Vickers Wellington

Vickers Wellington
Vickers Wellington B.II of No. 104 Squadron, RAF
Type:	bomber
Design country:	United Kingdom
Manufacturer:	Vickers-Armstrongs
First flight:	June 15, 1936
Commissioning:	October 1938
Production time:	1936 to 1945
Number of pieces:	11,461

The Vickers Wellington was a twin-engine British fighter aircraft manufactured by Vickers-Armstrongs , which was mainly used as a bomber in World War II . 11,461 machines of different versions were produced between 1936 and 1945. This makes the Wellington the most built bomber in the Royal Air Force (RAF). The “Wimpys” were used, among other things, as a flying test bench for the first jet engines and turboprops until the early 1950s .

The nickname "Wimpy" was based on the cartoon character Popeye , who was popular in the 1930s and had a friend named J. Wellington Wimpy. In the RAF the machine was almost only called "Wimpy".

Development and use

The Wellington was the Royal Air Force's main heavy bomber at the beginning of the Second World War. She was used in a wide variety of roles until the end of the war.

In the early 1930s, the Air Ministry issued specification B.9 / 32 for a new heavy bomber. A heavy high- wing bomber was judged to be too cumbersome. Therefore, a middle-decker was designed that promised lower rudder forces, higher speeds and more economical fuel consumption. The disadvantage of the middle-decker configuration, however, is that the transverse spar , which connects the two wings, has to absorb large forces - this is where the lifting forces of the wings and the fuselage load meet - and must therefore be designed to be very powerful. The main spar is therefore placed in the center of gravity , where the bombs and the main tank are located. The result is a shift in the center of gravity when the bombs are dropped or the tank is emptied during the flight. A “deep shoulder deck” or middle decker was therefore seen as a realistic compromise and implemented in the Wellington.

The largest and heaviest component of this aircraft structure is a box spar that runs between the two engine nacelles and connects the fuselage and wings. The heaviest components are attached to it: the two engines (each 600 kg) and the main landing gear. Also the bomb load (up to 2700 kg), the central fuel tanks and the outer wings. In order to maximize the size of the fuel tanks and bomb bay, the outer structure had to be as light as possible and without any parts protruding into the aircraft interior.

Machine damaged by flak hits. The light metal frame with its lattice structure remained largely intact.

The fabric covering, which has been bulged by the forces of the air, illustrates the geodetic structure of the wings.

Vickers chief designer Barnes Wallis then planned a twin-engine mid-decker with the patented geodetic fuselage and wing structure. In this construction, rods made of light metal were connected diagonally to form a grid structure and then covered with fabric. The result was a very stiff, yet light and robust structure, in which only the covering was damaged by fire, but the stability of the airframe was only endangered by direct hits. The disadvantage of this design was that it was labor-intensive and therefore expensive. The consumption of resources, however, appeared to be acceptable. The low weight allowed innovations such as armored pilot's seats and control elements such as cables, hydraulic lines, batteries and an emergency fuel reserve, which were housed in the main spar. Large parts of the hull were freely accessible. This was an advantage when hits were received, because if the fuselage or wing covering was torn, the covering would bulge strongly from the airstream. This resulted in a sometimes considerable change in flight characteristics. It happened that during the flight the crew plugged holes in the aircraft caused by hits with their life jackets in order to bring the machine back under control. One of the first developments was lockable plywood bulkheads .

The first flight of the prototype (K4049) was on June 15, 1936. Besides an enlarged vertical tail had to be made no major changes. The first series machines were ordered in August 1936. The first Wellington Mk I had radial engines of the type Bristol Pegasus XVIII with 1000 hp and came in October 1938 to No. 9 Squadron .

Wellington DWI with coil ring ( electromagnet ) for clearing magnetically ignited sea ​​mines

When the war started in 1939, the majority of Bomber Command's aircraft were Wellington's. The first major operation against the German naval base in Wilhelmshaven turned into a fiasco. In the air battle over the German Bight on December 18, 1939, the thesis put forward by Stanley Baldwin in 1932 was refuted that a bomber association in which the planes covered each other with their defensive weapons “always gets through” (“Whatever people may tell him, the bomber will always get through “...). The Luftwaffe fighter squadrons were warned early by radio measuring devices (radar) and were able to intercept the approaching 22 bombers with their Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Bf 110 . The result was twelve shot down and another three badly damaged Wellingtons, which had to be written off as a total loss after returning to England.

