Westland Lysander
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The Westland Lysander is a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by
Westland Aircraft Westland Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil, Somerset. Formed as a separate company by separation from Petters Limited just before the start of the Second World War, Westland had been building aircraft since 1915. ...
that was used immediately before and during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. After becoming obsolete in the army co-operation role, the aircraft's short-field performance enabled clandestine missions using small, improvised airstrips behind enemy lines to place or recover agents, particularly in
occupied France The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...
with the help of the
French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...
.
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
army co-operation aircraft were named after mythical or historical military leaders; in this case the
Sparta Sparta (Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referred ...
n admiral
Lysander Lysander (; grc-gre, Λύσανδρος ; died 395 BC) was a Spartan military and political leader. He destroyed the Athenian Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital city, capital a ...
was chosen.


Design and development

In 1934 the
Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...
issued Specification A.39/34 for an army co-operation aircraft to replace the
Hawker Hector The Hawker Hector was a British biplane army co-operation and liaison aircraft of the late 1930s; it served with the Royal Air Force and saw brief combat in the Battle of France in May 1940. Some Hectors were later sold to Ireland. It was named a ...
. Initially
Hawker Aircraft Hawker Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer that was responsible for some of the most famous products in British aviation history. History Hawker had its roots in the aftermath of the First World War, which resulted in the ban ...
, Avro and
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...
were invited to submit designs, but after some debate within the Ministry, a submission from Westland was invited as well. The Westland design, internally designated P. 8, was the work of Arthur Davenport under the direction of "Teddy" Petter. It was Petter's second aircraft design and he spent considerable time interviewing
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
pilots to find out what they wanted from such an aircraft. The army wanted a tactical and artillery reconnaissance aircraft to provide photographic reconnaissance and observation of artillery fire in daylight – up to about behind the enemy front. The result of Petter's pilot enquiries suggested that field of view, low-speed handling characteristics and
STOL A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a conventional fixed-wing aircraft that has short runway requirements for takeoff and landing. Many STOL-designed aircraft also feature various arrangements for use on airstrips with harsh conditio ...
performance were the important requirements. Davenport and Petter designed an aircraft to incorporate these features. The Lysander was to be powered by a Bristol Mercury air-cooled
radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ...
and had high wings and a fixed
conventional landing gear Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Ter ...
mounted on an innovative inverted U square-section tube that supported wing struts at the apex, and contained internal springs for the faired wheels. The large streamlined spats also contained a mounting for a Browning machine gun and fittings for removable stub wings that could carry light bombs or supply canisters. The wings had a reverse taper towards the root, which gave the impression of a bent
gull wing The gull wing is an aircraft wing configuration, known also as ''Pulaski wings'', with a prominent bend in the wing inner section towards the wing root. Its name is derived from the seabirds which it resembles. Numerous aircraft have incorp ...
from some angles, although the spars were straight. It had a girder type construction faired with a light wood stringers to give the aerodynamic shape. The forward fuselage was
duralumin Duralumin (also called duraluminum, duraluminium, duralum, dural(l)ium, or dural) is a trade name for one of the earliest types of age-hardenable aluminium alloys. The term is a combination of ''Dürener'' and ''aluminium''. Its use as a tra ...
tube joined with brackets and plates, and the after part was welded stainless steel tubes. Plates and brackets were cut from channel extrusions rather than being formed from sheet steel. The front spar and lift struts were extrusions. The wing itself was fabric covered and its thickness was greatest at the strut anchorage, similar to that of later marks of the Stinson Reliant high-winged transport monoplane. Despite its appearance, the Lysander was aerodynamically advanced; being equipped with fully automatic wing slats and slotted flaps and a variable incidence tailplane. These refinements gave the Lysander a stalling speed of only .Taylor 1969, p. 443. The tube that supported the wings and wheels was the largest Elektron alloy extrusion made at the time. Due to the difficulties involved in manufacturing such a large extrusion Canadian-built machines had a conventionally fabricated assembly. The Air Ministry requested two prototypes of the P.8 and the competing Bristol Type 148, quickly selecting the Westland aircraft for production and issuing a contract in September 1936. The high-lift devices gave the Lysander a short take off and landing (STOL) performance much appreciated by the Special Duties pilots such as Squadron Leader Hugh Verity. The wings were equipped with automatic slats which lifted away from the leading edge as the airspeed decreased towards stalling speed. These slats controlled automatic flaps. Slow speed flight was therefore greatly simplified, "and it was possible to bring a Lysander down to land, if not like a lift, at least like an escalator". The inboard slats were connected to the flaps and to an air damper in the port wing which governed the speed at which the slats operated. The outboard slats operated independently and were not connected and each was fitted with an air damper. On a normal approach, the inboard slats and the flaps would begin to open when the airspeed has dropped to about and be approximately half down at . The only control that the pilot has is a locking lever which he can set to lock the flaps down once they have been lowered automatically.


