Whitley (Total: 984, Canadian: 245, Group 0)

Armstrong Whitworth Whitley

Source: Harold A Skaarup Web Page (RAF Photo)

The Armstrong Whitworth AW 38 Whitley was one of three British twin-engined, front line bomber types that were in service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) at the outbreak of the Second World War. Alongside the Vickers Wellington and the Handley Page Hampden, the Whitley was developed during the mid-1930s according to Air Ministry Specification B.3/34, which it was subsequently selected to meet. In 1937, the Whitley formally entered into RAF squadron service; it was the first of the three medium bombers to be introduced. Following the outbreak of war in September 1939, the Whitley participated in the first RAF bombing raid upon German territory and remained an integral part of the early British bomber offensive. In 1942 it was superseded as a bomber by the larger four-engined "heavies" such as the Avro Lancaster. Its front line service included maritime reconnaissance with Coastal Command and the second line roles of glider-tug, trainer and transport aircraft. The type was also procured by British Overseas Airways Corporation as a civilian freighter aircraft. The aircraft was named after Whitley, a suburb of Coventry, home of one of Armstrong Whitworth's plants.

John Lloyd, the Chief Designer of Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft, selected the Armstrong Siddeley Tiger IX radial engine to power the Whitley, which was capable of generating 795 hp (593 kW). One of the more innovative features of the Whitley's design was the adoption of a three-bladed two-position variable-pitch propeller built by de Havilland; the Whitley was the first aircraft to fly with such an arrangement. Lloyd was unfamiliar with the use of flaps on a large heavy monoplane, they were initially omitted from the design. To compensate, the mid-set wings were set at a high angle of incidence (8.5°) to confer good take-off and landing performance. Although flaps were included late in the design stage, the wing remained unaltered; as a result, the Whitley flew with a pronounced nose-down attitude when at cruising speed, resulting in considerable drag. The Whitley holds the distinction of having been the first RAF aircraft with a semi-monocoque fuselage, which was built using a slab-sided structure to ease production. This replaced the tubular construction method traditionally employed by Armstrong Whitworth, who instead constructed the airframe from light-alloy rolled sections, pressings and corrugated sheets.

The Whitley had a crew of five: a pilot, co-pilot/navigator, a bomb aimer, a wireless operator and a rear gunner. The pilot and second pilot/navigator sat side by side in the cockpit, with the wireless operator further back. The navigator, his seat mounted on rails and able to pivot, slid backwards and rotated to the left to use the chart table behind him after takeoff. The bomb aimer position was in the nose with a gun turret located directly above. The fuselage aft of the wireless operator was divided horizontally by the bomb bay; behind the bomb bay was the main entrance and aft of that the rear turret. The offensive armaments were stowed in two bomb bays housed within the fuselage, along with a further 14 smaller cells in the wing. Other sources state there were 16 "cells" total: two groups of 2 in the fuselage, and four groups of 3 in the wings, plus two smaller cells for parachute flares in the rear fuselage. Bomb racks capable of holding larger bombs were installed on the Whitley Mk III variant. Wikipedia

