adastron.com. Mike Mirkovic, the photographic librarian at the Aviation Heritage Museum of WA, supplied most of the photographs that appear within and Joe Baugher said that I could use information from his data base of USAAF and USN serial numbers from his website joebaugher.com

The full methodology of how the information is extracted from the Official Records is explained in the pdf. A much abridged version of this article was run in Vol 10 Issues 5 and 6 of the ADF Serials Telegraph at http://adf-serials.com.au/newsletter, but this is the complete version.

In the introduction of these volumes I attempt to describe why I started this research and how I went about it. I also explain the aim - which was to present documentary evidence from primary source documents which matched individual aircraft identification letters to specific aircraft serial numbers.

Most of the information that I have been able to accumulate revolves around strike and reconnaissance type aircraft in the RAAF's North Western Area (there's more to the air force than single seat fighters!). Accordingly, a range of aircraft types are included such as Hudsons (this volume), Beaufighters, Beauforts, B-25s, PV-1s and Catalinas. Other types are covered but with gaps such as Mosquitoes and B-24s.

If you've ever wondered what individual identification letters 13 SQN Hudsons carried in late 1942 and early 1943 or if a clearly and unambiguously photographed example, like 2 SQN's A16-160/KO-X, had any different individual identification letter assignments, then these volumes might be of interest to you.

Click here to load the PDF.

Use the index button to return to the main issue 37/2 index.