Operational history


United Kingdom

The first Lysanders entered service in June 1938, equipping squadrons for army co-operation and were initially used for message-dropping and artillery spotting. When war broke out in Europe, the earlier Mk.Is had been largely replaced by Mk.IIs, the older machines heading for the Middle East. Some of these aircraft, now designated type L.1, operated with the
Chindits The Chindits, officially as Long Range Penetration Groups, were special operations units of the British and Indian armies which saw action in 1943–1944 during the Burma Campaign of World War II. The British Army Brigadier Orde Wingate fo ...
of the British Indian Army in the Burma Campaign of the Second World War.Masters, John. ''The Road Past Mandalay''. London: Bengal-Rockland, 1961. . Four regular squadrons equipped with Lysanders accompanied the British Expeditionary Force to France in October 1939, and were joined by a further squadron early in 1940. Following the German invasion of France and the low countries on 10 May 1940, Lysanders were put into action as spotters and light bombers. In spite of occasional victories against German aircraft, they made very easy targets for the ''
Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...
'' even when escorted by
Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm, storm system characterized by a Low-pressure area, low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, Beaufort scale, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms tha ...
.''Air International,'' January 1984, pp. 26–27.March 1998, p. 243. Withdrawn from France during the
Dunkirk evacuation The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the n ...
, they continued to fly supply-dropping missions to Allied forces from bases in England; on one mission to drop supplies to troops trapped at
Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. The p ...
, 14 of 16 Lysanders and
Hawker Hector The Hawker Hector was a British biplane army co-operation and liaison aircraft of the late 1930s; it served with the Royal Air Force and saw brief combat in the Battle of France in May 1940. Some Hectors were later sold to Ireland. It was named a ...
s that set out were lost. 118 Lysanders were lost in or over France and Belgium in May and June 1940, of a total of 175 deployed.James 1991, p. 247. With the
fall of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second Wo ...
, it was clear that the type was unsuitable for the coastal patrol and army co-operation role, being described by Air Marshal Arthur Barratt, commander-in-chief of the British Air Forces in France as "quite unsuited to the task; a faster, less vulnerable aircraft was required."''Air International'' January 1984, p. 27. The view of Army AOP pilots was that the Lysander was too fast for artillery spotting purposes, too slow and unmanoeuverable to avoid fighters, too big to conceal quickly on a landing field, too heavy to use on soft ground and had been developed by the RAF without ever asking the Army what was needed. Nevertheless, throughout the remainder of 1940, Lysanders flew dawn and dusk patrols off the coast and in the event of an invasion of Britain, they were tasked with attacking the landing beaches with light bombs and machine guns. They were replaced in the home-based army co-operation role from 1941 by camera-equipped fighters such as the Curtiss Tomahawk and North American Mustang carrying out reconnaissance operations, while light aircraft such as the
Taylorcraft Auster The Taylorcraft Auster was a British military liaison and observation aircraft produced by the Taylorcraft Aeroplanes (England) Limited company during the Second World War. Design and development The Auster was a twice-removed development of ...
were used to direct artillery.''Air International'' February 1984, p. 81. Some UK-based Lysanders went to work operating air-sea rescue, dropping dinghies to downed RAF aircrew in the English Channel.''Air International'' February 1984, p. 82. Fourteen squadrons and flights were formed for this role in 1940 and 1941.


