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Bv 222 Seenotdienst - Build # 2

sharkman

Master at Arms
This will be my second build for this campaign.

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little actual history…. ( source Wikipedia)

The Seenotdienst or “sea rescue service”, was a German military organization formed within the Luftwaffe to save downed airmen from both sides from emergency water landings. The service operated from 1935 to 1945 and was the first organized air-sea rescue service.

First operated as a civilian service run by the military, it was later brought formally into the Luftwaffe. The Seenotdienst solved a number of organizational, operational and technical challenges associated with utilizing aircraft in at-sea rescues to create an effective rescue force. When British and American air leaders observed the German success, they modeled their own rescue forces after the Seenotdienst.

In July 1940, a white-painted He 59 operating near Deal, Kent was shot down and the crew taken captive because it was sharing the air with 12 Bf-109 fighters and because the British were wary of Luftwaffe aircraft dropping spies and saboteurs. The German pilot's log showed that he had noted the position and direction of British convoys. British officials determined that this constituted military reconnaissance, not rescue work. The Air Ministry issued Bulletin 1254 indicating that all enemy air-sea rescue aircraft were to be destroyed if encountered. Winston Churchill later wrote "We did not recognize this means of rescuing enemy pilots who had been shot down in action, in order that they might come and bomb our civil population again.” Germany protested this order on the grounds that rescue aircraft were part of the Geneva Convention agreement stipulating that belligerents must respect each other's "mobile sanitary formations" such as field ambulances and hospital ships. Churchill argued that rescue aircraft were not anticipated by the treaty, and were not covered.

….and some fiction…..

There was however strong resistance by aircrews on both sides against this decision. During the first two years of war, the British Royal Air Force Marine Branch had no coordinated air-sea rescue units (about 28 crash boats and no dedicated aircraft) which usually meant doom for the crew of a British aeroplane ditching in the Channel or the North Sea. German aircrew wanted the reassurance of possible rescue by the Seenotdienst without interference from allied fighters. In a rare circumstance of the war, the matter was settled by both sides in Switzerland in November of 1940 opting for covering rescue aircraft under the Geneva Convention with 3 exceptions: 1. The aircraft remain un-armed. 2. Rescue aircraft had to operate separate from other fighter/bomber units and without fighter escort. 3. All rescue aircraft would be painted white displaying military registrations and Red Cross markings.

Germany continued its efforts rescuing both German and allied servicemen, adding two Bv 222 aircraft to Seenotdienst units in the Spring of 1942, one covering the Channel and one operating in the North Sea. For the British, proper provisioning of rescue squadrons was slow, and it took more than a year for sea-going rescue boats and aircraft to come together in active ASR squadrons. In January 1941, a Directorate of Air-Sea Rescue was formed by the Royal Air Force for the purpose of saving those in distress at sea, especially airmen of both sides.
 
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Plugged away at this one a bit last evening.

Began filling in the positions of the wing turrets.

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I'll have to remove the forward turret on the nose

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Going to be removing the upper turret as well

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Glued the interior together. I had read that one of the main features of this aircraft was it's expansive, flat floor. It was great for cargo.

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Close-up. My port seat was broken and the upper piece was lost to one side so I'll have to fix it. Painting to come soon!

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And lastly, I put the windows in and began filling the beam gunner positions and a few windows I have decided to block off.

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Thanks guys!

Did some more assembly of the wings. Quite a few parts to these, each engine nacelle has 9 pieces. just starting with the exhaust rings here.

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I was foolish though and accidentally cut off part of the cowling when I trimmed out the lower engine cowl pieces leaving a noticeable gap.

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So, a simple solution, I took a piece of I-beam Evergreen sprue and trimmed it down to create a novel carb intake! Just have to do 5 more!

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and I couldn't resist a dry fit of everything. It is a big plane, nearly the same wingspan of my 1/48 Catalina and this is 1/72!

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That is the great thing about this campaign, logical imagination (or as Shep Paine called it: gizmology) trumps issues on 'Real World build!

Regards,
 
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