Vickers Wellington

Origins Wellington Mark I aircraft with the original turrets; anticipating war, the New Zealand government loaned these aircraft and their aircrews to the RAF in August 1939 In October 1932, the British Air Ministry invited Vickers to tender for the recently issued Specification B.9/32, which sought a twin-engine medium daylight bomber. In response, Vickers conducted a design study, led by chief designer Rex Pierson. Other refinements of the design had also been implemented and approved, such as the adoption of variable-pitch propellers, and the use of Vickers-produced gun turrets in the nose and tail positions. The proposal had also been developed further, a mid-wing arrangement was adopted instead of a shoulder-mounted wing for greater pilot visibility during formation flight and improved aerodynamic performance, as well as a substantially increased overall weight of the aircraft. The prescribed bomb load and range requirements were routinely revised upwards by the Air Ministry; by November 1935, figures within the ministry were interested in the possibility of operating the aircraft at an all-up weight of , which aviation author C.F. Andrews described as "a very high figure for a medium bomber of those days". On 19 April 1937, K4049 was destroyed by an accident during a service test flight by Maurice Hare. The cause was the failure of the elevator's horn balance due to excessive slipstream exposure, leading to the aircraft inverting and rapidly descending into terrain. It was destroyed in the crash, which also resulted in the death of the navigator, Smurthwaite. The horn balances were later deleted from the design and were not on production aircraft. With detail design work on both being done at same time and both aircraft using geodetic-inspired construction there was commonality in components. The production model Wellington was a complete redesign, resulting in a lengthened nose for turret and bomb aimer's position, a reshaped elevator and deepened fuselage which accommodated a larger bombload and the increased crew from four to five members. Other changes made included the adoption of a retractable tailwheel and constant-speed propellers; the Air Ministry also requested the adoption of a Nash & Thompson-design ventral turret in place of the Vickers design. Flight trials with L4212 confirmed the aerodynamic stability initially encountered by K4049, but also revealed the aircraft to be nose-heavy during dives, which was attributed to the redesigned elevator. Modifications, including the linking of the flaps and the elevator trim tabs, were tested on L4212 and resolved the problem. Production . In August 1936, an initial order for 180 Wellington Mk I aircraft, powered by a pair of 1,050 hp (780 kW) Bristol Pegasus radial engines, was received by Vickers; it had been placed so rapidly that the order occurred prior to the first meeting intended to decide the details of the production aircraft. In October 1937, an order was placed with Gloster Aircraft Company for production of 100 Wellington Mk Is to be followed by 100 Wellington Mk II aircraft with Rolls-Royce Merlin X . Another order was placed for 64 Wellingtons to be produced by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft at Coventry. With this flurry of orders and production having been assured by the end of 1937, Vickers set about simplifying the manufacturing process of the aircraft and announced a target of building one Wellington per day. Many of the employees on the production lines were only semi-skilled and new to aircraft construction. It was the first time in aviation history that an aircraft manufacturer anywhere in the world had attempted such a feat with a metal aircraft of this scale. In January 1938, design work on what would become the Wellington Mk II formally commenced. The principal change on this model was the adoption of the Merlin engine in place of the Pegasus XVIII; other modifications included hydraulic and oxygen system revisions along with the installation of cabin heating and an astrodome. On 3 March 1939, L4250, the prototype Mk II, performed its maiden flight; this had been delayed due to production delays of its Merlin X engines. Stability and balance problems were encountered during flight tests of the prototype, resulting in further changes such as the enlargement of the tailplane. By late 1939, the Mk II was capable of delivering superior performance to the Mk IC, such as higher cruising and top speeds, increased all-up weight or alternatively greater range and a raised ceiling. ==Design==

The Vickers Wellington was a twin-engined long-range medium bomber, initially powered by a pair of Bristol Pegasus radial engines, which drove a pair of de Havilland two-pitch propellers. Various engines and propeller combinations were used on variants of the aircraft, which included models of the Bristol Hercules and the Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. Due to the specialised nature of increasingly advanced turrets, these were treated as ancillary equipment, being designed and supplied independently and replacing Vickers' own turrets developed for the aircraft. A novelty of the Wellington was its geodetic construction, devised by aircraft designer and inventor Barnes Wallis. The fuselage was built from 1,650 elements, consisting of duralumin W-beams which formed into a metal framework. Wooden battens were screwed to the beams and were covered with Irish linen; the linen, treated with layers of dope, formed the outer skin of the aircraft. The construction proved to be compatible with significant adaptations and alterations including greater all-up weight, larger bombs, tropicalisation and long-range fuel tanks. The effect was enhanced by the fabric skin occasionally burning off leaving the naked frames exposed. A further advantage of the geodetic construction of the wings was its enabling of a unique method for housing the fuel, with each wing containing three fuel tanks within the unobstructed space provided between the front and rear spars outboard of the engines. ==Operational history==