Special duties

In August 1941 a new squadron, No. 138 (Special Duties), was formed to undertake missions for the
Special Operations Executive The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its pu ...
to maintain clandestine contact with the
French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...
. Among its aircraft were Lysander Mk.IIIs, which flew over and landed in occupied France. While general supply drops could be left to the rest of No. 138's aircraft, the Lysander could insert and remove agents from the continent or retrieve Allied aircrew who had been shot down over occupied territory and had evaded capture. For this role the Mk.IIIs were fitted with a fixed ladder over the port side to hasten access to the rear cockpit and a large
drop tank In aviation, a drop tank (external tank, wing tank or belly tank) is used to describe auxiliary fuel tanks externally carried by aircraft. A drop tank is expendable and often capable of being jettisoned. External tanks are commonplace on modern ...
under the belly. In order to slip in unobtrusively Lysanders were painted matte black overall (some early examples had brown/green camouflaged upper surfaces and later examples had grey/green upper surfaces); operations almost always took place within a week of a full moon, as moonlight was essential for navigation. The aircraft undertook such duties until the liberation of France in 1944. Lysanders were based at airfields at Newmarket in
Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include L ...
and later
Tempsford Tempsford is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of the county of Bedfordshire, England, about east north-east of the county town of Bedford. The village is split by the A1 Great North Road and is located just befo ...
in
Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...
, but used regular RAF stations to fuel-up for the actual crossing, particularly
RAF Tangmere RAF Tangmere was a Royal Air Force station located in Tangmere, England, famous for its role in the Battle of Britain, and one of several stations near Chichester, West Sussex. The famous Second World War aces Wing Commander Douglas Bader, a ...
. Flying without any navigation equipment other than a map and compass, Lysanders would land on short strips of land, such as fields, marked out by four or five torches or to avoid having to land, the agent, wearing a special padded suit, stepped off at very low altitude and rolled to a stop on the field. They were originally designed to carry one passenger in the rear cockpit, but for SOE use the rear cockpit was modified to carry two passengers in extreme discomfort in case of urgent necessity. The pilots of No. 138, and from early 1942 No. 161 Squadron, transported 101 agents to and recovered 128 agents from
Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...
-occupied Europe.Gunston, Bill. ''Classic World War II Aircraft Cutaways.'' London: Osprey, 1995. . The Germans knew little about the British aircraft and wished to study one. Soldiers captured an intact Lysander in March 1942 when its pilot was unable to destroy it after a crash, but a train hit the truck carrying the Lysander, destroying the cargo.Breuer 2000, pp. 135–137. In the Far East, from 1944 No. 357 Squadron RAF operated six SD Lysanders as C Flight for dropping agents in support of Fourteenth Army in Burma. Lysanders also filled other less glamorous roles, such as service as target-towing and communication aircraft. Two aircraft (T1443 and T1739) were transferred to the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) for training and 18 were used by the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...
's
Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...
. All British Lysanders were withdrawn from service in 1946.


