The Blenheim had been designed, under the direction of Frank Barnwell, to provide the RAF with a high-speed light bomber, and a version had then been produced to provide the RAF with a replacement for the Hawker Demon turret fighter. The concept of a twin-engined multi-seat long-range fighter was to prove as flawed as the Boulton Paul Defiant.
The first all-metal cantilever monoplane of stressed-skin construction to enter production for the RAF, the Blenheim marked the beginning of a new era of equipment.
The Blenheim’s conversion from three-seat light bomber to heavy fighter in 1938 was prompted by what was considered as fully adequate. At the time of its introduction its performance allowed it to out-pace most contemporary service aircraft but early in the conflict it proved vulnerable to fighter attack, being deficient in defensive armament and armour, and performance.
The Bristol Type 142M provided armament, a bomb aimer’s position, internal bomb stowage and more powerful 626kW Mercury VIII radial engines. To make room for a bomb bay in the lower fuselage, the low-wing configuration of the civil Type 142 was changed to mid-wing for the military version, which became named Blenheim.
The prototype made its first flight on 25 June 1936, and initial deliveries went to No 114 Bomber Squadron in March 1937.
The requirement for longer range led to evolution of the long-nosed, increased tankage and strengthened landing gear version, named originally Bolingbroke I. These began to enter RAF service in March 1939, by then designated Blenheim IV.
Blenheim IV
Twenty-four Blenheim IVs were delivered to the Finnish Air Force in 1939 and 50 were built under licence in Finland at the Valtion Lentokonetehdas (State Aircraft Factory) at Tampere.
After the Russian invasion of Finland in 1940, slowly reinforcements began to arrive for the Finnish air force. The first to come were 5 Gloster Gladiators, 12 Hurricanes, 17 Lysanders and 24 Blenheims, all from Britain. After that, 76 Morane-Saulnier and Koolhoven F.K. fighters arrived from France. Italy sent 17 Fiat fighters, Sweden 12 Gloster Gladiators, and the USA 44 Brewster Buffalo, of which however only 5 reached Finland in time. Even the Union of South Africa sent 25 Gloster Gladiators. Pilots and ground personnel from a number of countries also volunteered to assist them.
Blenheim Mk.IV
By the outbreak of World War II Blenheim Is had been superseded by Mk IVs in the UK, but remained in first-line service in Greece and the Western Desert. A Blenheim made the first aerial sortie of the war when, on 3 September 1939, a machine of No 139 Squadron made a photo reconnaissance flight over the German fleet in the Schillig Roads. On the following day Blenheims and Well¬ingtons joined in a mast height bombing of the pocket battleship von Scheer.
For the fighter role, the Blenheim was simply adapted from the standard Mk.I bomber by the addition of a ventral pack manufactured by the Southern Railway’s Ashford workshops, containing four 0.303in Browning guns plus 500 rounds of ammunition for each weapon. This supplemented the normal armament of a single wing-mounted Browning and a Vickers “K” 0.303 in a B.I. Mk.III semi-retractable hydraulically-operated dorsal turret. Some 200 Blenheims were modified to fighters, the first examples entering service with No,600 AAF Squadron at Hendon in September 1938.
Early operational experience with the Blenheim IF dictated the provision of a reflector sight, self-sealing tanks and some armour. No.23 Squadron undertook the first night intruder sortie of the war on 21-22 December 1939. On 5 June 1940 the Luftwaffe made its first night attack on London, and Blenheim IFs instituted nocturnal patrols which, on 18 June, resulted in the destruction of five bombers.
Meanwhile, the Blenheim IF had been closely involved in the development of airborne intercept radar. A flight of three aircraft of No.600 Squadron operating from Manston had performed operational trials with AI Mk.III radar, and on the night of 2-3 July a Blenheim IF from the Fighter Interception Unit at Ford gained the first kill with this radar. The Blenheim would equip the first ever night-fighting unit in the world for the No.25 Squadron.
Blenheim Is of No.603 Sqn, Northolt, April 1940
Subsequently the Blenheim IF became the prime night interceptor during 1940-41 and equipped six squadrons for Fighter Command in mid-1940 until supplanted by the Beaufighter.
1940 experimental reconnaissance variant – lightened and unarmed
The Blenheim IV with which the RAF entered the second World War was an all metal monoplane powered by two Bristol Mercury radial engines, each giving 920 hp. Carrying a crew of three, the Blenheim had a span of 56 ft 4 in (17.17 m). Maximum speed was 262 mph (422 km/h) and range 1,800 miles (2,895 km). A 1,000 lb (454 kg) bomb load could be carried and defensive armament included a pair of guns in a dorsal turret.
On 24 February 1941 a modified Blenheim, known originally as the Bisley, made its first flight. Powered by two 708kW Mercury 30 engines, it featured an extensively modified nose and other changes. As the Blenheim V, a total of 940 production aircraft were eventually built in several variants. Although not popular with its crews it remained operational in the Far East until the latter part of 1943.
The Bolingbroke was the Canadian-built version of Bristol Aircraft (Britain) Company’s Blenheim Mk IV bomber. Bolingbrokes were manufactured by Fairchild Aircraft Ltd., Longueil, PQ. Canada built a total of 687 Bolingbrokes between 1939 and 1943.
The RCAF first used the Bolingbroke in 1939. In total, eight maritime squadrons in Canada flew the “Boly” on anti-submarine patrols off the east and west coasts. The majority of the Bolingbrokes served as training aeroplanes at the BCATP’s Bombing and Gunnery Schools and Wireless Schools.
