4 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. ARMSTRONG WHITWORTH AW.41 ALBEMARLE CH 012048: Bellamy W (F/O) Royal Air Force official photographer· Public domain
- 2. AW Albemarle - Lyneham - Royal Air Force Transport Command, 1943-1945. CH12049: Bellamy W (F/O), Royal Air Force official photographer· Public domain
- 3. Four 'stick' commanders of 22nd Independent Parachute Company, 6th Airborne Division, synchronising their watches in front of an Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle at about 11 pm on 5 June 1944, just prior to take o H39070: War Office official photographer, Malindine E G (Capt)· Public domain
- 4. Paratroops of 6th Airborne Division blackening their faces in front of an Albemarle aircraft at RAF Harwell, 5 June 1944. H39066: Malindine E G (Capt), War Office official photographer· Public domain
what is it?
The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.41 Albemarle was a twin-engine transport aircraft developed by the British aircraft manufacturer Armstrong Whitworth and primarily produced by A.W. Hawksley Ltd, a subsidiary of the Gloster Aircraft Company. It was one of many aircraft which entered service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. The Albemarle had been originally designed as a medium bomber to fulfil Specification B.9/38 for an aircraft that could be built of wood and metal without using any light alloys.
How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · 23.5 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 86 years ago, in 1940.
- Top speed is 3.3× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 23.5 m: about 5 cars parked nose to tail.
- Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 3 African elephants (~6 t each).
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1940-03-20
- introduced
- 1942
- retired
- 1945
- status
- retired
- number built
- 602
- role
- transport, glider tug
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- makers
- Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft
- engines
- 2× Bristol Hercules XI
- length
- 18.3 m
- wingspan
- 23.5 m
- height
- 4.8 m
- max take-off weight
- 16.6 t
- top speed
- 426 km/h
- cruise speed
- 274 km/h
- range
- —
- ceiling
- 5,486 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q689408, Wikipedia: Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.