Lockheed Hudson Explained

The Lockheed Hudson is a light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built by the American Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. It was initially put into service by the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by it thereafter. The Hudson was a military conversion of the Model 14 Super Electra airliner, and was the first significant aircraft construction contract for Lockheed — the initial RAF order for 200 Hudsons far surpassed any previous order the company had received.[1] [2] [3]

The Hudson served throughout the war, mainly with Coastal Command but also in transport and training roles, as well as delivering agents into occupied France. It was also used extensively with the Royal Canadian Air Force's anti-submarine squadrons and by the Royal Australian Air Force.

Design and development

In late 1937 Lockheed sent a cutaway drawing of the Model 14 to various publications, showing the new aircraft as a civilian aircraft and converted to a light bomber.[4] This attracted the interest of various air forces and in 1938, the British Purchasing Commission sought an American maritime patrol aircraft for the United Kingdom to support the Avro Anson.

The Commission ordered 200 aircraft for use by the Royal Air Force and the first aircraft started flight trials from Burbank, California on 10 December 1938. The flight trials showed no major issues, and deliveries to the RAF began on 15 February 1939. Production was sped up after the British indicated they would order another 50 aircraft if the original 200 could be delivered before the end of 1939. Lockheed sub-contracted some parts assembly to Rohr Aircraft Corp of San Diego and increased its workforce, allowing the company to produce the 250th aircraft seven and a half weeks before the deadline.

A total of 350 Mk I and 20 Mk II Hudsons were supplied (the Mk II had different propellers). These had two fixed Browning machine guns in the nose and two more in the Boulton Paul dorsal turret. The Hudson Mk III added one ventral and two beam machine guns and replaced the 1,100 hp Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9-cylinder radials with 1,200 hp versions (428 produced).[5]

The Hudson Mk V (309 produced) and Mk VI (450 produced) were powered by the 1,200 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp 14-cylinder two-row radial. The RAF also obtained 380 Mk IIIA and 30 Mk IV Hudsons under the Lend-Lease program.

Operational history

World War II

By February 1939, RAF Hudsons began to be delivered, initially equipping No. 224 Squadron RAF at RAF Leuchars, Scotland in May 1939. By the start of the war in September, 78 Hudsons were in service.[6] Due to the United States' neutrality at that time, early series aircraft were flown to the Canada–US border, landed, and then towed on their wheels over the border into Canada by tractors or horse drawn teams, before then being flown to Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) airfields where they were then dismantled and "cocooned" for transport as deck cargo, by ship to Liverpool. The Hudsons were supplied without the Boulton Paul dorsal turret, which was installed on arrival in the United Kingdom.

Although later outclassed by larger bombers, the Hudson achieved some significant feats during the first half of the war. On 8 October 1939, over Jutland, a Hudson became the first Allied aircraft operating from the British Isles to shoot down an enemy aircraft[7] (earlier victories by a Fairey Battle on 20 September 1939 over Aachen and by Blackburn Skuas of the Fleet Air Arm on 26 September 1939 had been by aircraft based in France or on an aircraft carrier). Hudsons also provided top cover during the Battle of Dunkirk. On 23 July 1941 a Hudson shot down a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor, while escorting a shipping convoy off Ireland.[8]

On 27 August 1941, a Hudson of No. 269 Squadron RAF, operating from Kaldadarnes, Iceland, attacked and damaged the causing the submarine's crew to display a white flag and surrender – the aircraft achieved the unusual distinction of capturing a naval vessel. The Germans were taken prisoner and the submarine taken under tow when Royal Navy ships subsequently arrived on the scene.[9] A PBO-1 Hudson of the United States Navy squadron VP-82 became the first US aircraft to destroy a German submarine,[10] when it sank southwest of Newfoundland on 1 March 1942. was destroyed on 7 July 1942 while running on the surface off Cape Hatteras by a Hudson of the 396th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). A Hudson of No. 113 Squadron RCAF became the first aircraft of the RCAF's Eastern Air Command to sink a submarine, when Hudson 625 sank on 31 July 1942.[11]

A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Hudson was involved in the Canberra air disaster of 1940, in which three ministers of the Australian government were killed.

On 10 August, 1942 RAAF 13 squadron sank IJN auxiliary netlayer Fukuei Maru No. 15 off Beco, Portuguese Timor.[12]

In 1941, the USAAF began operating the Hudson; the Twin Wasp-powered variant was designated the A-28 (82 acquired) and the Cyclone-powered variant was designated the A-29 (418 acquired). The US Navy operated 20 A-29s, redesignated the PBO-1. A further 300 were built as aircrew trainers, designated the AT-18.

