Despite being left behind in the wartime expansion of aviation technology, the Avro Anson Mk.I was an early thorn in the German Navy's side. Jamie Ewan looks at the type’s development and use by RAF Coastal Command in World War Two
When Britain declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939, nine of RAF Coastal Command’s 16 squadrons were equipped with the Avro Anson Mk.I. It was by far the most widely available type in the command’s Order of Battle. But while it had originally been considered “cutting-edge” when it made its debut at Hendon’s RAF Display on June 29, 1935, the rapid technological advances across the second half of the decade soon left it standing. By 1939, it had been deemed obsolete by its crews and the command, but it was all they had.
Air Ministr y plus Avro
The Anson’s origins can be traced back to a charter design produced in 1933 for Imperial Airways. Looking for a light airliner capable of carrying four passengers up to 420 miles while cruising at 130mph, the Croydon-based carrier turned to Avro. To meet the airline’s needs, the firm’s chief designer Roy Chadwick outlined a very neat low-wing monoplane with a fabric-covered, steel frame fuselage with wooden mainplanes and tail.
It…
