Converted to carry 40 troops, the Stirling Mk V transport entered service with RAF Transport Command, in February 1945 but was too late to see combat.

Formerly heavy bombers, Short Stirling glider tugs were employed in all the major airborne operations over Northern Europe in 1944-5. The Stirling Mk IV, seen here taking off with a Horsa glider at Harwell, Oxfordshire, belonged to No. 295 squadron.

From the beginning of 1944 the main role of the Short Stirling, designed as a bomber, was that of glider tug and transport operating with No. 38 Group, Transport Command. The prototype of the Stirling Mk IV, a converted Stirling Mk III, had first flown in 1943, and although the powerplant was unchanged, considerable alteration had taken place in the armament with the nose and dorsal turrets deleted (the former being replaced by a transparent fairing), and glider towing gear was installed in the rear fuselage, which retained the defensive turret in this position.

The capacious fuselage meant that the troop-carrying version was capable of taking either 40 fully-equipped soldiers or half that number of paratroops, but the first use of the Stirling in its new role was towing Airspeed Horsa gliders into action when the continent of Europe was invaded on 6 June 1944, the aircraft being drawn from Nos 190 and 622 Squadrons at Fairford and Nos 196 and 299 Squadrons at Keevil. The type also participated in the historic action at Arnhem and in the final assault across the river Rhine in March 1945.

Production was dispersed among a number of contractors, the largest number (236) coming from Short & Harland at Belfast; the Austin Motor Company was responsible for 198, and the remainder being produced by the company’s Rochester works. In all 577 Stirling Mk IVs were delivered, although not all had originated in this form, a number being converted Stirling Mk Ills.

Another task performed by this version of the Stirling was the paradropping of supplies to parachute troops in forward areas, as well as the delivery of food and ammunition to Resistance workers on the continent. The type was also used to ferry petrol, a capacity load consisting of 2841.25 litres (625 Imp gal) in 139 cans.

Berlin Airlift.

The Stirling was used for some months into 1946 only as a transport.

The units were:

Mk III – 1665 HCU; ORTU; TCDU

Mk IV – 196, 295, 299, 570 Sqns

Mk V – 46, 51, 196, 242, 299 Sqns; 1588 HFF, 1589 HFF; ORTU; AFEE;

ATTDU; 16 FU; SFU; TCDU

Specification

Short Stirling Mk IV

Type: glider tug and general transport

Powerplant: four 1230,4-k W ( 1,650-hp) Bristol Hercules XVI 14-cylinder aircooled radial piston engines

Performance: maximum speed 451 km/h (280 mph) at 3200 m (10,500 ft); service ceiling 5182 m (17,000 ft); range 4828 km (3,000 miles)

Weights; empty 19595 kg (43,200 lb); maximum take-off 31751 kg (70,000 lb)

Dimensions: span 30.20 m (99 ft 1 in); length 26.59 m (87 ft 3 in); height 6.93 m (22 ft 9 in); wing area 135.63 m2

(l,460sqft)

Armament: four 7.7-mm (0.303-m) Browning machine-guns in power operated tail turret