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55-492: The Westland Lysander is a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft that was used immediately before and during the Second World War . After becoming obsolete in the army co-operation role, the aircraft's short-field performance enabled clandestine missions using small, improvised airstrips behind enemy lines to place or recover agents, particularly in occupied France with

110-535: A coastal artillery squadron which earlier had replaced its Avro trainers with Lysanders and been reclassified as an army co-operation unit, was again reclassified as a fighter squadron – the only one on the Canadian west coast – in June 1940. Lysander-equipped118 Squadron was also converted to a fighter squadron. The Lysander completely lacked the capability to operate in a fighter role, and neither squadron saw action as

165-538: A Fire Support Officer (FSO), Forward Air Controller (FAC) or Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC), two scout observers (FO), and two radio operators (RO). In Weapons Company, the Fire Support Coordination Center (FSCC) determines fire support asset allocation to each rifle company FiST, and supervises the planning and execution of each FiST's fire support plan. Key players in the FSCC include

220-555: A Fire support specialist in the grade of E-1 to E-4 and a Fire Support Sergeant in the grade of E-5. Currently in unit training is beginning to incorporate more close air support and close combat attack missions into the field artillery team's mission. In the U.S. Marine Corps, scout observers also act as naval gunfire spotters and call for, observe and adjust artillery and naval gunfire support , and coordinate fire support assets to include mortars, rockets, artillery, NSFS and CAS/CIFS. A rifle company Fire Support Team typically consists of

275-494: A company or squadron of a battalion or regiment that their battery was supporting. In the British artillery system FOOs were always authorized to order fire commands to their own troop or battery, based on their assessment of the tactical situation and if necessary liaison with the supported arm commander. From mid World War II some artillery observers were authorized to order fire to all batteries of their regiment, it also became

330-697: A crash, but a train hit the truck carrying the Lysander, destroying the cargo. In the Far East, from 1944 No. 357 Squadron RAF operated six SD Lysanders as C Flight for dropping agents in support of Fourteenth Army in Burma. Lysanders were also used as target-towing and communication aircraft. Two aircraft ( T1443 and T1739 ) were transferred to the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) for training and 18 were used by

385-607: A fighter unit while equipped with Lysanders, but their designation as fighter squadrons did allow RCAF fighter pilots to work up at a critical time without having to wait for the arrival of true fighter aircraft. No. 118 Squadron was disbanded in September 1940, and when it reformed in December 1940, still as a fighter squadron, it was equipped with 15 old, otherwise unwanted Grumman Goblin fighters produced by Canadian Car and Foundry . Both 111 and 118 Squadrons soon re-equipped with

440-515: A landing field, too heavy to use on soft ground and had been developed by the RAF without ever asking the army what was needed. Nevertheless, throughout the remainder of 1940, Lysanders flew dawn and dusk patrols off the coast and in the event of an invasion of Britain , they were tasked with attacking the landing beaches with light bombs and machine guns. They were replaced in the home-based army co-operation role from 1941 by camera-equipped fighters such as

495-453: A light wood stringers to give the aerodynamic shape. The forward fuselage was duralumin tube joined with brackets and plates, and the after part was welded stainless steel tubes. Plates and brackets were cut from channel extrusions rather than being formed from sheet steel . The front spar and lift struts were extrusions. The wing itself was fabric covered and its thickness was greatest at the strut anchorage, similar to that of later marks of

550-465: A shelf at the rear of the compartment which could also serve as a seat for a third passenger. The pilots of No. 138, and from early 1942 No. 161 Squadron , transported 101 agents to and recovered 128 agents from German-occupied Europe. The Germans knew little about the British aircraft and wished to study one. Soldiers captured an intact Lysander in March 1942 when its pilot was unable to destroy it after

605-568: A tank – initially a Stuart but in NW Europe usually a Sherman . Tanks continued to be used by some observers until about 1975. In 2002 the British Army adopted the term Fire Support Team (FST) for its observation parties, including FACs under control of the artillery officer commanding the FST. A functionally similar title is a mortar fire controller (MFC). An MFC is an infantry NCO who

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660-649: A week of a full moon, as moonlight was essential for navigation. The aircraft undertook such duties until the liberation of France in 1944. Lysanders were based at airfields at Newmarket in Suffolk and later Tempsford in Bedfordshire , but used regular RAF stations to fuel-up for the actual crossing, particularly RAF Tangmere . Flying without any navigation equipment other than a map and compass, Lysanders would land on short strips of land, such as fields, marked out by four or five torches or to avoid having to land,

