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#Post#: 10283--------------------------------------------------
Plane of the Week: the Bristol Beaufighter
By: vonofterdingen Date: March 9, 2020, 3:48 pm
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The plane of the Week this time is one of those somewhat
forgotten planes, the Bristol Beaufighter. A very versatile
plane, it was used by a number of allied air commands, most
notably the UK’s Coastal Command. The “Beau” served as fighter,
bomber, torpedo bomber, and rocket-carrying ground attack
aircraft. Those widely used, it is overshadowed somewhat by
other planes that served in the attack role, such as the
Mosquito and Typhoon/Tempest.
From Wikipedia:
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter (often called the Beau) is
a multi-role aircraft developed during the Second World War by
the Bristol Aeroplane Company in the UK. It was originally
conceived as a heavy fighter variant of the Bristol Beaufort
torpedo bomber. The Beaufighter proved to be an effective night
fighter, which came into service with the Royal Air Force (RAF)
during the Battle of Britain, its large size allowing it to
carry heavy armament and early airborne interception radar
without major performance penalties.
The Beaufighter was used in many roles; receiving the
nicknames Rockbeau for its use as a rocket-armed ground attack
aircraft and Torbeau as a torpedo bomber against Axis shipping,
in which it replaced the Beaufort. In later operations, it
served mainly as a maritime strike/ground attack aircraft, RAF
Coastal Command having operated the largest number of
Beaufighters amongst all other commands at one point. The Royal
Australian Air Force (RAAF) also made extensive use of the type
as an anti-shipping aircraft, such as during the Battle of the
Bismarck Sea.
The Beaufighter saw extensive service during the war with the
RAF (59 squadrons), Fleet Air Arm (15 squadrons), RAAF (seven
squadrons), Royal Canadian Air Force (four squadrons), United
States Army Air Forces (four squadrons), Royal New Zealand Air
Force (two squadrons), South African Air Force (two squadrons)
and Polskie Siły Powietrzne (Free Polish Air Force; one
squadron). Variants of the Beaufighter were manufactured in
Australia by the Department of Aircraft Production (DAP); such
aircraft are sometimes referred to by the name DAP Beaufighter.
It was recognised that RAF Coastal Command required a
long-range heavy fighter aircraft such as the Beaufighter and in
early 1941, Bristol proceeded with the development of the
Beaufighter Mk. IC long-range fighter. Based on the standard Mk
I model, the initial batch of 97 Coastal Command Beaufighters
were hastily manufactured making it impossible to incorporate
the intended additional wing fuel tanks on the production line
and 50-gallon tanks from the Vickers Wellington were temporarily
installed on the floor between the cannon bays.
In April/May 1941, this new variant of the Beaufighter
entered squadron service in a detachment from 252 Squadron
operating from Malta. This inaugural deployment with the
squadron proved to be highly successful, leading to the type
being retained in the theatre throughout the remainder of the
war. In June 1941, the Beaufighter-equipped 272 Squadron based
on Malta claimed the destruction of 49 enemy aircraft and the
damaging of 42 more. The Beaufighter was reputedly very
effective in the Mediterranean against Axis shipping, aircraft
and ground targets; Coastal Command was at one point the
majority user of the Beaufighter, replacing its inventory of
obsolete Beaufort and Blenheim aircraft.
In 1941, to intensify offensive air operations against
Germany and deter the deployment of Luftwaffe forces onto the
Eastern Front, Coastal Command Beaufighters began offensive
operations over France and Belgium, attacking enemy shipping in
European waters. In December 1941, Beaufighters participated in
Operation Archery, providing suppressing fire while British
Commandos landed on the occupied Norwegian island of Vågsøy. In
1942, long range patrols of the Bay of Biscay were routinely
conducted by Beaufighters, intercepting aircraft such as the
Ju-88 and Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor operating against Allied
anti-submarine patrols. Beaufighters also cooperated with the
British Eighth Army during action in the Western Desert
Campaign, often in the form of ground strafing.
In mid-1942, Coastal Command began to take delivery of the
improved Beaufighter Mk. VIC. By the end of 1942, Mk VICs were
being equipped with torpedo-carrying gear for the British 18 in
(450 mm) or the US 22.5 in (572 mm) torpedo externally;
observers were not happy about carrying the torpedo as they were
unable to use the escape hatch until after the torpedo had been
dropped. In April 1943, the first successful torpedo attacks by
Beaufighters was performed by 254 Squadron, sinking two merchant
ships off Norway.
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The Hercules Mk XVII, developing 1,735 hp (1,294 kW) at 500
ft (150 m), was installed in the Mk VIC airframe to produce the
TF Mk.X (torpedo fighter), commonly known as the "Torbeau". The
Mk X became the main production mark of the Beaufighter. The
strike variant of the Torbeau was called the Mk.XIC. Beaufighter
TF Xs could make precision attacks on shipping at wave-top
height with torpedoes or RP-3 (60 lb) rockets. Early models of
the Mk X carried centimetric-wavelength ASV (air-to-surface
vessel) radar with "herringbone" antennae on the nose and outer
wings but this was replaced in late 1943 by the centimetric AI
Mark VIII radar housed in a "thimble-nose" radome, enabling
all-weather and night attacks.
