Short Stirling MKIII – “The Gremlin Teaser”, 199 Squadron RAF, North Creake, 1944

Corgi Aviation Archive 1/72 scale AA39504: Short Stirling MKIII LJ542/ EX-G “The Gremlin Teaser” of 199 Squadron RAF, North Creake, 1944. Limited edition

Length 14.5 inches Wingspan 16.5 inches

Stirling Mk.III LJ542 was unusual in that it sported rather elaborate nose artwork, a feature which was nothing like as prevalent on British aircraft during WWII but was in this case particularly impressive. Named “The Gremlin Teaser”, the artwork featured a pin-up girl wearing what appear to be strap-on angel wings, the inference thought to be that this angelic figure was flying in defiance of evil, in this age-old wartime struggle of good against evil, something its crew must have felt they were doing on a nightly basis. “The Gremlin Teaser” would end up being a veteran of 60 operational sorties and during her time with No.199 Squadron, was involved in undertaking vital electronic countermeasures missions, particularly around the time of D-Day, confusing enemy defences in advance of the Allied invasion.

With its nose rising imperiously into the air, the impressive stature of the Stirling was a result of the massive, lengthened undercarriage the aircraft employed, a design modification needed to give the Stirling a greater angle of attack during take-off. The Stirling?s huge bomb bay allowed the aircraft to carry three times as many bombs as the Vickers Wellington and almost nine times the weight carried by a Bristol Blenheim, presenting the RAF with a potent new weapon with which to take the war to the enemy and pointing the way towards the future of night bombing operations. However the aircraft was given a relatively short wingspan due to an MOD specification that it had to fit inside a normal RAF hanger. This seriously affected the aircrafts service ceiling, so it could not ultimately comete with the Lancaster or Halifax and ended the war serving as a transport or glider tug.