Free French

Lysander also joined the ranks of the ''Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres'' ( Free French Air Force, FAFL) when ''Groupe Mixte de Combat'' (GMC) 1, formed at RAF Odiham on 29 August 1940, was sent to French North-West Africa in order to persuade the authorities in countries such as
Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...
, Cameroon and
Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Repub ...
, which were still loyal to
Vichy France Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the Fascism, fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of ...
, to join the
Gaullist Gaullism (french: link=no, Gaullisme) is a French political stance based on the thought and action of World War II French Resistance leader Charles de Gaulle, who would become the founding President of the Fifth French Republic. De Gaulle wi ...
cause against the
Axis powers The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...
, and to attack Italian ground forces in
Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Su ...
. As with all FAFL aircraft, Lysanders sported the
Cross of Lorraine The Cross of Lorraine (french: Croix de Lorraine, link=no), known as the Cross of Anjou in the 16th century, is a heraldic two-barred cross, consisting of a vertical line crossed by two shorter horizontal bars. In most renditions, the horiz ...
insignia on the fuselage and the wings instead of the French tricolor roundel first used in 1914, to distinguish their aircraft from those flying for the Vichy French Air Force. Lysanders were mostly employed on reconnaissance missions, but were also used to carry out occasional attacks. In all, 24 Lysanders were used by the FAFL.


Canada

One hundred and four British-built Lysanders were delivered to
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
supplementing 225 that were built under licence by National Steel Car at
Malton, Ontario Malton is a neighbourhood in the northeastern part of the city of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, located to the northwest of Toronto. Malton is bounded by Highway 427 to the east, the Brampton city limits (a Canadian National Railway (CN) rail ...
(near
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
) with production starting in October 1938 and the first aircraft flying in August 1939. The
RCAF The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environ ...
primarily operated Lysanders in the Army Co-operation role, where they represented a major improvement over the antiquated
Westland Wapiti The Westland Wapiti was a British two-seat general-purpose military single-engined biplane of the 1920s. It was designed and built by Westland Aircraft Works to replace the Airco DH.9A in Royal Air Force service. First flying in 1927, the Wa ...
which could trace its origins back to 1916. Initial training was conducted at RCAF Station Rockcliffe (near
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
) with No. 123 Squadron running an army co-operation school there. Units that operated the Lysander for training in this role in Canada include 2 Squadron, 110 Squadron (which became
400 Squadron 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...
overseas) and No. 112 Squadron RCAF. No. 414 squadron formed overseas and joined 110 Squadron and 112 Squadron with Lysanders. Prior to going overseas 2 Squadron was disbanded and its airmen reassigned to 110 and 112 Squadrons to bring them up to war establishment (2 Squadron would later reform in England as a
Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness b ...
unit and eventually be renumbered as
402 Squadron 402 "City of Winnipeg" Squadron (french: links=no, 402e Escadron) is a Royal Canadian Air Force squadron based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Pre-war history 402 Squadron began on 5 October 1932 as Number 12 Army Co-operation Squadron, a unit ...
). In all there were three squadrons ready to begin operations against the
Axis Powers The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...
. Although
Operation Sea Lion Operation Sea Lion, also written as Operation Sealion (german: Unternehmen Seelöwe), was Nazi Germany's code name for the plan for an invasion of the United Kingdom during the Battle of Britain in the Second World War. Following the Battle ...
– the planned German invasion of
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
– was averted by the British victory in the
Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended ...
in 1940, the high losses suffered by RAF Lysanders in the
Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...
resulted in any plans for cross- channel offensive operations by Lysanders being put on hold, although the Canadian squadrons continued training with the Lysanders until suitable replacements were available. No. 118 Squadron and No. 122 Squadron RCAF were the only Canadian units to use their Lysanders on active-duty operations – 118 in Saint John,
New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic Canad ...
, and 122 at various locations on
Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...
, where they performed
anti-submarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...
patrols and conducted
search-and-rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
operations. During the same period, No. 121 Squadron RCAF and several
Operational Training Unit Royal Air Force Operational Training Units (OTUs) were training units that prepared aircrew for operations on a particular type or types of aircraft or roles. OTUs ; No. 1 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit RAF (1 OTU): The Unit was formed in ...
s (OTUs) used Lysanders – painted in a high-visibility yellow-and-black-striped scheme – for target towing duties.Kostenuk and Griffin 1977, p. 56. For a brief period in 1940 when every available Hurricane fighter had been sent overseas to fight in the Battle of Britain, leaving the RCAF without a modern fighter aircraft at home in Canada, two RCAF Lysander-equipped squadrons which were supposed to convert to fighter aircraft but had none to convert to were re-designated as operational fighter squadrons. 111 Squadron, a
coastal artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form o ...
squadron which earlier had replaced its Avro trainers with Lysanders and been reclassified as an army co-operation unit, was again reclassified as a fighter squadron – the only one on the Canadian west coast – in June 1940. Lysander-equipped 118 Squadron also was redesignated as a fighter squadron. The Lysander completely lacked the capability to operate in a fighter role, and neither squadron saw action as a fighter unit while equipped with Lysanders, but their designation as fighter squadrons did allow RCAF fighter pilots to work up at a critical time without having to wait for the arrival of true fighter aircraft. No. 118 Squadron was disbanded in September 1940, and when it reformed in December 1940, still as a fighter squadron, it was equipped with 15 old, otherwise unwanted Grumman Goblin fighters produced by
Canadian Car and Foundry Canadian Car and Foundry (CC&F), also variously known as "Canadian Car & Foundry" or more familiarly as "Can Car", was a manufacturer of buses, railway rolling stock, forestry equipment, and later aircraft for the Canadian market. CC&F history ...
. Both 111 and 118 Squadrons soon re-equipped with the Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk, bringing the brief service of Lysanders in fighter squadrons to an end. By late 1944 all Canadian Lysanders had been withdrawn from flying duties.