s. On 3 September 1939, the same day the United Kingdom declared war on Germany in response to the invasion of Poland, No. 3 Group Bomber Command based in East Anglia comprised six front line squadrons (No. 9, No. 37, No. 38, No. 99, No. 115 and No. 149 Squadrons) and two reserve squadrons (No. 214 and No. 215 squadrons), all equipped with a mixture of Wellington Mk I and Mk IA aircraft. On 18 December 1939, 24 Wellingtons of No. 9, No. 37 and No. 149 Squadrons participated in the Battle of the Heligoland Bight against the German fleet and naval bases in both the Schillig Roads and Wilhelmshaven. The Wellingtons were unable to drop their bombs as all vessels were in harbour, thus restrictions on endangering civilians prevented their engagement. Unescorted day bombing was abandoned and Bomber Command decided to use the Wellington force to attack German communications and industrial targets instead. A unique feat for the type occurred on 23 December 1944 when a Me 163 Komet was shot down by rear gunner Gerry Elsyon, who was awarded the DFM. In 1942 the Wellington was adapted to conduct night anti-shipping torpedo attacks against German and Italian shipping in the Mediterranean. The torpedo-carrying Wellington was nicknamed the "Fishington", and the radar equipped Wellingtons that guided the torpedo carrying aircraft onto their target were dubbed the "Snoopington". 38 Squadron, based in Shallufah, Egypt had a detachment of Wellingtons operating from RAF Luqa in Malta conducting anti-shipping operations with torpedoes during 1942. The Wellington was also adopted by RAF Coastal Command, in which it contributed to the Battle of the Atlantic. The hoop was an aluminium coil in an aerodynamic balsa case; turrets were faired over and unnecessary equipment removed to reduce weight. The first mine detonation unit No. 1 GRU at RAF Manston was joined by a second (No. 2 GRU) at RAF Bircham Newton. To protect the unarmed Wellingtons, Bristol Blenheims of No. 600 Squadron RAF flew escort during the Battle of France. One DWI was detached to the Middle East to act as the pattern for conversion of Wellingtons there. They were used for clearing the Suez Canal Zone and, later during the North Africa campaign, ports along the coast. It operated at an altitude of over the North Sea to control a de Havilland Mosquito and a Bristol Beaufighter fighter intercepting Heinkel He 111 bombers flying from Dutch airbases and carrying out airborne launches of the V-1 flying bomb. The FIU operators on the Wellington would search for the He 111 aircraft climbing to launch altitude, then direct the Beaufighter to attack the bomber, while the Mosquito would attempt to intercept the V-1 if it was launched. ==Variants==