715-611: Is a forward air controller , while for the equivalent for naval gunfire support is a spotter. For general fire support, the position is known as a fire support specialist (FiSTer) or simply an observer. In the U.S. Army, a Light, Heavy, or Stryker Infantry company Fire Support Team (FIST) consists of a Fire Support Officer (FSO), a Fire Support Sergeant, three Forward Observers (FO), two Fire Support Specialists and three Radio Telephone Operators (RTO) . Armored/Cavalry FIST teams usually consist of just one FSO and three enlisted personnel. Brigade COLT teams operate in groups of two individuals,

770-465: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Artillery spotting Historically, the range of artillery steadily increased over the centuries. In the era of bombards or Steinbüchse , the gunner could usually still fire directly on the target by line-of-sight. As ranges increased, methods of employing indirect fire were developed. This made a forward observer essential in order to be able to use artillery effectively. The proximity of

825-438: Is an indirect fire weapon system, the guns are rarely in line-of-sight of their target, often located miles away. The observer serves as the eyes of the guns, by sending target locations and if necessary corrections to the fall of shot, usually by radio . Equipment used in the observer role ranges from binoculars to laser rangefinders to unmanned aerial vehicles . When attached to a special forces unit, an artillery observer

880-491: Is often tasked with coordinating fire from long-range artillery guns against high-value targets such as enemy headquarters. This is in contrast to an artillery observer's typical work with field/line artillery, which works in support of its own combat group. Such patrols may also form into 'stay behind' parties which deliberately hide in special observation hides as the main force fights a withdrawal. Broadly, there are two very different approaches to artillery observation. Either

935-498: Is part of their battalion's mortar platoon. He controls platoon's fire in the same way as an FOO. The introduction of FSTs places MFCs under tactical control of the FST commander. Training, enabled by simulators, allows most soldiers to observe artillery fire, which has long been possible via a FOO. The Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force had been responsible reporting targets and observation of fire in World War I, this role

990-638: The Luftwaffe even when escorted by Hurricanes . Withdrawn from France during the Dunkirk evacuation , they continued to fly supply-dropping missions to Allied forces from bases in England; on one mission to drop supplies to troops trapped at Calais , 14 of 16 Lysanders and Hectors that set out were lost. 118 Lysanders were lost in or over France and Belgium in May and June 1940, of a total of 175 deployed. With

1045-833: The Battle of Britain in 1940, the high losses suffered by RAF Lysanders in the Battle of France resulted in any plans for cross- channel offensive operations by Lysanders stopped, although the Canadian squadrons continued training with the Lysanders until suitable replacements were available. No. 118 Squadron and No. 122 Squadron RCAF were the only Canadian units to use their Lysanders on active-duty operations – 118 in Saint John , New Brunswick , and 122 at various locations on Vancouver Island , where they performed anti-submarine patrols and conducted search-and-rescue operations. During

1100-941: The Chindits of the British Indian Army in the Burma Campaign of the Second World War. Four regular squadrons equipped with Lysanders accompanied the British Expeditionary Force to France in October 1939, and were joined by a further squadron early in 1940. Following the German invasion of France and the low countries on 10 May 1940, Lysanders were put into action as spotters and light bombers. In spite of occasional victories against German aircraft, they made very easy targets for

1155-695: The Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk , bringing the brief service of Lysanders in fighter squadrons to an end. By late 1944 all Canadian Lysanders had been withdrawn from flying duties. Other export customers for the Lysander included the Finnish Air Force (which received four Mk.I and nine Mk.III aircraft), the Irish Air Corps (which took delivery of six Mk.II aircraft), the Turkish Air Force (which received 36 Mk.IIs),

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1210-706: The Curtiss Tomahawk and North American Mustang carrying out reconnaissance operations, while light aircraft such as the Taylorcraft Auster were used to direct artillery. Some UK-based Lysanders went to work operating air-sea rescue, dropping dinghies to downed RAF aircrew in the English Channel. Fourteen squadrons and flights were formed for this role in 1940 and 1941. In India, Nos 20 and 28 Squadrons flying Westland Lysanders were listed as non-operational, but part of No. 221 Group RAF in