Other countries

Other export customers for the Lysander included the
Finnish Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment = 159 , equipment_label ...
(which received four Mk.I and nine Mk.III aircraft), the Irish Air Corps (which took delivery of six Mk.II aircraft), the
Turkish Air Force The Turkish Air Force ( tr, ) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. The Turkish Air Force can trace its origins back to June 1911 when it was founded by the Ottoman Empire, however, the air force as it is known t ...
(which received 36 Mk.IIs), the
Portuguese Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = 1 July , equipment = , equipment_label ...
(which took delivery of eight Mk.IIIA aircraft), the
United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
(which received 25), the
Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...
(which took delivery of 22) and No. 1 Squadron of the Royal Egyptian Air Force. The REAF received 20 aircraft. Egyptian Lysanders were the last to see active service, against
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
in the
1947–1949 Palestine war The 1948 Palestine war was fought in the territory of what had been, at the start of the war, British-ruled Mandatory Palestine. It is known in Israel as the War of Independence ( he, מלחמת העצמאות, ''Milkhemet Ha'Atzma'ut'') and ...
.


Civilian use

After the war a number of surplus ex-Royal Canadian Air Force Lysanders were employed as aerial applicators with Westland Dusting Service, operating in
Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
and western Canada. Two of these were saved for inclusion in
Lynn Garrison Lynn Garrison (born April 1, 1937) is a Canadian pilot and political adviser. He was a Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot in the 403 City of Calgary Squadron, before holding jobs as a commercial pilot, film producer, director and mercenary. ...
's collection for display in
Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...
, Alberta, Canada.


Production

A total of 1,786 Lysanders were built, including 225 manufactured under licence by National Steel Car in Malton near Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the late 1930s (1938-1939).


