The Westland Lysander is a British Army liaison and co-operation aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft. It was designed by Westland designers Teddy Petter and Arthur Davenport for the army reconnaissance and artillery spotting role providing photographic recon and artillery observation. The result was a short take-off and landing (STOL) capable plane with low-speed handling characteristics and a large field of view, large windows with the wing mounted above. It was an unconventional looking aircraft but was aerodynamically advanced. The large spats containing the landing gear arrangement could be fitted with browning machine guns and fittings for removal stubs to carry small bombs or supply pods.
The Mk.I was introduced in June 1938 in an army co-operation role and artillery spotting. When war broke out the Mk.II had replaced many of the originals which were sent to the Middle East. Some ended up in Burma operating with the Chindits. On the European front the Lysander was employed as a light bomber following the German advance on France with five squadrons operating from French bases. However, they were no match for the might of the Luftwaffe and of the 175 planes deployed 116 were lost. They were withdrawn back to home soil and relegated to supply drops to trapped troops during Operation Dynamo. On one resupply mission to Calais 14 of the 16 aircraft sent were lost. When France fell the Lysander was deemed quite unsuitable for the coastal patrol and co-operation role and withdrawn from frontline duties.
It was reassigned to Special Operation duties with No.138 (Special Duties) Squadron to fly missions for the SOE (Special Operations Executive) to maintain contact with French Resistance fighters. It was used for transporting agents in and out of France, picking up downed Allied aircrews who had evaded capture and covert operations. The Mk.III Lysanders were fitted with a ladder to the rear compartment for quick access and a drop tank under the fuselage between the wheels as well as two extra Browning.303 in the rear cockpit. Generally, they were overall flat black, but some examples had green/earth upper surfaces. Most operations had to be carried out during the week of a full moon as moonlight was essential for manual navigation as the pilot only had a compass for navigational purposes. The pilots of No.138 and No.161 Squadrons transported 101 agents into occupied Europe and recovered 128. 18 Lysanders were used by the FAA as well. All Lysanders were withdrawn from RAF and FAA service in 1946 but were operated by 12 other countries worldwide after the war.
A total of 1,786 Lysanders were built including those under licence in Canada. There are a number of surviving aircraft worldwide on static display in museums. There are two airworthy examples in the UK which are frequently seen in air shows across the country. V9552 is part of the Shuttleworth Collection and V9312 at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford. The RAF Museum in London also has a static displayed example.
