History of the Royal Imperial Wardie land Air Force

by **Wardie land** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 5:36 pm

Owing to a lack of space in my Factbook, I've decided to create a thread for the pictoral history of the Royal Imperial Wardian Air Force, showing aircraft types and recounting the history of the RIWAF from the founding of organised military aviation in Wardie land to the present day. The thread will be separated into "chapters", each covering roughly a decade.

*NOTE: Owing to the shut down of Tinypic.com, most of my pictures have disappeared from this post, as such I am having to basically rebuild this photo gallery from scratch, please bare with me whilst I do so, it will take me a while.*

by **Wardie land** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 5:37 pm

Organised military aviation in Wardie land began in 1911, following the formation of the Royal Imperial Wardie land Army Aerial Branch (RIWAAB). The RIWAAB was formed after the Imperial Parliament decided to form a specialised branch of the army whose speciality was aviation (before this aviation was the responsibility of each corps, some corps embraced aviation, whilst others didn't). The Imperial Parliament's decision was born about because of early leaps in aviation. When the RIWAAB was founded it had only three companies - No. 1 Company and No. 2 Company were equipped with airships, whilst No. 3 Company was equipped with the new aeroplanes.

The RIWAAB didn't last long, in 1912 it was replaced with the Royal Imperial Wardie land Army Flying Corps. In 1913 the Royal Imperial Wardie land Navy decided to form its own aviation division - the Royal Imperial Wardie land Naval Air Service. Both served in WW1, the RIWAFC also served in the Tuvalian Rice Rebellion 1914.

In 1916 the RIWAFC and the RIWNAS adopted a standard roundel, prior to this aircraft markings were not standardised, whilst some roundels were used, some aircraft also simply used the national flag on the tail and no other markings. The new roundel was designated the "Type 1916 Roundel".

Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2, entered service in 1912, the B.E.2c entered service in late 1914, B.E.2cs were workhorses of the RIWAFC and RIWNAS, they also performed some important early experiments, such as night fighter and carrier aircraft experiments, of the period were performed by modified B.E.2cs, the B.E.2 finally left service in 1920
A B.E.2c

Avro 500, also entered service in 1912

Avro 501 floatplane, a development of the Avro 500, and one of the first planes used by the RIWNAS

Short Type 184 torpedo bomber, entered service with the RIWNAS in 1915, used by RIWAF Naval Aviation until 1921

Short Bomber, land-based variant of the Short Type 184, entered service with the RIWNAS and RIWAFC in 1916, used by the RIWAF until 1922

A Felixstowe F.2, entered service with the RIWNAS in 1917, used by RIWAF Naval Aviation until 1925

A Felixstowe F.5, entered service with the RIWNAS in 1918, used until 1926

An AD flying boat, entered service with the RIWNAS in 1917, in 1920 some were converted into civilian transports named the "Channel 2FBC" (following Supermarine's name for the civil transport version), the Channel served with the Imperial Transport Company and Wardie land Imperial Airways, as well as with the Sunset Island Airline

Airco DH.2, entering service in middle-late 1916, the DH.2 was Wardie land's standard fighter for only a year, before being replaced as Wardie land's standard fighter types by more modern aircraft such as the SPAD S.VII in late 1917.

SPAD S.A-2, before interrupter gear was perfected there were several different ideas on how to give aircraft forward-firing guns, some of the more common ways were the "Pusher" aircraft, which had the engine in the rear such as the Airco DH.2, or to put the gun on top of the top wing, which was used on planes such as the R.A.F S.E.5a and the Nieuport 10, however a rather unusual method experimented with was to have the engine buried in the fuselage between the pilot and the observer/gunner, known as a "Pulpit" fighter, this idea was experimented on in very few aircraft, the two most well known types being the R.A.F B.E.9 and the SPAD S.A-2, the B.E.9 was an experimental type of which only one was produced by the Royal Aircraft Factory because of the idea's flaws, but the SPAD S.A-2 actually went into active service with both the French and Imperial Russian air forces, it was soon replaced with better types in the French air force, but the Russians were forced to use it for longer because of their lack of modern aircraft. The type was very unpopular, although at least two Russian crews had some success, the S.A-2 saw very brief service with the Soviet Worker's and Peasant's Air Fleet before the WPAF retired all obsolete types, the RIWAFC purchased 50 S.A-2s in 1915, at which time the aircraft looked somewhat modern and high tech, but the unpopularity of the aircraft with crews led to them being completely retired from frontline fighter squadrons at the start of 1916, training squadrons and Home Islands-based "bomber interceptor" squadrons used them for slightly longer, until 1918, when they were sold to the Kingdom of Snowland and used by the Royal Snowlandian Air Corps (RSAC). The SPAD S.A-2 was known as the Pulpit 2F.I (F)

Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.9, an experimental "Pulpit" fighter of which only one was produced by the Royal Aircraft Factory in 1915, no more were produced after the concept was considered too dangerous for the observer/gunner, however the Royal Imperial Wardian Aircraft Factory produced 10 as the Pulpit 2F.I (not to be confused with the SPAD S.A-2, which had a similar designation, Pulpit 2F.I (F)), the B.E.9 was armed with a single Lewis gun for the observer, much like the SPAD equivalent the Wardian B.E.9s saw little service with frontline fighter squadrons, and were relegated to training and Home Islands-based bomber interception squadrons by 1916.

During 1916 the Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 entered service in small numbers, the R.E.8 was a recon and light bomber aircraft, however it was obsolete by the end of the war, and the last R.E.8s left Wardian service in 1925, they were all sold to Qara, who used them for just over a decade, by which point they were heavily obsolete, the R.E.8s were amongst the first obsolete types replaced with more modern aircraft when Wardie land provided support for the Qaran government during the Qaran Rebellion of 1937-1939.
This is an R.E.8 of ER 15 (Escuadrón de Reconocimiento 15; Reconnaissance Squadron 15) of the FAQ, based at BA Río Marrón (Base Aérea Río Marrón; Brown River Airbase) in 1936, about a year before the outbreak of the Qaran Rebellion.

Sopwith 1½ Strutter, the first Wardian fighter with a synchronised machine gun, the 1½ Strutter had a single fixed forward-firing Vickers gun and a Lewis gun for the observer, as well as up to 130 lbs of bombs, the 1½ Strutter entered service in late 1916, and significant numbers were in operation by the end of the war, the Strutter was used as a fighter until 1923, but was used as a trainer until 1928.

Vickers F.B.19 "Bullet", the Vickers F.B.19, sometimes known as the "Bullet", was a fighter from 1916, in 1917 Wardie land purchased 100 Mk I and Mk II Bullets, the Mk I had unstaggered wings and either a 100 hp Gnome Monosoupape or 110 hp Le Rhone rotary engine, the Monosoupape was known as the "Bullet 2F.I", the Le Rhone version was known as the "Bullet 2F.I*", the Mk II had staggered wings was known the "Bullet 2F.II".
A Bullet 2F.II, ca. 1918

SPAD S.VII, the SPAD S.VII became one of Wardie land's standard fighter types in late 1917, replacing older fighters such as the Airco DH.2 and the SPAD A2, they gave rather good service, and were liked by pilots for being a stable gun platform and their speed, though pilots of the more nimble Nieuport fighters often thought of the SPAD as being a bit "sluggish", the S.VII used a single Vickers machine gun, the RIWAFC was so impressed with the SPAD VII that upon hearing of the SPAD S.XIII, a two-gunned derivative with a more powerful engine, it immediately placed a large order with the SPAD company in order to replace the popular SPAD S.VII with the new upgrade model. The final S.VIIs were retired from frontline service in 1919, after being replaced by the Martinsyde F.4 Buzzard.

SPAD S.XIII, the SPAD S.XIII was an improved version of the S.VII, one of the best aircraft of the war, the S.XIII had a more powerful engine than the S.VII, and was faster than the Sopwith Camel and the Fokker D.VII, the S.XIII was also armed with twin Vickers guns, the RIWAFC/RIWAF purchased a sizeable batch of S.XIIIs in order to replace the S.VIIs, the last S.XIIIs served until 1924.
A SPAD S.XIII of the RIWAF, ca. May 1921

A Sopwith Camel, 500 purchased in 1918 and 1919, remained in service in 1931, the Camel was a mainstay RIWAFC/RIWAF fighter type until 1925. The Camel has the distinction of being the first true carrier fighter, in late 1918 a Camel was modified to use arrestor gear, with a tail wheel being added in place of the tail skid, the experimental aircraft, designated Sea Camel 2F.P, was a success, 50 other Camels were converted to the Sea Camel standard, becoming the RIWN's first true carrier fighter.

The Nieuport 10 was the first in a line of Nieuport fighters to serve the RIWAFC, the Nieuport 10 entered service in mid 1915, mounting a single Lewis gun on the top wing, the 10 only served a year in frontline service, when it was replaced by the Nieuport 17, the 10 managed to see some service until late 1917 as a trainer, when it was also replaced in this role by the Nieuport 17 which had been relegated to a training type following the introduction of the Nieuport 27. Wardie land's Nieuport 10s were all sold to the Kingdom of Snowland, where they served for several years until the majority of them were captured and operated by the Bolshevik Republic of Snowland's Free People's Air Division following the 1922 Bolshevik Revolution.

Nieuport 17, entering service in mid 1916 the 17 largely succeeded the Nieuport 10, and also had a relatively short frontline service life, at just over a year, before being replaced in fighter squadrons by the Nieuport 27 in late 1917, the 17 survived in training squadrons until 1919.

Nieuport 27, entering service in late 1917 the Nieuport 27 superseded the Nieuport 10 and 17 in service, the 27 was equipped with a single forward-firing Vickers gun firing through the propeller and a Lewis gun mounted on the top wing, the Nieuport 27 was later superseded by the Nieuport 28, the last 27s were retired from combat service in 1920, but were used as a training type until 1923.
Two Nieuport 27s of the RIWAFC, ca. late 1918, note the camo on the foreground aircraft.

Nieuport 28, the Nieuport 28 could be considered to be Nieuport's equivalent of the Sopwith Camel, although it never received the publicity, popularity and usage of the latter, the RIWAFC purchased a batch of 200 Nieuport 28s in late 1918 in order to supplement the large Sopwith Camel order which was entering service, as well as to replace the Nieuport 27s already in service. The Nieuport 28 used two Vickers machine guns.

Bristol F.2B Fighter, the "Bristol Fighter" or the "Brisfit", the Bristol Fighters entered service in late 1917, they saw a lot service, the Fighter 2F.II enter service in 1920, the Mark II had tropical gear, the Fighter were used in various roles until 1939.

An Avro 504K, 300 purchased in 1919, was used as a basic flying and fighter trainer until 1936.

Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a, 600 purchased in two batches 1919-1920, used as frontline fighter until 1925, used as a fighter trainer until 1935.

Airco DH.4, the Airco DH.4 entered service in mid 1917, becoming Wardie land's standard light bomber, was eventually superceded as the standard light bomber by the DH.9A, but significant numbers remained in service until around 1924, DH.4s were still in service in 1933, the last going out of service in 1934, the last military action which the DH.4 participated in was the 1933 Saqan Uprising.

Airco DH.9A "Ninak", the Airco DH.9A began replacing the Airco DH.4 as the RIWAFC's standard light bomber in late 1918, by April 1919 the Airco DH.9A was Wardie land's standard light bomber, in need of a carrier-borne bomber the RIWNAS used a small batch of Airco DH.9As as experimental carrier bomber conversions, with a tail wheel fitted in place of a tail skid and an arrestor hook fitted under the tail, the experiment was successful, and the RIWNAED (Royal Imperial Wardie land Navy Aeronautical Experimentation Division) DH.9A(C) (the "C" standing for "Carrier") "Sea Ninak" became Wardie land's first carrier-borne bomber aircraft.