Blenheim IF Engines: 2 x Bristol Mercury VIII, 840 hp Empty weight: 8840 lb / 4100 kg Loaded weight: 12.200 lb / 5534 kg Max speed: 237 mph / 381 kph at SL Max speed: 278 mph / 447 kph at 15,000 ft / 4572 m Cruise speed: 315 mph / 346 kph at 15,000 ft ROC: 1480 fpm / 451 m/min Time to 5000ft / 1524m: 3.9 min Time to 10,000ft / 3048m: 8.1 min Service ceiling: 24,600 ft / 7498 m Max range: 1050 mi / 1890 km Armament: 5 x 0.303in Browning guns / 1 x Vickers “K” 0.303in mg
Bristol Blenheim IF Engines: 2 x Bristol Mercury XV radial, 920hp. Length: 42.59ft (12.98m) Width: 56.33ft (17.17m) Height: 9.81ft (2.99m) Maximum Speed: 266mph (428kmh; 231kts) Maximum Range: 1,454miles (2,340km) Service Ceiling: 27,264ft (8,310m; 5.2miles) Armament: 1 x 7.7mm machine gun in wing system 2 x 7.7mm machine guns in manually-operated dorsal turret. Up to 1,000lbs of internal stores. Optional: 2 x 7.7mm rear-firing machine guns Accommodation: 3 Empty Weight: 9,800lbs (4,445kg) Maximum Take-Off Weight: 14,412lbs (6,537kg)
Bristol Engine 160 Blenheim Mk IV Engine : 2 x Bristol Mercury XV, 893 hp Length: 42.585 ft / 12.98 m Height: 9.843 ft / 3.0 m Wingspan : 56.332 ft / 17.17 m Wing area : 468.987 sqft / 43.57 sq.m Max take off weight : 14403.1 lb / 6532.0 kg Weight empty : 9792.4 lb / 4441.0 kg Max. speed : 231 kts / 428 km/h Cruising speed : 172 kts / 319 km/h Service ceiling : 27264 ft / 8310 m Wing load : 30.75 lb/sq.ft / 150.00 kg/sq.m Range : 1269 nm / 2350 km Crew : 3 Armament : 5x cal.303 MG (7,7mm), 454kg int, 145kg ext.
Blenheim IV Engines: 2 x Bristol Mercury, 920 hp. Wing span: 56 ft 4 in (17.17 m). Max speed: 262 mph (422 km/h). Range: 1,800 miles (2,895 km). Crew: 3. Bomb load: 1,000 lb (454 kg). Armament: 2 x mg.
Bristol “Blenheim Mk IV” Engines: 2 x Bristol Mercury XV, 675kW Take-off weight: 6532 kg / 14401 lb Empty weight: 4441 kg / 9791 lb Wingspan: 17.17 m / 56 ft 4 in Length: 12.98 m / 42 ft 7 in Height: 3.0 m / 9 ft 10 in Wing area: 43.57 sq.m / 468.98 sq ft Max. speed: 428 km/h / 266 mph Cruise speed: 319 km/h / 198 mph Ceiling: 8310 m / 27250 ft Range: 2350 km / 1460 miles Crew: 3 Armament: 5 x 7.7mm machine-guns, 600kg of bombs
Blenheim V Speed: 303 mph at 15,000 ft Operational range: 1900 miles Armament: 3 x .303 mg Bombload: 1000 lb
Bolingbroke Engines : Two 920hp Bristol Mercury XV, 920 hp Wing Span : 56ft 4in Length : 42ft 9 in Height : 12ft 10 in Speed : 266mph Seats: 3 Armament: One 0.303 Vickers K, four 0.303in Brownings. Four fixed brownings. 1000lbs bomb
On August 27, 1935, the RAF issued a requirement for a long-range high-speed torpedo-bomber. The Bristol Aeroplane Company responded to Design Specification M.15/35 by offering its three-seat Type 150, a development of its recent submission for a new four seat general reconnaissance aircraft, itself a stretched Type 142M.
On December 13 the Director of Technical Development disclosed Air Staff thoughts that a single design could combine the general reconnaissance (GR) and torpedo-bomber (TB) specifications, and on January 23, 1936, manufacturers were invited to submit proposals to Production Specification 10/36. Typical British logic decreed that the Blackburn Botha was the preferred design because Blackburn lacked work. However, its marginally higher fuel consumption and 436 Imp gal fuel capacity offered significantly less range than the 570gal of Bristol’s proposed Type 152 (named Beaufort in December), and it was accepted that a number of the latter would be needed for GR and torpedo squadrons based from Malta eastwards. One mandatory change was the addition of a fourth crew member, the price being a semi-exposed torpedo installation in both aircraft. Captain Frank Barnwell, Bristol’s chief designer, was killed shortly before the Beaufort’s first flight and Leslie Frise subsequently developed the type.
Bristol’s proposal to fit twin Browning 0.303in-calibre machine-guns in the gun turret was vetoed, as were twin Vickers drum-fed K guns. The special-to-type B.IV turret therefore had only one K gun, with 20 x 100-round ammunition drums. In May 1939, when the RAF wanted twin guns, the revised turret design was found unsuitable and the necessary modifications could not be incorporated until well into 1941.
The Air Ministry ordered 78 Bristol Perseus VI-engined Beauforts off the drawing board on August 1, 1936. There were to be no pre-production prototypes, the first five machines instead serving as development aircraft. Then on November 2, Bristol proposed a change of engine in order to restore performance eroded by weight increases, suggesting its own new and undeveloped twin-row 1,000 h.p. sleeve-valve Taurus. This was accepted in July 1937, allowing planning and production to proceed.
Except for wooden doors and fabric-covered control surfaces the Beaufort was of stressed-skin light alloy construction. The semi-monocoque fuselage, built in three sections, was shaped by lipped channel and Z section formers, multiple at the fuselage and other joints and other points of major stress, connected by angles-ection stringers.
Most construction was of Alciad or aluminium, but Hidaminium sections were used at the fuselage/fuselage and fuselage/wing joints. The front fuselage extended forward from the wing front spar and housed the pilot and navigator/bomb-aimer. Armour was fitted ahead of the instrument panel, but the V~windscreen, which incorporated clear vision panels and a ring-and-bead sight for the fixed gun(s), was unprotected. When fitted, the torpedo sight was above the pilot’s head.
The rear fuselage, strengthened near the turret and incorporating three heavy longerons, extended aft from the front spar to the stern frame and housed the Wireless Operator/Air Gunner (WOp/AG) and rear gunner. Aft of the radio compartment between wing spars was an armour plate partition and then the 27in-wide two-part main entrance hatch. Inside this was a chemical toilet, which doubled as a step. The long cabin was 54in wide. The fuselage was cut away in an inverted ‘V’ aft of the turret to improve the turret gunner’s field of fire. The stern frame carried the hori zontal and vertical tail surfaces and self-centring tailwheel. The latter retracted into a waterproof well, but was often locked down.
