A possible project for Modellers...

[petermcleland]

Allthough not British, the Lockheed Ventura was used for bombing raids by the R.A.F. in WWII and indeed was Sqn/Ldr Len Trent's steed when he led Ramrod 17, an ill fated raid into Holland. He was flying the only Ventura to actually make it through to the target and drop his bombs. The other 11 Venturas were shot down prior to reaching the target. Len had no sooner dropped his bombs when his aircraft was badly hit and the flying controls were shot away and he and his crew managed to bail out...Len was fighting his way out through the top hatch of his spinning Ventura when there was a bang and he was clear as the aircraft had broken up.

Len then went into captivity and he was the last man out of tunnel "Harry" in the "Great Escape" and was crawling through the grass towards cover when he was spotted by a guard and the escape was all over.

After the war when Sir Basil Embry studied all the evidence, he recommended that Squadron Leader Leonard Henry Trent DFC, be awarded the Victoria Cross.

It was 1st March 1946...Some years later on 6th May 1952, when Sqn/Ldr Len Trent VC, DFC gave me my final handling test in a Harvard at R.A.F. Feltwell, he was the last remaining serving holder of the Victoria Cross.

I note from my logbook that my very last flight from Feltwell three days later, was Runway circuits and landings at Methwold, a nearby airfield which had proper runways...I now know that the ill fated "Ramrod 17" Venturas took off from Methwold on Monday 3rd May 1943.

I wonder if any skilled modeller might consider making a Ventura

[tonymadge]

Peter there is one at flightsim.com its for fs2002 so not sure if it will work in FS9
file name :pv1.zip
Maybe worth a look :think:

[cstorey]

Peter : am I right in thinking Len Trent was a New Zealander?

Chris

[petermcleland]

Peter there is one at flightsim.com its for fs2002 so not sure if it will work in FS9
file name :pv1.zip
Maybe worth a look :think:

Thanks Tony,

I'll have a look at that

[petermcleland]

Peter : am I right in thinking Len Trent was a New Zealander?

Yes he was Chris, and the raid was carried out by 487 (NZ) Squadron...The target was Amsterdam Power Station...I made a small error in the above post in that although 12 Venturas took off from Marham, one of them turned back with a tech fault, so only 11 crossed the Dutch coast.

Unfortunately a timing error took one of the Spitfire escort wings over Holland ahead of schedule. This gave early warning to the German defences, and shortage of fuel caused them to return without providing any air cover. By coincidence a conference of ace Luftwaffe fighter pilots was being held at nearby Schipol Airport. They provided a ready, willing and very able reception committee.

Out of the eleven Venturas that crossed the coast and were immediately attacked by FW190s and ME109s, only one aircraft made it back home, the other 10 were shot down. Len Trent was the only one that reached the target but before he got there a rather clumsy German fighter pilot in an ME109 (who obviously didn't know about the fixed front guns on a Ventura), pulled around level, in front of Len's box of four Venturas. Len saw him crossing in front and very close at about 150 yards. Len says "I scarcely had to move my aircraft. He was flying straight towards the centre of my old Ring and bead sight." He pressed the firing button for three seconds of assorted .303 and .5 ammo. The fighters wings suddenly rocked and he rolled over and went vertically down...It was later confrmed that it just continued diving vertically into the ground.

Very shortly after that he reached the target but by then he was alone, all the others had gone. Len's aircraft was hit just as he took his hand off the lever he had used to close the bomb bay doors after the bombs were released at the target. The hit severed all links to the controls and Len ordered his crew to bale out.

So at the end of that raid 487 (NZ) Squadron had only six crews and eight aircraft remaining. On the evening of 3rd May there were 44 vacant chairs at Methwold.