HistoryGuy
Posts: 80
Joined: 1/7/2009 From: Woodbridge, VA Status: offline
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Shifting from disbanding to building, I noticed a number of official histories in our library that included the "Australia in the War of 1939 - 1945" voume entitled "THe Role of Science and Industry". I was flipping through the pages when I noticed it contained the manufacturing/delivery information for Aussie Beauforts, Beaufighters, Wirraway and Boomerang aircraft listed below. You probably already have the information but I added it below just in case: Wirraway deliveries began in July 39 (2 per month) which reached 8 per month by the end of the year. It varied between 5 and 11 aircraft per month until July 1940, when 16 Wirraways were built (out of a total of 83 to date). The delivery rate climbed to 33 in October, 34 in November before dropping to 23 in December 1940 (total 204 built). In 1941 delivery rates varied between 5 and 22 for the first six months (91 total manufactured) before reaching 26 in August, 36 in September, 45 in October, 37 in November and 42 in December 1941. In 1942, Wirraway production was 25 in January, 22 in February, 29 in March, 26 in April, 18 in May and 9 in June 1942 - when deliveries ended. Boomerang deliveries began in August 1942 with one aircraft. They "climbed" to 3 in September, 5 in October, dropping to 4 in November and climbing again to 11 in December 1942. Boomerang deliveries in 1943 started at 3 in January, 13 in February, 21 in March, 18 in April, 16 in May, 10 in June, 4 in July, 22 in August, 14 in September, 7 in October, 9 in November and ended with eight machines delivered in December 1943 (for a cumulative total of 169). In 1944, the Aussies built 4 Boomerangs in January, 5 in February, 6 in March, 12 in April, 5 in May and June, 6 in July, 5 in August, 2 in September, 4 in October, 5 in November, and 7 in December for 248 cumulative aircraft delivered. Deliveries ended in January 1945 with a run of thirteen more Boomerangs. Australian production/deliveries of Beauforts began in August 1941 and ended in August 1944 with a cumulative total of 700 aircraft delivered during that period. During 1941, the monthly manufacturing totals hovered between 2 and 3 with a cumulative total of 10 aircraft delivered. In 1942, deliveries picked up from single digits (Jan - March) to reach 12 in April, 16 in May, 20 in June, 13 in July, 17 in August, 24 in September, 29 in October, 25 in November, and 24 in December 1942 for a cumulative total of 208 aircraft. Deliveries increased slightly during 1943, beginning with 19 Beauforts per month in January, 27 in February, 23 in March, 27 in April, 24 in May, 33 during June through August, 37 in September, 34 in October, 32 in November, and 29 in December for a cumulative total of 559 aircraft. Deliveries in 1944 spanned January through August, with peak figures in Jan and Feb 44 (25 and 26), dropping to 17 in March, 11 in April, 20 in May, 15 in June and July, and 12 in August for a cumulative total of 700 aircraft. Australian Beaufighter deliveries began in may 1944. This took me aback as it seemed to me that the Aussies were "making them" before that date. The official history notes on page 412 that "for several reasons the proposal to manufacture the Beaufighter was temporarily abandoned and not revived until November 1942." Beaufighter deliveries in May 1944 totaled one aircraft, with two more built in June, 8 in July, 13 in August, 20 in September, 23 in October, 27 in November, and 18 in December 1944 for a cumulative total of 112. During 1945, the Aussies produced 28 in January, 26 in February, 28 in March, 30 in April, 29 in May, 31 in June, 26 in July, and 19 in August for a cumulative total of 329.
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