The RAF Bomber Command therefore attacked mainly at night until the end of the war. Squadrons equipped with Wellingtons were used against Germany many times in the first years of the war, until the four-engine bombers ( Short Stirling , Handley Page Halifax and Avro Lancaster ) were available in greater numbers. The Wellington, now classified as a medium-weight bomber, was involved in the first thousand-bomber attack on Cologne on May 30, 1942 with about 60 percent of the machines used. The type was built in many variants; most of the changes involved new engines. Instead of the Pegasus, Bristol Hercules , Rolls-Royce Merlin and Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp were also installed. A pressurized Mk V high-altitude bomber version was also tested, but 9,145 m altitude was insufficient, and only one squadron was fitted with this type in 1941. The Wellington were also used very successfully in North Africa and the Far East. After 1941, however, the RAF Coastal Command was the largest user. Here it was used as a submarine hunter, mine layer and, with a magnetic ring, also as a mine clearing aircraft. It was also used for towing gliders and dropping parachute agents. Without armament, it was also used to transport troops and material. Production ended after nine years on October 25, 1945.

From 1944 the development of the Vickers Viking passenger aircraft began , for which the wing and landing gear of the Wellington were used.

Production numbers

The Wellington was built in Great Britain at the three Vickers factories in Weybridge, Chester and Blackpool.

British production by Vickers Wellington

version	Weybridge	Chester	Blackpool	total
Mk I	178	3		181
Mk Ia	166	17th		183
Mk Ic	979	1,583	50	2,612
Mk Ic torpedo	137			137
Mk DWI	5			5
Mk II	399			399
Mk III		737	780	1,517
Mk IV		220		220
Mk V	1			1
Mk VI	64			64
Mk VIII Leigh Light	58			58
Mk VIII torpedo	271			271
Mk X		2,434	1,300	3,734
Mk XI	105		75	180
Mk XII	50	8th		58
GR.XIII	42		801	843
SIZE XIV	53	538	250	841
Mk XVIII			80	80
total	2,508	5,540	3,336	11,384

Annual production by Vickers Wellington in UK

year	number
1939	267
1940	996
1941	1,815
1942	2,700
1943	2,535
1944	2,343
until July 31, 1945	728
total	11,384

From August 1945 there were still a few subsequent deliveries (approx. 70).

Versions

Comparison of the main variants of the Vickers Wellington

Wellington BI

Production version with 1,050 HP radial engines Bristol Pegasus XVIII . Armament with three Vickers turrets each with two Vickers K -MGs (VGO - Vickers Gas Operated) of caliber .303 British (7.7 mm). 181 were built from 1937.

Wellington B.IA

Version with turrets by Frazer Nash , 187 were built.

Wellington B.IB

Proposed version with other towers.

Wellington B.IC

Version with two Browning M1919 MGs (cal. 0.303 / 7.7 mm) in side stands instead of the back tower. 2,685 were built between 1940 and 1942.

Wellington B.II

Version with two Rolls-Royce-Merlin-X V-engines with 1,145 hp, 401 were built. This version was the first to carry the 1.8 t heavy air mine type HC 4000 LB ("Cookie").

Wellington B.III

Version with two Bristol Hercules XI star engines with 1,590 hp each. The machines were equipped with a de-icing system and could pull cargo gliders . The tail turret had four 7.7 mm machine guns. 1,519 were built.

Wellington B.IV

Wellington IC with two Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S3C4-C Twin Wasp radial engines with 1,050 HP. 220 were built. The prototype first flew in December 1940 and delivery began in August 1941. The Mk IV was served by three Polish RAF squadrons (300, 301 and 305), two Australian (458 and 460) and the 142nd squadron of the RAF until March 1943 flown.

Wellington BV

Height version with pressurized cabin and teardrop-shaped pulpit with two 1,425 HP Hercules III radial engines, three were built.

Wellington B.VI

BV with Rolls-Royce-Merlin 60 V engines with 1,600 hp, 64 were built. The B.VI were to be used as scout machines, but this task was taken over by the De Havilland DH.98 Mosquito . In 1943 the Mk V / VI were scrapped.

Wellington B.VII

B.II with Merlin XX V engines. A prototype was built and handed over to Rolls-Royce as a test aircraft.

Wellington GR.VIII

Navalized version of the Mk IC for the RAF Coastal Command. 394 were built. Of these, 271 were torpedo bombers with ASV-Mk-II “stickleback” radar. 58 were equipped with radar and a Leigh Light spotlight for submarine hunting and 65 were pure bombers.

