Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm 1844 NAS (Naval Air Squadron)

HMS Indomitable

The aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable, along with HMS Victorious, was engaged in Pacific operations in the Indian Ocean from July, 1944. Attacks were conducted against Sumatra. Through August, her aircraft took part in Operations 'Boomerang' and 'Banquet'. On August 24, 1944, Operation 'Banquet' saw attacks on Palembang and vicinity, including local refineries. These actions saw the participation of aircraft FN430, piloted by P/O Hannay. Further activity that followed in September was concentrated against targets in the Nicobar Islands, and again, against Sumatra. After a short break at the beginning of 1945, aircraft flying off of HMS Indomitable carried on in combat ops up to the end of the war.

Letadlová loï HMS Indomitable se spolu s HMS Victorious od èervence 1944 úèastnila operací britské pacifické flotily v Indickém oceánu. Jednalo se o útoky na cíle na Sumatøe. V prùbìhu srpna se stroje z její paluby úèastnily operaci "Boomerang" a "Banquet". Operace "Banquet", což byl útok na Palembang a ropné rafinerie v jeho okolí, se dne 24. 8. 1944 zúèastnil i stroj FN430, jehož pilotem byl toho dne P/O Hannay. Dalši akce, následujicí v záøí, byly zamìøeny proti cílùm na Nikobarských

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Photo 01: Modified 32in roundels are marked on the Temperature Sea Scheme camouflaged Hellcats of HMS Indomitable's 1839 and 1844 Sqns seen here on the flight deck sometime in April or May 1945.

Photo showing Grumman F6F-5 Hellcats of Royal Navy 1844 NAS including White 116 White 136 aboard HMS Indomitable 1945

Photo 01: Modified 32in roundels are marked on the Temperature Sea Scheme camouflaged Hellcats of HMS Indomitable's 1839 and 1844 Sqns seen here on the flight deck sometime in April or May 1945.

Photo 01: Modified 32in roundels are marked on the Temperature Sea Scheme camouflaged Hellcats of HMS Indomitable's 1839 and 1844 Sqns seen here on the flight deck sometime in April or May 1945.

Profile Source: Model Airplane Int 080 2011-01 Page 54

Hellcats flying off the deck of HMS Indomitable in the Pacific accumulated a total of forty aerial victories. One aircraft that was a part of the total was JX814, which, on April 12, 1945, was flown by Sub-Lieutenant W. C. M. Foster in combat against a Ki-61, which he subsequently shot down. A short while later, the same fate was met by a Ki-43.These were Foster's second and third kills. By the end of the battle for Okinawa, he managed a further two victories, and thus became one of the few Hellcat aces in British service. The fate of JX814 was sealed the following day, when, in combat with enemy aircraft and flown by Ch. R. Thurston, the plane was fatally hit by antiaircraft fire from friendly ships.

Hellcaty z paluby HMS Indomitable dosáhly bìhem bojù v Pacifiku celkem 40 vzdušných vítìzství. Jedním ze strojù, které se na tomto skóre podílely, byl i JX814, se kterým 12. 4. 1945 odstartoval Sub-Lieutenant W. C. M. Foster vstøíc nepøátelskému stíhaèi, stroji Ki-61, který vzápìtí sestøelil. Krátce nato se objevil další nepøátelsky letoun, Ki-43, který postihl stejný osud. Šlo o to Fosterovo druhé a tøetí vzdušné vítìzství. Do konce bojù o Okinawu dosáhl ještì dvou dalších a stal se tak jedním z mála es na stroji Hellcat v britském námoøním letectvu. Osud Hellcatu JX814 se naplnil již následující den. Bìhem pronásledování nepøátelského stroje byl spolu se svým pilotem, Ch. R. Thurstonem smrtelnì zasažen protileteckou palbou vlastních lodí.

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During the course of March, 1945, aircraft flying off the deck of HMS Indomitable took part in Operation 'Iceberg', covering the Allied invasion of Okinawa. On April 1st, 1945, the ship was damaged by a kamikaze attack, but was repaired in quick order, and was able to continue operations with combat missions against Formosa (Taiwan). Attacks were also undertaken against the Japanese islands. Hellcat JZ935, flown by Sub Lt. T. B. Speak, was damaged on April 5th, 1945, during landing.

Bìhem bøezna 1945 se stroje z paluby HMS Indomitable podílely, v rámci operace "Iceberg", na vylodìní spojeneckých jednotek na Okinawì. Dne 1.dubna 1945 byla loï poškozena pøi útoku kamikaze. Škody se ovšem podaøilo rychle opravit, a tak mohla loï v následujících dnech pokraèovat v bojových operacích proti cílùm na pobøeží Formosy (Taiwan). Útoèila i na cíle v okolí Japonských ostrovù. Hellcat JZ935, pilotovaný Sub Lt T. B. Speakem, byl 5.dubna 1945 poškozen bìhem pøistáni.

 Okinawa Airport, Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan Map