Following Japanese landings at Kota Bharu during the Malayan campaign, Hudsons from No. 1 Squadron RAAF became the first Allied aircraft to make an attack in the Pacific War, sinking a Japanese transport ship, the Awazisan Maru, off Kota Bharu at 0118h local time, an hour before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Its opponents found that the Hudson had exceptional manoeuvrability for a twin-engine aircraft; it was notable for the tight turns achievable if either engine was briefly feathered. High-scoring Japanese ace Saburō Sakai, praised the skill and fighting abilities of an RAAF Hudson crew killed in action over New Guinea after being engaged by nine highly manoeuvrable Mitsubishi A6M Zeroes on 22 July 1942.[13] [14] The crew, captained by P/O Warren Cowan, in Hudson Mk IIIA A16-201 (bu. no. 41-36979) of No. 32 Squadron RAAF, was intercepted over Buna by nine Zeroes of the Tainan Kaigun Kōkūtai led by Sakai. The Hudson crew accomplished many aggressive and unexpected turns, engaging the Japanese pilots in a dogfight for more than 10 minutes. It was only after Sakai scored hits on the rear/upper turret that the Hudson could be destroyed. Its crew made such an impression on Sakai that, after the war's end, he sought to identify them. In 1997, Sakai wrote formally to the Australian government, recommending that Cowan be "posthumously awarded your country's highest military decoration".[13]

On 23 November 1942, the crew of a No. 3 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Hudson Mk IIIA, NZ2049,[15] (41-46465) after spotting an enemy convoy near Vella Lavella, was engaged by three Japanese floatplane fighters. After skilled evasive manoeuvring at an altitude of less than 50 feet (15 metres), by the Hudson's captain, Flying Officer George Gudsell,[16] the crew returned with no casualties to Henderson Field, Guadalcanal.

Hudsons were also operated by RAF Special Duties squadrons for clandestine operations; No. 161 Squadron in Europe and No. 357 Squadron in Burma.

Postwar use

After the war, numbers of Hudsons were sold by the military for civil operation as airliners and survey aircraft. In Australia, East-West Airlines of Tamworth, New South Wales (NSW), operated four Hudsons on scheduled services from Tamworth to many towns in NSW and Queensland between 1950 and 1955.[17] Adastra Aerial Surveys based at Sydney's Mascot Airport operated seven L-414s between 1950 and 1972 on air taxi, survey and photographic flights.[18]

A total of 2,941 Hudsons were built.[19]

The type formed the basis for development of the Lockheed Ventura resulting in them being withdrawn from front line service from 1944, though many survived the war to be used as civil transports, primarily in Australia and a single example was briefly used as an airline crew trainer in New Zealand.

Variants

Model 414:Company designation for the military A-28 / A-29 and Hudson variants.
  • Hudson I
  • Production aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF); 351 built and 50 for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
    Hudson II
  • As the Mk I but with spinnerless constant speed propellers; 20 built for the RAF and 50 for the RAAF.
    Hudson III
  • Production aircraft with retractable ventral gun position; 428 built.
    Hudson IIIA
  • Lend-lease variants of the A-29 and A-29A aircraft; 800 built.
    Hudson IV
  • As Mk II with ventral gun removed; 30 built and RAAF Mk I and IIs were converted to this standard.
    Hudson IVA
  • 52 A-28s delivered to the RAAF.
    Hudson V
  • Mk III with two 1200hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S3C4-G Twin Wasp engines; 409 built.
    Hudson VI
  • A-28As under lend-lease; 450 built.
    A-28
  • US Military designation powered by two 1050hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830-45 engines; 52 lend-lease to Australia as Hudson IVA.
    A-28A
  • US Military designation powered by two 1200hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830-67 engines, interiors convertible to troop transports; 450 lend-lease to RAF/RCAF/RNZAF as Hudson VI; 27 units passed to the Brazilian Air Force.
    A-29
  • US Military designation powered by two 1200hp Wright R-1820-87 engines; lend lease version intended for the RAF, 153 diverted to United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) as the RA-29 and 20 to the United States Navy (USN) as the PBO-1.
    A-29A
  • As A-29 but with convertible interiors as troop transports; 384 lend-lease to the RAF/RAAF/RCAF/RNZAF Chinese Air Force as Hudson IIIA, some retained by USAAF as the RA-29A.
    A-29B
  • 24 of the 153 A-29s retained by the USAAF converted for photo-survey.
    AT-18
  • Gunnery trainer version of the A-29 powered by two Wright R-1820-87 engines, 217 built.
    AT-18A
  • Navigational trainer version with dorsal turret removed, 83 built.
    C-63
  • Provisional designation changed to A-29A.
    PBO-1
  • Twenty former RAF Hudson IIIAs repossessed for use by Patrol Squadron 82 (VP-82) of the USN

