PBY-5A Canso *DONE*

Leonard Birchall won the Distinguished Flying Cross after spotting an invasion fleet headed for Ceylon. He was able to deliver a report before being shot down

At that point it would have been an American built one sent to the RAF.

Looked it up in PBY - The Catalina Flying Boat by Roscoe Creed. I stand corrected! No. 413 Squadron was formed on July 1, 1941 in Stranraer, Scotland and was equipped with Cansos until the squadron was dissolved in December of 1944. After three months training they flew northeast Atlantic convoy and antisubmarine patrols. They were then sent to India and began operations out of Koggala on 2 April 1942. Squadron Leader L. J. Birchall found the Japanese fleet after two days of searching. "Radio operators at Koggala head the Canso's operator tap out the position, course, and speed of a large enemy force, then in mid-transmission the signal stopped. Burchall was hailed as 'The Savior of Ceylon.'"

Birchall was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. However, it was learned many months later that the Canso had been shot down by the Japanese, but he and his entire crew were captured and held prisoner for the next three years.

Four days later Flight Lieutenant R. Thomas reported a Japanese naval force heading for Colombo on Ceylon. His radio message was also ended in mid-sentence, but he and his crew were never heard from again. His warning did come in time to prepare the British for the attack on Trincomalee the next day.

After that the squadron settled into a routine of convoy escorts and ASW patrols. They did have one bombing and recon mission to investigate Japanese activities in Northern Sumatra that involved flying 2,000 miles. They also began a freight service between Ceylon and Australia. Flying time was 23.5 hours outbound and 25.5 hours on return. A very long trans-oceanic service for that time.

Or a deployment reroll.


Definately a canso. Then. Just wanted to be sure

OOH I like the Surprise ASW idea. Those types of SA's have been limited to carriers and by extension carrier aircraft, but they wouldn't have to be. I think limiting it to this aircraft is very restrictive, but if you applied it to all ASW attacks within range 2 for example (ship and air). Powerful, but still limited. Worth the risk of taking in the right fleet, but still of limited effectiveness.

It could be an auto thing like Surprise already is on the Zeke.

So it'd be an automatic first turn extra die