Unsung hero of Britain's airborne forces

Just been reading about its role at D-Day

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ARMSTRONG WHITWORTH AW.41 ALBEMARLE - The Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle originated to an Air Ministry requirement for a medium bomber of com-posite construction, combining welded steel tube and plywood structures to permit sub-contract manufacture by light engineering and woodworking industries. Initial Specification P.9/38 revised as B.I8/38 to cover design proposal by AW team under J Lloyd, for twin-engined aircraft to carry 1,500-lb (681-kg) bomb load for 2,000 mis (3,200 kg) and cruise at 250 mph (402 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,525 m). Contract for 200 including two prototypes placed 1939; two subsequent contracts for total of 880 but 478 cancelled. Prototypes with 1,590 hp Hercules XI engines and wing span of 67 ft (20.44 m) assembled by AST at Hamble where first flown on March 20, 1940; sec-ond prototype with span of 77 ft (23.47 m) flown on April 20, 1941. Six hundred pro-duction aircraft assembled by A W Hawksley Ltd at Brockworth, Glos, from parts supplied by more than 1,000 sub-con-tractors; Hercules XI engines and increased-span wing; first delivery October 1941. Bomber role discontinued by late 1941 and production continued in transport and glider-tug roles in variants listed below. Entered service with No 295 Sqn early 1943; first operations during invasion of Sicily, July 1943. Equipped four RAF troop-carrying squadrons (Nos 295, 296, 297 and 570), one freighting squadron (No 511) and one special duties squadron (No 161).

Data that follow are for B Mk I.

Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle I: Initial bomber-reconnais-sance version with BP powered dorsal turret carrying four 0.303-in (7.7-mm) Brownings and provision for two similar guns in retractable dorsal manual turret. Fuel tanks in wing and centre fuselage.

Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle ST Mk I: Special transport version (troop carrier) with operational bombing equipment, ventral turret and fuselage fuel tanks removed; dorsal turret replaced by hand-operated Rose two-gun installation with sliding hood. Freight load-ing doors in starboard fuselage side and paratroop jump doors in rear fuselage floor. Malcolm glider towing hook at rear of fuse-lage. Built in Srs 1, Srs 2 and Srs 3 versions with small equipment changes. 12 supplied to Soviet Union, 1943/44.

Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle GT Mk I: Glider towing ver-sion with similar modifications to ST Mk I but with paratroop provision. Built in Srs 2 and Srs 3 versions.

Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle GT Mk II: Single example of glider tug variant similar to GT Mk I.
Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle ST Mk II: Similar to ST Mk I special transport with equipment changes and dorsal turret re-introduced. Ninety-nine built.

Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle IV: Single prototype with R-2600-A5B Double Cyclone engines and dorsal turret, flown on December 12, 1942, and one production conversion.

Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle ST Mk V: Special transport similar to ST Mk II with changed fuel jetti-son system, flown July 27, 1943. Fifty built.

Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle ST Mk VI: Final production special transport version, with dorsal turret. One hundred and thirty-three Srs 1 built.
Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle GT Mk VI: Final production glider tug version, with dorsal turret. One hundred and seventeen Srs 2 built.

Max speed, 265 mph (427 km/h) at 10,500ft (3,200 m).

Cruising speed, 170 mph (274 km/h).

Service ceiling 18,000 ft (5,486 m).

Range with normal fuel, 1,300 mis (2,092 km).

Gross weight (ST), 36,500 Ib (16,556 kg).

Span, 77 ft (23.47 m).

Length, 59ft 11 in (18.26m).



[ 24. May 2004, 11:36 AM: Message edited by: Mahross ]

 

Dont remind me of Them... just been writing about those things... Not the best for airborne troops cos you gotta jump through a hole in the bottom. End result is often a broken nose...

But they got us into France!!!

Dont forget the other aircraft that fulfilled the roles of troop carriers!

 

The ALBEMARLE was a real dog to fly. I read that the placement of the cockpit and engines and the long nose made visibility terrible in all directions except up ! You could not see in front while taking off and you can see in the picture you posted how the engines block all side vision. In a magizane article I have on them they said they were very unpleasant to fly and were disliked by the crews. They were made mostly of wood to save stratigic materials and somewhat underpowered and like the HP Hampton, the crews could not move around much inside the aircraft.

I am glad you posted the aircraft though as most people have not heard of the aircraft and it shows that even the British can make a bad airplane once in awhile.

 

Oh, we made plenty of bad aircraft...fortunately we made enough of the good ones!

Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and discussion
forum

 

Someone loves 'em !

The Pennine Aircraft Recovery Team in the UK are collecting together as many Albemarle parts as possible and have indeed located a disused quarry in Northern England where many parts were bulldozed after the war.

They have the hope of eventually creating a complete fuselage......

 

The Albemarle wasn't that bad an aircraft. It just had the misfortune that it was too slow (well, performance overall really) and carried too little bomb load by the time it went into production to justify using it as a first line bomber.
The Albemarle does have the distinction of being the first British military aircraft with a retractable nose wheel undercarrage (a tail wheel was also installed for some reason).

 

If it's any consolation to the poor old Albemarle, I have a copy of Hugh Bergel's memoir, ' Fly And Deliver ' . As a WW2 ferry pilot, Bergel flew 900 aircraft of 80 different types.

His prize for the worst goes to the Blackburn Botha, 'a truly nasty aeroplane - a largeish twin-engined thing - when fully laden with crew and warlike stores it could only carry enough fuel for 50 miles flying. Some pilots survived this...'

 

A RAF test pilot on flying the Botha stated
" The Botha cockpit is almost impossible to get into, it should be made impossible to get into".

 

I went to a meeting at BAE Systems Brough near Hull yesterday and the road that the main gate is on is called 'Ablemarle Raod', was this aircraft assembled there during the war?
Also like ot add that 296 and 297 tugged nearly 100 Horsas to Arnhem on the first two lifts, from RAF Manston because it had such a short range.