    Operators

    Canada
    South Africa

    Civil operators

    Surviving aircraft

    Australia
    Canada
    New Zealand
    United Kingdom

    Bibliography

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Herman 2012, pp. 11, 85, 86.
    2. Parker 2013, pp. 59, 71.
    3. Borth 1945, p. 244.
    4. Popular Science Monthly. Bonnier Corporation. New Transport Plane Can Be Converted To Bomber. November 1937. Bonnier Corporation. 64.
    5. Parker 2013, p. 71.
    6. Kightly 2015, p. 80.
    7. http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/collections/lockheed-hudson-iiia/ "Collections: Lockheed Hudson IIIA."
    8. Nesbit, R. C. The RAF in Camera 1939-1945 1998 p.65 photograph ISBN 0750915331
    9. Thomas, Andrew. "Icelandic Hunters - No 269 Squadron Royal Air Force." Aviation News, 24 May 2001. Retrieved: 15 October 2014.
    10. Swanborough and Bowers 1976, p. 505.
    11. Douglas 1986, p. 520.
    12. Web site: Japanese Auxiliary Netlayers. Combinedfleet.com . 26 February 2023.
    13. http://www.abc.net.au/austory/transcripts/s590505.htm "Australian Story: Enemy Lines".
    14. Birkett, Gordon. "RAAF A16 Lockheed Hudson Mk.I/Mk.II/Mk.III/Mk.IIIA/Mk.IV/MK.IVA". ADF-Serials, 2013. Retrieved: 30 April 2014.
    15. http://www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/RNZAF_Hudson_Survivors.html "RNZAF Lockheed Hudson Survivors."
    16. http://www.rsa.org.nz/review/art2003september/cover_story.html "A Veteran's Advice."
    17. Marson 2001, p. 110.
    18. Marson 2001, p. 76.
    19. Francillon 1987, pp. 148, 501–502.
    20. Lake 1999, p. 5
    21. Web site: LOCKHEED HUDSON. Adastra Aerial Surveys. 13 December 2016.
    22. Web site: COBETA Compagnie Belge de Transports Aeriens . Airline History . 9 November 2021.
    23. News: Connery. Georgina. Restored Lockheed Hudson bomber on display at Canberra Airport. 18 October 2017. The Canberra Times. Fairfax Media. 22 December 2016.
    24. Web site: Lockheed Hudson Mk IV bomber A16-105 : 1 Operational Training Unit, RAAF. Australian War Memorial. 13 December 2016.
    25. Web site: Blog: Lockheed Hudson Mk IV bomber A16-105. Australian War Memorial. 13 December 2016.
    26. Web site: Airframe Dossier - Lockheed Hudson IV, s/n A16-105 RAAF, c/n 414-6034, c/r VH-AGP. Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. 13 December 2016.
    27. Web site: Cuskelly. Ron. VH-AGP. Adastra Aerial Surveys. 13 December 2016. 25 October 2016. 20 December 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161220112605/http://www.adastron.com/adastra/aircraft/hudson/vh-fxf.htm. dead.
    28. Web site: Lockheed Hudson. Temora Aviation Museum. 13 December 2016. 11 July 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120711070002/http://www.aviationmuseum.com.au/aircraft_colection/hudson/index.html. dead.
    29. Web site: Airframe Dossier - Lockheed Hudson IV, s/n A16-112 RAAF, c/n 414-6041, c/r VH-KOY. Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. 13 December 2016.
    30. Web site: Aircraft Register [VH-KOY]]. Australian Government Civil Aviation Safety Authority. 13 December 2016.
    31. Web site: Cuskelly. Ron. VH-AGS. Adastra Aerial Surveys. 13 December 2016. 26 February 2016. 5 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170305001928/http://www.adastron.com/adastra/aircraft/hudson/vh-koy.htm. dead.
    32. Web site: Airframe Dossier - Lockheed Hudson IVA, s/n A16-122 RAAF, c/n 414-6051, c/r VH-AGX. Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. 13 December 2016.
    33. Web site: Cuskelly. Ron. VH-AGX. Adastra Aerial Surveys. 13 December 2016. 12 September 2016.
    34. Web site: Lockheed Hudson Bomber. North Atlantic Aviation Museum. 15 September 2013 . 13 December 2016.
    35. Web site: Restoration. National Air Force Museum of Canada. 2 September 2019.
    36. Web site: Featured Aircraft. Air Force Museum of New Zealand. 13 December 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20161220185851/http://www.airforcemuseum.co.nz/collections/featured-collections/?c_type=aircraft. 20 December 2016.
    37. Web site: AVIATION. Museum of Transport and Technology. MOTAT. 13 December 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20161113095339/http://www.motat.org.nz/collection/collection-themes/aviation. 13 November 2016.
    38. Web site: Wesley. Richard. Lockheed 414 Hudson GR.III. MOTAT Aircraft Collection. Blogger. 13 December 2016. 23 December 2007.
    39. Web site: Lockheed Hudson NZ2035. Ferrymead Aeronautical Society. 13 December 2016.
    40. Web site: Airframe Dossier - Lockheed Hudson III, s/n NZ2035 RNZAF, c/n 414-3858. Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. 13 December 2016.
    41. Web site: Homewood. Dave. Royal New Zealand Air Force Lockheed Hudson Survivors. Wings Over Cambridge. 13 December 2016.
    42. Web site: RNZAF Lockheed Hudson Mk.III, Mk.IIIA, Mk.V & Mk.VI NZ2001 to NZ2094. NZDF-SERIALS. 13 December 2016.
    43. Web site: Lockheed Hudson IIIA. Royal Air Force Museum. Trustees of the Royal Air Force Museum. 13 December 2016.
    44. Web site: Simpson. Andrew. INDIVIDUAL HISTORY. Royal Air Force Museum. 13 December 2016. 2012.
    45. Web site: Cuskelly. Ron. VH-AGJ. Adastra Aerial Surveys. 13 December 2016. 2 March 2016.

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