The Story of Frank Mitchell 1941 to 1946

HMS Illustrious 26th November 1944 to 17th May 1945

HMS Illustrious

The section of this website covering the Album, see the home page is the only record I have of the period on the Illustrious

source of information below covering the period November 1944 to May 1945:- http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Ships/ILLUSTRIOUS.html

Following a refit at Durban between July to December 1944, HMS Illustrious joined the Eastern Fleet from December 1944 to January 1945, when she took part in air strikes against oilfields on Sumatra in December 1944, and Palembang in January 1945. From January 1945, Illustrious was assigned to the British Pacific Fleet, but first undertook repairs at Sydney, for removal of the central shaft between February -March 1945. Operations commenced again in March and again in April 1945, with air strikes against Sakishima Gunto and Formosa. On 9 April 1945, she received underwater damage from a Kamikaze attack, and was forced to undertake temporary repairs at Leyte, and further repairs in Sydney in May 1945, and repairs and alterations in the UK from June 1945-June 1946.

Battle Honours :-
Sebang 1944, Palembang 1945, Okinawa 1945.

Squadrons and Aircraft

November 1944: 36 Corsairs, 15 Avengers

FAA squadrons embarked	Dates	Aircraft type
1830	Dec 1943-July 1945	Corsair II
1833	Dec 1943-July 1945	Corsair II
854	Dec 1944-May 1945	Avenger II

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