Handley-Page O/400, 50 purchased in 1917, used as a frontline bomber until 1919, when replaced by the Vickers Vimy used as a night bomber until 1921 and as a civilian aircraft until 1940, a locally-produced version was known as the Giant 2HB.

Handley-Page V/1500 "Super Handley", in March 1919 the RIWAFC purchased 2 Handley-Page V/1500 "Super Handley" bombers and a licence to build them, the locally-produced models were called the Monster 2HB. The Monster bomber was used as a night bomber until 1935, and then as a bomber trainer until 1943.

During and following WWI Wardie land received examples of various captured Central Powers aircraft types, which were either captured by the Wardian Expeditionary Forces, or purchased from Wardie land's allies, captured types evaluated and operated by the RIWAFC/RIWNAF/RIWAF included several Gotha G.IVs, Gotha G.V, Fokker D.VII, AEG G.IV, an AEG G.IVk, Halberstadt CL.II, Hannover CL.III, Albatros D.III, a Fokker E.III, Hansa-Brandenburg W.29, Rumpler C.I, Phönix D.I, Friedrichshafen FF.33 and a Friedrichshafen G.III, few of the aircraft, an exception being the Fokker D.VII, survived for more than a few years before being retired due to a lack of spares, the Fokker D.VII survived in Wardian service until 1926, Wardian D.VIIs had new Imperial measurement gauges, and the guns were replaced by Vickers machine guns.

by **Wardie land** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 5:40 pm

On the 1st of April 1919 the Royal Imperial Wardie land Naval Air Service (RIWNAS) and the Royal Imperial Wardie land Army Flying Corps (RIWAFC) merged to form the Royal Imperial Wardie land Air Force (RIWAF). Following the merger the RIWAF took control of Naval Aviation, the maritime and naval units were formed as a separate part of the RIWAF, the Royal Imperial Wardie land Air Force Naval Aviation (more commonly known as "RIWAF Naval Aviation", "RIWAFNA" or just "Naval Aviation"), this led to a rather confusing system in which the Royal Imperial Wardie land Navy was in command of the ships which had aircraft and the crews of them, whilst the RIWAF was in command of all maritime planes, as well as the pilots and crews which served on them, this meant that even the catapult-launched planes of battleships and heavy cruisers were under the command of a completely different organisation to the ships they were stationed on, much to the Navy's chagrin.

This system led to considerable inter-service rivalry between the Navy and Air Force, despite this the system remained in place until 1935, when the RIWAF lost control of most of Wardie land's naval aviation to the new Royal Imperial Wardie land Fleet Air Arm, despite this the RIWAF did still have some maritime aviation, the Royal Imperial Wardie land Air Force Coastal Command.

During the early years the RIWAF mainly used aircraft that had been entered service with its predecessors, the most common fighters in service at the founding of the RIWAF were the Sopwith Camel, Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a and the Avro 504K, with substantial numbers of Bristol F.2B Fighters, SPAD S.VIIs and SPAD S.XIIIs, Wardie land's standard light and heavy bombers at that time were the Airco DH.9A and the Handley-Page O/400, respectively. Shortly after the founding of the RIWAF several new aircraft entered service, such as the Martinsyde F.4 Buzzard and Vickers Vimy in 1919, which replaced some of the older WWI types. A new ministry was set up to deal solely with air force matters, the Imperial Air Ministry.

A new fighter to enter service with the young RIWAF was the Martinsyde F.4 Buzzard, 400 entering service in mid-late 1919, the Buzzards completely replaced the SPAD S.VII in service, the Buzzard was armed with twin 0.303 Vickers machine guns, Buzzards were used by frontline fighter squadrons until 1933, and were used by training squadrons until 1938.

Alongside the Buzzard, the Sopwith Snipe entered service in mid 1919 as the Snipe 2F.I, they were used until 1928.

Vickers Vimy, the Vimy became the first new heavy bomber of the Royal Imperial Wardie land Air Force, replacing the Handley-Page O/100s and O/400s then in service, Vimy bombers served well into the 1920s, before being replaced with more modern types.

Sopwith Cuckoo, the Cuckoo torpedo bomber entered service with RIWAF Naval Aviation as the Cuckoo 2TB.I, used as a torpedo bomber into the late 1920s, the Cuckoo aircraft were mostly sold to Qara, though a few were passed to the Snowlandian Imperial Air Force in 1941, by which point they were heavily obsolete, and were massacred by Japanese AA and fighters, the few surviving Cuckoo aircraft were employed as night strike aircraft, launching torpedo bombing attacks against Japanese ships during the dead of night, when the crews were mostly sleeping, the final Cuckoos were finally fully withdrawn from SLIAF service in 1944, after 25 years of service with RIWAF and allied air forces.

by **Wardie land** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 5:42 pm

The then still rather new RIWAF entered the 1920s still using WWI-era aircraft of its predecessors, the RIWAFC and the RIWNAS, like the Wardie National Aircraft Co. Monster 2HB (copy of the Handley Page V/1500) and the Giant 2HB (copy of the Handley Page O/400). The RIWAF also used more recent bombers like the Vimy 2HB, local version of the Vickers Vimy, which entered service in 1919. In 1920 the RIWAF decided to experiment with several different roundels, however the standard roundel remained in use.

One of the experimental roundels in the 1920 new RIWAF roundel proposal, over 20 years later this roundel was again considered during the 1942 RIWAF roundel proposal, and was experimentally applied to certain aircraft.

In 1926 a darker variant of the 1916 roundel was introduced, this roundel was known simply as the "Type 1926 roundel".

In 1921 Wardland purchased some Airco DH.10 Mk III aircraft from the British government, these aircraft were known as the Amiens 2B.I and served until 1927.

As always the RIWAF used some British-designed aircraft, one such aircraft was the Hawker Horsley light bomber/torpedo bomber, which entered service in mid 1927

The Bristol Bulldog was one of the last fighters to enter service in the 20s, entering service in late 1929. The Bulldog saw service as a fighter until 1940, and as a trainer until 1944. Bulldogs saw service in the 1933 Saqan Uprising, as well as limited service in Qaran Rebellion 1937-1939 and the Third Snow War of 1939-1940. Three variants of the Bulldog served with the RIWAF, the Bulldog Mk II as the Bulldog 2FB.I, Bulldog Mk IIA as the Bulldog 2FB.II and the Bulldog Mk IVa as the Bulldog 2FB.III. Most variants used two 0.303 Vickers guns, though the Bulldog 2FB.III used four Vickers guns, two in the sides of the fuselage and one in each wing. The Bulldog could also mount four 20lb bombs.

In 1922 the Fairey IIID entered service as the Porpoise 2LB.III, the Porpoise 2LB had a range of about 1,000 nautical miles, with the Porpoise 2LB.IVD having a range of 1,313 nautical miles, very good for a patrol plane which usually patrolled the territorial Pacific waters around Wardie land and the colonies.

In 1928 the next Porpoise model entered service, the Porpoise 2LB.IV, the Mk IV mostly served in the colonies in the colonial policing role, where long-distance flights were common, the Mk IV was well suited to the task and served well into the 1940s as a front-line colonial bomber, it wasn't until the late 1940s the Mk IV was relegated from a front-line colonial bomber to a colonial recon plane and second-line bomber.

The Armstrong Whitworth Argosy was operated from 1927, the Argosy was used as a transport from 1927 to 1936, they were designated the Argosy 2C.I

Handley Page Type W, the Handley Page Type W was a civilian airliner used by Wardian Imperial Airways for much of the 1920s and the first years of the 1930s until the introduction of the Handley Page H.P.42, the Type W was also used by the RIWAF as a cargo transport and personnel carrier until 1933 as the Wanderer 2C, before being replaced by the military version of the Handley Page H.P.42.

Hawker Woodcock, the Woodcock was a fighter type which entered service in 1925, and was used until 1934 by Home Islands squadrons, they were used by rear-line Imperial Northern Air Force squadrons until 1941, when all of the remaining Woodcocks were given to the Snowlandian Imperial Air Force.

Vickers Virginia, the Virginia entered RIWAF service in 1926, and was used until 1936, from 1933 the Virginia was used as a night bomber.

One of the fighter types to enter service in the mid 1920s was the Armstrong Whitworth Siskin, the Siskin was used from 1927 to 1935

In 1929 Wardian Imperial Airways purchased a number of Ford Trimotors, these were mostly used as freight aircraft or sent to the Western Colonies, some Trimotors were used by Imperial Qijati Air Freight, some Imperial Airways Trimotors were purchased by Qara's national airline, CNTAQ (Compañía Nacional de Transporte Aéreo de Qára; National Aerial Transport Company of Qara), the Trimotor was also used by the RIWAF as the Trireme 1C, these aircraft were used cargo transports and personnel carriers, a few were still being used during WW2 with RIWAF Transport Command.

by **Wardie land** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 6:17 pm

The RIWAF entered the 1930s with a mix of modern and obsolete aircraft, the RIWAF had began a modernisation programme at the end of the 1920s, and was only just starting the programme by the start of the 1930s.

The 1930s represented one of the biggest technological leaps for the RIWAF, at the start of the 1930s most RIWAF aircraft were biplanes, yet by the end of the 1930s most were monoplanes, at the end of the 1930s radar-guided intercepts were taking place, and radar was established as a standard detection method.

Under the 1934 Air Force Reforms Act commands for each specific squadron type were created - RIWAF Fighter Command, RIWAF Bomber Command, RIWAF Coastal Command, RIWAF Transport Command and RIWAF Training Command, additionally "air forces" replaced the two Air Corps - Imperial Home Air Force (replaced the Home Air Corps) and the colonial air forces which replaced the CAC - the Imperial Desert Air Force (Western Colonies command), Imperial Northern Air Force (Northern Colonies command), Imperial Oriental Air Force (Eastern Colonies command) and the Imperial Southern Air Force (Southern Colonies command), the Imperial Independent Night Bomber Force (IINBF) was also created, the purpose of the IINBF was to serve as a dedicated night bomber force, freeing up other squadrons of Bomber Command to serve other bomber roles i.e. day bombing.

In early 1935 the RIWAF lost control of naval aviation, the Administration Branch (A Branch) of the Imperial General Staff created the "Royal Imperial Wardie land Fleet Air Arm", this meant that the navy was now in complete control of all naval aviation, including land-based naval aviation (though the RIWAF did still have some maritime aviation, with RIWAF Coastal Command). However, the RIWFAA maintained the RIWAF ranking system.

In 1937 the Type 1937 Aircraft Markings design set entered usage, this one had a yellow outer ring and an enlarged central red circle, this was adapted as the standard roundel for fuselage sides and upper wing surfaces, a roundel without the yellow ring was used for underwing surfaces, oftentimes, this was simply the 1926 roundel. An alternate variant of the design was the Type 1937B Aircraft Markings set, this featured a thinner yellow outer ring surrounding a Type 1926 roundel.

The Type 1937 Aircraft Markings set

The Type 1937B Aircraft Markings set

In 1939 a new night roundel design was created, the set was designated the "Type 1939 (Night) Aircraft Markings set" this was the 1937 roundel with the white ring removed, so it was a yellow, dark blue and red roundel, this was used interchangeably with the original dark blue and red night roundel.

In 1939-1940 the Imperial Northern Air Force, the air force which was based in the Northern colonies, fought in the Snow War against the Bolshevik Republic of Snow Land.