Variants

;Lysander Mk.I :Powered by a Bristol Mercury XII radial piston engine. Two forward-firing Browning machine guns in wheel fairings and one pintle-mounted Lewis or
Vickers K machine gun The Vickers K machine gun, known as the Vickers Gas Operated (Vickers G.O.) or Gun, Machine, Vickers G.O. .303-inch in British service, was a rapid-firing machine gun developed and manufactured for use in aircraft by Vickers-Armstrongs. The hi ...
in rear cockpit. Optional spat-mounted stub wings carried of bombs. Four bombs could be carried under rear fuselage. ;Lysander TT Mk.I :Lysander Mk.Is converted into target tugs. ;Lysander Mk.II :Powered by one Bristol Perseus XII
sleeve valve The sleeve valve is a type of valve mechanism for piston engines, distinct from the usual poppet valve. Sleeve valve engines saw use in a number of pre-World War II luxury cars and in the United States in the Willys-Knight car and light truck. T ...
radial piston engine. ;Lysander TT Mk.II :Target tug conversion of the Lysander Mk.II. ;Lysander Mk.III :Powered by a Bristol Mercury XX or 30 radial piston engine, 350 delivered from July 1940. Twin Browning guns in rear cockpit. ;Lysander Mk.IIIA :As Lysander Mk.I, with Mercury 20 engine. Twin Lewis guns in rear cockpit. ;Lysander Mk.III SCW (Special Contract Westland) :Special version for clandestine operations. No armament, long-range 150 gallon fuel tank, fixed external ladder. ;Lysander TT Mk.III :Lysander Mk.Is, Mk.IIs and Mk.IIIs converted into target tugs. ;Lysander TT Mk.IIIA :100 purpose-built target tugs. ;P.12 Delanne Lysander :The P.12, also sometimes referred to as the Wendover, was a modified version of the prototype Lysander ''K6127'' with a Delanne configuration rear wing to carry a 4-gun turret power-operated tail
gun turret A gun turret (or simply turret) is a mounting platform from which weapons can be fired that affords protection, visibility and ability to turn and aim. A modern gun turret is generally a rotatable weapon mount that houses the crew or mechani ...
. The design was intended for "beach strafing" in case of invasion of the UK. The rear fuselage was replaced by a wider one of constant cross section. Mounted low on it was a much larger tail surface, making it a Delanne-type tandem wing.
Twin tail A twin tail is a specific type of vertical stabilizer arrangement found on the empennage of some aircraft. Two vertical stabilizers—often smaller on their own than a single conventional tail would be—are mounted at the outside of the aircra ...
fins replaced the central fin, making room for the gun turret which was fitted just aft of the rear wing. Both Frazer Nash and Boulton-Paul turrets were considered but only a dummy with no power system was installed. The main wing and forward fuselage remained unchanged. Although it flew well, trials were still underway when the threat of invasion disappeared and it did not proceeded past flight trials, which were carried out with the dummy turret.James, 1991, p.244Bowers 1984 pp. 34–5 ;"Pregnant Perch" :''L6473'' adapted with a ventral gun position, again for beach strafing. Crashed during testing after engine failure.James 1991 pp. 243–4 In 1940 ''K6127'' was tested with a pair of Oerlikon cannon mounted on top of the wheel fairings, and the stub wings removed; the intention was to use the aircraft against invasion barges in the threatened German invasion of Britain.Mason, 1967, p.11