Bristol’s original design for the 100in-long bomb bay could not accommodate four Small Bomb Containers side-by-side with the bomb doors fully closed and so the lower fuselage was widened to 60in, giving it its characteristic bell-shaped cross section. Primarily designed to accommodate four 2501b anti-submarine bombs side-by-side, or two of the bulkier 2501b “B” or 5001b general purpose (GP) bombs, it was found on operations that combinations of two 2501b plus two 5001b GP/medium capacity (MC) bombs, tour slim 5001b semi-armour-piercing (SAP) bombs or four 2501b depth charges would fit. Fore-and-aft extensions formed the 19ft torpedo cell. A special rack could be fitted in lieu of bomb carriers to accommodate a torpedo, a magnetic mine or a 2,0001b bomb.
The RAF 28 aerofoil section cantilever wing was built in three main sections, with the outer panels bolted to the outer ends of the centre-section spars. The whole structure was based on two spanwise spars with full-depth webs and op and bottom extruded booms. The centre section was continuous through the fuselage, bearing all weights and forming the roof of the bomb bay. Square-section steeltube mounts on tubular bearers were fitted near the outer ends of its parallel spars for the engines and main undercarriage, which were housed in streamlined nacelles. Inboard of these between the spars were the two main 194 Imp gal fuel tanks.
A four-man inflatable dinghy was stored in the port wing root. The spars of the otherwise similar outer wing panels tapered and converged towards the detachable wingtips. Each housed an oil cooler and a 91 Imp gal fuel tank with a fuel jettison pipe, just outboard of which were pick-up points for an external 2501b bomb carrier. The leading edge of the port outer wing housed twin adjustable landing lights and inboard of these was a fixed 0.303in-calibre Browning gun with 300 rounds, The ailerons comprised alclad ribs on a tubular duralumin spar, and hydraulically-operated split flaps were fitted between these and the fuselage. Similar construction was used for the tail surfaces, and the elevators and rudder were similar to the ailerons.
The underslung engines driving 12ft-diameter de Havilland/Hamilton two-position propellers were in long cowlings with the exhaust collector rings forming the nosings. The undercarriage members retracted backwards hydraulically into the engine nacelles, the doors being closed by elastic cords.
The original two-gun armament soon proved inadequate and in mid1940 No 22 Sqn pioneered the installation of a Vickers K gun on each beam ahead of the turret for the WOp/AG’s use. The port gun fired through the entrance hatch, but the starboard gun had a more restrictive 12.5in aperture. A further but ineffective increase was the fitting of a rearward-firing Browning gun (600 rounds), sighted by mirrors and mounted in the nose emergency exit.
During August 1938 the first Beaufort (L4441), stressed to 17,0001b, underwent ground-running trials that revealed the serious overheating problems that would dog the Taurus throughout its life. Solutions were attempted and on October 15 Bristol’s chief test pilot, Capt Cyril Uwins, taxied L4441 for 10min and then took off for a first flight. This still revealed overheating and was cut short to 15min by severe tailplane vibration.
The next two short flights tested attempts to cure the tailplane and cooling problems and revealed that the latter were due to the inadequate airflow through the low-drag cowlings with their thrust- producing vertical cooling-air exit slots. Cooling was helped by fitting Blenheim-type cowlings with circumferential gills and by replacing the 7.5in oil coolers with 10.5in-diameter units, moved inboard by one rib space. Fuel jettison pipes for the outer tanks were also fitted.
Temporary tailplane bracing struts did not cure the vibration, but stiffer cockpit side windows did. A third problem involved handling difficulties when operating the undercarriage, owing to asymmetric drag caused by the aprons that closed the nacelles once the wheels were up. As the two oleos could not be made to raise or lower simultaneously a severe yaw developed. The aprons were removed to improve handling, but the now-open nacelles created considerable drag. Despite this, L4441 achieved 304 m.p.h. at 15,000ft during trials at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at Martlesham Heath in April and May 1939 with fully supercharged Taurus III engines producing 1,060 h.p. at 3,300 r.p.m. using 87-octane petrol. Side~hinged undercarriage doors were fitted later, and the fuel jettison pipes were moved outboard, to be in line with the oil coolers.
The second Beaufort, L4442, which featured smaller undercarriage aprons, flew on June 29, 1939, both early machines having rounded lower nose windows. These proved weak and created visual distortions, and from L4443 (which flew on July 26) optically-flat windows were fitted.
The outbreak of war on September brought a change of plan; Beaufor were now needed for home-based TB and GR squadrons. The first five aircraft had been virtually handbuilt, but on October 25, L4446, the first fully jigged mass production aircraft, flew.
The third prototype, L4443, was shipped to Karachi for tropical trials which ran from February to May 1940 and involved cylinder and oil temperature checks with Taurus III and then Mk II engines. There were no overheating problem and the tests were concluded on May 21. It then flew home, reaching Filton on the 29th. To improve handling L4443 featured a revised rudder trim tab with the chord increased by 4in, increasing its area from 0.8 sq.ft to 1.25 sq.ft. This change was incorporated on all Beauforts.
Poor directional control dogged al UK-built Beauforts except the turret less trainers, so to overcome this the fin was slightly enlarged.
Production reached 30 aircraft a month during March 1940, but at the same time the A&AEE refused to clear the Beaufort for operational use because of “very bad single-engine flight characteristics”, Urgent improvements, including improved inter-cylinder baffles to help cooling, brought clearance by mid-April.
During the Mk.I production run the tailplane was modified to give a marked dihedral.
Mk.I
The presence of beam approach equipment was indicated by a long dipole aerial under the rear fuselage. On early aircraft the upper aerial for this equipment was housed within the radio mast, but later took the form of a blade aerial ahead of the turret. Semicircular trailing edge extensions were fitted behind the engine nacelles in mid-1941 to cure turbulence over the wing, This useful modification added 10 m.p.h. to the top speed but was not needed on the Mk II series, as the larger diameter Twin Wasp engines eliminated the turbulence. From W6537 onwards (the 410th UK-built machine) a Browning gun was installed in the starboard wing (500 rounds) and maximum permitted take-off weight raised from 20,000 to 21,0001b, by when the armoured bulkhead had been replaced by armoured seat backs for the pilot and WOp/AG. From the summer of 1941, 22 Sqn began to fit a Vickers K gun firing forward in the upper nose.
