Westland Lysander Mk. III

Westland Lysander Mk. III by Italeri

1/48 scale
Kit No. 804
Cost: $15.00
Decals: Two versions – Royal Air Force and Free French
Comments: Old kit; 1994 re-issue of 1960’s Hawk kit under Italeri label; raised panel lines; basic cockpit; nice stressed fabric effect on wings; high quality decals by Italeri

History

The Westland Lysander was a short take off and landing (STOL) aircraft that was initially employed in the forward observer/artillery spotter/army cooperation role. It would later provide air support for what would subsequently be called covert operations in Occupied Europe. It first flew on June 15, 1936 and was a factor in the post-war development of a STOL requirement by the world’s major air forces. Entering service with the Royal Air Force in June 1938, its design was significantly influenced by the German Henschel Hs 126, a similar aircraft in the Luftwaffe inventory. The Lysander was fully operational with No. 16 (Army Co-operation) Squadron at the time of the Munich Crisis in September 1938, and began the R.A.F’s process of phasing out its then designated artillery spotter aircraft, the Hawker Hector bi-plane.

By the time war broke out a year later, it was in service with seven squadrons, six of which deployed to France in the first months of the war (Nos. 2, 4, 13, 26, 613 and 614). When hostilities in the West began in earnest in May 1940 with Germany’s invasion of France and the Low Countries, Lysanders began reconnaisance and artillery spotting operations, with Nos. 2 and 4 Squadrons re-deploying to Belgium.

On occasion, Lysanders gave a surprisingly good account of themselves when pitted against state-of-the-art German fighters. In one action, a group of Lysanders was attacked by six Messerschmitt Bf 110s over Belgium, and the rear gunner of one of them, L.A.C. Gillham, shot down one of the 110’s, before his pilot could escape at low level. In the coming weeks, Lysanders were frequently set upon by Bf 109’s, particularly when unescorted by their own fighters. While not fast, they were highly manueverable; if they were lucky, they would escape with mere battle damage. But between May 10 and May 23, 1940, nine crews and 11 aircraft were lost to enemy action. On the 25th still more were caught on the ground in a strafing attack at Clairmarais and destroyed.

By the time of the Dunkirk evacuation, the Lysander squadrons had been decimated, having virtually no serviceable aircraft. Often their crews flew against intimidating odds, being called upon to air drop supplies without fighter escort to British or French troops, or provide ground support with their loads of 40 lb. bombs, all in skies increasingly dominated by the Luftwaffe. They inflicted damage along the way; on May 22 Flying Officer Dodge shot down a Henschel Hs 126 with his forward machine guns, while his rear gunner downed a Junkers Ju 87 Stuka. But this was the exception. Of 174 aircraft deployed to France, 88 were lost in air combat and 30 more destroyed on the ground by the time the French capitulated.

After Dunkirk, contemplating a loss rate of 63 percent, the RAF had little choice but to withdraw the Lysander from front line service — at least for daytime operations. The Lysander would go on to its greatest fame as the aircraft of choice for Special Operations Executive, a covert auxiliary of (and competitor to) the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), charged by Winston Churchill with covert operations in the Occupied Countries and a mandate to “set Europe ablaze.” Soon, on a regular basis, Lysanders of No. 138 Squadron (Special Duties), painted matt black, inserted agents and their weapons, ammunition, explosives and other supplies, and withdrew shot-down airmen. Sometimes they withdrew people wanted by the Gestapo, or brought Resistance leaders back to London for briefings. Lysanders would later be used by both the British Commandos and the American Office of Strategic Services on similar operations in Europe and the Far East.

Landing in unprepared clearings or meadows at night, the landing ground identified by small torches lit by members of the Resistance, Lysanders helped sustain hope in Occupied Europe and Asia. By 1942 they were equipped with larger fuel tanks (starting with the Mk. IIIa) to allow penetration deeper into France, and their ladders touched up with flourescent paint to allow quicker ingress and egress from the plane. There was constant danger – one on occasion, a Lysander guided to a landing by torches touched down, only to be met by German machine gun fire. The pilot, Squadron Leader Conroy, slammed the throttle open and struggled to get airborne, stemming the blood from a neck wound by clamping his hand over it. Brushing the treetops at the edge of the landing field, he managed to return safely to England.

In the Middle East, Lysanders were able to operate longer in their original roles of artillery spotting and reconnaisance since Axis fighter aircraft were not as readily available. In Palestine, they flew throughout 1940 doing aerial blackout inspections, coastal watch, and general co-operation with the Palestine Police. In North Africa, No. 6 Squadron was deployed to Libya and was ordered to remain in Tobruk when the British retreated from Rommel’s Afrika Korps, providing close air support over the beseiged garrison, which continued to hold out. During the war, Lysanders were operated by Britain, France, Ireland, Canada, Finland, Egypt, and South Africa. By war’s end they were a rarity, except in Canada, where relatively large numbers of them persisted until the 1950’s.

The original Lysander kit released by Hawk in 1967.

The Kit

Italeri’s Westland Lysander is a re-issue of the old Hawk kit, first issued in 1967. Italeri’s dramatic box art and new decals are the key differences. The kit is injection molded in white and consists of 64 parts, three of which are clear plastic for the canopy and windshield. The kit features a basic interior, rather boxy seats, and a fairly well-detailed pilot figure for its vintage. The fuselage, wings, and rudder feature very nice stressed fabric effects; otherwise the kit is adorned with raised panel lines and raised rivet detail, betraying its age. The engine face is basic but has above average raised detail.

There are fifteen 40 lb. bomblets (the number is probably supposed to be 16) for mounted underneath the sponsons which form part of the landing gear. For the gear themselves, they must be assembled with the wheels inside the spats – but on the actual aircraft the outboard spat covering was optional.

There is a ladder to be cemented at the rear of the cockpit, which was put to good use when the type flew secret night missions into Occupied France and elsewhere. In addition, there is an auxiliary drop tank for extra fuel. The cowling is decent but not particularly detailed, the cockpit as noted above is basic and features a decal for the main instrument panel. The rear machine gun is well detailed, but appears to be either a Lewis or a Vickers gun, both of which required a top-loading flat drum magazine, which is not provided.

The decals sport both Italeri and Testors labels, but clearly indicate that they were printed in Italy, so can be expected to be above average in quality. They have excellent color and are perfectly in register. Some Testors-Italeri kits feature Scale-Master decals which are of fairly good quality and have excellent color, but being American made, they often contain a milky carrier film that requires extra effort to remove before they can be applied, but there is no danger of that with this kit.

Conclusion

This is an accurate if basic kit of the Westland Lysander, and should provide a few enjoyable, trouble-free hours of model building. One can’t help feeling that in this scale, it ought to be more detailed, even given its age. Fortunately, Eduard produces an aftermarket detail set to dress up the cabin interior, which cries out for at least a little detailing.