Operators

* * * * * * * * * * * * *


Surviving aircraft

A number of Lysanders are preserved in museums in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Belgium, and elsewhere. * Lysander IIIA on static display at the Indian Air Force Museum in
Palam, Delhi Palam (phonetically Pālam) is a major residential colony located in South West Delhi. The Indira Gandhi International Airport, formerly known as ''Palam Airport'', the main airport of National Capital Region is situated here. It is one of 70 Vidh ...
. Formerly RCAF 1589, it is painted in spurious colours. It is possible that this is the one that Canada traded for a B-24 Liberator bomber in the late 1960s. * RCAF 2349 – Lysander III on display at the Canadian Museum of Flight in Langley, British Columbia. It is displayed without most of its fabric covering. This one was restored for
Expo 86 The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo 86, was a World's Fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from May 2 until October 13, 1986. The fair, the theme of which was "Transportation and Communicatio ...
in
Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
. The wings came from Cliff Douglas in Coutenay, B.C. The fuselage was found in the Prairies. The first fuselage was destroyed en route to British Columbia in a vehicle accident and another one was obtained. * RCAF 2363 – Lysander IIIA under restoration to airworthy condition at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in
Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of ...
. It flew for the first time following its restoration a few weeks before the Museum's Flyfest on 20–21 June 2009. It is finished in a yellow & black 'bumblebee'
target tug A target tug is an aircraft which tows an unmanned drone, a fabric drogue or other kind of target, for the purposes of gun or missile target practice. Target tugs are often conversions of transport and utility aircraft, as well as obsolescent c ...
scheme. * RCAF 2365 – Lysander IIIA airworthy at the Vintage Wings of Canada in Gatineau, Quebec. It is painted in No. 400 "City of Toronto" RCAF Squadron markings, and is doped silver overall with RCAF serial number 416. After a full restoration, it first flew 18 June 2010 in Gatineau, QC. * RCAF 2442 – Lysander III under restoration to airworthy condition with Sabena Old Timers in
Zaventem Zaventem () is a Belgian municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant. It is located in the Dijleland area, one of the three large recreational areas which together form the '' Groene Gordel'' ("Green Belt") around the Brussels-Capital Regi ...
, Belgium. * RCAF 2445 – Lysander IIIA in storage at the Reynolds-Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin, Alberta. * T1562 or V9562 – Lysander TT III on static display at the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
. Previously registered as OO-SOP, it was restored from 1983 to 1988, and again by December 2010 following a forced landing. * R9125 – Lysander III on static display at the Royal Air Force Museum London. It is painted in the early war brown and green temperate land scheme marked LX-L ''R9125'' of No. 225 Squadron RAF. * V9552 – Airworthy as of 2019 as part of
The Shuttleworth Collection The Shuttleworth Collection is a working aeronautical and automotive collection located at the Old Warden Aerodrome, Old Warden in Bedfordshire, England. It is the oldest in the world and one of the most prestigious, due to the variety of old ...
, Old Warden,
Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...
in the UK. It is currently painted in the all black scheme of the clandestine Special Duties aircraft of No.161 Squadron RAF, bearing the serial ''V9367'' (flown by Pilot Officer
Peter Vaughan-Fowler Peter Vaughan-Fowler, (18 January 1923 – 24 April 1994) was an officer who served in the Royal Air Force. He is best known for his work as a "special duties" pilot, supporting the SOE and the SIS, carrying agents to and from occupied France ...
, DSO, DFC and bar, AFC.) * V9312 – Airworthy as of 2019 following restoration to flight by the Aircraft Restoration Company at Imperial War Museum Duxford. Flew in August 2018 for the first time since 1944. A Westland-built example, manufactured in 1940. Currently painted in the livery of No. 225 squadron RAF, with whom the plane served in wartime. Apparently now in the process of being certified to carry paying passengers. * Lysander III on static display at the
Canada Aviation and Space Museum The Canada Aviation and Space Museum (french: link=no, Musée de l'Aviation et de l'Espace du Canada) (formerly the Canada Aviation Museum and National Aeronautical Collection) is Canada's national aviation history museum. The museum is locate ...
in
Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
. This example was a composite, restored from three aircraft by the RCAF as a centennial project in 1967 and is painted in the early war temperate land scheme (dark earth and dark green over sky). * Lysander IIIA on static display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum in
Chantilly, Virginia Chantilly is a census-designated place (CDP) in western Fairfax County, Virginia. The population was 24,301 as of the 2020 census. Chantilly is named after an early-19th-century mansion and farm, which in turn took the name of an 18th-century ...
. It is painted in a night finish with grey and green topsides, and marked as AC-B ''N7791'', a No. 138 Squadron RAF aircraft famous for spy-dropping missions in wartime Europe. * Lysander IIIA on static display at the Imperial War Museum Duxford in Duxford, Cambridgeshire. It is painted as MA-J ''V9673'' flown by Hugh Verity also of
No. 161 Squadron RAF No. 161 (Special Duties) Squadron was a highly secretive unit of the Royal Air Force, performing missions as part of the Royal Air Force Special Duties Service. It was tasked with missions of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the Secr ...
. *Lysander IIIA on display at the Florida Air Museum in
Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal c ...
. On loan from the
Fantasy of Flight Fantasy of Flight is an aviation museum in Polk City, Florida. It opened in November 1995, to house Kermit Weeks' collection of aircraft that, until Hurricane Andrew damaged many in 1992, were housed at the Weeks Air Museum in Tamiami, Florid ...
in Polk City, Florida. It is painted in a temperate sea scheme (extra dark sea grey and dark slate grey over sky) and marked as BA-C serial ''V9545''. It was previously owned by Wessex Aviation and Transport.