In 1939-1940 numerous Tupolev TB-3s were captured from Snowland and entered RIWAF service as the Whale 1HB, primarily used as a night bomber, the Whale served in Imperial Independent Night Bomber Force squadrons based in the Northern Colonies until 1941, when most Whale bombers were passed to the new Snowlandian Imperial Air Force, Wardie land felt safe giving the Whale bombers to the SLIAF due to Whale's obsolescence, the SLIAF operated the Whale into the 1950s, SLIAF Whale bombers took very heavy damage from A6M Zeroes of the light carriers Hihō (Flying Phoenix) and Senhō (War Phoenix) during the Winterland campaign.

In August 1942 the surviving Whale bombers were pulled back to the rear lines and converted into cargo transport aircraft, the Whale 1C.I, these transports had their turrets and bomber aimer/navigator station removed and replaced with additional cargo space, in the late 1940s the Whale 1C went the same way as the Mule 2GP(C), another dedicated cargo transport conversion in a similar vein, the Mule 2GP(C) being a variant of the Mule (Polikarpov U-2), being finally completely retired and sold off on the civilian market at a hefty discount in an effort to get rid of them, this made the Whale 1C popular with smaller freight and transport companies, Whale 1C were seen until the early 1960s.

A Whale 1HB.I cockpit photo

A Whale 1HB.I of the Imperial Home Air Force wearing the 1920 RIWAF prototype roundel, which was a proposal for the new 1942-type roundel ca. 1942

Entering service in the 1939-1940 period was the Mule, also known as the Polikarpov U-2, a general purpose biplane, numerous Mules were captured from Snow Land during and after the Third Snow War and operated by the RIWAF, and from 1941, the SLIAF, the basic Mule was the Mule 2GP.I, a recon plane, a transport, a liaision aircraft and a dual control trainer, Mules were also supplied to Qara. The U-2 was popularly nicknamed the "Tractor" by Wardian military personnel, due to its engine sound.

In early 1943 several Mule 2GP.Is were modified into the single-seat Mule 2GP(C).I cargo planes, which replaced the rear passanger space with additional cargo space, in 1947 the remaining Mule 2CP(C) aircraft were retired and sold on the civilian market at a cut price in order to entice purchases, the Mule GP(C) was popular with casual fliers due to it being relatively cheap well into the 1970s, with independent aircraft shops stocking replacement parts, as of today (2018) there are a few Mule owner/enthusiast clubs, the biggest being the RIMEC (Royal Imperial Mule Enthusiasts' Club).

A cockpit of a Mule 2GP.I

A Mule 2GP.I of an unidentified flight training squadron ca. 1940

Another Mule 2GP.I of a flight training squadron, ca. 1940

A Mule 2GP.I of the Imperial Southern Air Force, ca. 1941 - Note the Type 1937B Roundel.

A Mule 2GP.I of the Imperial Oriental Air Force, ca. 1943

Aside from the standard, unarmed U-2 variant, smaller numbers of armed U-2s were captured as well, these were designated the Mule 2LB.I. The typical load-out for the type was a single Vickers K in the rear cockpit and four 100 lb bombs. The Mule 2LB.I served mostly with the Imperial Desert Air Force and the Imperial Oriental Air Force in the counter-insurgency role. Mule light bombers served in the COIN role during the 1941 Saqan Mercenary War and the 1943 Tuvalian Rebellion, which was their last combat service in the RIWAF. IOAF and Imperial Southern Air Force Mule 2LB.Is also served in the night harassment role against Japan in the first year of Wardland's war, the last of these night harassment Mules were replaced in March 1943.

A Mule 2LB.I of the Imperial Desert Air Force, ca. 1941 - Note the less common load-out of two 500lb bombs.

Another Mule 2LB.I of the Imperial Desert Air Force, ca. 1942

A Mule 2LB.I which took part in the suppression of the 1943 Tuvalian Rebellion, ca. 1943

Wardland also captured some Polikarpov R-5 aircraft from Snowland during the war, most of these were the standard unarmed P-5 light transport model, which were designated the Donkey 2GP.I, which were used mostly for training and liaison, though a smaller number of the armed R-5 military version were captured as well, these were known as the Donkey 2LB.I, examples of both aircraft were supplied to Qara. The Donkey 2LB.I Wardian refit replaced the original Russian guns with a dual Vickers K mounting.

A Donkey cockpit photo

A Donkey 2LB.I of Coastal Command, ca. 1939

Wardland also made use of Beriev MBR-2s captured from Snowland, primarily in the recon role, but also in anti-ship and anti-submarine operations. The Beriev MBR-2bis was designated the Strandsby 1FPB.I.

A cockpit photo taken from inside a Strandsby flying boat.

A Strandsby based in the North Kiritari archipelago, ca. 1940

A Strandsby operated by Group North of RIWAF Coastal Command in anti-submarine and recon operations, ca. 1941

Numerous 1930s British planes were used, like the Gloster Gladiator, which entered service in early 1937 as the Gladiator 2F, loved by pilots for its manoeuvrability, the Gladiator was one of the RIWAF's workhorses from introduction to 1945, and was used as a trainer into the 1950s. The Gladiator 2F.I used a two-bladed wooden propeller, whilst the Gladiator 2F.I* used a three-bladed metal propeller. Gladiators saw service in all four corners of the Empire of Wardland. The Gladiator 2HP.I was an experimental floatplane version for RIWAF Coastal Command and RIWFAA service from seaplane carriers and seaplane bases located on small Pacific islands across Wardie land's Pacific colonies, the Gladiator 2HP was successful, and a run of 200 were made, Gladiator 2HP aircraft intercepted Japanese recon seaplanes during the Pacific War.

A newly-introduced Gladiator 2F.I in pre-war silver finish and Type 1926 roundels, ca. early 1937

A Gladiator 2F.I of No. 92 (Fighter) Squadron, ca. 1941

In 1936 the RIWAF began to use the Airspeed Envoy in numerous rules, including liaison, transport and flight training, as well as by airlines as passenger planes.
An Envoy of the Imperial Home Air Force

Two Envoys of the Imperial Desert Air Force

In 1935 the Supermarine Walrus entered service with the RIWAF and RIWFAA as the Walrus 2FPB, the 2FPB.I variant was a metal-hulled variant, whilst the 2FPB.II was a wooden-hulled variant. The standard variants could be equipped with 100 lb bombs or 2,250 lb bombs, or 2,250 lb depth charges, but a torpedo bomber variant existed, this was the Walrus 2FPB.III, the Mk III variant could carry two 18-inch torpedoes, one under each lower wing. The Walrus was respected by those who flew them for their ruggedness and reliability and were used by the RIWAF and RIWFAA into the 1960s for those reasons, they were particularly well known for their Air Sea Rescue service, the Walrus 2ASR being a dedicated Air Sea Rescue version, the civilian transport version of the Walrus, the Walrus 2C remains a popular civilian flying boat, especially in the colonies, where its ruggedness and reliability is very useful, Wardian Imperial Airways still uses a few on their colonial cargo transport service, the Wardian Imperial Post also uses the Walrus as part of their Colonial Airmail Division.

Entering service in 1936 was the Short Singapore Mk III, the Singapores were used across Wardie land and the empire until 1944, they served in the Qaran Rebellion, Third Snow War, Saqan Mercenary War and the Pacific War, following obsolescence they were used against undefended cargo ships and cargo ship formations.

In 1940 Wardie land sold a number of Singapores to Qara, Wardie land's ally on the desertic continent of Qijat, the SIngapores were operated by the FAQ-AC (Fuerza Aérea Qaraña - Aviación Costanero; Qaran Air Force - Coastal Aviation), the branch of the QAF which was the equivalent to Wardie land's RIWAF Coastal Command, Qara used the Singapore until 1948, finally replacing the last of them with Short Sunderlands purchased from Wardie land. This is a Singapore of ECo 18 (Escuadón Costanero 18; No. 18 Coastal Squadron), based at BAC Bahíá Lapa (Base Aérea Costanero, Coastal Air Base), ca. 1941.

Entering service in 1936 was the Avro Anson Mk I, the Anson was used as a light bomber, bomber trainer, liaison, recon bomber and flight trainer, Anson bombers first saw action in the 1937-1939 Qaran Rebellion, used by RIWAF Desert Air Force and the Qaran Air Force, they served well and were effectively able to bomb and strafe rebel forces with impunity, Anson bombers also saw some service in the Third Snow War of 1939-1940, the Saqan Mercenary War of 1941 and in the early part of the Pacific War, by which time they were largely phased out of frontline bomber squadrons in favour of newer light bombers.

An Anson 1LB.I of EB 7 (Escuadrón de Bombarderos 7; Bomber Squadron 7) of the FAQ (Fuerza Aérea Qaraña), part of CFA - Este (Comando de la Fuerza Aérea - Este; Air Force Command - East) based at BA (Base Aérea; Air Base) Pasa de las Rocas, ca. 1937

The Blenheim MK I bomber entered RIWAF service in 1937 as the Blenheim 1MB.I, the Blenheim 1B.I servived in the Qaran Rebellion of 1937-1939, the Snow War of 1939-1940 and the Saqan Mercenary War of 1941. Some Blenheim Mk Is were converted into torpedo bombers, the Blenheim 1TB.I.

The Whitley 1MB began to enter service in 1937, and as with the Harrow and Wellesley, was a replacement for the Heyford in Home Islands squadrons, and was in Home Islands front-line bomber service until 1945, when they were relegated to training and second-line bomber squadrons, and to the colonies for bomber, training and transport service there.

In 1936 the Fairey Swordfish torpedo bomber entered service with the RIWAF and RIWFAA as the Swordfish 2TB, during the 1940s the Swordfish design was developed to fill other roles, these being a dive bomber, ASW bomber, a ground attack bomber armed with cannons or rockets and a fighter-bomber with extra forward-firing guns and cannons.
In late 1931 the Fairey Gordon entered service with the RIWAF as the Porpoise 2LB.V, the Mk V was a lighter and faster version of the Mk IV of 1928, but with a range of only 521 nautical miles, had less than half the range the Mk IV had, the Mk IVD having a range of 1,313 nautical miles, and thus the Mk V never completely replaced the Mk IV, especially in the colonial patrol and policing role. The Seal 2LB.I was the navalised variant of the Porpoise 2LB.V

In 1937 the Hawker Hurricane entered service as the Hurricane 1LF, they were used until the early 1950s, with a few still seeing service today, in the colonies. The Hurricane Mk I with two-bladed wooden propeller was designated Hurricane 1LF.I, the Mk I with three-bladed metal propeller was designated Hurricane 1LB.I* (referred to as the Hurricane 1LNF.I when used as a night fighter), the Hurricane Mk IIb was designated the Hurricane 1LF.II (referred to as the Hurricane 1LNF.II when used as a night fighter), the modified Mk IIb with two .5 machine guns and two 0.79 inch cannons was designated the Hurricane 1LF.II*, the Hurricane Mk IIc with four 0.79 inch Hispano Mk II cannons was designated Hurricane 1LF.IIB and the Hurricane Mk IV with two 1.6 inch cannons was designated the Hurricane 1LF.III. Each variant entered service in: 1937, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1942 and 1944, respectively. The Hurricane was very well regarded by their pilots. The Sea Hurricane was operated by the Royal Imperial Wardie land Fleet Air Arm, from carriers, CAM ships and from Royal Naval Air Stations. The Hurricane was affectionately known as the "Hurri" by the RIWAF, Hurricanes were supplied to Qara in 1939, during the tail end of the 1937-1939 Qaran Rebellion. Hurricanes were feared by Japanese pilots, bomber pilots, in particular, for the amount of Japanese bombers which fell to flights of Hurricanes. The last combat service of the Hurricane was as a ground attack aircraft in the Korean War.