Bomber variants of the trio of British twin-engined medium bombers at the outbreak of the Second World War: Wellington (blue), Handley Page Hampden (yellow) and Armstrong Whitworth Whitley (pink). ;Type 271: The first Wellington bomber prototype. ;Type 285 Wellington Mark I: One pre-production prototype. Powered by two Bristol Pegasus X radial piston engines. ;Type 290 Wellington Mark I: The first production version. Powered by two 1,000 hp (750 kW) Bristol Pegasus XVIII radial piston engines. Fitted with Vickers gun turrets, 183 built at Weybridge and Broughton in Flintshire. Main landing gear moved forward 3 in (8 cm). Fitted with Nash & Thompson gun turrets. 187 built at Weybridge and Broughton in Flintshire. After trials in 1942, the Wellington III was cleared to tow Hotspur, Hadrian and Horsa gliders, although this was observed to have an adverse effect on the geodetic structure. The Wellington III was also seen over Salisbury Plain while towing Spitfires. This would have allowed Spitfire reinforcements for the defence of Malta to be towed from Gibraltar to within range of Malta before being released. Whether this was done is unconfirmed. This is the aircraft that spurred Rolls-Royce into developing the two-stage supercharged Merlin 60-series engine. ;: The most widely produced variant of which 3,804 were built. It was similar to the Mark III except for the 1,675 hp (1,250 kW) Hercules XVIII powerplant. The Mark X was the basis for a number of Coastal Command versions. A total of 3,803 were built at Broughton in Flintshire and Blackpool. Coastal Command variants ;Type 429 Wellington General Reconnaissance (GR) Mark VIII: Mark IC conversion for Coastal Command service. Roles included reconnaissance, anti-submarine and anti-shipping attack. A Coastal Command Wellington was the first aircraft to be fitted with the anti-submarine Leigh light. A total of 307 were built at Weybridge, 58 fitted with the Leigh light. ;Type 458 Wellington GR Mark XI: Maritime version of B Mark X with an ordinary nose turret and mast radar ASV Mark II radar no waist guns, 180 built at Weybridge and Blackpool. ;Type 455 Wellington GR Mark XII: Maritime version of B Mark X armed with torpedoes (two 18-inch carried under wings). Redesigned nose to accommodate centrimetric ASV Mark III radar which had a radome in the chin position rather use than external aerials. Twin flexible machine guns in a clear canopy replaced the front turret. Leigh light in bomb bay. Hercules VI or XVI engines. 58 built at Weybridge and Broughton in Flintshire. ;Type 466 Wellington GR Mark XIII: Maritime version of B Mark X with an ordinary nose turret and mast radar ASV Mark II instead of chin radome, no waist guns. Hercules XVII engines of 1,735 hp. 844 built – 2 at Weybridge and rest at Blackpool. ;Type 467 Wellington GR Mark XIV: Maritime version of B Mark X with a chin radome housing the ASV Mark III radar and RP-3 explosive rocket rails under the wings. Hercules XVII engines 841 built at Weybridge, Broughton and Blackpool. Transport variants ;Wellington C Mark XV: Service conversions of the Wellington Mark IA into unarmed transport aircraft; able to carry up to 18 troops. ;Wellington C Mark XVI: Service conversions of the Wellington Mark IC into unarmed transport aircraft; able to carry up to 18 troops. Trainer variants ;Type 487 Wellington T Mark XVII: Service conversion of a Wellington Mk XI bomber into nightfighter training aircraft with SCR720 Air Intercept radar in a bulbous nose and rear turret removed and faired over; powered by two Bristol Hercules XVII radial piston engines. ;Type 490 Wellington T Mark XVIII: Production version. For training wireless operators and navigators Powered by two Bristol Hercules XVI radial piston engines. A total of 80 were built at Blackpool, plus some conversions. ;Wellington T Mark XIX: Service conversions of the Wellington Mark X used for bomber crew training; remained in use as a trainer until 1953. ;Type 619 Wellington T Mark X: Postwar conversions of the Wellington Bomber into training aircraft by Boulton Paul in Wolverhampton. Experimental and conversion variants ;Type 298 Wellington Mark II prototype: one aircraft L4250; powered by two 1,145 hp (854 kW) Rolls-Royce Merlin inline piston engines. ;Type 299 Wellington Mark III prototype: two only. ;Type 407 and Type 421 Wellington Mark V : Second and first prototypes respectively: three were built, designed for pressurised, high-altitude operations using turbocharged Hercules VIII engines. ;Type 410 Wellington Mark IV prototype: Serial R1220; powered by two Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp radial piston engines. ;Type 416 Wellington (II): The original Wellington II prototype was converted with the installation of a 40 mm (1.57 in) Vickers S gun with predictor gunsight in the dorsal position. This was the planned armament to be mounted in the nose of the Vickers Type 414 twin-engined fighter for which the Air Ministry raised specification F22.39. The armament was first flown on 25 October 1940 and test fired 8 November. ;Type 418 Wellington DWI (Detonation Without Impact) Mark I: Conversion of four Wellington Mark IAs to minesweeping aircraft for exploding magnetic mines. Fitted with Ford V-8 petrol engine and Mawdsley electrical generator to induce magnetic field in a diameter loop mounted under fuselage. They had a solid nose with a bracket supporting the loop, which was also supported under the rear fuselage and the wings, outboard of the engines. DWI was also known as "Directional Wireless Installation" – to mislead the true purpose of the loop. ;Type 419 Wellington DWI Mark II: DWI Mark I aircraft upgraded by installation of de Havilland Gipsy Six engine for increased generation power. 11 aircraft were converted to this standard. They were operated by No. 1 General Reconnaissance Unit, RAF, sweeping mines in the Thames Estuary for a short time until the Royal Navy had an equivalent capability to sweep magnetic mines. The unit was transferred to Egypt for use in the Suez Canal. ;Type 430 Wellington Mark VII: Single aircraft, built as a testbed for the 40 mm Vickers S gun turret. ;Type 431 Wellington Mark VI: One Wellington Mark V with Merlin 60-series engines, high-altitude prototype only. ;Type 435 Wellington Mark IC: conversion of one Wellington to test Turbinlite night interception searchlight. ==Operators==

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There are two complete surviving Vickers Wellingtons preserved in the United Kingdom. Some other substantial parts also survive. Wellington T.10 serial number MF628 is held by the Royal Air Force Museum. In Autumn 2010, this aircraft was taken to the RAF Museum's site at Cosford for restoration. ==Specifications (Wellington Mark IC)==

• The Wellington was nicknamed the Wimpy by RAF personnel, after the portly J. Wellington Wimpy character from the Popeye cartoons. • Nebeští jezdci ("Riders in the Sky") (1968), about a Czechoslovak bomber crew in the RAF, based on the real operations of No. 311 Squadron RAF. • Pastoral, a 1944 novel by the author Nevil Shute about the crew of a Wellington • Target for Tonight (1941), a documentary about a Wellington on a raid over Germany. • ''Worker's Week-End'' (1943), a documentary newsreel about the construction of Vickers Wellington LN514 in record time. • One of Our Aircraft is Missing, a 1942 British war film about the crew of a Wellington forced down in the Netherlands. • A straight on the Silverstone Circuit is named the Wellington Straight in reference to the type being based at what was then named RAF Silverstone. • G – for Genevieve and L for Lucy, both about fictional Polish bomber crews in the RAF during World War II, by Janusz Meissner ==See also==