AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL AVIATION DISPLAYS

In Canberra, Australia is the national war collection - the Australian War Memorial - where the country honours its war dead and war heritage. Amongst the history covering the Boer War, WW1, WW2, Korea, Malaya, Vietnam and Middle East operations and various not as well known UN peace keeping missions, are a wide variety of aviation exhibits from components to full airframes.

The Memorial also has an annex at Mitchell where other relics are stored and at times are rotated through the AWM main collection.


WW2 – RAAF – EUROPE AND PACIFIC CAMPAIGN – FLIGHTGEAR
The gear on display is mostly RAF supplied uniform and equipment. Flying boots 1936 type, Australian made khaki pants and shirt for Pacific campaign for P-40 Kittyhawk, heavy RAF winter flying gear – C helmet, Mk 8 goggles, flight suit, leather gloves, 1941 flight boots and parachute harness for Lancaster bomber,

Variety of paintings show off the flying gear artwork from WW2 -

Examples of preserved flight helmets – a ANH-15 with AN-BH-1 earphone from Len Walters a RAAF pilot in WW2 and a E flight helmet with mission markings written into the head section from Korean war.


Variety of RAAF ww2 European campaign gear C helmet, G oxygen mask, 1936 type wool lined boots and gloves.


The German Luftwaffe used the LKpW101 flight helmet and 10-67 on demand oxygen mask as shown in the ME-109 in its original paint scheme from 1945.


KOREAN WAR RAAF FLIGHTGEAR
RAAF 77sqn CAC Mustang pilot display with flightgear as used in 1950.
E flight helmet, H mask, B-5 life vest, B-8 goggles, K-1 flight suit and B-3 gloves.


 
RAAF 77Sqn F.8 Meteor pilot on display, after they converted from the Mustang in 1951. C type leather flight helmet, B-8 goggles, H type oxygen mask, B-5 vest and RAF flight suit.




VIETNAM WAR – RAAF FLIGHTGEAR
Australian military helicopters in the Vietnam War were flown by the RAAF aircrews- it wasnt until 1989 that the roles were transferred to the Australian Army. The typical RAAF Huey pilots wore standard US Army flight gear – APH-5/A (and later on SPH-3) flight helmets painted olive drab as the white colour originally used – present a too easy target but then conversely made it harder to find the aircrew if shot down, chest body armour and SRU-21/P survival vests.


RAAFA rather interesting but too high displayed i found was the RAAF Vietnam era Canberra bomber nosecone section with the bombardier/navigator on show. It does show how small the cross section of the nose was and tight fit for the bombardier was.
The display has a HGU-2A/P helmet and P oxygen mask with B-3 gloves. The bayonet receivers on the helmet should be white not black model.
My friend John Bushell did this very bombardier role in Vietnam while with the 2 Sqn Canberra bombers. The RAAF aircrews in the Canberras worked as a team and in doing do so, they acheived extremely high accuracy on the targets. They were keenly sought after by the US forces for bombing missions once their skills became well known in Vietnam. I am glad the AWM has given the 2 Sqn crews a display as a tribute to their mostly unique mission in Vietnam.