In 1938 the Hurricane was modified, a three-bladed metal propeller replaced the original two-bladed wooden one, this was the Hurricane 1LF.I* (the * indicated a minor change), the Hurricane 1HP was a floatplane variant, these largely replaced the Gladiator 2HP.

A Hurricane 1LF.I* of the Imperial Home Air Force, ca. 1938

A Hurricane 1LF.I* of Imperial Home Air Force, ca. 1940

"Flying Lizard", the personal Hurricane 1LF.I* of Flight Officer Edward David Fields, commander of No. 118 (F) Squadron RIWAF, ca. 1941

"S For Shark", the personal Hurricane 1LF.I* of Flight Officer Michael Alexander Pickard, ca. 1942

A Hurricane 1LF.I* of the Imperial Home Air Force, ca. 1943

A Hurricane 1LF.II of No. 3 Squadron RIWFAA in flight along the coast of Capital Island, ca. 1942

Two relatively rare pilot's-view photograph of a Hurricane cockpit, believed to have been taken in 1939 or 1940, the second one was taken in a night fighter.

In 1938 the Spitfire Mk I entered service as the Spitfire 1LF.I, the Mk I saw action in the Qaran Rebellion, Third Snow War, Saqan Mercenary War and the Pacific War. The Mk II entered service in 1940 as the Spitfire 1LF.II, this was followed in 1941 by the Spitfire Mk Vb as the Spitfire 1LF.III (referred to as the Spitfire 1LNF.II when used as a night fighter), in 1942 both the Spitfire Mk Vc and the Spitfire Mk Vc four-cannon variants entered service as the Spitfire 1LF.III* and Spitfire 1LF.IIIB, respectively, the Mk Vc was notable for its Vokes sand filter, the Mk Vc served in Korea. The following year the Spitfire Mk VIII entered service as the Spitfire 1LF.IV. In 1944 the Spitfire Mk IXc and Spitfire Mk IXe which both entered service as the Spitfire 1LF.V and Spitfire 1LF.V*, respectively, the Spitfire Mk XIV entered service in 1945 as the Spitfire 1LF.VI, the Spitfire Mk XVIII followed the Mk XIV in 1947, as the Spitfire 1LF.VII, also entering service in 1947 was the Spitfire Mk XIX as the Spitfire 1LF.VIII, the Spitfire Mk 22 entered service as the Spitfire 1LF.IX, the final model to enter service was the Spitfire Mk 24, as the Spitfire 1LF.X, the 1LF.IV, 1LF.V, 1LF.VI, 1LF.VII, 1LF.VIII, 1LF.IX and 1LF.X variants saw action in Korea. The RIWFAA also used the Seafire - the navalised Spitfire. The Spitfire/Seafire was very popular with pilots, they were known for being highly effective against the lightly-armoured Japanese aircraft.

Two cockpit photos of the Spitfire, the second one was taken in a night fighter

A Spitfire 1LF.III of the Imperial Home Air Force, ca. 1942

A Spitfire 1LF.III Night fighter of the Imperial Night Fighter Corps, ca. 1942

A Spitfire 1LF.IIIB of the Imperial Desert Air Force, ca. 1943 - Note the Vokes air filter

In 1936 the Martin B-10 and the Douglas B-18 Bolo entered service with the RIWAF as the Daxton 1MB.I and the Bolo 1MB.I, respectively, they were modern bombers when they entered service, but quickly became fairly obsolete by the 1940s, despite this they were used in quite large numbers until the 1970s, when many were withdraw from military service or converted to transports.

In 1934, the RIWAF purchased thirty Curtiss T-32 Condor IIs for use as VIP transports and cargo aircraft. In RIWAF service they were designed the Condor 2GP.I. After being retired from military service in 1946 they were sold off to civilian airlines and private owners, the last civilian Condor was retired in 1964.

A Condor 2GP.I of A Flight, No. 939 (Transport) Squadron of RIWAF Transport Command, based at RIWAF Edmund's Lake, ca. March 1938

In 1938 Wardland was interested in the Polish PZL.37 medium bomber, Wardie land ordered 50 and a production licence, the planes were unable to be delivered due to Germany invading Poland, though the licence was received, Wardie land produced its own PZL.37s through to 1945, there were three variants, Elk 1MB.I with single tailplane, Elk 1MB.II with twin tailplanes and Elk 1HFB.I solid-nosed heavy fighter-bomber variant.

Also in 1938 the RIWAF purchased 200 Ju-52s, they were well respected for their general ease of flying and their reliability. In RIWAF service they were known as the Juliette 1GP.I, they served in a wide variety of roles, such as cargo transport, recon, paratrooper dropping, as an air ambulance, and as a personnel transport. 50 were permanently re-equipped with floats and served with Coastal Command as the Juliette 1HGP.I, they served in the recon and transport roles, they used their long range to patrol and supply the islands in the Capital Islands and Kiritari archipelagos.

A Juliette 1GP.I cockpit photo

A Juliette 1GP.I of the Imperial Desert Air Force, ca. 1940

A Juliette 1GP.I of the Imperial Northern Air Force, ca. 1941

Another Juliette 1GP.I of the Imperial Northern Air Force, ca. 1943

A Juliette 1HGP.I of Coastal Command, ca. 1941

In 1938 Wardie land purchased 50 Heinkel He-112B-0s from the Heinkel company, the He-112 was one of the most advanced and modern fighters in RIWAF service at the time, He-112s served in the Third Snow War of 1939-1940, where they often dominated the usually inferior Snow Land aircraft. He-112s also saw action through-out the Pacific War. He-112s were used as frontline fighters into either the late 1940s, or possibly the early 1950s. Surviving He-112s are shared amongst aviation museums and private fliers, the Imperial RIWAF Museum owns two, one which is a static display, and another which flies during displays. The He-112B-0 was designated Buzzard 1F.I

The first airframe of the He-112B-0 purchased by the RIWAF, operated by No. 99 (Fighter) Squadron RIWAF

This Buzzard was operated by No. 148 (Fighter) Squadron RIWAF during the Third Snow War.

Also in 1938 the RIWAF purchased 50 airframes of the Messerschmitt Bf-108 "Taifun" general purpose aircraft, which served in the communications, liaison, recon, light transport and advanced flight training roles. The aircraft were operated as the "Taifun 1GP.I". In 1941 the RIWAF converted some airframes into the "Taifun 1GP(F).I", an emergency fighter project involving mounting two machine gun pods under the wings, one pod under each wing, each containing four .303 Browning machine guns.

The Taifun was so popular that it remains it service today with civilians, and certain high-ranking officers of the air force, who use their own privately-owned Taifuns as their personal liaison aircraft.

This Taifun 1GP.I served as part of No. 1100 (Training) Squadron, RIWAF, based at RIWAF Oakham's Island, part of the Capital Islands archipelago, ca. 1941

A Taifun 1GP.I liaison aircraft that served with No. 683 (Transport) Squadron RIWAF, based at RIWAF Harrowsham, ca. 1943

The B-339E Buffalo entered service in 1941 as the Buffalo 1LF.I, the Buffalo originally saw service with the RIWFAA as well as the RIWAF, but the Buffalo proved too heavy for carrier operations, so the RIWFAA withdrew them from their escort carrier fighter squadrons, the ex-carrier fighter Buffalos were either given to land-based naval fighter squadrons, or to the RIWAF.

Quickly deemed obsolete for Home Islands service, the RIWAF typically used the Buffalo in the colonies. The Buffalo was hated by pilots and ground crew, the Buffalo had a tendency to overheat in hot weather, and its shocking service in the Southern and Eastern colonies meant it was quickly relegated to the chilly Northern Pacific continent of Winterland, where, at least, the constant overheating and poor reliability from the humidity of the jungle wasn't an issue, despite this, the Buffalo squadrons which fought in the first part of the Winterland Campaign were massacred, by which point the Buffaloes had all been palmed off to the Snow Landian Imperial Air Force, the Buffalo wasn't exactly missed by the RIWAF, either.

A former Buffalo pilot later remarked on the poor service of the Buffalo, and the desire for Buffalo squadrons to receive the Mohawk, and its contemparies: "The Buffalo is a delight to fly, but not as a combat plane! The Buffalo was woefully inadequate for service in the hot Pacific jungles, its ex-airliner engines were a nightmare for ground staff, they would constantly overheat, have oil problems, or just stop working all together, the Buffalo was too heavy to even keep up with the nimble Japanese fighters like the Zero and the Oscar, which would literally run rings around our fat Guppies of fighters, so we had to ditch just about everything to even stand a chance of keeping pace with them, the .5 inch guns, the armoured windscreen, half of the fuel and half of the ammo had to go, and even after all that you were unlikely to get a kill, because when your engine wasn't spewing oil all over your windscreen, your guns were jamming seemingly constantly, the guns weren't coated against the humidity of the jungle, and thus rusted.

Not that it mattered really, because we had trouble even getting them off the ground, thanks to their temperamental engines, the humidity taking its toll on the airframes, and the constant Japanese suprise raids which, thankfully, took out more and more of our Buffaloes until we were eventually exhausted of combat worthy aircraft and command simply decided to evacuate us in a transport plane, we left those wretched Buffaloes behind, and we didn't miss them either! If only we had Hurricanes, Spitfires, Mohawks, or even Gladiators, we may've been able to do something worthwhile against the Japanese invasion!"

The Buffalo had several derisive nicknames like the "Flying Coffin", "Fatty", "Hot Coffin" and the "Winged Barrel".

A Buffalo cockpit photo

A Buffalo 1LF.I of an unidentified advanced fighter training unit, ca. 1943

In late 1939 and early 1940 Wardie land captured numerous examples of the Polikarpov I-5 fighters from the Bolshevik Republic of Snowland. whose Red Air Force had used the type since 1932, Wardie land very briefly tested a couple, but deemed them as both surplus to RIWAF requirements and obsolete, so all of the Polikarpov I-5s were either sold to Qara, donated to the Republic of Telmansk Air Corps, or given to the Snowlandian Imperial Air Force, which operated them until 1943, the I-5 was unusual in that it was an aircraft operated by the RIWAF, albeit extremely briefly, but didn't receive a Wardian designation, the Wardian Imperial Air Ministry not even caring to give the type a designation due to considering the type too obsolete for worthwhile service and unfit for RIWAF service.

This Polikarpov I-5 was operated by the Bolshevik Republic of Snowland's Red Air Force during the East Island Campaign of 1st - 8th December 1939, this aircraft suffered engine problems from gunfire and was forced to land, after which it was captured, becoming one of the first KVS aircraft to be captured by Wardland. In 1941 the aircraft was given to the Republic of Telmansk Air Corps

by **Wardie land** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 6:17 pm

At the start of the 1940s the RIWAF had modernised and had largely moved onto monoplanes. The Spitfire, Hurricane and similar planes were entering more wide-spread service, the start of the 40s saw the Imperial Northern Air Force fighting the second half of the Third Snow War, which ended at the end of January 1940.

There was peace for a year and a half until mid 1941, when trouble flared up in Saqa again, a mercenary air force, on the pay roll of several former leaders of the 1933 Saqan Uprising, launced an attack against IDAF (Imperial Desert Air Force) bases in Saqa, the mercenaries were beaten, the traitorous rebel leaders were then killed when the RIWAF found their base and bombed it.

