Can ya handle some more busted, broken, bent ...

[warbird51]

Thanks Warbird51, the Baltimore makes sense now that I look again. I have never heard it referred to as the A-30 before, I didn't even know the USAAF had flown the Baltimore and given it such a designation. I thought it had only been used by the RAF and Free French.

The USA never used the A-30 to my knowledge. To be able to provide the aircraft through Lend-Lease, the aircraft had to have a US military designation. The Martin A-22 Maryland and the Martin A-30 Baltimore are two examples of this.

Ther is a great book called "Lend-Lease Aircraft in World War II" by Arthur Pearcy that is very informative on the aircraft provided under Lend-Lease.

[avenger2504]

We in New Zealand were fortunate to benefit from the Lend Lease scheme ending up with the Harvard, P40,F4U (and FG) Hudson, Ventura, C47, TBF to name a few. I read somewhere we were possibly going to get the B25 at one point, sadly that didn't happen.

[Dave Homewood]

Baz, the RNZAF Harvards were not Lend-Lease. They were Supplied through a much earlier international deal, the 1939 Empire Air Training Scheme, and they were purchased by the British Government and supplied to train men for attachment to the RAF (along with the Oxfords and Tiger Moths). Britain also supplied quantities of second-hand aircraft from RAF stocks, the Vincents and Hinds, for the EATS training schools too.

I don't know if any of the Hudsons were Lend Lease. The first batch were supplied by Britain after New Zealand pleaded repeatedly for modern reconnaissance bombers due to the big gap in our defence when NZ handed its Wellingtons to the RAF. Some of the later Hudsons were I believe bought New Zealand with money that was subscribed to in the Bonds For Bombers drive which began in March 1942. I'm not certain how many aircraft transferred from RAF stocks and how many New Zealand purchased outright, but I'm sure sure not all, if any, of the Hudsons were on the books of Lend Lease.

The RNZAF P-40's were also supplied by the British Air Ministry to New Zealand from RAF orders, and were not a direct deal with the US under Lend-Lease. Don't forget that Britain owed NZ a lot of money for huge supplies of foodstuffs, wool and other war materials (NZ produced and supplied over a million pairs of military boots and shoes in 1943 for example, most of which went to Britain, USA and the Allies). So it's possible the P-40's and Hudsons were (partially?) paid off with a balance of payments for such goods.

I'm not sure exactly how it worked. But rest assured we didn't get everything through Lend-Lease. I might post on the WONZ Forum and see what the experts have to offer. I'm sure David Duxbury can clarify this.

[avenger2504]

Ah I see, that certainly explains why our Harvards had RAF serial numbers leaving the factory. Yes certainly post the subject on WONZ I'd be interested in learning more about this subject.

[Dave Homewood]

The P-40's and Hudsons also had RAF serials allocated.