Wikipedia Wikipedia Armstrong Whitworth Whitley

YouTube YouTube Armstrong Whitworth Whitley

General Harold A Skaarup Web Page

Whitley AD671, V

s/n AD671

m/d AW 38

AD 671


last update: 2025-March-10
   1942-January Taken on Strength 2019-08-20

Whitley AD689, V

s/n AD689

m/d AW 38

AD 689


last update: 2025-March-10
   1942-January Taken on Strength 2019-08-20

Whitley AD697, V

s/n AD697

m/d AW 38

AD 697

Whitley AD714, V

s/n AD714

m/d AW 38

AD 714


last update: 2025-March-10
   1942-January Taken on Strength 2019-08-20

Whitley BD210, Mk. V

s/n BD210

m/d AW 38

BD 210

Whitley BD213, Mk. V

s/n BD213

m/d AW 38

BD 213

Whitley BD232, Mk. V

s/n BD232

m/d AW 38

BD 232

Whitley BD257, Mk. V

s/n BD257

m/d AW 38

BD 257

Whitley BD276, Mk. V

s/n BD276

m/d AW 38

BD 276

Whitley BD281, Mk. V

s/n BD281

m/d AW 38

BD 281

Whitley BD282, Mk. V

s/n BD282

m/d AW 38

BD 282

Whitley BD293, Mk. V

s/n BD293

m/d AW 38

BD 293

Whitley BD349, Mk. V

s/n BD349

m/d AW 38

BD 349

Whitley BD358, Mk. V

s/n BD358

m/d AW 38

BD 358

Whitley BD359, Mk. V

s/n BD359

m/d AW 38

BD 359

Whitley BD378, Mk. V

s/n BD378

m/d AW 38

BD 378

Whitley BD420, Mk. V

s/n BD420

m/d AW 38

BD 420

Whitley BD438, Mk. V

s/n BD438

m/d AW 38

BD 438

Whitley BD442, Mk. V

s/n BD442

m/d AW 38

BD 442

Whitley BD538, Mk. V

Whitley BD543, Mk. V

s/n BD543

m/d AW 38

BD 543

Whitley BD564, Mk. VII

s/n BD564

m/d AW 38

BD 564

Whitley BD627, Mk. V

s/n BD627

m/d AW 38

BD 627

Whitley BD681, Mk. VII

s/n BD681

m/d AW 38

BD 681

Whitley BD683, Mk. VII

s/n BD683

m/d AW 38

BD 683

Whitley EB338,

s/n EB338

EB 338

Whitley EB349,

s/n EB349

EB 349

Whitley EB387,

Whitley EB404,

Whitley K7255, Mk. II

s/n K7255

m/d AW 38

K 7255

Whitley K8950,

Whitley K8957,

Whitley LA784, MK. V

Whitley LA831, MK. V

Whitley LA836, MK. V

s/n LA836

LA 836

Whitley LA841, MK. V

s/n LA841

LA 841

Whitley LA853, MK. V

Whitley LA879, MK. V

Whitley LA882, MK. V

Whitley N1357, Mk. V

s/n N1357

m/d AW 38

N 1357

Whitley N1361, Mk. V

s/n N1361

m/d AW 38

N 1361

Whitley N1376, Mk. V

s/n N1376

m/d AW 38

N 1376

Whitley N1390, Mk. V

s/n N1390

m/d AW 38

N 1390

Whitley N1393, Mk. V

s/n N1393

m/d AW 38

N 1393

Whitley N1430, Mk. V

s/n N1430

m/d AW 38

N 1430

Whitley N1434, Mk. V

s/n N1434

m/d AW 38

N 1434

Whitley N1460, Mk. V

s/n N1460

m/d AW 38

N 1460

Whitley N1470, Mk. V

s/n N1470

m/d AW 38

N 1470

Whitley N1474, Mk. V

s/n N1474

m/d AW 38

N 1474

Whitley N1478, Mk. V

s/n N1478

m/d AW 38

N 1478

Whitley N1522, Mk. V

s/n N1522

m/d AW 38

N 1522

Whitley P4936, MK. V

Whitley P4944, MK. V

Whitley P4964, MK. V

s/n P4964

P 4964

Whitley P4992, Mk. V

Whitley P4994,

Whitley P4996, Mk. V

s/n P4996

Armstrong Whitworth

P 4996

Whitley P5005, MK. V

Whitley P5100, MK. V

Whitley P5101, MK. V

Whitley P5103, MK. V

s/n P5103

P 5103

Whitley P5109, MK. V

Whitley T4166, Mk. V

Whitley T4209, MK. V

s/n T4209

T 4209

Whitley T4231, Mk. V

Whitley T4233, MK. V

Whitley T4234, MK. V

Whitley T4265, MK. V

s/n T4265

T 4265

Whitley T4279, MK. V

Whitley T4296, MK. V

Whitley Z6476, V

s/n Z6476

m/d AW 38

Z 6476

Whitley Z6478, V

s/n Z6478

m/d AW 38

Z 6478

Whitley Z6479, V

s/n Z6479

m/d AW 38

Z 6479

Whitley Z6484, V

s/n Z6484

m/d AW 38

Z 6484

Whitley Z6507, V

s/n Z6507

m/d AW 38

Z 6507

Whitley Z6508, V

s/n Z6508

m/d AW 38

Z 6508

Whitley Z6554, V

s/n Z6554

m/d AW 38

Z 6554

Whitley Z6555, V

s/n Z6555

m/d AW 38

Z 6555

Whitley Z6556, V

s/n Z6556

m/d AW 38

Z 6556

Whitley Z6566, V

s/n Z6566

m/d AW 38

Z 6566


last update: 2025-March-10

Bombing Cologne Germany 1941-08-18 to 1941-08-19

51 (B) Sqn (RAF) RAF Dishforth, North Yorkshire

From Nation archives in Britain

Sergeant D A Switzer (RCAF), Sergeant W B James (RCAF), Sergeant C D Roberts, Sergeant A G Lowe, Sergeant H R Janes: prisoners of war; aircraft shot down and crashed near Cologne, Germany, Whitley Z6566, 51 Squadron, 19 August 1941

