Varsity  'WF382' 

           Vickers Varsity T.Mk 1  WF382

WF382/ Construction Number 541 was one of 125 Varsity's built and had it's First Flight at the Vickers Factory at Weybridge on 19 March 1952. It was delivered to the 3ANS (Air Navigation School) at RAF Biscops Court at 2 May 1952, NI coded "H".  From there it went on with the 1ANS at RAF Topcliffe in March 1957, which moved to RAF Stradishall in Dec 1961.  Tailcode changed to "F".  From there to 2ANS at RAF Hullavington (coded "D") then to RAF Gaydon.  To 1ANS at RAF Stradishall  until 1966 where it was replaced by H.S.125 Dominie T.Mk1´s.  From there on to 5 FTS (Flying Training School) at RAF Oakington and finally to 6 FTS at RAF Finningley (coded "Q") where it was withdrawn from flying duties on 5 May 1976. 

WF382 was flown to RAF Aldergrove as a techical trainer with 23MU (Maintenance Unit).  In 1977 it did it´s last flight to RAF Gatow in Berlin /Germany. It was intended to be donated to the Museum für Verkehr und Technik, now known as the Deutsche Technik Museum. It was officially handed over to the Museum in 1988. Since then nothing happened to it. It was saved from being destroyed by a Hangar! The Hangar which dated back from the Luftwaffe in WW2 collapsed  after the Varsity was towed out. 

In the year 2000 Thomas Lemke, President of the ALLIED MILITARY VEHICLE DRIVERS Assoc. Germany e.v. (AMVD) sent a request to the Museum which owns WF382 to get it on loan. With the financial aid of the BERLIN AIRLIFT GRATITUDE FOUNDATION and the assistance of Group Captain Chris J. Morris OBE FRIN RAF, Air Attaché at the British Embassy Berlin (a former Varsity Pilot) the Varsity was moved from RAF Gatow to its new location at the east end of Berlin's Tegel Airport.

The Varsity was designed as a trainer for Navigators and Bomb-aimers. It found itself also in roles such as Reconnaissance aircrafts for flights through the three air-corridors to Berlin and to collect samples after atomic tests in Australia (by the RAF).

From the 125 built, one went to the Svensk Flygvapnet (Sweish Air Force). The Varsity was designed out of the Vickers Viking passenger aircraft and its military version, the Valetta. They again found their roots in the Vickers Warwick and the legendary WW2 Bomber Vickers Wellington. The Varsity was powered by two Bristol Hercules radial engines developing some 1950 hp each.

RAF Gatow was originally a German Luftwaffe training base (date est 1936). In 1945 it was battle ground in the Battle of Berlin, with the Soviets taking the field on 27 April 1945. The Soviets based IL2 "Stormovik", Li2 (soviet built C47) Jak-9 and Po2 at Gatow. On 25 June 1945 units of the 284 Sqn. RAF Regiment reached Gatow by road from Magdeburg. The Soviets didn't gave them a warm welcome at all, since they came "to early". The new RAF detachment was kept like Prisoners behind a fence for some days. On 1 July a USAF C47 landed at Gatow in preparation of the Potsdam Conference. The next day at 11:55 the first Dakota arrived at Gatow, now known as Landingplace No.19 and on 1 August 1945 became officially known as RAF Gatow. It was one of two airfields in Berlin (together with Tempelhof in the U.S. Sector in the Berlin Airlift, known as Operation Plainfare with the RAF and Operation Vittles with the USAF. During the Airlift 38 British from both civilian carriers and the RAF lost their lives, plus one South African and one Australian ( both died in service while flying a Dakota of No.27 Sqn. RAF). 

After the Airlift RAF Gatow was also a staging point for British POW´s returning from the Koran War. Despite the RAF, Gaotw was also used by the Army Air Corps     No. 7 Flt. The RAF itself had the RAF Gatow Station Flight based at Gatow. Two Chpimunk T.Mk10 used to fly within the Berlin Control Zone, which also included airspace within a 20 nm radius around the Berlin Allied Control Council even outside Berlin and of course in the three Air corridors. The Chipminuks were therefore extensively used by BRIXMAS staff from the British Liaison Mission in Potsdam for aerial photography.

Of the last two used until 1994, WG466 is now owned by the Allied Museum Berlin (currently in storage) and WG486 is used by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) at RAF Conningsby.

The Army Air Corps had six Gazelle AH.Mk1 stationed at Gatow. In 1994, four years after the German reunification, RAF Gatow was officially handed over to the German Luftwaffe and became known as the General Steinhoff Kaserne, named after Genral Steinhoff, one of the first Pilots of the reformed Luftwaffe of 1955. General Steinhoff had a burned face which he got from a crash landing in a Me262 Jet Fighter in WW2! Today Gatow is home of the Luftwaffen Museum and HQ of the 3rd Air Force Division. The two runways where closed in 1994 with more than half of the former airfield being used for construction of a new residential area. The Luftwaffen Museum has a large variety of both East and West German Air force aircraft, plus RAF aircraft in the form of a Lightning F.Mk6, a Hawker Hunter F.Mk6 and a H.S.Harrier GR.Mk1 as well as a RN Hawker SEA HAWK. 

The ALLIED MILITARY VEHICLE DRIVERS Assoc. Germany e.V. AMVD was formed in the early eighties as a group of Collectors of Military Vehicles associated with the AMVD Luxembourg. Since 1999 they have an own place where they can show their collection to others as a little Museum. In 2000 a French Fouga CM170 Magister Jet trainer (c/n55) a five year loan by the Luftawaffe became the first aircraft joined now by Varsity WF382. They are the largest exhibits together with a US Army "Caboose" Railway car. Other "artifacts" include a B17 Propeller found last year by mushroom collectors in a berliner forest.

web: www.AMVD.de (to be updated) 

                      Many thanks to David Geisler for the above passages.