1265-823: The Gaullist cause against the Axis powers , and to attack Italian ground forces in Libya . As with all FAFL aircraft, Lysanders sported the Cross of Lorraine insignia on the fuselage and the wings instead of the French tricolour roundel first used in 1914, to distinguish their aircraft from those flying for the Vichy French Air Force. Lysanders were mostly employed on reconnaissance missions, but were also used to carry out occasional attacks. In all, 24 Lysanders were used by

1320-1472: The Portuguese Air Force (which took delivery of eight Mk.IIIA aircraft), the United States Army Air Forces (which received 25), the Indian Air Force (which took delivery of 22) and No. 1 Squadron of the Royal Egyptian Air Force . The REAF received 20 aircraft. Egyptian Lysanders were the last to see active service, against Israel in the 1947–1949 Palestine war . After the war a number of surplus ex-Royal Canadian Air Force Lysanders were employed as aerial applicators with Westland Dusting Service, operating in Alberta and western Canada. Two of these were saved for inclusion in Lynn Garrison 's collection for display in Calgary , Alberta, Canada. A total of 1,786 Lysanders were built, including 225 manufactured under licence by National Steel Car in Malton near Toronto, Ontario, Canada during 1938 and 1939. A number of Lysanders are preserved in museums in Canada,

1375-607: The Royal Navy 's Fleet Air Arm . All British Lysanders were withdrawn from service in 1946. Lysander also joined the ranks of the Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres ( Free French Air Force , FAFL) when Groupe Mixte de Combat (GMC) 1, formed at RAF Odiham on 29 August 1940, was sent to French North-West Africa in order to persuade the authorities in countries such as Gabon , Cameroon and Chad , which were still loyal to Vichy France , to join

1430-492: The Stinson Reliant high-winged transport monoplane. Despite its appearance, the Lysander was aerodynamically advanced; being equipped with fully automatic wing slats and slotted flaps and a variable incidence tailplane. These refinements gave the Lysander a stalling speed of only 65 mph (56 kn; 105 km/h). The tube that supported the wings and wheels was the largest Elektron alloy extrusion made at

1485-600: The fall of France , it was clear that the type was unsuitable for the coastal patrol and army co-operation role, being described by Air Marshal Arthur Barratt , commander-in-chief of the British Air Forces in France as "quite unsuited to the task; a faster, less vulnerable aircraft was required." The view of army AOP pilots was that the Lysander was too fast for artillery spotting purposes, too slow and un-manoeuvrable to avoid fighters, too big to conceal quickly on

1540-572: The FAFL. One hundred and four British-built Lysanders were delivered to Canada supplementing 225 that were built under licence by National Steel Car at Malton, Ontario (near Toronto ) with production starting in October 1938 and the first aircraft flying in August 1939. The RCAF primarily operated Lysanders in the Army Co-operation role, where they represented a major improvement over

1595-636: The Fire Support Coordinator (FSC), Battalion Fire Support Officer (FSO), and Battalion Air Officer (Air-O). For centuries the Battery Commander had been responsible for controlling the fire of their battery. This continued with the introduction of indirect fire in the early years of the 20th Century. However, the First World War introduced 24 hour, seven days a week fighting. Furthermore, indirect fire had increased

1650-473: The Soviet Union tended towards the British method. In the British system, the observer sends a fire order to their own and any other batteries authorized to them, and may request fire from additional batteries. Each battery command post converts the fire orders into firing data for its own guns. Until post-World War II the observer would usually order actual firing data to the guns of their own troop, this

1705-495: The Special Duties pilots such as Squadron Leader Hugh Verity . The wings were equipped with automatic slats which lifted away from the leading edge as the airspeed decreased towards stalling speed. These slats controlled automatic flaps. Slow speed flight was therefore greatly simplified, "and it was possible to bring a Lysander down to land, if not like a lift, at least like an escalator". The inboard slats were connected to

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1760-663: The United Kingdom, the United States, Belgium, and elsewhere. In 1963, BBC TV transmitted a series of dramas called Moonstrike about the insertion of clandestine SOE operatives into occupied France. The first episode featured a reconstruction of a typical Lysander operation. Data from Westland Aircraft since 1915 General characteristics Performance Armament Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Army cooperation aircraft The army cooperation aircraft

1815-468: The agent, wearing a special padded suit, stepped off at very low altitude and rolled to a stop on the field. They were originally designed to carry one passenger in the rear cockpit, but for SOE use the rear cockpit of the Mk III (SD) version was modified to carry up to three passengers in case of urgent necessity as they were fitted with a rearward facing bench for two passengers (with a locker underneath) and

