Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

General reconnaissance and bomber aircraft

Power Plant:

Two 1,492 kw (2,000 hp) Pratt & Whitney R-2800-31 Double Wasp 18-cylinder air-cooled radial engines

Specifications:

Armament:

Two 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Browning machine guns in rear ventral position; two or four similar guns in dorsal turret; two fixed 12.7 mm (0.5 in) and two manually operated 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Browning machine guns in nose; provision for bomb load of up to 1,134 kg (2,500 lb)

History:

In June 1940 the Vega Aircraft Division of the Lockheed Aircraft Corp at Burbank, California, was awarded a contract by the British Purchasing Commission to supply 875 examples of a new bomber derived from the Lockheed 18 airliner. The new aircraft was then given the designation Lockheed V-146, or Vega 37. Resembling the Hudson, the new aircraft had a longer fuselage, more armament, and more power. In all, 1,600 Venturas were built from December 1942 to May 1944, with some 388 of these being supplied to the RAF as the Ventura GR-V.

The type entered service in October 1942 with No 21 Squadron RAF, and went into action against the Phillips works at Eindhoven, The Netherlands. However, the type was not particularly successful in the daylight bomber role, and was withdrawn. The US Army Air Force then took delivery of the type as the B-34 Lexington, but it was never flown operationally. The B-34B trainer variant, and the Ventura II and IIA, were reconnaissance models. A night fighter version, which was fitted with a Mark IV radar and six 0.5 in machine guns in the nose, was placed in service in March 1943 by the US Marines on Bougainville and in the Solomon Islands.

On 30 June 1943 the type was ordered for the US Armed Service as the PV-1. These 500 aircraft had an increased wingspan, larger fins, more armour, revised armament, and more fuel to provide a longer range. Following World War II, the Ventura proved very popular as a fast means of transport for up to 15 passengers. About 150 were converted in the USA for various roles by a number of companies, and given such appellation as the Howard Super Ventura, etc. A couple of these survive.

The RNZAF flew the Ventura extensively from 1943 to 1948, receiving 116 PV-1s (serials NZ4501 to NZ4582, and NZ4606 to NZ4639), and 23 RB-34 Lexingtons (serials NZ4583 to NZ4605) under Lend-Lease.  All PV-1s delivered to the RNZAF after NZ4510 were operated in standard US Navy colours, being delivered to Ford Island, Hawaii where they were received by an RNZAF Detachment at Kaneohe Naval Air Station and flown to New Zealand by RNZAF crews. Operated by a number of operational units, including Nos 1, 2, 3 and 9 Squadrons RNZAF, the type was used on air-sea rescue patrol operations in the region of St George’s Channel.

The Venturas were operated from a number of Pacific Islands during the island-hopping campaign. No 1 Squadron was the first to receive the type, receiving 18 Venturas at Whenuapai Air Station in August 1943, and flying to Henderson Field, Guadalcanal in October. They were initially operated as patrol bombers, these including anti-shipping and anti-submarine, bombing and strafing land targets, mine-laying, photo-reconnnaissance, supply drops to Australian coast watchers, and navigation escort for fighter ferry flights.

No 1 Squadron was relieved in February 1944, having completed 886 missions, by No 2 Squadron RNZAF. This unit moved to Bougainville Island in April 1944 and was itself relieved by No 9 Squadron the following month, No 9 being the first RNZAF unit to bomb Rabaul, NG.

No 3 Squadron operated from Emirau in the Bismark Archipelago in late 1944. On Christmas Eve 1943 NZ4509 was attacked by Mitsubishi A6Ms from Rabaul and, although receiving some damage, shot down three confirmed plus two probables, and drove off the remaining fighters. A total of 26 RNZAF PV-1s was lost on non-operational flights, and 16 on operational flights, during the war and all RB-34As survived. Following their retirement, most of the Venturas and Lexingtons were scrapped. However, one survived and is on display at the MOTAT Museum in Auckland. This example (NZ4600) was recovered from a farm where it had lain derelict for many years. It was initially in service with the USAAC as 41-38117, then with the RAF as FD655 in early 1943, and is thought to have operated in North Africa. Transferred to the RNZAF in 1943 as NZ4600, by late 1944 it was with Technical Training at Nelson.

The Ventura also saw service with the RAAF. In the European Theatre Nos 459 and 464 Squadrons used Mk GR-5s and Mks I and II respectively. Between May and August 1943 twenty examples were supplied to the RAAF in Australia, these being Mk I (RB-34s) serials A59-1 to A59-9 and A59-11 to A59-18; and Mk II A59-10, A59-19 and A59-20. Later, between June and July 1944, 55 Model GR-5s were obtained under Lend-Lease and allotted serials A59-50 to A59-104.

Most served with No 13 Squadron, which was formed in June 1940 to operate Ansons, Hudson and then a mix of Beauforts and Venturas. In May 1944 the unit was based at Cooktown, QLD and by this stage was equipped only with the Ventura. It then moved to Gove in the Northern Territory and performed anti-submarine and strike operations to southern parts of Indonesia and East Timor. In August 1945 it moved to Morotai in eastern Indonesia and Labuan, and undertook patrols dropping leaflets. At the conclusion of hostilities the unit’s aircraft were used to return Australian servicemen and POWs to Australia.  A few Venturas were at various times attached to Nos 4 and 11 Communications Units. After the war the survivors were broken up for scrap, most at Tocumwal, NSW.

In 1986 a deal was arranged with an American group to exchange an airworthy ex-RAAF Canberra bomber for an airworthy Ventura. The latter was flown to Australia painted in RAAF No 13 Squadron markings, painted as A59-67 and registered VH-SFF (c/n 5378 – N159U N159V N1590V 2221 (RCAF) BuAer33369). Based at Point Cook, VIC, it flew at a number of aviation events on the east coast but in October 1998 at RAAF Richmond, NSW, it suffered a double engine failure and crash landed. It was returned to Point Cook and restored for static display. Another Ventura is under restoration at the Queensland Air Museum at Caloundra, QLD, for display.