Whitley Z6571, V

s/n Z6571

m/d AW 38

Z 6571

Whitley Z6573, V

s/n Z6573

m/d AW 38

Z 6573

Whitley Z6576, V

s/n Z6576

m/d AW 38

Z 6576

Whitley Z6579, V

s/n Z6579

m/d AW 38

Z 6579

Whitley Z6581, V

s/n Z6581

m/d AW 38

Z 6581

Whitley Z6586, V

s/n Z6586

m/d AW 38

Z 6586

Whitley Z6628, V

s/n Z6628

m/d AW 38

Z 6628

Whitley Z6629, V

s/n Z6629

m/d AW 38

Z 6629

Whitley Z6642, V

s/n Z6642

m/d AW 38

Z 6642

Whitley Z6657, V

s/n Z6657

m/d AW 38

Z 6657

Whitley Z6668, V

s/n Z6668

m/d AW 38

Z 6668

Whitley Z6671, V

s/n Z6671

m/d AW 38

Z 6671

Whitley Z6672, V

s/n Z6672

m/d AW 38

Z 6672

Whitley Z6730, V

s/n Z6730

m/d AW 38

Z 6730

Whitley Z6733, V

s/n Z6733

m/d AW 38

Z 6733

Whitley Z6740, V

s/n Z6740

m/d AW 38

Z 6740

Whitley Z6742, V

s/n Z6742

m/d AW 38

Z 6742

Whitley Z6744, V

s/n Z6744

m/d AW 38

Z 6744

Whitley Z6750, V

s/n Z6750

m/d AW 38

Z 6750

Whitley Z6754, V

s/n Z6754

m/d AW 38

Z 6754

Whitley Z6760, V

s/n Z6760

m/d AW 38

Z 6760

Whitley Z6796, V

s/n Z6796

m/d AW 38

Z 6796

Whitley Z6803, V

s/n Z6803

m/d AW 38

Z 6803

Whitley Z6805, V

s/n Z6805

m/d AW 38

Z 6805

Whitley Z6815, V

s/n Z6815

m/d AW 38

Z 6815

Whitley Z6816, V

s/n Z6816

m/d AW 38

Z 6816

Whitley Z6829, V

s/n Z6829

m/d AW 38

Z 6829

Whitley Z6841, V

s/n Z6841

m/d AW 38

Z 6841

Whitley Z6862, V

s/n Z6862

m/d AW 38

Z 6862

Whitley Z6864, V

s/n Z6864

m/d AW 38

Z 6864

Whitley Z6871, V

s/n Z6871

m/d AW 38

Z 6871

Whitley Z6877, V

s/n Z6877

m/d AW 38

Z 6877

Whitley Z6878, V

s/n Z6878

m/d AW 38

Z 6878

Whitley Z6932, V

s/n Z6932

m/d AW 38

Z 6932

Whitley Z6936, V

s/n Z6936

m/d AW 38

Z 6936

Whitley Z6940, V

s/n Z6940

m/d AW 38

Z 6940

Whitley Z6944, V

s/n Z6944

m/d AW 38

Z 6944

Whitley Z6951, V

s/n Z6951

m/d AW 38

Z 6951

Whitley Z6956, V

s/n Z6956

m/d AW 38

Z 6956

Whitley Z6957, V

s/n Z6957

m/d AW 38

Z 6957

Whitley Z6970, V

s/n Z6970

m/d AW 38

Z 6970

Whitley Z6974, V

s/n Z6974

m/d AW 38

Z 6974

Whitley Z9128, MK. V

Whitley Z9151, Mk. V

Whitley Z9159, Mk. V

Whitley Z9164, Mk. V

Whitley Z9192, Mk. V

Whitley Z9209, Mk. V

Whitley Z9210, Mk. V

Whitley Z9215, Mk. V

Whitley Z9220, Mk. V

Whitley Z9226, Mk. V

Whitley Z9279, Mk. V

Whitley Z9283, Mk. V

Whitley Z9289, Mk. V

Whitley Z9294, Mk. V

Whitley Z9299, Mk. V

s/n Z9299

Z 9299

Whitley Z9305, Mk. V

Whitley Z9315, Mk. V

Whitley Z9365, Mk. V

Whitley Z9386, Mk. V

Whitley Z9388, Mk. V

s/n Z9388

Z 9388

58 Squadron (Alis Nocturnis). Whitley aircraft Z 9388 had one engine fail and then it crashed in the sea off Bantry Beach, Ireland.

last update: 2025-February-05

Whitley Z9423, Mk. V

Whitley Z9424, Mk. V

Whitley Z9426,

Whitley Z9440,

Whitley Z9442,

Whitley Z9461, Mk. V

s/n Z9461

Z 9461

Whitley Z9470, Mk. V

s/n Z9470

Z 9470

Whitley Z9472, Mk. V

Whitley Z9477,

s/n Z9477

Armstrong Whitworth

Z 9477

Whitley Z9515,

Whitley Z9518, Mk. V

Whitley Z9525, Mk. V