Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

General reconnaissance bomber

Power Plant:

Two 821 kw (1,100 hp) Wright cyclone R-1820-G-102A nine-cylinder radial air-cooled engines

Specifications:

Armament:

History:

Originally required as a navigation trainer for the RAF, the military conversion of the eleven-passenger Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra promised so much in performance that the decision was made in 1938 to order the type for the RAF off the drawing board as the Model 214 Hudson. Thus it became the standard land-based general-reconnaissance bomber of that service. The wartime history of the type is well documented and is too great to deal with in detail here.

The prototype Hudson (N7205) was flown for the first time at Burbank, California, on 10 December 1938. A total of 250 examples was ordered for the RAF. At about the same time, 100 Model 414s were ordered for the RAAF (serials A16-1 to A16-100), these being Mk Is powered by the Pratt & Whitney R-1830-SC3G Twin Wasp, the first (A16-1) being delivered to No 2 Aircraft Depot on 9 February 1940, the last (A16-247) on 20 May 1942. The first 50 aircraft (serials A16-1 to A16-50) were known as the Mk I, and the subsequent 50 became known as the Mk II.

However, these designations conflicted with marks allocated by the RAF, so all the Australian aircraft became officially known as the Mk IV. Initial aircraft delivered had a machine gun in a dorsal hatch but later aircraft were supplied with a Boulton Paul turret. In 1941 the Lend-Lease Act came into effect, and a further 52 Hudsons were delivered to the RAAF, these (A16-101 to A16-152 – ex 41-23171 to 41-23222) then becoming known as the Mk IVA. Further deliveries to Australia to meet war commitments brought the total to 247 aircraft, A16-153 to A16-162, A16-170 and A16-172 to A16-247 being Mk IIIs, with Wright Cyclone engines, and A16-163 to A16-169 and A16-171 being Mk IVs.

The Hudson was very much a work-horse for the RAAF. By August 1940 Hudsons of Nos 1 and 8 (GR) Squadrons had been deployed to Singapore and their first strike mission against Japanese forces was made on 8 December 1941.

By that time there were Hudson detachments at Koepang on Timor, Rabaul, NG and Laha. No 2 Squadron at Koepang had some success but the allied units were basically overwhelmed by Japanese forces and had difficulty remaining operational in the face of losses and attacks on airstrips. By March 1942 only three Hudsons remained airworthy to be evacuated to Australia. More losses of aircraft occurred on New Britain, NG and when Darwin, NT was bombed on 19 February 1942, six Hudsons were destroyed on the ground.

Following the loss of Singapore the survivors returned to Australia. By December 1941 a further six squadrons had been fully or partially equipped and, at the outbreak of war with Japan, 77 were immediately available, 24 in Malaya and Singapore, and 53 in Australia, New Britain and the East Indies. RAAF units equipped with the type included Nos 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 23, 24, 25, 32 and 38 Squadrons; and No 459 Squadron in the Middle East. A Hudson of No 1 Squadron RAAF spotted the Japanese invasion fleet approaching northern Malaya on 6 December 1941, the fleet on 8 December being attacked by Hudsons of that unit.

As Australian-built Bristol Beauforts came into operational use they replaced the Hudsons, the latter being relegated to communication and training duties. One (A16-143) spent the war in natural metal finish; and another (A16-214) was used for airborne lifeboat experiments. The type was phased out of service in 1949. During the battle for Milne Bay, NG in August 1942 a decision was made to fly the 30 airworthy Kittyhawks of Nos 75 and 76 Squadrons to Port Moresby to prevent them being destroyed by Japanese forces close by. At this time, in order to remove most of the extra pilots temporarily to safety, Hudsons of No 6 Squadron were used to convey the pilots. At least one of the aircraft carried 17 Kittyhawk pilots in addition to the four crew of the Hudson for the 80 minute flight from Milne Bay to Port Moresby.

The Hudson also saw service with the RNZAF, with some 94 aircraft being obtained to serve as patrol bombers. These aircraft included 84 Mk IIIs (NZ2007 to NZ2090); six Mk Vs (NZ2001 to NZ2006); and four Mk VIs (NZ2091 to NZ2094). These aircraft had all been diverted from British contracts, and had previously carried RAF serial numbers. First New Zealand Hudsons to arrive came direct by sea. When it entered service the Hudson was the most modern aircraft available to the RNZAF.

In July 1942 No 9 Squadron RNZAF was formed in New Caledonia for general reconnaissance and anti-submarine patrols. One crew reported an unsuccessful attack on a Japanese submarine, and another claimed a submarine destroyed. No 3 Squadron was the first to operate against Japanese forces when it moved to Henderson Field on Guadalcanal in November 1942. On 24 November 1942 NZ2049 was attacked by three Zeros south-west of Vella Lavella but managed to escape. A Hudson of No 3 Squadron claimed the first RNZAF victory of the war on 2 April 1943 when it shot down a Japanese floatplane. The Hudsons were later replaced by the Lockheed Ventura and saw service in the transport role with Nos 40 and 41 Squadrons, and with the Bomber Operational Training Unit at Ohakea. After the war a number saw service in the search and rescue role, as navigation trainers at Wigram, and one was used by the Department of Civil Aviation as a calibration aircraft.

