RAAF Spitfires Beauforts Mosquitos Boomerangs

Newsreel footage from WW2 showing four major aircraft types used by the Royal Australian Air Force in the Pacific theatre. The Supermarine Spitfire, Bristol Beaufort, De Havilland Mosquito & CAC Boomerang

[@oldcmp]

The footage of the Boomerang towards the end was shot from a B24 with the rear turret removed and the cameraman harnessed in. I've been lucky enough to shoot similar stuff from the Hudson of Boomerang Spit and Mustang.

[@islandmick6349]

You lucky bugger....any links to your work?

[@sircalculus1448]

That footage of the Boomerang was nothing short of bloody brilliant !

[@islandmick6349]

Bloody oath...that was excellent footage. I've had the good fortune of seeing 4 Mustangs, a Spitfire and Boomerang do a fly past at an airshow in Tyabb Victoria about 10 years ago...what an aural orgasm that was !!!

[@sircalculus1448]

@MichaelKingsfordGray ?!?!?

[@stevebrickshitta870]

Some fantastic footage of that Boomerang. Looked like a friggin stunt plane zipping round. Nice vid👍

[@nickdanger3802]

The DAP Beaufort Mk VIII Manufacturer: Department of Aircraft Production, Australia Engine: 2 x Pratt and Whitney R-1830 S3C4G Armament: 8 x (Browning).303-in machine guns, one torpedo or a 2,000-lb [900-kg] (max.) bomb load Conservation project Beaufort | Australian War Memorial page

[@sarcasmo57]

Might have to do this kind of production again soon.

[@nickdanger3802]

Boomerang Type: Single seat fighter / Army Co-operation aircraft Powerplant: 1 x 1200hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S3C4 Twin Wasp piston engine CAC Boomerang | RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre page

[@peterkirgan2921]

And in Australia we still don't have a flying Beaufort Beaufighter or mosquito examples !!!

[@nickdanger3802]

DH98 Mosquito FB. Mk 40 / PR. Mk 40 212 built Australian-built. Generally as FB. Mk VI, with (Lend Lease) Packard-built Merlin 31 or 33. Six aircraft modified for PR use as PR. Mk 40. BAE Mosquito page

[@MartintheTinman]

Gotta love our little Boomerang

[@robbiepinkerton8625]

I believe Australia is the only country to manufacturer planes before manufacturing cars.

[@blueycarlton]

Now we don't do either.

[@peterk2455]

@@blueycarlton We do manufacture aircraft, there is a quite strong light sports aircraft industry such as Jabiru ( also make their own engines), Brumby, Hughes and Drifter. We just don't make airliners and big planes.

[@MartintheTinman]

Actually the factories in which the aircraft were manufactured were assembling automobiles Fisherman's bend was one of the many places where the GM automobiles were assembled by General Motors Holden

[@MartintheTinman]

Ford were assembling automobiles in Geelong

[@MartintheTinman]

@Warren552011 . In 1901 Harley Tarrant produced the first Tarrant automobile, which was the first petrol-driven car built entirely in Australia in a small workshop in Melbourne. The 48 215 manufactured by GM Holden is incorrectly held as the first car made in Australia. It was the first mass produced model of a production line motor vehicle. Lauded as Australia's first car It was actually entirely designed in the USA for the Australian market. Basically a cut down Chevrolet with a small motor. I believe there were six manufacturers of uniquely Australian vehicles including the Tarrant before Ford and Holden ever began assembling automobiles. So no we didn't build aircraft before cars. It's not that hard to find out for yourself the facts

[@swimminlane3566]

great clip thanks

[@peterkirgan6850]

It still amazes me why we Australia having flown this & the beaufighter do not have any flying examples!!!

[@philoconnor3716]

My mum God bless her was a machinist who made some metal components for the beufighter and other weapons at a converted factory in Auburn, NSW. The girls had to make the stuff for all the troops to fight with and had to learn their roles very quickly. Hats off to them. Phil O. Sydney Australia

[@philoconnor3716]

@Warren552011 Mate it was either Carmichael's in Auburn opposite the Steam Engine Cleaning Facilities on the eastern side of the old Clyde Marshalling Yards or it was Malleys Lidcombe. Mum pointed them out when we were driving past the old buildings in the early 70's. Its all changed now. Mostly warehouses and container freight depots. We would be in trouble if war and threat of invasion happened today. Cheers Phil

[@fab60s64]

boy he could fly !!!!

