UK National Archives RAF 161 Special Duties Squadron RAF Tempsford.

Anyone know why there are so few NA 61 SD Squadron ORB's (Detail Information) for 1943 as compared with ORB (Summary Information) which are available ?. Particularly looking for mission details 'Blunderbus' using Lockheed Hudson Serial N7221 'MA-P' and flights flown in this aircraft by Hugh Verity ('We Landed by Moonlight'). NA currently showing some AIR27 ORB's files 'under re-vision' and not available ?.

 

Don't understand what you mean by detail information and summary information.

The way the volumes are compiled at TNA appears somewhat 'asymmetrical', but it’s the content that counts.

The single volume AIR 27/1068/1 covers the period 01.02.1942 - September 1943 (~20 months), while the 43 volumes AIR/1068/2 to 44 cover the period September 1943 to June 1945 (24 months).
The first volume comes in two PDF files with 70 MB (295 pages)
The remaining 43 volumes come in 43 PDF files with 102 MB, some of which are very small (2 pages).
So judging by the number of volumes seems to be misleading.

Don't know anything about blunderbus and Verity's book isn't to hand. Can you narrow down the timeframe?

 

Thanks for the information :
The AIR 27 Series RAF Squadron 'ORB's' appear to be separated under RAF/AM document 540 (Summary of Work/Events) and 541 (Details of Work/Events). Each of these documents seems to cover a month or period of squadron operations e.g. 'March 1943' or January 1943 to December 1943, the details differ in each. They are however not consistant e.g. some ORB Summaries cover a specific month and some a whole year, or years, period. RAF 161 Squadron ORB's appear to be typical of this practice.
I have managed to locate records of Operation 'Blunderbus' and 'Gamekeeper' under 161 Squadron 'Summary of Events' (Form 540) for 1943 (see attached).