In mid 1942 a new aircraft marking set was adopted due to reports of friendly fire incidents in which the RAF roundel had been mistaken for the Hinomaru, whilst adoptng to the 1920 experimental roundel was considered, this roundel was rejected due to having a significant amount of red in it. Instead, what was adopted was the Type 1942 Aircraft Markings set. This set was simply a modified Type 1937 set with the red removed from it. Two variants of the 1942 markings are the Type 1942B Aircraft Markings set and the Type 1937/42 Aircraft Markings set, this was the designation given to the same modification of the Type 1937B set.

The Type 1942B Aircraft Markings set.

In 1944 Wardland introduced a new aircraft marking set, which was based on the Type 1942B set, but was made to look like the late-war CSAAF/CSN Pacific Theatre roundel.

On the 25th May 1942 Japan, one of Wardie land's closer allies, attempted to launch an invasion, which both shocked and saddened the public of Wardland, who considered Japan one of their closest allies. The RIWAF launched heavy bombers, medium bombers, dive bombers and torpedo bombers against the invasion fleet, some bombers were shot down by AA fire.

During 1942-1945 the RIWAF took part in the Pacific War, in both the Pacific and in the South-East Asian theatres, the RIWAF received several different models of captured Japanese aircraft during the war, some of which went on to see active military service, such as in Korea, for example. Whilst the more obsolete models served in passive roles, such as training, such as the Mitsubishi Ki-21. Because Japanese uses a completely different writing system to Western languages Japanese language experts had to translate the instrument panels, typically a translation was stuck over the Japanese writing, though on occasion entire instrument panels were taken out and refitted with ones produced with English writing and imperial units, though this was less common.

During the second half of the 1940s the RIWAF was increasingly looking at jet aircraft, though many remained unconvinced, and propeller aircraft remained the most common until the 1960s. The RIWAF received its first jet in 1946, when it received some Gloster Meteors, this was soon followed by some Lockhead P-80A Shooting Stars.

In 1940 both the Jezik 1MB and Moscuvoy 1QB entered service, which were Ilyushin DB-3s and Tupolev SBs, respectively, that had been captured from Snow Land, they were named after the two towns of Jezik and Muscovy in Snow Land. There were two main variants of Jezik and Moscuvoy bombers, the Jezik 1MB.I, which was the Ilyushin DB-3, the Jezik 1MB.II, which was the Ilyushin DB-3F/Il-4 the Morscuvoy 1QB.I, which was the SB-2M-100A, which had Klimov M-100A radial engines, and the Moscuvoy 1QB.II, which was the SB-2M-103, and had Klimov M-103 inline engines. Both bombers served in the Saqan Mercenary War, and during the Pacific War. They were obsolete by this time, and often took casualties to Japanese fighters, following this the majority of the remaining Moscuvoy bombers were sold to Qara, who used them into the second half of the 1940s. They were also uses by the Republic of Telmansk Air Corps from 1943 to 1952.

Following obsolescence both bombers often served as training aircraft or as transports, a dedicated transport variant being the Moscuvoy 1C, which had its gun turrets removed, in the post-war period the Moscuvoy was often used as a transport in the colonies, where they were used as such into the 1960s, for this service they are particularly famous for flying in supplies for isolated communities in the colonies, a particularly well known user of the Moscuvoy 1C for this purpose was Imperial Qijati Air Freight, the largest air freight company in the Western Colonies.

A Moscuvoy 1QB.I cockpit photo

A Moscuvoy 1QB.I of the Imperial Home Air Force, ca. 1940

A Moscuvoy 1QB.I of the Imperial Desert Air Force, ca. 1941

A Moscuvoy 1QB.I of the Republic of Telmansk Air Corps, ca. 1948

In addition to the Tupolev SB Wardie land also made use of other aircraft captured from Snow Land, with example from mainly Polikarpov types, such as the Polikarpov I-15bis (Snub 2F.II), Polikarpov I-153 (Chaika 2F), Polikarpov I-16 Type 5 (Fly 1F.I), Polikarpov I-16 Type 6 (Fly 1F.II) and the Polikarpov R-1, the majority of these aircraft were given to Wardie land's allies, such as the Snowlandian Imperial Air Force and the Qaran Air Force, though the RIWAF made use of the Fly 1F.II as a night fighter until late 1942, when the last of them were passed to Wardie land's allies.

A Fly 1F.II night fighter cockpit

A Fly 1F.II night fighter, ca. 1941

In 1940 the RIWAF exhibited an interest in the Dewoitine D.520 and the Bloch MB.152. The RIWAF purchased a hundred of each, though only fifty of each were delivered after the Fall of France. The D.520 was designated the Dordogne 1LF.I, they served in the Capital Islands and in the Western Colonies.

A pilot's eye view of the Dordogne 1LF.I cockpit

An early Dordogne 1LF.I shortly after being delivered, wearing the prototype paint scheme.

A Dordogne 1LF.I of the Imperial Desert Air Force, ca. 1941

At a very similar time the RIWAF expressed an interest in the Amiot 354 and Lioré et Olivier LeO.451 bombers, thirty of each were purchased. LeO.451s in Wardian service were designated the Larktreesham 1MB.I. The Wardian examples were refitted with English language dials in the Imperial measurement system. Two variants included the experimental Larktreesham 1HFB.I, a Heavy Fighter-Bomber variant with a solid nose containing six .5 calibre Browning M2s or four 20mm Hispano cannons (Larktreesham 1HFB.I and 1HFB.I*, respectively), and the Larktreesham 1C.I, a dedicated transport variant which removed the bomb aimer's station and the gun turrets and replaced them with extra cargo space, the Larktreesham 1C.I served with both RIWAF Transport Command and private owners, especially after the military examples were sold off in the 1950s.

The first Larktreesham 1MB.I received by the RIWAF, tested by the XCAD in prototype markings, ca. August 1940

A Larktreesham 1MB.I of No. 940 (Bomber) Squadron RIWAF, based at RIWAF Gruntal, ca. October 1941

Also in 1940 Wardland purchased two examples of the Bf-110C-4, the aircraft had their guns replaced with more available standard issue ones, the machine guns were replaced with .5 M2 Brownings and the cannons were replaced with Hispano-Suiza HS.404s. They were designated the Dragonfly 1HF.I.

A Dragonfly cockpit photo

One of the two Dragonfly prototypes operated by B Flight, No. 350 Squadron, Experimental and Captured Aircraft Division, ca. 1940

Also in 1940 the RIWAF purchased a batch of two hundred Fiat CR-42s and Reggiane Re-2000s, which were designated the Goshawk 2LF.I and the Falcon 1LF.I, respectively, which were re-equipped locally with Imperial system measurement gauges and English language dials. Both served in the Saqan Mercenary War, before being retasked with second-line combat roles, night fighting, and as advanced trainers in late 1941.

A Goshawk 2LF.I cockpit photo, featuring a pre-modification cockpit panel:

A Goshawk 2LF.I of an Imperial Home Air Force home defence flight, ca. 1943

Two Goshawk 2LF.Is of an unkown Imperial Night Fighter Corps flight, ca. mid 1942

Another Goshawk 2LF.I of an unidentified night fighter unit, ca. September 1942

A Falcon 1LF.I cockpit photo

A Falcon 1LF.I of the Imperial Home Air Force, 1941

A Falcon 1LF.I of the Imperial Desert Air Force, ca. 1941

In the early 1940s the 1930s passenger plane, the Dragon Rapide entered service with the RIWAF, RIWAAC and RIWFAA as the Dominie, the Dominie in RIWAF and RIWFAA service was called Dominie 2CC(C) (denoting Communications and Transport), however in RIWAAC service the Dominie was known as the Dominie 2AL, the Dominie was largely used for liaison and casualty evacuation.

The Dominie was developed into a transport bomber, and a recon plane. Dominie recon planes and transport bombers were frequently used in the colonies, and some are still in use.

A Dominie of A Flight, No. 1599 (T) Flight of RIWAF Transport Command, based at RIWAF Castle Jenner on South Island, ca. 1941

A Dominie of C Flight, No. 1666 (T) Flight of the Imperial Southern Air Force, RIWAF Transport Command, based at RIWAF Jalakata, ca. 1942

In 1941 Wardie land began received the Westland Lysander, famous for its short take-off and landing capabilities, the Lysander was exceptionally regarded and extremely popular amongst pilots in the colonial environments, such as the Pacific island colonies, where landing strips were off rough stretches of dirt, some Lysanders were fitted with bombs and used as ground attack aircraft.

In late 1941 Wardie land received the licence to produce Vickers Wellington bombers, the Wellingtons served primarily with the Imperial Independent Night Bomber Force and RIWAF Coastal Command, but also saw service with the Imperial Home Air Force and the Imperial Oriental Air Force in the day bomber role.

Around the same time Wardie land also purchased a licence to build Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bombers, Wardie land produced the Whitley Mk I as the Whitley 1MB.I, the Whitley Mk V as the Whitley 1MB.II and the Whitley Mk VII as the Whitley 1ASW.I, the Whitley was mostly used by the Imperial Independent Night Bomber Force, but was also used by Coastal Command and as a day bomber in the colonies.

In 1940 the decision to buy the A6M Zero was reached, the Zero 1F.I, as the A6M2 was named in Wardie land service, was both a carrier fighter for the RIWFAA and a land-based fighter for the RIWAF, the RIWFAA also used a seaplane variant. The RIWAF Zeroes were supplemented by another Japanese fighter design, the Ki-43 Oscar, in 1941. Some Zeroes were later captured during the Pacific War, especially during the latter part of it, when Japan was forced to fly them from land bases due to the lack of carriers. A few RIWAF Zeroes saw limited action in the Korean War, primarily in the fighter-bomber role, they also conducted strafing runs against light vehicles and airbases. Wardian Zeroes had their wing-mounted cannons replaced with Hispano-Suiza HS.404s, the standard aircraft cannon used by Wardland, and typically had their nose guns replaced with 0.303 Brownings, though the Zero 1F.I* variant had these replaced with .5 M2 Browning machine guns for extra firepower.

A photo of a Zero cockpit

A RIWAF Zero 1F.I of the Imperial Home Air Force, ca. 1941, note camo and pre-war roundels

Throughout WW2 Wardie land captured some A6M2-N "Rufe" seaplanes, they were most often used by RIWAF Coastal Command, though some were also used by the Royal Imperial Wardie land Navy, in RIWAF service they based at Coastal Command installations or isolated seaplane bases, in Naval service they were deployed from naval land-based installations, but they were also deployed from seaplane carriers, this example was captured in 1944, note the unusual US-style roundels, in order to avoid confusion with the Japanese Hinomaru.

In 1941, Wardland purchased some Nakajima B5N2 "Kate" carrier bombers, the Kates were used by the both the Fleet Air Arm - who used them as both carrier aircraft and coastal bomber, and RIWAF Coastal Command, who used them in much of a similar manner to the coastal-based Fleet Air Arm ones.

The cockpit of the Kate 1TB.I

A torpedo-armed Kate 1TB.I of Coastal Command, ca. 1941

A Kate of the Imperial Desert Air Force, ca. 1941

Also in 1940 Wardie land purchased some Mitsubishi G4M1s, Wardie land liked the range and speed of the G4M, though the RIWAF crews didn't like the lack of armour or self-sealing fuel tanks, RIWAF crews began calling the G4M by its popular Allied nicknames - "Betty" and the "One-Shot Lighter". Despite its cons the G4M remained in service, G4Ms torpedoed the landing ships that attempted to invade Wardie land, and bombed Japanese island bases, one positive of using the G4M was that the Japanese often did not realise that the G4M force was not Japanese until it was too late, on the flip side of the coin Wardie land G4Ms were occasionally attacked by friendly ground forces or fighters.