When all Beauforts were grounded during the late summer of 1940 in order to replace the troublesome Taurus III engines with a modified version of the moderately supercharged Taurus II using 100-octane fuel and now producing 1,130 h.p., the opportunity was taken to make all five fuel tanks self-sealing and to fit armour to the rear spar to protect the four fixed tanks. Frequent schemes for more armour, which offered some protection from fighters but little against flak, had always to be set against the need for new operational equipment, both exacerbating the type’s weight problems.
All Taurus engines featured singlestage superchargers and from then onwards used 100-octane fuel. The Taurus II had a low-speed impel which was cropped and ran at higher gear speed on the Mk VI. These two marks became the XII and XVI when the crankshafts, maneton joints, bearings and other features were modified for added reliability. Air Publication 3208 credits these four versions with a maximum output of 1130 hp at 3,100 r.p.m. There was a lack of uniformity between individual machines, especially before mid-1942.
Problems with the early Taurus engines, and Bristol’s desire to concentrate on the larger Hercules, led to the American Pratt & Whitney (P&W) Twin Wasp S3C4-G being adopted as an alternative. This was a two-stage engine producing 1,200 h.p. at 2,700 r.p.m., with the exhaust collected at the rear of the engine and emerging aft of the cooling gills. Propellers were 11 ft 6in fully feathering Curtiss Electrics. Beaufort Mk 1 N1110 was converted and flew as a prototype in November 1940. The 485 Mk Is were followed by ten interim Mk 11 aircraft; virtually Mk Is with Twin Wasp engines. Next came 45 production Mk IIs, which featured air-to -surface -vessel (ASV) radar. A small circular loop mounted in a streamlined housing replaced the large folding direction-finding (DF) loop. This was fitted to all future British TBs, although omitted from those later laid down as trainers. Jettison pipes for the inner fuel tanks were fitted at the rear of the engine nacelles.
The bombing of Daimler’s production line for the B. IV gun turret led to the adoption of the Bristol B.1 turret for future Beauforts. This was the Mk V, a well-armoured but nonretractable version of the Blenheim turret and carried twin Brownings with 950 rounds per gun. The next 110 Beauforts featured this, strengthened engine and undercarriage bearers and a thicker wing skin. The permitted underwing bomb load was doubled. With these modifications the aircraft became the M1k IIA. Heavy shipping losses in the Atlantic so reduced supplies of Twin Wasps that Taurus engines were installed in the next 529 machines, which were otherwise identical to the Mk IIA and designated Mk IA. These introduced twin nose guns which were fitted retrospectively to earlier machines. Once supplies of Twin Wasps permitted, the Mk IIA was reintroduced and 129 more torpedo bombers were built. With requirements met, a final batch of 121 machines was laid down as unarmed dual-control advanced trainers. A few torpedo-bombers were also converted to trainer standard.
In the UK all Taurus engines and major airframe components were manufactured at Bristol’s works. Bristol B.IV gun turrets were manufactured by the Daimler Car Company and Bristol B.1 turrets by the Brockhouse Company. Most Beauforts were assembled at Filton and flown out from there. However, to provide space for the new Buckingham, the final 250 were assembled at Bristol’s shadow factory at Banwell from stockpiled parts and flown out from Oldmixon after completion. Twin Wasp engines for the 415 Mk ll-series aircraft were all imported from the USA.
A planned twin-float Beaufort for Australia and Canada was not built; neither were the projected Mk III with Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, nor the Mk IV with improved Taurus XX engines, in both cases because the engines were not available. The M1k III was originally to have had the Merlin XX, but it was quickly appreciated that the Mk 30 was more suitable. However, Rolls-Royce had not developed a twin installation version and the whole scheme lapsed. The Taurus XX engine, with two-speed blowers and fully-feathering propellers, was flight tested in AW372, which featured an Australian-style enlarged fin. This was not a true prototype Mk IV, however, as it lacked the intended B.15 four-gun turret, eventually flight tested in EK997. It was intended that the final 500 Beauforts would be Mk IVs, but Bristol lacked the capacity to produce the Taurus XX engines. An enlarged fin was also fitted to AW304, a widely-used trials machine.
Coastal command’s first Beaufort, L4447, joined 22 Sqn at Thorney Island on November 15,1939. After delays caused by engine problems operations began on April 15, 1940, laying magnetic mines in the German Bight. Bombing attacks against land and sea targets commenced in May with the first British 2,0001b armour piercing (AP) bombs being dropped on the 7th against minor vessels.
Even before the war had started, it had been agreed that Australia’s Department of Aircraft Production (DAP) would supply the Royal Australian Air Force and overseas-based RAF units with Beauforts.
In March 1937 the RAAF ordered the Bristol Bolingbroke (the proposed General Reconnaissance development of the Blenheim mark I), the design was cancelled in December 1937 and in February 1938 the RAAF Bolingbroke order was changed to Beaufort, and in March 1938 it was agreed that Australia would build Beauforts for the RAAF and for overseas-based RAF units.
To assist local production two complete airframes and 20 complete sets of airframe parts were promised by Bristol, who trained 78 key Australian personnel and sent 20 of their staff to Australia. Bristol’s customary tardiness caused delays, but on October 20, 1939, Beaufort L4448, which had been built without engines, at last left Filton for Australia. Component production for the Australian Beaufort would be spread among plants in south-eastern Australia, with final assembly at Fishermen’s Bend in Victoria and Mascot, New South Wales, all under the control of the Beaufort Division of the Department of Aircraft Production (DAP).
In April 1940, by which time it had been decided that all Australian Beautorts would have Twin Wasp engines, reassembly of L4448 was under way, with the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation responsible for fitting its engines. However, Britain’s desperate war situation forced an embargo on the export of strategic materials and progress on completing the Beaufort and converting it to take the new engines was slow: the promised second machine, L9811, was not supplied.
The original order from 1939 was 90 for the RAF then 90 for the RAAF. The RAF order was increased in March/April 1941 by another 90, making 270 on order as more Hudsons were unavailable. Approval for a further order of 180 Beauforts came on 16 July 1942 then another 250 in February 1943. Grand total 700.
Although the UK’s export embargo was lifted by the end of 1940, the bombing of Bristol’s works continued to hinder all forms of assistance to Australia, as did the sinking of ships carrying supplies from the UK and USA. Until local production was in full swing Australia had to import such key items as engines and propellers.
