Originally Posted by PAXboy
I should like to learn a little about the duties and positions of the crew of this machine. All I can find is: Crew of 5: 1 pilot, 1 navigator/bombardier, 1 radio operator, and 2 gunners.
Some places refer to the Ventral turret and give it's armament as two m/g guns. Was this manned by the Radio Operator during bombing/attack? It is the R/Op that is of interest. Many sites on line make no reference to the Ventral and only give fore/aft turrets and their equipment.
Many thanks.
Francis K Mason in his book The British Bomber since 1914 (Putnam) states that the Whitley had a five man crew comprising of pilot, navigator, nose gunner/bomb aimer, observer/wireless operator and rear gunner.
The original order for Whitleys was signed in 1935 and had been for 160 aircraft. The Whitley entered service on March 9th 1937, when the second production Whitley Mk.1 K7184, was delivered to 10 Sqn at Dishforth. The next production aircraft were delivered to 10 Sqn . The second Sqn to be re-equipped with Whitleys was 78 Sqn, also based at Dishforth. No 58 Sqn operating from Linton-on-Ouse was equipped with 8 Whitley Mk. I and 4 Mk. IIs. After 51 and 7 Sqn had been equipped with Whitley Mk. IIs, 58 Sqn exchanged its original Whitley Mk. I.s for Mk. II. Whitley Mk. IIIs were delivered to 102,77 and 51 Sqns with 51 Sqn’s now redundant Whitley Mk. II being transferred to 97 Sqn. Merlin powered Whitleys entered service in May 1939 when 10 Sqn received delivery of their first Whitley Mk. IV. Nos 51 and 78 Sqns also operated Whitley Mk. IVs.
Deliveries of the first Whitley Mk. V had started in August 1939, shortly before the outbreak of WWII, and during the early months of the war 77,102,58,51 and 10 Sqns had been fully equipped with the Mk. Vs.Ultimately Mk. Vs were to be operated by 15 squadrons.
The Whitley Mk.III was the only Mk. of Whitley to be fitted with the ventral turret. On the Mk III the Armstrong Whitworth nose turret was replaced by a power-operated Nash and Thompson type and the tail turret was supplemented by a retractable midships ventral ”dustbin” mounting of a pair of Browning machine guns.
I have no confirmation which member of the crew operated this gun but I should imagine it was as you say the wireless operator.