In popular culture

In 1963,
BBC TV BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 19 ...
transmitted a series of dramas called Moonstrike about the insertion of clandestine SOE operatives into occupied France. The first episode featured a reconstruction of a typical Lysander operation.


Specifications (Lysander Mk.III)


See also


References


Notes


Bibliography

* * Breuer, William B. ''Top Secret Tales of World War II.'' New York: Wiley, 2000. . * Donald, David and Jon Lake, eds. ''Encyclopedia of World Military Aircraft''. London: AIRtime Publishing, 1996. .
"For Army Co-operation."
''Flight,'' 9 June 1938, pp. 569–576. * Griffiths, Frank. ''Winged Hours''. London: William Kimber, 1981. . * Hall, Alan W. ''Westland Lysander, Warpaint Series No. 48''. Luton, Bedfordshire, UK: Warpaint Books Ltd., 2005. . * James, Derek N. ''Westland Aircraft since 1915''. London: Putnam, 1991. . * James, Derek N. ''Westland: A History''. Gloucestershire, UK: Tempus Publishing Ltd, 2002. . * Kightly, James. ''Westland Lysander''. Redbourn, UK: Mushroom Model Publications, 2006. . * Kostenuk, Samuel and John Griffin. ''RCAF Squadron Histories and Aircraft: 1924–1968''. Toronto, Ontario: Samuel Stevens Hakkert & Company, 1977. . * March, Daniel J. ''British Warplanes of World War II''. London:Aerospace Publishing, 1998. . * * Milberry, Larry. ''Aviation in Canada''. Toronto: McGrawHill Ryerson Limited, 1979. . * Mondey, David.'' Westland'' (Planemakers 2). London: Jane's Publishing Company, 1982. . * Ovčáčík, Michal and Karel Susa. ''Westland Lysander Mks.I, II, III/IIIA, III(SD)/IIIA(SD), TT Mks. I, II, III''. Prague, Czech Republic: Mark 1 Ltd., 1999. . * Robertson, Bruce. ''Lysander Special''. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd., 1977. . * "Some talk of Alexander..." Part 1. ''
Air International ''AIR International'' is a British aviation magazine covering current defence aerospace and civil aviation topics. It has been in publication since 1971 and is currently published by Key Publishing Ltd. History and profile The magazine was f ...
'', January 1984, Vol. 26, No. 1. . pp. 21–28. * "Some talk of Alexander" Part 2. ''Air International'', February 1984, Vol. 26, No. 2. . pp. 80–87. * * Taylor, John W.R. "Westland Lysander." ''Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the present.'' New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. . * Verity, Hugh. ''We Landed by Moonlight''. London: Ian Allan Ltd., 1978. . * Wake-Walker, Edward. ''Westland Lysander: Owners' Workshop Manual''. Yeovil: Haynes Publishing, 2014. .


External links


NASM Westland Lysander IIIA




* ttp://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/aircraft/past/907-westland-lysander-ii.html The Westland Lysander II in Indian Air Force Service
Westland Family Army Co-operation ''Flight'' 1955

Westland Lysander at the Shuttleworth Collection.
{{Authority control High-wing aircraft 1930s British military utility aircraft World War II British utility aircraft
Lysander Lysander (; grc-gre, Λύσανδρος ; died 395 BC) was a Spartan military and political leader. He destroyed the Athenian Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital city, capital a ...
Single-engined tractor aircraft STOL aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1936 World War II aircraft of Finland