On May 5, 1941, L4448 made its first flight, and T9540, the first Australian Beaufort built from imported parts and the first of the RAF order, flew on August 22 from Fishermen’s Bend, achieving a speed of 271 m.p.h. on test.
Production at Mascot was delayed and its first machine, T9545, did not fly until October 20. The first Beauforts arrived in December, but they were not fully equipped, at 100 Sqn, the RAF’s Australian detachment, Singapore. Most were built as GR Bombers but a number were completed to GR Torpedo standard, all designated Mk 11. Following the transfer of 100 Sqn and its 17 aircraft (two having been lost) to the RAAF, Britain allocated its order for 90 Beauforts to Australia. A change to RAAF A9 series serial numbers began before this order had been completed.
Basic design and construction followed UK practice, the most significant change being the enlargement of the fin from 11 .4 sq.ft to 14.3 sq.ft to improve stability, The mainwheels were fully enclosed by additional doors at the rear of the engine nacelles, The use of ball bearings was reduced by some 50 per cent.
Before February 1942 most Beauforts, including those sent to Singapore, were unnecessarily fitted with the semi-circular trailing edge extensions typical of Taurus-engined machines, The fitting and later deletion of chin guns, the fitting of nose guns and the change of gun turret followed British practice, but the DAP also fitted a forward-firing Vickers K gun in a glazed section of the cabin roof above the beam guns.
After completion of the first 50 aircraft a temporary shortage of P&W S3C4-Gs led to S1C3-G single-stage engines being fitted to the next 100, degrading their altitude performance, A subsequent shortage of Curtiss Electric propellers led to the second 90 aircraft being fitted with de Havilland/Hamilton units, as fitted to Taurus-engined machines.
In RAAF service the first batch became the Mk V; the next 40, with non-standard engines and Australian ASV radar, became the Mk V1; the next 60, with both non-standard engines and propellers, the Mk VII and the next 30, with non-standard propellers, the Mk VA (Mk VIII having already been allocated to a new definitive version similar to the British Mk IIA). Twin nose guns were being fitted to service aircraft in August 1942, the mark VIII appeared in November. The 520 Mk VIIIs featured twin nose-guns, fitted retrospectively to earlier marks, and many Mk VIIIs from the A9-54X-range onwards received 0.5in-calibre wing guns.
Major crisis was caused during 1943 by the failure of locally produced Breeze actuators for elevator trim tabs. These had been manufactured from unsuitable materials and were found to have been the cause of a large number of fatal crashes.
Although early supplies of Twin Wasps were imported from the USA, General Motors (Holdens) manufactured 870. Final assembly was at Fishermen’s Bend (A9-odds) and Mascot (A9-evens, although 451 was built there). Peak output reached 37 in September 1943.
During 1944 some 46 airframes, mainly Mk VIIIs, were reconstructed as Mk IX transport aircraft, with their turrets and military fittings removed, with the exception of bomb shackles, and the fuselage top line raised aft to provide space for five airliner-type seats. Virtually new, these were given new serial numbers. The last, A9-746, was delivered in October 1945. All marks of Beaufort remained Bristol Type 152.
The transfer of the RAF’s No 100 Sqn to the RAAF was announced on February 28, 1942 (made retrospective to the 25th). The transfer was seamless and the RAF pattern of shipping escort and anti-raider patrols continued. The first offensive mission was flown on May 27, when two Beauforts staged through Port Moresby, New Guinea, to reconnoitre the Deboyne Islands.
Four weeks later two Beauforts of another detachment bombed shore targets at Salamaua on New Guinea while five others bombed a ship reported as under way off Lae in north-eastern New Guinea, but what was in fact the wreck of the Tenyo Maru, which had been beached after bombing by US Navy aircraft on March 10.
In the shape of No 489 Sqn, an Article XV unit within RAF Coastal Command, the Royal New Zealand Air Force received six Beaufort Mk Is between August and October 1941. However, various crises overseas led to these being withdrawn by the following April before the unit could become operational.
The early story of No 415 Slain Article XV unit of the Royal Canadian an Air Force (RCAF), was similar to that of 489 Sqn. At Sidney, Vancouver Island, the metropolitan RCAF took over the Beauforts of the RAF’s 32 OTU to form the emergency 32 Sqn RCAF, and used them on torpedo and bomb-armed anti-shipping searches over the eastern Pacific at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. This was repeated during May and June 1942 when the Aleutian Islands were attacked and Canada threatened. The RCAF formed its own 149 (TB) Sqn with the 12 surviving Beauforts at the same base in November 1942, retaining them until August 1943 without becoming operational.
From January 1942, 18 Beaufort Mk Is joined the South African Air Force (SAAF), equipping 36, 37 and HO Flights in the Union, Patrols over the southern oceans were flown before the numbered Flights took part in the capture of the Diego Suarez area of Madagascar in May. Before the subsequent occupation of the whole island the two Flights were amalgamated, together with No 32 Sqn’s Martin Marylands, to form 20 Sqn in July. This unit was in turn renumbered No 16 Sqn SAAF in September. The Beauforts fared badly because there were no spares on the island and the SAAF was still imposing the outmoded maximum take-off weight of only 18,5001b.
Before the ten surviving Beauforts were returned to the RAF a few had served with other units in the Union. Meanwhile 16 Sqn had converted to Blenheim Vs and moved to North Africa as an A/S patrol unit. During June 1943 the Blenheims made way for a mixed complement of Taurus and Twin Wasp-engined Beauforts. These flew patrols over the central Mediterranean before reequipment at the turn of the year.
The Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm (FAA) received more than 100 Beauforts, Numerous Beaufighter lls had been made available to 7XXseries Fleet Requirements Units, but as these proved difficult to master by pilots trained on Blenheims, an interim dual-control trainer was sought, The RAF provided six Beaufort 1As, which, after modification to FAA standard, joined 798 Sqn at Lee-on-Solent in October 1943. The unit was renumbered 762 Sqn in March 1944 and moved to Dale, converting to Beaufort T.IIA trainers, the last retiring in March 1946. The station flight at Yeovilton used three M1k 1As between October 1944 and February 1945. Far more Beauforts were used overseas than at home, all being Mk 1As. From January 1944 onwards, 733 Sqn in Ceylon received about 14 at RAF Minneriya and later China Bay, initially from RAF stocks; all had gone by July 1945.