[@geppdude]

great footage cheers

[@thelastr1der368]

Nice

[@38dragoon38]

Fantastic clip but I wanted to see more - especially about the boomerang, which you rarely hear about in Britain!

[@martintaper7997]

The Beaufort had a design problem which killed many pilots in training. They eventually realised and fixed it.

[@wufongtanwufong5579]

Australia should have went with the Australian made and designed Wacket bomber. It was faster, more agile, had a greater range and packed a bigger punch than the beaufort. It could be used for both torpedo and dive bombing.

[@nnoddy8161]

@@wufongtanwufong5579 Do you mean the CAC Woomera?

[@my94holden]

few more years a Beaufort will be flying in australia

[@manofwar577]

What about now?

[@MartintheTinman]

@@manofwar577 . Not yet according to Wikipedia

[@MartintheTinman]

@Robert Griffin III . Not yet according to Wikipedia

[@charlotte5592]

Gosh Australia had balls then. What happened.

[@pwil3058]

You were born?

[@wufongtanwufong5579]

Leftists. They stole our freedom

[@dunruden9720]

Really? According to the Australian commanding general (Blamey), Australian soldiers were cowards!

[@dunruden9720]

@Szabathehut I imagine that was after American troops had refused to go into combat against the Japanese on the North coast of PNG. However, history will easily confirm my assertion that Blamey accused Australian troops of cowardice. With respect, do your research. I did!

[@dunruden9720]

@Szabathehut www.awm.gov.au/articles/journal/j34/bridgerev

[@glenn1140]

Hi Withab BJ, my dad trained at Tocumwal as a flight rigger and went to 2 CRD.

[@politenessman3901]

I'm away from my references, but there was a version of the boomerang that used the cooling fan concept taken from the FW 190A and a turbo supercharged engine that had amazing performance, not put into production because it was not needed - off hand I think it was the CA-14

[@FairladyS130]

That would have been some aircraft going by the video of the Boomerang here but like the Sentinel tank changing circumstances and American influence stopped development.

[@politenessman3901]

@@FairladyS130 It was the CA-14A. New Larger fin, Turbocharger intake now in engine cowling, ducting along port side. Better engine cooling (setup similar to FW-190). R-2000 engine with GW B-9 turbocharger and a curtis electric 4 bladed propellor. Estimated Max speed sea level 285.8 mph: @ 27000ft - 371.5mph. Development was stopped for lack of need and so as to not complicate logistics by adding a whole new a/c type that dupilcated existing capabilities (same reasons as the Sentinel). But both were, whilst not perfect, incredible achievements at a time when there was (below the highest levels of Govt) a genuine belief that the Japanese were likely to invade.

[@wufongtanwufong5579]

It wasn't a "version of the boomerang. It was a totally different plane. It was scraped because the war ended because Australia could only afford to develop Jets or the CA-14. Jets won out. Ironically Australia still relied heavily on the Australian made mustang. A plane the CA-14 out performed in a all areas. Australia also built the Wacket Bomber. A rival to the Beaufort. it was faster and had a far greater range. It could also performed well as a dive bomber. But it was sabotaged during tests. But they ended up making a dozen or so before the war ended that project as well.

[@politenessman3901]

​@@wufongtanwufong5579 It sounds like you are thinking of the CA-15, I have described the CA-14A

[@socratease1432]

It must be noted the importance of the Mosquito being built in Australia in regard to the war in south east Asia, along with the Beaufighter.. ,

[@alb707]

Que hermoso video

[@michealmatthews9377]

how many boomerangs came back

[@septiccalling8341]

micheal matthews .....ask Charlie Drake.

[@blumie006]

imagine having a dog fight with that boomerang and polite

[@areyashore]

Cool..thank you

[@EpicThe112]

I'm wondering if there are Royal Australian Air Force aces on the Mosquito? if so they would have destroyed their Japanese counterparts due to the fact that British American airplanes in the Raaf were designed with survivability in mind something that the Japanese haven't done since they went for endurance and range without survivability for the crew

[@rustykilt]

When we used to build things.......

[@kennethcrowther2277]

Bull shit! Australian built Mosquitos played no role against Japan at all. They became operational after the war was had ended.