1870-528: The antiquated Westland Wapiti which could trace its origins back to 1916. Initial training was conducted at RCAF Station Rockcliffe (near Ottawa , Ontario ) with No. 123 Squadron running an army co-operation school there. Units that operated the Lysander for training in this role in Canada include 2 Squadron , 110 Squadron (which became 400 Squadron overseas) and No. 112 Squadron RCAF. 414 squadron formed overseas and joined 110 Squadron and 112 Squadron with Lysanders. Prior to going overseas 2 Squadron

1925-428: The apex, and contained internal springs for the faired wheels. The large streamlined spats also contained a mounting for a Browning machine gun and fittings for removable stub wings that could carry light bombs or supply canisters. The wings had a reverse taper towards the root, which gave the impression of a bent gull wing from some angles, although the spars were straight. It had a girder type construction faired with

1980-565: The army co-operation role from Jamshedpur and Ranchi , respectively, on 1 July 1942. In August 1941 a new squadron, No. 138 (Special Duties) , was formed to undertake missions for the Special Operations Executive to maintain clandestine contact with the French Resistance . Among its aircraft were Lysander Mk.IIIs, which flew over and landed in occupied France. While general supply drops could be left to

2035-500: The distance between the guns and their targets, and between the observers and their guns. This led to the use of observing officers to act on behalf of the battery commander. In the 1938 re-organization of the Royal Artillery batteries were divided into troops, with the troop commanders (Captains) as observing officers at an (OP). These officers and their parties could operate as either as an Observation Post (OP) or accompany

2090-478: The enemy front. The result of Petter's pilot enquiries suggested that field of view, low-speed handling characteristics and STOL performance were the important requirements. Davenport and Petter designed an aircraft to incorporate these features. The Lysander was to be powered by a Bristol Mercury air-cooled radial engine and had high wings and a fixed conventional landing gear mounted on an innovative inverted U square-section tube that supported wing struts at

2145-456: The flaps and to an air damper in the port wing which governed the speed at which the slats operated. The outboard slats operated independently and were not connected and each was fitted with an air damper. On a normal approach, the inboard slats and the flaps would begin to open when the airspeed has dropped to about 85 mph (74 kn; 137 km/h) and be approximately half down at 80 mph (70 kn; 130 km/h). The only control that

2200-610: The help of the French Resistance . Royal Air Force army co-operation aircraft were named after mythical or historical military leaders; in this case the Spartan admiral Lysander was chosen. In 1934 the Air Ministry issued Specification A.39/34 for an army co-operation aircraft to replace the Hawker Hector . Initially Hawker Aircraft , Avro and Bristol were invited to submit designs, but after some debate within

2255-411: The late 1920s, the army cooperation aircraft were capable of STOL , had folding wings and relatively small dimensions to allow them to operate from improvised airfields and improvised hangars such as barns. The folding wings also allowed for the plane to be towed by a car or truck, which was essential for the planes to operate in cooperation with the land units. This aviation -related article

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2310-543: The ministry, a submission from Westland was invited as well. The Westland design, internally designated P. 8, was the work of Arthur Davenport under the direction of "Teddy" Petter . It was Petter's second aircraft design and he spent considerable time interviewing Royal Air Force pilots to find out what they wanted from such an aircraft. The army wanted a tactical and artillery reconnaissance aircraft to provide photographic reconnaissance and observation of artillery fire in daylight – up to about 15,000 yards (14 km) behind

2365-421: The observer has command authority and orders fire, including the type and amount of ammunition to be fired, to batteries. Or the observer requests fire from an artillery headquarters at some level, which decides if fire will be provided, by which batteries, and the type and amount of ammunition to be provided. The first is characterized by the British, the second by the United States. In World War II both Germany and

2420-526: The observer to the target depended on the terrain and battlefield situation. Elevated observation posts could be used as an aid to facilitate communication between the guns and the observers. The development of optical and communication aids for observation advanced significantly in the First and Second World Wars . In the 21st century, Joint Tactical Fire Support observers emerged usually using sophisticated communications engineering systems. Because artillery