On Malta 728 Sqn received about 15 from September 1944, retaining them for exactly a year, and 779 Sqn received two or three at Gibraltar during November 1944. Although there is no confirmation of actual receipt, 775 Sqn at Dekheila, Egypt, and 788 at Port Reitz, Kenya, also had Beauforts on their inventories.
The Turkish Air Force (TuAF) was the last service to receive Beauforts. Ordering 18 (possibly 21) in 1943, there is still doubt as to how many were received. Although RAF records list 13 M1k 1As and 12 Mk 11As supplied from North African MUs during 1944 and 1945 respectively, TuAF aircraft lists contain 46XXseries serial numbers for only 11 Mk 1As and ten M1k 11As. However, a separate list of accidents contains the serial numbers of an additional eight Beauforts, at least four of them 1As: the other four have out-of-series 59XX-range serial numbers. With no torpedoes available the Beauforts were initially used as GR bombers by two squadrons of the 105th Torpedo & Reconnaissance Group. The few M1k 11As that survived until 1947 were modified locally to trainer standard by Bristol’s resident engineers and used to convert pilots on to Beaufighter M1k Xs at lzmjt. Precise dates are lacking, but all the Beauforts had gone by the end of 1950 at the very latest.
Total Beaufort production was 1380, including 700 built in Australia.
Beaufort Mk.I Engines: 2 x Bristol Taurus II or VII, 1130 hp Propellers: 12 ft 0 in constant speed Wingspan: 57 ft 10 in / 17.62m Chord at root: 11 ft 4 3/8 in Dihedral (outer wing only): 6.5 degs Length: 44 ft 2 in / 13.49m Height (prop tip): 13 ft 7 in Mainwheel track/ engine centre: 18 ft Tailplane span: 18 ft 4 in Wing area: 503 sq.ft / 46.73 sq.m Aileron area: 26.6 sq.ft Fin area: 11.4 sq.ft Rudder area: 25.7 sq.ft Tailplane area: 52.8 sq.ft Elevator area: 32.6 sq.ft Flap area: 57.1 sq.ft Fuel: 570 Imp Gal + 138 Imp Gal Empty weight: 12,373 lb MTOW: 18,500 lb Wing load: 42.23 lbs/sq.ft / 206.0 kg/sq.m Maximum Speed: 265mph (426kmh / 230kts) at 6,500 ft Cruise speed: 175 mph at 15,000 ft Range: 990 miles Maximum Range: 1,600miles (2,575km) Service Ceiling: 16,499ft (5,029m) Armament: 2 x 7.7mm machine guns in nose 2 x 7.7mm machine guns in dorsal turret Maximum bombload of up to 2,000lbs. 1 x 1,605lb 457mm torpedo 1 x 7.7mm rear-firing machine gun under nose 2 x 7.7mm machine guns in beam positions Bombload: 2000 lb internal / 500 lb external / total max 2200 lb Crew: 4
Beaufort Mk.IA Engines: 2 x Bristol Taurus XII or XVI, 1130 hp Propellers: 12 ft 0 in constant speed Wingspan: 57 ft 10 in Chord at root: 11 ft 4 3/8 in Dihedral (outer wing only): 6.5 degs Length: 44 ft 2 in Height (prop tip): 13 ft 7 in Mainwheel track/ engine centre: 18 ft Tailplane span: 18 ft 4 in Wing area: 503 sq.ft Aileron area: 26.6 sq.ft Fin area: 11.4 sq.ft Rudder area: 25.7 sq.ft Tailplane area: 52.8 sq.ft Elevator area: 32.6 sq.ft Flap area: 57.1 sq.ft Fuel: 570 Imp Gal + 138 Imp Gal Empty weight: 13,362 lb MTOW: 21,000 lb Max load: 21,593 lb Max speed: 247 mph at 5,000 ft Cruise speed: 136 mph at 5000 ft Range: 1605 miles Armament: 2000 lb internal / 1000 lb external / total max 2200 lb. 2-10 .303 mg.
Beaufort Mk.II Engines: 2 x P & W Twin Wasp S3C4-G, 1200 hp Propellers: 11 ft 6 in full featuring Wingspan: 57 ft 10 in Chord at root: 11 ft 4 3/8 in Dihedral (outer wing only): 6.5 degs Length: 44 ft 2 in Height (prop tip): 13 ft 1 in Mainwheel track/ engine centre: 18 ft Tailplane span: 18 ft 4 in Wing area: 503 sq.ft Aileron area: 26.6 sq.ft Fin area: 11.4 sq.ft Rudder area: 25.7 sq.ft Tailplane area: 52.8 sq.ft Elevator area: 32.6 sq.ft Flap area: 57.1 sq.ft Fuel: 570 Imp Gal + 138 Imp Gal Empty weight: 12,760 lb MTOW: 21,000 lb Max load: 21,240 lb Max speed: 271 mph at 6,000 ft Cruise speed: 155 mph at 5000 ft Range: 1410 miles Armament: 2000 lb internal / 500 lb external / total max 2200 lb. 2-10 .303 mg. Beaufort Mk.IIA Engines: 2 x P & W Twin Wasp S3C4-G, 1200 hp Propellers: 11 ft 6 in full featuring Wingspan: 57 ft 10 in Chord at root: 11 ft 4 3/8 in Dihedral (outer wing only): 6.5 degs Length: 44 ft 2 in Height (prop tip): 13 ft 1 in Mainwheel track/ engine centre: 18 ft Tailplane span: 18 ft 4 in Wing area: 503 sq.ft Aileron area: 26.6 sq.ft Fin area: 11.4 sq.ft Rudder area: 25.7 sq.ft Tailplane area: 52.8 sq.ft Elevator area: 32.6 sq.ft Flap area: 57.1 sq.ft Fuel: 570 Imp Gal + 138 Imp Gal Empty weight: 14,032 lb MTOW: 21,500 lb Max load: 22,236 lb Max speed: 255 mph at 6,500 ft Cruise speed: 136 mph at 5000 ft Range: 1470 miles Armament: 2000 lb internal / 1000 lb external / total max 2200 lb. 2-10 .303 mg.
