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Neil Wheeler
| Air Chief Marshal Sir Neil Wheeler GCB, CBE, DSO, DFC, AFC (deceased) An ex-Cranwell entrant who had graduated in 1937, Wheeler had served in Bomber Command before the war. In 1940 he joined the Photographic Development Unit at Heston pioneering photographic reconnaissance, flying unarmed Spitfires deep into enemy territory. In November 1942 he was just completing his OTU on Beaufighters when the posting arrived to 236 Squadron and the North Coates Wing shortly after its first disastrous strike attack on 28th November 1942. Wheelers review and revision of the tactics involved in Strike Wing attacks, and the intensive training program he introduced, were to prove critical to the success of the whole concept. On 18th April 1943, Wheeler led the North Coates Wing in its first successful attack, on a German convoy off Ijmuiden. Leading the Wing until September 1944, Neil Wheeler went on to hold high command in the post-war RAF. Sadly, Neil Wheeler died on 9th January 2009. |
Items Signed by Air Chief Marshal Sir Neil Wheeler GCB, CBE, DSO, DFC, AFC (deceased) |
Strike Wing Attack - Beaufighter by Frank Wootton. Price : £185.00 | Coastal Command Strike Wings by Neil Wheeler It was not until ten years ago that the first detailed account appeared recording the achievements and sacrifices of the Beaufighter anti-shipping Strike Wings. Surprisingly, these important and, a...... |
Packs with at least one item featuring the signature of Air Chief Marshal Sir Neil Wheeler GCB, CBE, DSO, DFC, AFC (deceased) |
Beaufighter Aviation Prints by Frank Wootton and Ivan Berryman. Pack Price : £165.00 Saving : £160 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : Strike Wing Attack - Beaufighter by Frank Wootton. Seastrike by Ivan Berryman. | ||
Bristol Beaufighter Aircraft Prints by Ivan Berryman and Frank Wootton. Pack Price : £165.00 Saving : £150 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : Strike Wing Attack - Beaufighter by Frank Wootton. Beaufighter Attack by Ivan Berryman. |
Squadrons for : Air Chief Marshal Sir Neil Wheeler GCB, CBE, DSO, DFC, AFC (deceased) | ||
A list of all squadrons known to have been served with by Air Chief Marshal Sir Neil Wheeler GCB, CBE, DSO, DFC, AFC (deceased). A profile page is available by clicking the squadron name. | ||
Squadron | Info | |
Country : UK Founded : August 1918 Fate : Disbanded 25th May 1945 Speculati nuntiate - Having watched, bring word | No.236 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. |
Aircraft for : Air Chief Marshal Sir Neil Wheeler GCB, CBE, DSO, DFC, AFC (deceased) | |||
A list of all aircraft associated with Air Chief Marshal Sir Neil Wheeler GCB, CBE, DSO, DFC, AFC (deceased). A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | |||
Squadron | Info | ||
Manufacturer : Bristol Production Began : 1940 Number Built : 5564 | Beaufighter BRISTOL BEAUFIGHTER The Bristol Beaufighter was a Torpedo Bomber and had a crew of two. with a maximum speed of 330mph and a ceiling of 29,000 feet. maximum normal range of 1500 miles but could be extended to 1750 miles. The Bristol Beaufighter carried four 20mm cannon in the belly of the aircraft and upto six .303in browning machine guns in the wings. it could also carry eight 3 -inch rockets, 1605 lb torpedo or a bomb load of 1,000 lb. The Bristol Beaufighter first flew in July 1939 and with some modifications entered service with the Royal Air Force in July 1940. In the winter of 1940 - 1941 the Beaufighter was used as a night fighter. and in March 1941 the aircraft was used at Coastal Command as a long range strike aircraft. and in 1941, the Beaufighter arrived in North Africa and used as a forward ground attack aircraft. The Bristol Beaufighter was used also in India, Burma and Australia. A total of 5,564 Beaufighters were built until production in Britain finished in 1945, but a further 364 were built in Australia for the Australian Air Force | ||
Manufacturer : Supermarine Production Began : 1936 Retired : 1948 Number Built : 20351 | Spitfire Royal Air Force fighter aircraft, maximum speed for mark I Supermarine Spitfire, 362mph up to The Seafire 47 with a top speed of 452mph. maximum ceiling for Mk I 34,000feet up to 44,500 for the mark XIV. Maximum range for MK I 575 miles . up to 1475 miles for the Seafire 47. Armament for the various Marks of Spitfire. for MK I, and II . eight fixed .303 browning Machine guns, for MKs V-IX and XVI two 20mm Hispano cannons and four .303 browning machine guns. and on later Marks, six to eight Rockets under the wings or a maximum bomb load of 1,000 lbs. Designed by R J Mitchell, The proto type Spitfire first flew on the 5th March 1936. and entered service with the Royal Air Force in August 1938, with 19 squadron based and RAF Duxford. by the outbreak of World war two, there were twelve squadrons with a total of 187 spitfires, with another 83 in store. Between 1939 and 1945, a large variety of modifications and developments produced a variety of MK,s from I to XVI. The mark II came into service in late 1940, and in March 1941, the Mk,V came into service. To counter the Improvements in fighters of the Luftwaffe especially the FW190, the MK,XII was introduced with its Griffin engine. The Fleet Air Arm used the Mk,I and II and were named Seafires. By the end of production in 1948 a total of 20,351 spitfires had been made and 2408 Seafires. The most produced variant was the Spitfire Mark V, with a total of 6479 spitfires produced. The Royal Air Force kept Spitfires in front line use until April 1954. |
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This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com |
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