During the war several G4M2s were captured at bases in the Pacific and South-East Asia, the G4M2 had revised armament which meant that the defensive guns were more effective. Both G4M1s and G4M2s served in the Pacific War and, in limited numbers, in Korea. The G4M1 was designated Betty 1MB.I, whilst the G4M2 was designated Betty 1MB.II

A cockpit photo of a Betty bomber.

A Betty 1MB.I of an unidentified Bomber Command unit, ca. 1944 - note the usage of Type 1942B roundels.

In late 1941 Wardie land purchased 20 Nakajima Ki-43-Ia Oscar fighters, these were designated Oscar 1F.I, this was equipped with 2x 7.7mm (0.303) Type 89 machine guns, a copy of the Vickers Type E machine gun, and used a round almost identical to the 0.303 British round, Wardie land's most common round. Later, some Ki-43s were captured in South-East Asia, these were of three different variants, the Ki-43-Ic (designated Oscar 1F.II), the Ki-43-IIa (designated Oscar 1FB.I) and the Ki-43-IIb (designated Oscar 1FB.II). A few of the captured Oscars later served in Korea as fighter-bombers.

The Ki-43 was popular for its speed and manoeuvrability, as well as its light weight and easiness to fly, however it was criticised for its lack of armour or self-sealing fuel tanks, as was a common complaint about Japanese aircraft.

A photo of an early model Oscar's cockpit

An Oscar 1F.I of the Imperial Home Air Force, ca. late 1942

A photo of a late model Oscar's cockpit

An Oscar 1FB.II of No. 352 (Enemy Aircraft) Flight RIWAF, XCAD, ca. 1944

A Japanese plane captured in South-East Asia and put into service was the Kawasaki Ki-45, this main variant that was captured was the Ki-45-Kai-Ko, designated Nick 1HFB.I, this was followed by the Ki-45-Kai-Hei, designated Nick 1HF.II, of which a dozen were captured from a large supply of abandoned Ki-45s in Singapore in September 1945. Both variants of the Ki-45 saw limited action in the Korean War, primarily as a second-line bomber interceptor, though also serve as a frontline interceptor in less hostile regions, where interception by North Korean fighters was unlikely. A few also served as light ground-attack aircraft, used for strafing enemy troop formations and light vehicles. The Nick 1HFB.I was used as both a heavy fighter-bomber and bomber interceptor in the Home Islands/Pacific and the Western Colonies.

Two Nick 1HFB.I cockpit photos

A Nick 1HFB.I of the Imperial Home Air Force, ca. 1943

A Nick 1HFB.I of the Imperial Desert Air Force, ca. 1943

In 1943 Wardland captured some early model KI-61-I-Ko Hien ("Tony") fighters, these were shipped back to the Home Islands and tested by the Experimental and Captured Aircraft Divions (XCAD).

Two Tony cockpit photos taken by the XCAD

A Tony 1FB.I (Ki-61-I-Ko) of the XCAD, ca. 1943

Kawasaki Ki-48, some Ki-48 light bombers were captured in South-East Asia, they served in WW2 and even in Korea in limited numbers, they served as trainers into the late 1950s.

In 1942 Wardie land received some Mosquito B Mk IVs as the Mosquito 1MB.I, these were followed in late 1942 by the Mosquito FB Mk VI as the Mosquito 1HFB.I. Owing to the issues facing Mosquitos in the Pacific, they only saw a short service life outside of the Northern Colonies, all Mosquito squadrons having being transferred to the Imperial Northern Air Force by mid-1944. Wardland preferred to use the Beaufighter in the Home Islands, as well as in the Southern and Oriental colonies, thanks to the survivability of its all-metal airframe in the Pacific climate.

A photo of a Mosquito 1HFB.I cockpit

A Mosquito 1HFB.I of the Imperial Home Air Force, ca. 1942

The Douglas Boston (A-20 Havoc) entered service in 1940 with the RIWAF, the first variant to enter service with the RIWAF was the Boston Mk III (DB-7B), as the Boston 1LB.I, this was followed by the Boston Mk IIIA (A-20C), which entered service as the Boston 1LB.I*. Following the British designation system, night-fighter variants were referred to as the Havoc. Bostons acted as both level bombers and heavy torpedo bombers. Whilst all types could be used in the torpedo bomber role it was solid-nosed A-20Gs (Boston 1LB.IIs) which often served as dedicated Boston torpedo bombers later in the war, there was a specialised torpedo bomber variant of the 1LB.II - the Boston 1TB.II

Despite the Havocs being dedicated heavy fighters, there were cases of Bostons acting as fighters as well, such as during the attempted Japanese invasion of the Home Islands in May 1942, some Boston 1LB.I*s used their appreciable speed to hunt down Japanese bombers which were on their way to bomb Capital Bay following the expenditure of their ordnance, the Boston's four 0.303 Browning fixed forward-firing guns were found to be particularly successful against the Aichi D3As and Nakajima B5Ns.

A photo of a Boston cockpit

A Boston 1TB.I* of No. 290 (Coastal Bomber) Squadron of RIWAF Coastal Command during torpedo bomber training, ca. 1941

A Boston 1LB.I* of the Imperial Oriental Air Force, ca. 1943 - Note the elaborate camouflage scheme

A Boston 1LB.I* of the Imperial Desert Air Force, ca. 1943

In 1941 the Bristol Beaufighter Mk IF entered service as the Beaufighter 1HNF.I, this was followed by the Beaufighter Mk VIF as the Beaufighter 1HNF.II, next came the Beaufighter Mk VI (ITF) as the Beaufighter 1HTF.I, after this came the Beaufighter TF Mk X as the Beaufighter 1HTF.II, finally came the Beaufighter Mk 21 as the Beaufighter 1HTF.III, the 1HTF.III also saw action as a fighter-bomber and a night fighter.

A cockpit photo of the Beaufighter

A prototype of the Beaufighter 1HTF.III, ca. early 1944

A Beaufighter 1HTF.III of the Imperial Home Air Force taking off to perform bombing practice, ca. mid 1944

A Beaufighter 1HTF.III of Imperial Coastal Command conducting torpedo bomber training, ca. 1944.

In mid 1941 the first examples of the Consolidated Liberator entered RIWAF service, these were 5 LB-30A/YB-24s, which were designated Liberator 1HB.I, these pre-production Liberators were declared unfit for combat and were soon withdrawn from frontline combat roles, though they saw very limited action in the Saqan Mercenary War, they were either passed to RIWAF Transport Command to serve as long-range armed transports, the Liberator 1C.I, or to Coastal Command, where they became a dedicated heavy anti-submarine aircraft, the Liberator 1AS.I. The Liberator was less robust than the Fortress, but still rather well regarded by their crews. The B-24C was designated Libertator 1HB.II, the B-24D was designated Liberator 1HB.III, the C-87 derivative of the B-24D was designated Liberator 1C.II.

Two photographs of a Liberator cockpit, the second one was taken in a night bomber

A rare colour photo of a Liberator 1HB.I.

A Liberator 1HB.III of RIWAF Coastal Command, ca. 1942

A Liberator 1HB.III of the Imperial Independent Night Bomber Force, ca. 1942

A Liberator 1HB.III named "Lady Libby" of No. 39 (Bomber) Squadron RIWAF, based at RIWAF Clearing, ca. 1943

A Liberator 1HB.III named "S" For "Strut" of No. 398 (Bomber) Squadron RIWAF, based at RIWAF Uluripuri, ca. 1943

In 1941 both the RIWAF and RIWFAA introduced the SBD Dauntless, the original model was the SBD-3, which was introduced as the Dauntless 1DB.I, this was followed by the SBD-5 as the Dauntless 1DB.II. Aside from being used as a dive bomber the Dauntless also saw usage as an anti-submarine aircraft and even as a fighter.

A Dauntless 1DB.I cockpit photo

A Dauntless 1DB.I of the RIWAF, ca. 1941

A Dauntless 1DB.II cockpit photo

A Dauntless 1DB.II of the Imperial Southern Air Force, ca. 1943

In 1944 the RIWAF purchased a 30 examples of the MC-205 fighter to evaluate them. They were mostly operated by the XCAD, though a few entered squadron service. They were referred to as the Greyhound 1LF.I.

A Greyhound 1LF.I cockpit

A Greyhound 1LF.I of the Imperial Home Air Force, ca. 1944

The Fokker G.IB entered service as the Reaper 1HF in 1940, the G.I was best remembered for having an armament of eight forward-firing machine guns in the nose, 1 in the rear turret, and an optional 880 lbs of bombs. When Holland was invaded by Germany in May 1940 the order was cancelled, as Holland took over the order in order to boost their own fighter defences, following the occupation Wardland's embassy in Germany asked to continue the order, Germany agreed, thus Wardland received the Reapears in mid-1940, and then produced locally-made copies of the design.

The Curtiss Hawk 81A-1 originally entered service in 1940 as the Tomahawk 1LF.I, these were replaced in frontline service by the Tomahawk Mk IIA entered service in 1941 as the Tomahawk 1LF.I*, the Tomahawk served in all of the different Air Forces, from the Northern Colonies in Winterland, to Selaspurbang in the Southern Colonies. The P-40E later entered service in 1943 as the Tomahawk 1LF.II.

A cockpit photo of a Tomahawk 1LF.I*

A Tomahawk 1LF.I* of the Imperial Home Air Force, ca. 1941

A Tomahawk 1LF.I* of the Imperial Desert Air Force, ca. 1941

Entering service in 1940 was the Curtiss Hawk 75A-3 and A-4 as the Mohawk 1LFB.I and Mohawk 1LFB.II, respectively, the Mohawk was much liked by their pilots, Mohawks are famous for their role in stalling the Japanese aerial campaign during the Western Kiritaris Campaign of 1942, in which they fought a defensive action against the Japanese whilst being pushed back across the Western Kiritari archipelago.

Many squadrons based in the Southern and Eastern colonies which were using Buffaloes during the outbreak of the Pacific War had their aircraft replaced by Mohawks due to the Buffalo's ineffectiveness and its poor performance against its contemparies, a swap they were only too happy to receive, the poor combat record of the Buffalo in the Pacific, including the RIWAF squadrons unfortunate enough to be stuck with the Buffalo during the Japanese suprise attack of May 1942, proved to the RIWAF general staff that their decision to replace the Buffalo with better aircraft to be correct, the Buffaloes that remained were either scrapped, given to training squadrons, or palmed off to RIWAF and SLIAF squadrons in the Northern colonies, where they would later be slaughtered by Japanese fighters during the Winterland Campaign, the final nail in the coffin for the Buffalo in RIWAF combat service.

A Mohawk 1LFB.I cockpit

A Mohawk 1LFB.I of the Imperial Home Air Force, ca. 1942

In 1942 Wardland began receiving the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the original received variant was the B-25C, which entered service as the Mitchell 1MB.I, this was followed by the B-25D as the Mitchell 1MB.II, and the B-25J as the Mitchell 1MB.III. Some Mitchells were converted into torpedo bombers, the Mitchell 1TB.I.

A Mitchell cockpit photo

A Mitchell 1MB.III of the Imperial Home Air Force, ca. 1944

In 1943 the RIWAF purchased some P-51Bs, which entered service as the Mustang 1LFB.I.

