How Long Wellington Bomber Flight to Biarritz?

[Maljonic]

Does anyone have a good guess on how long it would take a WWII Wellington bomber to fly to Biarritz (south west France) from one of the Kent airfields of WWII?

 

[Trem]

This won't help you at all, but I would think it would be a surprisingly quick flight. They were great planes imo.

 

[DaGaffer]

Its a trick question. Bomber Command didn't operate out of Kent (all the Bomber bases were north of London, mainly East Anglia and Lincolnshire). If Wellingtons did fly from say, Biggin Hill, it would take about three hours.

 

[Maljonic]

Sorry, it's not meant to be a trick question, I didn't know that. I'm just writing a little story about a secret mission to Biarritz and wondered how long the soldiers would be sitting in the plane for - I just pictured them taking off from Biggin Hill or somewhere like that, but it could be anywhere really I suppose.

 

[DaGaffer]

Wellingtons weren't that fast - 220mph top speed, but they would typically fly at about 180-200. Its about 570 miles from Kent to Biarritz, so add in landing and take-off time, and there you go, 3 hours-ish, maybe four hours if they dog-legged around France to avoid flak.

 

[Maljonic]

Thanks, I guess they might add a bit more time on too to avoid Nazi patrols, search lights and AA guns etc.

 

[DaGaffer]

OK, if you want a bit of authenticity - No. 24 (XXIV) Squadron flew Wellington transports out of Hendon airfield London, and the Transport version of the Wellington could carry 18 troops. Oh and I think they'd stopped using the Wellington for transport and bombing from the UK by 1943 (bit longer in the middle east, and Coastal Command used them for ages).

 

[Maljonic]

Great, it's set in 1940.

 

[Trem]

Sometimes DaGaffer rocks.....only sometimes mind