Beaufort Mk.V Engines: 2 x P & W Twin Wasp S3C4-G, 1200 hp Propellers: 11 ft 6 in full featuring Wingspan: 57 ft 10 in Chord at root: 11 ft 4 3/8 in Dihedral (outer wing only): 6.5 degs Length: 44 ft 2 in Height (prop tip): 13 ft 1 in Mainwheel track/ engine centre: 18 ft Tailplane span: 18 ft 4 in Wing area: 503 sq.ft Aileron area: 26.6 sq.ft Fin area: 14.3 sq.ft Rudder area: 25.7 sq.ft Tailplane area: 52.8 sq.ft Elevator area: 32.6 sq.ft Flap area: 57.1 sq.ft Fuel: 570 Imp Gal + 138 Imp Gal Empty weight: 12,990 lb MTOW: 21,000 lb Max speed: 264 mph at 6,900 ft Cruise speed: 162 mph at 5000 ft Range: 1410 miles Armament: 2000 lb internal / 500 lb external / total max 2200 lb. 2-10 .303 mg.
Beaufort Mk.VIII Engines: 2 x P & W Twin Wasp S3C4-G, 1200 hp Propellers: 11 ft 6 in full featuring Wingspan: 57 ft 10 in Chord at root: 11 ft 4 3/8 in Dihedral (outer wing only): 6.5 degs Length: 44 ft 2 in Height (prop tip): 13 ft 1 in Mainwheel track/ engine centre: 18 ft Tailplane span: 18 ft 4 in Wing area: 503 sq.ft Aileron area: 26.6 sq.ft Fin area: 14.3 sq.ft Rudder area: 25.7 sq.ft Tailplane area: 52.8 sq.ft Elevator area: 32.6 sq.ft Flap area: 57.1 sq.ft Fuel: 570 Imp Gal + 138 Imp Gal Empty weight: 14,070 lb MTOW: 22,500 lb Max speed: 268 mph at 14,500 ft Cruise speed: 178 mph at 5000 ft Range: 1450 miles Armament: 2000 lb internal / 1000 lb external / total max 2200 lb. 2-10 .303 or .50 mg.
Designed by William G. Briegleb, the BG-7 was developed in 1940 by adding longer, tapered wings to the BG-6. Most have spoilers fitted, which the BG-6 lacked. Modifications were common, frequently in the cockpit area. The added span created some directional instabillity, so many BG-7s had the rear fuselage lengthened or area added to the vertical fin.
Mr Briegleb’s firm re-introduced construction of the BG 6 and BG 7 as a plans-only service to homebuilders, and by the beginning of 1978 59 sets of BG 6 plans and 29 sets of the BG 7 had been sold.
The prototype of this single-seat all-metal fighter flew for the first time in December 1937.
1938 XF2A-1
The first production version was the F2A-1 powered by a 700.4kW Wright R-1820-34 radial engine which went into service with the US Navy in 1939. From the initial order of 54, only 11 were actually accepted into service with US forces. The eleven were operated by the US Navy on board USS Saratoga and 44 were exported to Finland. The F2A-1 was the US Navy’s first monoplane fighter.
These were followed by 43 894kW R-1820-40-engined F2A-2 and 108 F2A-3 for the US Navy. Addition of armour plate on the F2A-2 version reduced any performance advantage the basic Buffalo may have had over Japanese fighters.
A contract was placed by the RAF in 1939 for 170 Brewster Model 339’s (called Buffalos) to be operated as a land fighter. Meanwhile a few fighters had reached Belgium and others were in service in the Netherlands East Indies and with the RAF.
Finland bought 44 Brewster 239 from USA 1939-1940. Basically 43 Brewsters were on sale (US Navy order was 54 and only 11 was delivered). But Finland bought 44 and 38 came from US Navy order and six from Belgium order. Since Belgium has ordered Brewster 339, the factory had to make rather big modification to front fuselage.
After the Russian invasion of Finland in 1940, slowly reinforcements began to arrive for the Finnish air force. The first to come were 5 Gloster Gladiators, 12 Hurricanes, 17 Lysanders and 24 Blenheims, all from Britain. After that, 76 Morane-Saulnier and Koolhoven F.K. fighters arrived from France. Italy sent 17 Fiat fighters, Sweden 12 Gloster Gladiators, and the USA 44 Brewster Buffalo, of which however only 5 reached Finland in time. Even the Union of South Africa sent 25 Gloster Gladiators. Pilots and ground personnel from a number of countries also volunteered to assist them.
Apart from the Finnish fighters which fought well against the Russians, F2A were used almost exclusively against the Japanese and in all cases met superior aircraft. Heavy British losses in the Far East led to their withdrawal and US Navy action during the Battle of Midway was equally unsuccessful as 13 out of the 19 available Buffalos were lost to enemy fire.
In an attempt to improve performance against the Japanese Zero, the .50 in mgs were replaced by .303s and the number of rounds reduced to 350. The fuel was restricted to 80 gallons.
A total of more than 500 F2A were built.
In 1939, following requests by the Finnish Embassy in Washington, D.C., a total of forty-four U.S. Brewster F2A-1 “Buffalo” aircraft that were originally intended for the U.S. Navy were diverted at the behest of the U.S. State Department to Finland for use by the Finnish Air Force (FAF) and designated by Brewster as the Model B-239E. They were flown at first during the Winter War of 1939-40 between the Soviet Union and Finland. There they were never referred to as the “Buffalo” by the FAF, but merely “Brewster” or by nicknames such as “Sky Pearl” and “Pearl of the Northern Skies” and “Butt-Walter” (or “Pylly-Walter”) and “American Hardware” (American metal) and “Flying Beer Bottle,” and they received FAF serial numbers BW-351 though BW-394 (“BW” aircraft).
Brewster B-239s over Lake Tikshozero, 1942.
The Finns liked the Buffalo enough to design a version called the Humu (‘Reckless’) with a wooden wing and a Russian engine. It proved unsatisfactory in trials and only a single example was built.
The one Brewster 239 (F2A-1) is in The Aviation Museum of Central Finland in Tikkakoski, Finland. There is also the prototype of VL Humu which is the clone of F2A-1 or 239.
