05/31/2010. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "The Hudson was the first American-built aircraft to see operational service with the RAF in WW II. In Coastal Command, Hudsons were just coming into squadrons at the outbreak of war, and eventually they completely superseded the shorter range Avro Anson. Hudsons gave excellent service for a number of years on anti-submarine and general reconnaissance duties from bases all round the British coastline, and they also served in a maritime role with the RAF in West Africa, the Mediterranean area, the West Indies, in Iceland and in the Far East.

They were the first American aircraft to be delivered by air to Britain and the first aircraft in Coastal Command to carry airborne lifeboats for air-sea rescue duties. On reaching obsolescence with Coastal Command, many Hudsons were stripped of their armament and employed as transport aircraft.

As a military version of the Lockheed 14 Super Electra airliner, the Hudson was first ordered for the RAF by the British Purchasing Commission in the USA in June 1938. This initial order for 200 aroused a storm of controversy in Britain at the time, as many people felt that it was wrong to order any aircraft for the RAF other than those designed and built by home industry.

In the event, the decision proved a wise one, as Hudsons filled an important gap in Coastal Command and made a great contribution to the harrying of the V-boat from the air in the earlier stages of the war. Originally, the intention had been to employ the Hudsons merely as navigation trainers, but when war threatened, and Britain found herself short of maritime aircraft, the Hudson was diverted to first-line duties, where it proved an effective weapon.

The first Hudson for the RAF made its initial flight on December 10, 1938 and differed from the airliner version in having more powerful Cyclone engines, a transparent nose for bomb-aiming, twin fixed machine guns firing forward, a bomb-bay in the belly of the fuselage and provision for a power-operated turret in the rear fuselage, mounted well aft to avoid the cabin door. The turret was fitted on the Hudsons after arrival in England and was of Boulton Paul type, carrying twin guns.

The initial deliveries of Hudsons were by sea, the first aircraft arriving at Liverpool on February 15, 1939. To assemble the rapidly increasing flow of Hudsons (over 200 had been delivered by the middle of 1940), Lockheed established a subsidiary at Speke Airport, near Liverpool. The original order for 200 Mk.Is, had meanwhile increased to 350 and was followed by an order for 20 Mk.IIs and 428 Hudson Mk.IIIs.

The Mk.II differed from the Mk.I in having Hamilton Standard Hydromatic airscrews in place of the earlier two-position type with a spinner. The Mk.III mounted the 1,200 hp Cyclone GR-1820-G.205A in place of the 1,100 hp Cyclone and also carried additional armament comprised of a ventral gun and two beam guns. The first 151 Mk.IIIs had less range than the subsequent 277 Mk.IIIs which were fitted with additional tanks.

Mk.Is first entered service with No. 224 Squadron at Gosport in the summer of 1939, replacing Avro Ansons. By the outbreak of war No. 224's Hudsons were operating from Leuchars and had been joined by a second squadron (No. 233) at Bircham Newton. A third Hudson squadron (No. 220) was also in the process of converting from Ansons at Thornaby. Hudsons were hard at work over the North Sea from the first day of the war, their main task being to keep a watch for German surface raiders attempting to escape into the Atlantic between Scotland and Norway.

A Hudson of No. 224 Squadron can claim to be the first RAF aircraft operating from the United Kingdom to shoot down an enemy aircraft in WW II. This was on October 8, 1939, when the Hudson succeeded in destroying a Dornier Do 18 flying boat during a patrol over Jutland. On January 13, 1940, 14 Hudsons had become the first aircraft in Coastal Command to be fitted with radar which later proved to be a most effective aid in the location of submarines at night or in poor visibility. On November 11, 1940, seven Mk.IIIs arrived at RAF Aldergrove, Northern Ireland, having flown direct from Gander, Dominion of Newfoundland, in 10.5 hrs. This was the beginning of Hudson deliveries by air, and subsequently all Hudsons were flown across the Atlantic.

After the collapse of France two squadrons of Hudsons moved to Northern Ireland to strengthen the anti-U-boat force, and some of these aircraft took part in the hunting of the Bismarck in April 1941. Another Hudson squadron (No. 269) operated over the Western Approaches from a base in Iceland. One of its aircraft was the well-known Mk.III 'Spirit of Lockheed-Vega Employees' (s/n T9465), which was presented to the RAF by the makers.

On August 27, 1941 a curious event occurred in the North Atlantic. The submarine U-570, following determined attacks by a Hudson of No. 269 Squadron, showed a white flag from the conning-tower and surrendered to the aircraft. This was the first time that a U-boat had ever been captured by the RAF! From 1942 onwards the Hudson joined the Lysanders of No. 161 Squadron at Tempsford which were engaged in dropping Allied agents in enemy-occupied territory, frequently making landings at night in French fields indicated by Resistance groups.

Over 800 Hudsons were delivered to the RAF against British contracts before the introduction of Lend-Lease. The first version supplied under Lend-Lease was the Mk.IIIA, 800 of which were earmarked for the RAF, but only 382 were actually delivered, the remaining Hudsons being diverted to the USAAF under the designation A-29. Some of these aircraft also served with the USN on anti-submarine patrol in the Caribbean with the designation PBO-1. Other Hudson variants with the USAAF were the A-28 and the AT-I8.

In the RAF, the Mk.IIIA was followed by 309 Mk.Vs and 450 Mk.VIs. To these were added the 30 Mk.IVs diverted from a RAAF contract. Total deliveries of Hudsons to the RAF were just over 2,000. The Mks. IV, V and VI all differed from the earlier variants in having Pratt and Whitney Twin Wasp engines in place of the single-row Cyclones. Production of the Hudson ceased in June 1943.

In November 1942 Hudsons of No. 233 Squadron flew convoy patrols from Gibraltar to cover the Allied landings in North Africa. About the same period they entered service with home-based squadrons as air-sea rescue aircraft, carrying an airborne lifeboat beneath the fuselage. One of the first squadrons so equipped was No. 280 at Bircham Newton. On 28 May 1943 a Hudson of No. 608 Squadron operating from Blida in North Africa was the first RAF aircraft to sink a U-boat by means of rocket-projectiles fired from beneath the wings.

In 1943 and 1944 many Hudson squadrons re-equipped with later aircraft, but Hudsons continued to be used for a variety of duties, including operation training and transport. Many of the Mk.VIs were converted for transport work, with the turrets removed, and served both in the Middle East and Far East until the closing phases of the war.

Pictured before delivery, this aircraft was subsequently assigned to No. 224 Squadron, coded QX-V. It was lost on September 30, 1940, when shortly after take off from Aldergrove for an anti-submarine patrol, the aircraft rapidly lost height and crashed. The entire crew (all Sergeants) was killed: R.C. Cox, Arthur Gibbs (Pilot), J.P. O'Conner, Kenneth Postgate (Pilot), Stanley Swann."