The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.41 Albemarle was a twin-engine transport aircraft.
It was one of many aircraft which entered service with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
The Albemarle had been originally designed as a medium bomber to fulfil Specification B.9/38, however, military planners decided to de-emphasis the bomber role in favour of aerial reconnaissance and transport missions, leading to the aircraft being extensively redesigned mid-development.
Performing its maiden flight on 20 March 1940, its entry to service was delayed by the redesign effort, thus the first RAF squadron to operate the Albemarle, No. 295 at RAF Harwell, did not receive the type in quantity until January 1943.
As a consequence of superior bombers, such as the Vickers Wellington, having arrived in quantity, all plans for using the Albemarle as a bomber were abandoned.
Instead, the Albemarle was used by RAF squadrons primarily for general and special transport duties, paratrooper transport and glider towing, in addition to other secondary duties.
Albemarle squadrons participated in Normandy and the assault on Arnhem during Operation Market Garden.
While the Albemarle remained in service throughout the conflict, the final examples in RAF service were withdrawn less than a year after the war’s end.
During October 1942, the Soviet Air Force also opted to order 200 aircraft, of these, only a handful of Albemarles were delivered to the Soviets prior to the Soviet government deciding to suspend deliveries in May 1943, and later cancelling the order in favour of procuring the American Douglas C-47 Skytrain instead.
Specifications
Crew
4-6
Capacity
Ten troops
Length
59 ft 11 in (18.26 m)
Wingspan
77 ft 0 in (23.47 m)
Height
15 ft 7 in (4.75 m)
Wing area
803.5 sq ft (74.65 m2)
Empty weight
25,347 lb (11,497 kg)
Max take off weight
36,500 lb (16,556 kg)
Fuel capacity
769 imp gal (924 US gal; 3,500 L) normal,
1,399 imp gal (1,680 US gal; 6,360 L) with auxiliary tanks
Powerplant
2 × Bristol Hercules XI, 14-cylinder air cooled radial engines,
1,590 hp (1,190 kW) each
Propellers
3 bladed de Havilland Hydromatic
Performance
Maximum speed
265 mph (426 km/h, 230 kn) at 10,500 ft (3,200 m)
Cruise speed
170 mph (270 km/h, 150 kn)
Stall speed
70 mph (110 km/h, 61 kn)
(Flaps and undercarriage down)
Range
1,300 mi (2,100 km, 1,100 nmi)
Service ceiling
18,000 ft (5,500 m)
Rate of climb
980 ft/min (5.0 m/s)
Armament
Guns
Four × .303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns in dorsal turret.
Two × .303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns in ventral turret (first prototype only)
Bombs
Internal bomb bay for 4,500 lb (2,000 kg) of bombs.