The North Coates Strike Wing of Coastal Command, based at RAF
North Coates on the Lincolnshire coast, developed tactics that
combined large formations of Beaufighters using cannons and
rockets to suppress flak while the Torbeaus attacked at low
level with torpedoes. These tactics were put into practice in
mid-1943 and in ten months, 29,762 tons (84,226 m3) of shipping
were sunk. Tactics were further refined when shipping was moved
from port during the night. The North Coates Strike Wing
operated as the largest anti-shipping force of the Second World
War, and accounted for over 150,000 tons (424,500 m3) of
shipping and 117 vessels for a loss of 120 Beaufighters and 241
aircrew killed or missing. This was half the total tonnage sunk
by all strike wings between 1942 and 1945.
The Beaufighter arrived at squadrons in Asia and the Pacific
in mid-1942. A British journalist said that Japanese soldiers
called it the "whispering death" for its quiet engines, although
this is not supported by Japanese sources. The Beaufighter's
Hercules engines used sleeve valves, which lacked the noisy
valve gear common to poppet valve engines. This was most
apparent in a reduced noise level at the front of the engine.
In the South-East Asian Theatre, the Beaufighter Mk VIF
operated from India as a night fighter and on operations against
Japanese lines of communication in Burma and Thailand. Mark X
Beaufighters were also flown on long range daylight intruder
missions over Burma. The high-speed, low-level attacks were very
effective, despite often atrocious weather conditions, and
makeshift repair and maintenance facilities.
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was a keen operator of
the Beaufighter during the Second World War. On 20 April 1942,
the RAAF's first Beaufighter IC (an Australian designation given
to various models of the aircraft, including Beaufighter VIC,
Beaufighter X, and Beaufighter XIC), which had been imported
from Britain, was delivered; the last aircraft was delivered on
20 August 1945. Initial RAAF deliveries were directed to No. 30
Squadron in New Guinea and No. 31 Squadron in North-West
Australia.
Before DAP Beaufighters arrived at RAAF units in the South
West Pacific Theatre, the Beaufighter Mk IC was commonly
employed in anti-shipping missions. The most famous of these was
the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, during which Beaufighters were
used in a fire-suppression role in a mixed force with USAAF
Douglas A-20 Boston and North American B-25 Mitchell bombers.
The Beaufighters of No. 30 Squadron flew in at mast height to
provide heavy suppressive fire for the waves of attacking
bombers. The Japanese convoy, under the impression that they
were under torpedo attack, made the tactical error of turning
their ships towards the Beaufighters, which allowed the
Beaufighters to inflict severe damage on the ships'
anti-aircraft guns, bridges and crews during strafing runs with
their four 20 mm nose cannons and six wing-mounted .303 in (7.7
mm) machine guns. The Japanese ships were left exposed to
mast-height bombing and skip bombing attacks by the US medium
bombers. Eight transports and four destroyers were sunk for the
loss of five aircraft, including one Beaufighter.
The role of the Beaufighters during the Battle of the
Bismarck Sea was recorded by the war correspondent and
film-maker, Damien Parer, who had flown during the engagement
standing behind the pilot of one of the No. 30 Squadron
aircraft; the engagement led to the Beaufighter becoming one of
the more well known aircraft in Australian service during the
conflict. On 2 November 1943, another high-profile event
involving the type occurred when a Beaufighter, A19-54, won the
second of two unofficial races against an A-20 Boston bomber.
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In game…
Level bombing is something that I have never gotten very good
at in IL-2. When I do ground attacks, I want a dive bomber or a
plane with rockets. For this reason, I love to fly the
Beaufighter, with rockets, in MTO and PTO ground attack
missions. Nothing lights up a train like a few well-placed
rockets. I have never gotten the hang of torpedoes yet, but I
think it is time to work on that skill, and this is the plane I
will start with. Oh, and one more thing…if you have never flown
the campaign “Castaways” (available at M4T) you are really
missing out. It is by Dubbo and you really must try it out if
you haven’t already. It is a very exciting and creative campaign
that highlights the Beaufighter.
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#Post#: 10297--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Bristol Beaufighter
By: cafs Date: March 10, 2020, 6:56 am
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Excellent article, Von. This was a forgotten plane, but not for
me. Did some ship busting with it, what an incredible
destruction those 10 guns and 8x rockets could do.
#Post#: 10298--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Bristol Beaufighter
By: JG51_Ruski Date: March 10, 2020, 7:24 am
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Good write up VON.!!
#Post#: 10308--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Bristol Beaufighter
By: vonofterdingen Date: March 10, 2020, 3:33 pm
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When I go after shipping, I want to be in a Dauntless or a
Beaufighter.
#Post#: 10315--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Bristol Beaufighter
By: Gacek Date: March 11, 2020, 4:33 pm
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A beautiful, heavily armed and very dangerous aircraft - for the
opponent and its crews. Most often associated with low-altitude
attacks, he wrote beautiful cards as a night fighter defending
London. I will never forget when, as a child with baked goods on
my face, I read how one of the crews of the 307 squadron of
night fighters approached Dornier so close that the salvo
sprayed their machine with oil. Still, the pilot returned to the
airport and landed happily. Very good plane choice.
#Post#: 10351--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Bristol Beaufighter
By: ben_wh Date: March 14, 2020, 1:46 pm
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Another great plane of the week.
Besides what's already written above, the Beaufighter also
reminds me of an interesting mission it undertook:
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In game, although we have a variety of Beaufighter variants from
mods, it seems that the Mk.VI was never included (or I've missed
it).
Cheers,
#Post#: 10353--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Bristol Beaufighter
By: vonofterdingen Date: March 14, 2020, 4:02 pm
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What a great video, Ben! I had not heard of this raid before.
#Post#: 10369--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Bristol Beaufighter
By: Beowolff Date: March 16, 2020, 6:42 am
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Excellent plane! Excellent article! ;)
Thank you, Von....great job on this!
Beo
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