A Mustang 1LFB.I cockpit photo

An early Mustang 1LFB.I of an unidentified fighter training squadron, ca. 1944

In mid 1941 the RIWAF received the Bell P-400 Airacobra, as the Airacobra 1LFB.I (this variant effectively being a P-39D with 0.303 Browning guns instead of 0.30 Brownings, as well as a 0.79 inch Hispano cannon firing through the propeller hub, rather than the 1.46 inch cannon), though the Airacobra had problems with high-altitude dogfighting, due to the lack of a supercharger, the Airacobra served well enough at low level, early first-generation Airacobras received by the RIWAF served in the Saqan Mercenary War, where they gave a rather good account for themselves, they also served in the Pacific and Far Eastern theatres in WW2, Wardie land also received the P-39N-1 as the Aircobra 1LFB.II, as well as the P-39Q-1 and P-39Q-10 as the Airacobra 1LFB.III and Airacobra 1LFB.IV, respectively. The RIWAF was sufficiently impressed with the Airacobra to order Bell's improved model, the P-63 Kingcobra.

A pilot's-perspective photo of an Airacobra cockpit.

An early Airacobra 1LFB.I of the Imperial Home Air Force, ca. 1941.

An Airacobra 1LFB.I of the Imperial Southern Air Force, ca. 1942. Note the shark mouth nose art.

An Airacobra 1LFB.I of the Imperial Oriental Air Force, ca. 1943 (Note the unusual usage of pre-1942 markings)

In 1942 the RIWAF was supplied several hundred C-46 "Commando" transports, the Commando 1C was very popular across the RIWAF for its ruggedness, and for being able to carry twice the amount of cargo as the Dakota, these qualities means that the Commando is a still a very popular transport aircraft, especially in the colonies, where rugged aircraft are much preferred over fragile technologically-advanced aircraft. A paratrooper variant of the Commando, the Commando 1A.I, was also used by the RIWAF, the Commando 1A was invaluable for dropping paratroopers on both isolated islands and to serve as a forward force in order to capture the beaches targeted for landings ahead of the main landing force, the use of paratroopers to capture isolated islands and to make havoc for the enemy prior to the arrival of the main force was a large part of Wardie land's island-liberating tactics. Commandos were also supplied by Wardie land to the Fuerza Aérea Qaraña.

A Commando 1C.I of ET 14 (Escuadrón de Transportes 14; Transport Squadron 14) of the Qaran Air Force, based at BA San Teresa, ca. 1949

Also in 1942 the Lightning became to enter service, the first model to enter service was the P-38F, which was designated the Lightning 1FB.I, this was followed in 1943 by the P-38J as the Lightning 1FB.II.

A Lightning cockpit photo

A Lightning 1FB.II of the Imperial Southern Air Force, ca. 1943

A Lightning 1FB.II of the Imperial Oriental Air Force, ca. 1943

A Lightning 1FB.II of the Imperial Desert Air Force, ca. 1943

Another Lightning 1FB.III of the Imperial Desert Air Force, ca. 1943

In early 1944, the RIWAF received some P-63As, which were designated the Kingcobra 1LFB.I, later in 1944 the RIWAF received the P-63C-5, which was designated Kingcobra 1LFB.II, a local variant, the Kingcobra 1LFB.II*, had a 0.79 inch Hispano cannon installed in the propeller hub, rather than the 1.46 inch M4 Cannon. The Kingcobra was rather well liked by pilots. A local experimental variant was the Sea Cobra 1LFB.I, this was a 1945 prototype for a carrier-borne Kingcobra, the experiment went no further than a couple of test flights, it was decided that the Sea Cobra was in no way better than the Seafire already in service, and the project was cancelled, the Sea Cobra later served with land-based No. 10 RIWFAA squadron until 1948. The Kingcobra also saw limited service in Korea, primarily in the ground attack role.

A Kingcobra cockpit photo

A Kingcobra 1LFB.II of the Imperial Home Air Force, ca. 1944

Another Kingcobra 1LFB.II of the Imperial Home Air Force, ca. 1944

Later in 1944 the Hawker Tempest, both the Mk II and Mk V, began to enter service as the Tempest 1HFB.II and Tempest 1HFB.I, respectively, the Tempest was much loved by pilots for its power, speed and handling characteristics, Tempests served into the early 1960s as fighter-bombers, some continue to serve as personal mounts of high-ranking air force personnel.

Two Tempest cockpit photos

One of the first Tempest Mk. Vs purchased by the RIWAF, ca. September, 1944. Note the prototype paint scheme and marks.

Two Tempest Mk. Vs of the Imperial Northern Air Forca, ca. 1945

Another plane entering service in 1941 was the Handley Page Halifax, which entered service in May 1941 as the Halifax 1B, the first model to enter service was the Halifax Mk I, which entered service as the Halifax 1B.I, this was followed by the Mk II (Halifax 1B.II) and, in 1943, the Mk III (Halifax 1B.III), which introduced rectangular fins and a more aerodynamic Perspex nose, then came the Halifax Mk V (Halifax 1B.IV) and the Halifax GR.V (Halifax 1B.V) for RIWAF Coastal Command. There were numerous transport and specialised variants.

Some Halifax cargo conversions remain in use with civilian light cargo transport companies, some Halifaxes have also been converted to passenger planes and are used by smaller airlines in the Home Islands and the colonies.

Also entering service in 1941 was the Avro Manchester, a twin-engine medium bomber and predecessor to the Lancaster heavy bomber which entered service the following year, the Manchester entered service in early 1941, a few months after entering RAF service, the Manchester 1MB.I was equipped with Rolls-Royce Vulture engines, which were unreliable and underpowered, so the engines were upgraded to Napier Sabre or Bristol Centaurus engines for the Manchester 1MB.II, the Manchester 1MB.III was equipped with 4x Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, and was the first prototype for the Lancaster, the II and III models were far superior to the original variant, and were well-regarded by their crews, Manchesters served in all four corners of Wardie land and the Empire.

In early 1947 the RIWAF received some P-80A shooting stars as the Shooting Star 1LF.I, the Shooting Star served in Korea, in both ground attack and aerial combat roles.

A Shooting Star cockpit photo

A RIWAF Shooting Star 1LF.I, ca. 1947

In 1947 the RIWAF negotiated the purchase of two Me-262A-1as from the USAF and the RAF, these two examples were copied and a production run began, these used 20mm Hispano cannons in place of the 30mm cannons of the original, for logistical reasons, the copies also used English language and Imperial unit cockpit panels and dials, this was followed by a run of copied Me-262A-2as, the Me-262A-1a copies were designated Swallow 1F.I and the Me-262A-2a copies were designated Swallow 1FB.I, both variants served in Korea.

A Swallow cockpit photo

A Swallow 1F.I of the RIWAF, ca. 1947

by **Wardie land** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 7:07 pm

The RIWAF began the 1950s supplying the Republic of China Air Force, as well as taking part in the Korean War, the 1950s saw the widespread introduction of jet aircraft.

In 1950 a PLAAF MiG-9FS pilot on a patrol mission out in the South China Sea, far from China's south-eastern coast got lost in a heavy fog bank, not knowing where he was he decided to fly to the west, hoping he could at least find land, and eventually broke from the fog near a coastline he didn't recognise, low on fuel he became desperate to find a place to land, the jungles and hilly terrain made it impossible to attempt a forced landing, but he fortunately managed to find an airfield, but was then met by de Havilland Vampires of the Royal Imperial Wardian Air Force, who had scrambled to intercept the unknown aircraft, unable to flee due to both a lack of fuel and fears of instigating hostile action against him, the pilot decided to stay put and listen to what the Wardian pilots had to say. For straying within Wardian territory, territory of Wardie land's Oriental Colonies, located to the south of China, to be exact, he was forced to explain his presence, after hearing he was low on fuel the Wardian pilots demanded he land with them, he did so and was captured, his aircraft was impounded.

The pilot was released and returned to China, but Wardie land kept the plane, being highly interested in learning about the aircraft, the plane had her Chinese markings hastily painted over and replaced with RIWAF ones and was sent back to Capital Island for study. The aircraft was tested and inspected, following which the plane was used as an "aggressor" fighter in combat training missions, the plane was finally retired in 1960 and was donated to the Royal Imperial Aviation Museum on the outskirts of New London.

Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy, the Argosy was a transport aircraft used by RIWAF Transport Command from 1952 to 2002, a few Argosy aircraft remain in service with cargo transport companies.

de Havilland Comet, the Comet was used as a personnel transport between 1954 and 1999.

*to be expanded*

by **Wardie land** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 7:07 pm

In the mid 1960s the RIWAF and the RIWFAA began receiving the A-4E Skyhawk (which was locally modified into specific Air Force and Naval variants, the RIWAF variant had the arrestor hook removed, this was the Skyhawk 1LFB.I, the RIWFAA variant, naturally, kept the arrestor hook, as the variant served as a carrier fighter-bomber, this variant was known as the Seahawk 1FB.I), these local variants both had the two 0.79 inch Colt Mk 12 cannons replaced with two 1.18 inch ADEN cannons, which was the standard RIWAF cannon at the time, and remains so to this day.

Several years later, at the start of the 1970s, Wardie land received the A-4F, which was a refinement of the A-4E with a more powerful engine, with extra avionics fitted in a hump on the fuselage spine, as with the original Skyhawk model received by Wardie land these aircraft were modified into both Air Force and Fleet Air Arm variants, the Skyhawk 1LFB.II and Seahawk 1FB.II, respectively. The Skyhawk was particular popular with pilots, due to its speed and manoeuvrability. The Skyhawk is still highly regarded by their pilots for their speed and manoeuvrability, the Skyhawk is still in service today.

A Skyhawk 1LFB.I

A Seahawk 1FB.I

In 1965 Wardie land purchased 300 F-5A Freedom Fighters as the Freedom Fighter 1LFB.I, highly regarded by their pilots, the F-5A currently remains in RIWAF service, along with the F-5E Tiger II which was purchased in the 1970s as the Freedom Fighter 1LFB.II. The RIWFAA also operates navalised F-5As and F-5Es as the Sea Fighter 1FB.I and Sea Fighter 1FB.II, respectively. Coastal Command operates F-5E Tiger IIs as light anti-ship fighter-bombers, most Coastal Command Tiger IIs wear either blue camouflage or solid dark blue paint, in order to camouflage the fighter against the ocean.

A Freedom Fighter 1LFB.I (F-5A Freedom Fighter) of No. 717 Squadron RIWAF, based at RIWAF New Thirsk, ca. 2016

A Freedom Fighter 1LFB.II of the Imperial Home Air Force, ca. 2020

A Freedom Fighter 1LFB.II of A Flight, No. 822 Squadron RIWAF Coastal Command, ca. 2019

Another Coastal Command Freedom Fighter 1LFB.II, ca. 2020

A Freedom Fighter 1LFB.II of the Imperial Home Air Force, ca. 2018

Around the same time Wardie land purchased some F-4E Phantom II fighter-bombers as the Phantom 1HFB.I, as well as the export-only RF-4E unarmed recon model as the Phantom 1PR.I, despite the Phantom's weight the type is popular with RIWAF pilots, F-4Es are still in service with the RIWAF, alongside the F-4G, which is designated Phantom 1HFB.II, despite more modern models having entered service since. On a side note, the Royal Imperial Wardie land Fleet Air Arm uses the F-4K and the F-4M as the Sea Phantom 1FB.I and Sea Phantom 1FB.II, respectively, these types differ from the air force models by their use of Rolls-Royce Spey engines and the lack of a nose-mounted cannon, instead having to use gun pods, the Sea Phantom remains in service on second-line aircraft carriers.