After the cessation of hostilities, 16 Hudsons in Australia and one Hudson III in New Zealand ZK-AHY (c/n 6702) were placed on the civil registers. Operators in Australia included East West Airlines, John Fairfax and Sons (for newspaper deliveries to country centres), Curtiss Madsen Aircraft, W R Carpenter & Co, Intercontinental Airlines Pty Ltd, and Adastra Aerial Surveys. A few of the civil Hudsons were lost in accidents, including: VH-SMJ (c/n 6046 – ex A16-117) near Muswellbrook on 30 October 1947, VH-SMK (c/n 6043 – ex A16-114) on 1 January 1950 at Camden, NSW and VH-SML (c/n 6049 – ex A16-120) near Dungog on 14 September 1954. East West Airlines initially obtained six but only one (VH-BNJ – c/n 6041 – ex A16-112 – Peel City) was made airworthy, later becoming VH-EWA, the other five being reduced to spares at Camden, NSW.

Later further aircraft were obtained, including VH-EWB (c/n 6034 – Cathedral City) and VH-EWE (c/n 6039 – Namoi City) etc. Adastra Airways was the largest civil operator, aircraft including VH-AGG (c/n 6486 – ex VH-BLA, A16-219); VH-AGO (c/n 6429 – ex A16-215); VH-AGP (c/n 6034 – ex VH-SMO, VH-EWS, VH-EWO, VH-EWB, VH-BKY, A16-105); VH-AGX (c/n 6051 – ex A16-122); VH-AGJ (c/n 6464 – ex VH-SMM, A16-199) exported to the UK as G-BEOX in July 1973 and VH-AGE (c/n 6039 – ex VH-EWR, VH-BPT, VH-EWE, VH-JCM, A16-110). A couple were leased from other operators. Of these both VH-AGO and VH-AGX crashed on Horne Island on 1 July 1957 and 21 December 1973 respectively, VH-AGG into the sea off Lae, NG on 8 June 1958; and VH-AGE at Tennant Creek, NT on 24 June 1966.

A few survive in Australia and one ex-Australian machine A16-199 (ex VH-AGJ) survives at the RAF Museum at Hendon in the United Kingdom, painted in its World War II RAAF markings. This aircraft (c/n 6464 – ex 41-36975, FH174) was taken on charge by the RAAF at 1 AD on 7 April 1942 and saw service with Nos 13 and 2 Squadrons. On 24 September 1947 it was sold to Macquarie Grove Flying School. It then went to John Fairfax & Sons as VH-SMM and saw service during the following years with Herald Flying Services, East West Airlines in 1957, Adastra Aerial Surveys in 1959, M J Whittington in 1973, and the Strathallan Collection in the UK in 1973 where it became G-BEOX in 1977.

Other survivors in Australia include: Hudson IV A16-105 (c/n 6034 – ex 41-23175) which was operated by European Air Transport in September 1947, and later went to Curtiss Madsen Aircraft as VH-BKY and East West Airlines as VH-EWP Cathedral City. Later it became VH-EWS, with John Fairfax & Sons as VH-SMO and with Adastra Aerial Surveys as VH-AGP. It was restored as A16-129 / FX F of No 6 Squadron and is part of the collection of the Australian War Memorial. In 1997 the AWM also obtained Hudson A16-122 (VH-AGX) for eventual restoration, this machine being in a damaged condition after it crashed at Horne Island, Qld in 1973 but, following the obtaining of A16-105, A16-122 became part of the collection of the RAAF Museum at Point Cook.

VH-KOY/VH-AGS/A16-112 (c/n 6041 – ex 41-23182) entered RAAF service on 5 December 1941 and saw service with Nos 14, 32 and 6 Squadrons. On 19 May 1944 it went to the RAAF Survey Flight. It was sold to S Godden on 10 September 1947, Wilmore Aviation Services Pty Ltd, and East West Airlines on 23 April 1949. It operated as VH-BNJ Peel City and later VH-EWA on 23 April 1949. It went to Adastra as VH-AIU on 3 July 1953 and became VH-AGS on 4 April 1956, later operating with Westralian Aerial Surveys. It was returned to airworthiness and is now part of the collection of aircraft at the Temora Aviation Museum, NSW.  It is the only airworthy Hudson in the world.

In mid 2005 it was painted in the markings of  A16-211 Tojo Busters of No 6 Squadron, RAAF which operated during the battle for Milne Bay. The original aircraft that carried these markings operated with No 2 Squadron in the North Western Area comprising Timor/Dutch East Indies and Indonesia. It was converted to components after the undercarriage failed landing at Millingimbi, NT some components of the original aircraft still surviving there.

All the Hudsons operated by the RNZAF were sold for scrap in May 1949. The fuselages of four survive. GR.III (NZ2031) is held by the Museum of Transport and Technology in Auckland; and one (NZ2013 – c/n 3826) has been restored for display at the RNZAF Museum at Wigram. This aircraft spent most of its operational life with No 4 Squadron based in Fiji, operating in the anti-submarine and anti-shipping role. Another (NZ2049) has been stored at Mapua, near Nelson. In 2019 it was conveyed to Omaka for restoration, being placed initially in a diorama scene at a local museum.  Another (NZ2035, ex AE503) is with the Ferrymead Aeronautical Society.