2475-590: The pilot has is a locking lever which he can set to lock the flaps down once they have been lowered automatically. The first Lysanders entered service in June 1938, equipping squadrons for army co-operation and were initially used for message-dropping and artillery spotting . When war broke out in Europe, the earlier Mk.Is had been largely replaced by Mk.IIs, the older machines heading for the Middle East. Some of these aircraft, now designated type L.1, operated with

2530-578: The practice for some observers to be designated 'Commander's Representative' able to order fire to a divisional or corps artillery. Unauthorized officers could request fire from more than their own battery. During that war it also became the practice that FOOs arranged quick fireplans comprising several coordinated targets engaged by guns and mortars to support short offensive actions by the squadron or company they were with. In World War II OP/FOO parties were normally mounted in an armored carrier , although those assigned to support armored brigades usually had

2585-630: The rest of No. 138's aircraft, the Lysander could insert and remove agents from the continent or retrieve Allied aircrew who had been shot down over occupied territory and had evaded capture. For this role the Mk.IIIs were fitted with a fixed ladder over the port side to hasten access to the rear cockpit and a large drop tank under the belly. In order to slip in unobtrusively Lysanders were painted matte black overall (some early examples had brown/green camouflaged upper surfaces and later examples had grey/green upper surfaces). Operations almost always took place within

2640-616: The roles of observation, reconnaissance and liaison were kept separate, with each assigned to a more specialised unit. One of the few countries to actually implement the idea was Poland. By the end of the 1930s the Polish Army had 12 escadrilles of "assisting aircraft", usually operating as platoons of 3 to 6 aircraft attached to regiments of infantry or cavalry. Typical Polish army cooperation planes included Lublin R-XIII , PZL Ł.2 and RWD-14 Czapla . According to Polish specifications of

2695-623: The same period, No. 121 Squadron RCAF and several Operational Training Units (OTUs) used Lysanders – painted in a high-visibility yellow-and-black-striped scheme – for target towing duties. For a brief period in 1940 when every available Hurricane fighter had been sent overseas to fight in the Battle of Britain, leaving the RCAF without a modern fighter aircraft at home in Canada, two RCAF Lysander-equipped squadrons which were supposed to convert to fighter aircraft but had none to convert to were re-designated as operational fighter squadrons. 111 Squadron ,

2750-417: The supported arm (infantry or armour) as Forward Observation Officers (FOOs). During World War II it became the practice for close support battery commanders to become part of the tank regiment or infantry battalion headquarters they were supporting. They also started using 'quick fireplans' usually limited to their own regiment, to support fast moving limited battalion actions. Generally FOOs were assigned to

2805-502: The time. Due to the difficulties involved in manufacturing such a large extrusion Canadian-built machines had a conventionally fabricated assembly. The Air Ministry requested two prototypes of the P.8 and the competing Bristol Type 148 , quickly selecting the Westland aircraft for production and issuing a contract in September 1936. The high-lift devices gave the Lysander a short take off and landing (STOL) performance much appreciated by

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2860-471: Was an inter-war concept of an aircraft capable of support of ground units in a variety of roles. Army cooperation planes combined the roles of artillery spotter aircraft , liaison , reconnaissance plane and close air support . The concept of army cooperation units was invented in France at the end of World War I . Numerous countries experimented with the idea of creating separate units tasked with close cooperation with ground units. However, in most cases

2915-478: Was disbanded and its airmen reassigned to 110 and 112 Squadrons to bring them up to war establishment (2 Squadron would later reform in England as a Hurricane unit and eventually be renumbered as 402 Squadron ). In all there were three squadrons ready to begin operations against the Axis Powers . Although Operation Sea Lion – the planned German invasion of Great Britain – was averted by the British victory in

2970-459: Was enabled by the use of calibrating sights on the guns. In the U.S. system, the observer sends a request for fire, usually to their battalion or battery Fire Direction Center (FDC). The FDC then decides how much fire to permit and may request additional fire from a higher artillery headquarters. FDC(s) convert the observer's target information into firing data for the battery's weapons. The equivalent of an artillery observer for close air support

3025-700: Was subsequently called 'Arty/R, but proved difficult from high performance aircraft over hostile territory in World War II. In 1940 it was agreed that RAF AOP squadrons equipped with light aircraft, operating at low altitude over friendly territory and flown by Royal Artillery officers would be formed. These squadrons existed until the formation of the Army Air Corps in 1957. Since the development of small unmanned aerial vehicles, they have been used for identifying targets, spotting fall of shot , and correcting aim. Operators are usually relatively close to

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