A Phantom 1PR.I of No. 2717 (Photo Reconnaissance) Flight RIWAF, based at RIWAF Beckby, ca. 2013

A Phantom 1HFB.I of No. 110 (Fighter-Bomber) Squadron RIWAF, based at RIWAF Shepdale, ca. 2015

A Phantom 1HFB.I of No. 339 (Fighter-Bomber) Squadron RIWAF, based at RIWAF Pandak Raya, ca. 1999

In 1966 the RIWAF began operating the de Havilland DHC-4 Caribou STOL transport aircraft as the Caribou 1C. the Caribou is well respected for its ruggedness and STOL capabilities, and remains in both RIWAF and civilian service, particularly in colonial regions with few developed runways.

*work in progress*

by **Wardie land** » Thu Jul 06, 2017 5:40 am

The first half 1970s saw the RIWAF serving in Vietnam until the victory of the Western forces over the Communist north in 1975, the north having crumbled under ceaseless air attacks on Hanoi, a large-scale allied push towards Hanoi following the end of the Tet Offensive, and numerous attacks on the Ho Chi Minh trail having starved NVA and Viet Cong supplies, a battered and broken north reluctantly agreed to a ceasefire, and the democratic Republic of Vietnam ruled a unified Vietnam, which was viewed as a victory of Democracy over Communism, with the Vietnam War won the Vietnam and Oriental Expeditionary Air Force (VOEAF) was disbanded, and former VOEAF units returned to their original commands, the Imperial Oriental Air Force and the Imperial Southern Air Force.

In the early 1970s the RIWAF was interested in the Mirage III, and decided to purchase a few Mirage IIIEs with local modifications e.g. ADEN Cannons instead of DEFA cannons, English-language cockpit text and Imperial units. The RIWAF was impressed and purchased more, the Mirage IIIEWL (Wardie land domestic variant of the Mirage IIIE) was known as the Mirage 1LFB(I).I, the Mirage was used as a fighter-bomber and interceptor, Mirage IIIs have been largely replaced in Home Islands squadrons, but some colonial squadrons still use them.

A Mirage 1LFB(I).I of B Flight, No. 288 (F) Squadron, based at RIWAF Kennton ca. 1973

In 1979 the RIWAF purchased some Mirage 5s, with the same local modifications as the Mirage III, this aircaft was designated the Mirage 1LFB(I).II, and much like the Mirage III are still in limited service.

A Mirage 1LFB(I).II of A Flight, No. 198 (F) Squadron, ca. 1980

A Mirage 1LFB(I).II of A Flight, No. 668 Squadron of the Imperial Desert Air Force, ca. 1999

A Mirage 1LFB(I).II of D Flight, No. 150 (F) Squadron of the Imperial Home Air Force, ca. 2013

Entering service in the late 1970s was the BAe Hawk Mk. 50 as the Hawk 1FB(T).I, the 1FB(T).I is primarly used as an advanced trainer, but is also able to perform in a limited attacker capacity, this variant, as well as the other Hawk variants, remains in service, but is gradually being replaced in Home Islands Hawk squadrons by the Mk III and Mk IV variants, though the Mk. 50 remains the primary Hawk variant used by colonial jet trainer squadrons. The Mk. 50 was followed by the Mk. 60 in the early 1980s as the Hawk 1FB(T).II, after this came the Hawk Mk. 127 in the late 1980s as the Hawk 1FB(T).III, this was followed in the 1990s by the BAe Hawk Mk. 209 as the Hawk 1FB(T).IV, currently (2017) the most recent Hawk variant to enter service is the BAe Hawk Mk. 208, which only differs from the Mk. 209 by having a mid-air refuelling probe, the Mk. 208 entered service in 2003 as the Hawk 1FB(T).IV*, though the RIWAF has expressed interest in the "Combat Hawk" project, like other Hawk variants, the Mk. 200 series is highly popular amongst their pilots for their pleasent flying characteristics, the Hawk Mk. 208 is also highly admired by the Imperial Air Ministry for being a relatively cheap yet effective fighter-bomber, and is often used by second-line fighter-bomber squadrons in the fighter-bomber/advanced trainer role.

In addition the RIWN have their own carrier-based variants, the Osprey 1FB(T).I, based on the Hawk Mk. 60 and the Osprey 1FB(T).II, based on the Mk. 209, notice how the navalised Hawk variants are designated Osprey, this was done to avoid confusion with the naval A-4 Skyhawk variants (designated "Seahawk"), naval Hawks often serve from either escort carriers or from land-based naval aviation stations.

All variants, when used in the fighter-bomber role, are equipped with a single centreline 30mm ADEN gun pod, as well as various stores of either AIM-9 Sidewinders, Skyflash missiles, ASRAAM missiles, Rocket pods and General Purpose Bombs, the Mk IV variants (MK. 208/Mk. 209) can also equip the Sea Eagle anti-ship missile and the Sting Ray acoustic torpedo.

The delightful flying characteristics and effectiveness of the Hawk often means that Hawk pilots typically fall in love with their planes, as exemplified by Richard H. Edwards' personal opinion on his Hawk 1FB(T).IV* "Golden Hawk", as told in an interview for a documentary on the Hawk in Wardian service.

"The Hawk is a beautiful little jet. She has some of the best handling I've ever seen on a jet, she may not be the fastest of jet fighter-bombers, not having an afterburner, but she handles like a dream, you can throw her around the sky and she'll always be forgiving, not like those jets who bite you if you don't treat them carefully, she's much more "easy-going" than her more serious sisters, you'd be hard pressed to lose control of a Hawk unless you start pulling ridiculous moves, moves that the airframe simply isn't designed for, the Hawk is designed to be an advanced trainer and a somewhat cheap, yet effective, fighter-bomber, not some super high tech thrust-vectored ultra-fighter! My lady, "Golden Hawk", is my baby, she's my precious, as far as jets go she's also real pretty thing as well! I wouldn't trade her for the world!"

A Hawk 1FB(T).I of C Flight, No. 1199 (Training) Squadron RIWAF, based at RIWAF North Sunset Island, ca. 1979

A Hawk 1FB(T).I of B Flight, No. 662 (Fighter-Bomber) Squadron RIWAF, based at RIWAF Yagumbo, ca. 2013

A Hawk 1FB(T).II of the Imperial Southern Air Force, ca. 1999

A Hawk 1FB(T).III of the Imperial Home Air Force. ca. 2002

A Hawk 1FB(T).IV of D Flight, No. 101 (F) Squadron, based at RIWAF St. George's, ca. 2016, note the shark mouth, this particular aircraft is assigned to F/L Olivia Kinson, grand-daughter of famed 1940s fighter pilot Emily Kinson.

Hawk 1FB(T).IV* "Golden Hawk" of F/L Richard H. Edwards of C Flight, No. 501 (F) Squadron, based at RIWAF East Kiritari, ca. 2017

by **Wardie land** » Thu Jul 06, 2017 5:52 am

The 1980s saw the final full decade of the Cold War, and the atmosphere of the 1980s was much more relaxed than that of the tense 1950s and 1960s, following the "détente", and the mutual understanding of the horrors of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) of the 1970s by the 1980s the west had managed to come to an agreement with the USSR and China over a somewhat peacefull co-existance, the two sides generally preferred to pit their strength against each other in the sporting world rather than a show of arms, which was the preferred show of strength in earlier decades, whilst the majority believed the impending doom of nuclear war had passed by the 1980s each side still kept a very close eye on one another, and espionage activities still took place, though the likelyhood of World War III seemed very low.

The second half of the 1980s saw the true beginnings of the demise of the Communist world, revolutions across Eastern Europe saw the ousting of Commmunist dictators and the re-establishment of democracies, the USSR was defeated by guerillas in Afghanistan, signalling to many that the USSR was truly in its death throes, and in 1989 the Berlin Wall was torn down, leading to the re-unification of Germany the following year.

In 1984 the RIWAF purchased a number of Tornado GR.1s as the Tornado 1FB.I, these served as fighter-bomber aircraft, in the 1990s many of these were later upraded to Tornado GR.4 standard, these were designated the Tornado 1FB.I*. The RIWAF also operates the Tornado F.2 and F.3 as the Tornado 1B(I).I and the Tornado 1B(I).I*, respectively. As of 2019 the Tornado F.3 serves as a bomber interceptor whilst the RIWAF's Tornado fighter-bomber fleet consists of a mixed batch of GR.1s and GR.4s.

A RIWAF Tornado 1FB.I* in flight, ca. 2019

A Tornado 1FB.I* cockpit

by **Wardie land** » Thu Jul 06, 2017 6:04 am

The 1990s began with the end of one of what could have become the most deadly war in the history of mankind, the Cold War, following the gradual demise of the Communist world in the late 1980s only East Germany remained as a USSR European satallite state in 1990, in that year Germany was re-unified, and the USSR had no satallites left in Europe, the following year the USSR itself, the biggest member of the Communist world, and the supplier of the majority of the Communist sphere's weaponry, technology and scientists, collapsed and was replaced by the Russian Federation, this event was celebrated across the world, for it finally signalled the end of the Communist world and the final end of the Cold War, which had loomed like a shadow over most of the world's population for nearly half a century, with the collapse of the USSR all of the USSR's satallite states in the Caucus' and other places gained independence, only 2 Communist countries remained: China and Cuba, of which only Cuba was truly Communist, China having gone through something of a "Capitalist Revolution" during the 1980s, North Korea also adopted its "Juche" ideology during the 1980s, bringing an end to it being a truly Communist country.

With the end of the Cold War the world could breath a sigh of relief as the imminent danger of nuclear war disappeared, the military forces of the world were less on edge, and an era of peace looked like it had been achieved, during this time the RIWAF largely just performed patrols, training and flights at airshows, with no potential enemy to focus on.

by **Wardie land** » Thu Jul 06, 2017 1:37 pm

In 2003 the RIWAF began purchasing the EMB-314 "Super Tucano", a variant of the Tucano, which was already in service with the RIWAF, the Super Tucano was developed as a light attack aircraft, and had a .5 cal M3P (modernised M2 Browning) in each wing, as well as a cannon pod (the RIWAF variant used a pod containing the 30mm ADEN cannon, the RIWAF's standard cannon) under the fuselage and stores for a variety of Mk 81 bombs, Mk 82 bomb, AIM-9 Sidewinders, AGM-65 Mavericks, incendiary bombs, cluster bombs, precision-guided bombs (e.g. Paveway II) and Chaff, making for a very adaptable plane able to be used as a light fighter-bomber, COIN aircraft and weapons trainer, this adaptable and relative cheapness has made the Super Tucano a very popular addition to the RIWAF's roster, RIWAF Super Tucano COIN aircraft were seen attacking insurgent targets in Middle Eastern conflicts prior to the withdrawal of the RIWAF from the area in 2014.

In 2019 RIWAF Coastal Command and the RIWN purchased 100 examples of the Shin-Meiwa US-2 to supplement, and eventually replace, the Shin-Meiwa PS-1 ASW and Patrol amphibians in service, 50 going to each service. In Wardian service, the US-2s serve in air-sea rescue, anti-submarine warfare, patrol, and as liaison and transport aircraft. Wardian aircraft possess English-language instruments in Imperial measurements. In Wardian service, they are known as the Shepton 1FPB.I.

A Shepton 1FPB.I of RIWAF Coastal Command, ca. 2019

History of the Royal Imperial Wardie land Air Force

History of the Royal Imperial Wardie land Air Force

Predecessors Of The RIWAF - 1911-1919

The RIWAF Is Born - 1919

The Early Years - 1920-1929

The Years Of Growth - 1930-1939

WW2 And The Start Of The Cold War - 1940-1949

First Decade Of The Cold War - 1950-1959

From the Congo to Vietnam - 1960-1969

End of the Vietnam War - 1970-1979

Dying Days of the Cold War - 1980-1989

End of the Cold War - 1990-1999

Entering the 21st century - 2000-2009

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