Wellington B.IX

Conversion of a Mk IA as a transport aircraft.

Wellington BX

Bomber similar to the Mk III with two 1,675 hp Bristol Hercules VI or XVI radial engines. 3,803 were built.

Wellington GR.XI

Torpedo bomber version of the Mk X with radar type 454 Mk II, 180 were built.

Wellington GR.XII

GR XII with ASV-Mk-III-Radar in the aircraft nose instead of the nose tower, 58 were built.

Wellington GR.XIII

Torpedo bomber version with ASV Mk II radar and bow tower and two 1,735 hp Hercules XVII engines, 844 were built.

Wellington GR.XIV

Anti-submarine version with ASV Mk III radar without bow tower and two 1,735 hp Hercules XVII engines, 841 were built.

Wellington C.XV

Mk 1A converted to transporters.

Wellington C.XVI

Mk 1C converted into transporters.

Wellington T.XVII

Conversion of a B.XI as a trainer for night fighter training without armament with radar in the aircraft nose.

Wellington T.XVIII

Trainers for the training of navigators and radio operators, 80 were built.

Wellington T.XIX

Trainer for the training of navigators and radio operators, conversion from BX

Military use

 Australia

• Royal Australian Air Force

 German Empire

• Air Force : some loot machines

 Free France

• Free French Air Force
• Free French Navy

 Greece

• Greek Air Force

 Canada

• Royal Canadian Air Force

 New Zealand

• Royal New Zealand Air Force

 Poland

• Polish Air Force in exile

 Portugal

• Força Aérea Portuguesa : 1 interned machine

 South African Union

• South African Air Force

 Czechoslovakia

• Czechoslovak Air Force in exile

 United Kingdom

• Royal Air Force
• Fleet Air Arm

Technical specifications

Parameter	B.III	BX
crew	6th	6th
length	18.54 m	19.70 m
span	26.26 m	26.30 m
height	5.31 m	5.35 m
Wing area	78.04 m²	k. A.
Empty mass	8,417 kg	11,500 kg
Takeoff mass	13,380 kg	14,300 kg
Top speed	410 km / h at an altitude of 3,810 m	408 km / h
Service ceiling	5,790 m	7,325 m
Max. Range	3,540 km	2,125 km
Engines	2 × radial engines Bristol Hercules XI; 1,118 kW (1,521 hp) each	2 × 14 cylinder double radial engines Bristol Hercules VII / XVI; 1,675 hp each
Armament	2 × Browning machine guns of caliber .303 British (7.7 mm) in the bow 4 × 7.7 mm machine guns in the stern turret 2 × 7.7 mm machine guns in the side fuselage positions Bomb load max. 2,041 kg	6 × 7.7 mm Browning MG bomb load max. 2,720 kg

See also

• British planes in World War II
• List of aircraft types

literature

• CF Andrews: The Vickers Wellington I & II (Aircraft in Profile 125). First edition 1967, Profile Publications Ltd., Leatherhead 1970.
• CF Andrews, EB Morgan: Vickers Aircraft since 1908. Putnam, London 1988, ISBN 0-85177-815-1 .
• Francis Crosby: The World Encyclopedia of Bombers. Anness Publishing Ltd., London 2007, ISBN 1-84477-511-9 .
• Ken Delve: Vickers Armstrong Wellington. The Crowood Press Ltd., Ramsbury 1998, ISBN 1-86126-109-8 .
• Alec Lumsden: Wellington Special. Ian Allan Ltd., Shepperton 1974, ISBN 0-7110-0527-3 .
• Ron Mackay: Wellington in Action. In: Aircraft. No 76, Squadron / Signal Publications, Inc., Carrollton 1986, ISBN 0-89747-183-0 .
• Michal Ovčáčík, Karel Susa: Vickers-Armstrong's Wellington Medium Bomber variants. 4+ Publications, Prague 2003, ISBN 80-902559-7-3 .
• Denis Richards: The Hardest Victory. RAF Bomber Command in the Second World War. Coronet Books, London 1995, ISBN 0-340-61720-9 .

Web links

Commons : Vickers Wellington  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ^ RAF Bomber Command Campaign Diary, May 1942 ( Memento of September 29, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
2. ^ National Archives, Kew, stock AVIA 10/311
3. ^ National Archives, Kew, stock AVIA 10/311
4. ^ Riccardo Niccoli: Airplanes. The main types of aircraft in the world . Kaiser, ISBN 3-7043-2188-5 , p. 210 .