Brewster F 2 A Buffalo Carrier based fighter aircraft 1938 Length: 26.345 ft / 8.03 m Height: 12.073 ft / 3.68 m Wingspan: 35.007 ft / 10.67 m Wing area: 208.929 sqft / 19.41 sq.m Max take off weight: 7159.6 lb / 3247.0 kg Weight empty: 4731.9 lb / 2146.0 kg Max. speed: 279 kts / 517 km/h Cruising speed: 224 kts / 415 km/h Service ceiling: 33202 ft / 10120 m Wing load: 34.24 lbs/sq.ft / 167.00 kg/sq.m Range: 839 nm / 1553 km Engine: Wright R 1820-40 Cyclone, 1184 hp Crew: 1 Armament: 4x cal.50 MG (12,7mm), 2x 45kg Bomb.
F2A-2 Engine: 1100 hp Wright R-1820-40 (G-205A) Cyclone Wingspan: 35 ft / 10.67 m Length: 26 ft 4 in / 8 m Height: 12 ft 1 in / 3.7 m Empty weight: 4630 lb / 2100 kg Loaded weight: 7055 lb / 3200 kg Max speed: 300 mph / 483 km ROC: 3070 fpm / 935 m/min Service ceiling: 30,500 ft 9300 m Range: 650-950 mi / 1045-1530 km Armament: 4 x mg, 0.30 in, 0.303 in, or 0.50 in
Brewster F2A-3 Buffalo Length: 26 ft 4 in (8.03m) Wingspan: 35 ft 0 in (10.67m) Height: 12 ft 1 in (3.68m) Wing area: 19.41 sq.m / 208.93 sq ft Maximum Speed: 321mph (517kmh; 279kts) Cruise speed: 415 km/h / 258 mph Maximum Range: 965miles (1,553km) Rate-of-Climb: 3,070ft/min (936m/min) Service Ceiling: 33,202ft (10,120m) Armament:4 x 12.7mm machine guns, 2 x 45-kg bombs Accommodation: 1 Empty Weight: 4,731lbs (2,146kg) Maximum Take-Off Weight: 7,158lbs (3,247kg) Engine: 1 x Wright R-1820-40 cyclone radial piston , 895kW
The US Navy issued a requirement for a new scout/dive bomber aircraft early in 1938. From half a dozen designs submitted, those of Brewster and Curtiss were considered most suitable, both incorporating the new 1700 hp Wright R 2600 Cyclone 14 cylinder two row radial, conforming adequately with the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics specifica¬tion. In January 1939, prototypes of the XSB2A1 (Brewster) and XSWC 1 (Curtiss) were ordered.
First flown on 17 June 1941, this was a mid-wing all-metal monoplane fitted with a 1,267kW Wright Double-Row Cyclone R-2600-8 engine. The prototype was tested with a mock-up powered dorsal turret, but this caused such buffeting that it was abandoned and traditional hand-aimed guns were used instead.
Production deliveries were made to the RAF in 1942 as SB2A-1 (known as Bermuda and quickly relegated to training and target-towing duties), and to the US Navy from 1943 as SB2A-2, -3 and -4; the latter were produced for the Netherlands East Indies but were not delivered and were used instead as trainers. The RAF’s Bermudas lacked the arrester hook and folding wings of the US Navy’s SB2As.
The Bermuda has split flaps which act as dive brakes, reducing the operational diving speed to a maximum of 240 mph.
Founded in the mid-1930s, the first product of this company was a two-seat scout/bomber for the U.S. Navy designated SBA. When this aircraft entered production in 1937-1938 the company had inadequate productive capacity and 30 were built by the Naval Aircraft Factory as SBNs. The F2A Buffalo which followed was the first monoplane fighter to serve with the USN, and was also used by the armed forces of Belgium, Britain, Finland, and Netherlands East Indies. The later SB2A Buccaneer, though built in quantity, proved totally unsuitable for frontline service. Manufacturing rights of the Fleet trainers were sold in 1939 to Brewster Aeronautical Corp.
In 1934 the French Air Force issued a requirement for a twin-engined three-seat heavy fighter. Several manufacturers submitted proposals, and the contest was won by the Potez 630. The Breguet proposal had been heavier and more powerful than the other submissions, its designers believing it to be a more versatile, multi-role aeroplane. Design of the Breguet 690 was started in 1935 and a prototype was completed in 1937, first flying on 23 March 1938 with two 507-kW (680-hp) Hispano-Suiza 14AB-02/03 engines. The aircraft was found to have a performance superior to that of the Potez 630, and Breguet received a contract to supply 100 aircraft, configured as two-seat light attack bombers as the Bre.691, first flying in March 1939 with 522-kW (700-hp) 14AB-10/11s.
The Breguet 691 was a cantilever mid-wing monoplane of all-metal construction, with two wing-mounted engines and a short fuselage nose. Aft of the wing the fuselage tapered to a tailplane with twin endplate fins and rudders. Conversion from Bre.690 to Bre.691 was deletion of the navigator’s position to provide a small bomb bay. Experience with the Bre.691 proved the Hispano-Suiza powerplants to be unreliable, and the Bre.693.01 was introduced with two Gnome-Rhone 14M-6/7 engines after only 78 Bre.691s had been built. Two hundred and thirty four examples of the Bre.693 were built, later examples having two extra 7.5mm machine-guns, one installed in the tail of each engine nacelle, to improve self-defence. The Breguet 693 proved extremely vulnerable and almost half were lost to enemy action. Foreign interest in the Bre.690 series was cut short by the German invasion of France and the single Bre.694.01 built, intended as a three-seat reconnaissance aircraft, was delivered directly to the Aeronavale. The Bre.694 was generally similar to the original Bre.690 with no bomb bay and a navigator’s compartment, but with Gnome-Rhone 14M-4/5 engines. The Bre.695 was virtually identical to the Bre.693 but with Pratt & Whitney SB4G Twin Wasp Junior engines. Fifty Bre.695s were built, being delivered to Groupe 18 in June 1940.
Breguet 695
The Bre.696 and 697 were built only as prototypes and were respectively a two-seat light bomber and a two-seat heavy destroyer.
Bre.690 two 507-kW (680-hp) Hispano-Suiza 14AB-02/03 engines
Bre.691 Hispano-Suiza 14AB-10/11, 522-kW (700-hp)
Bre.693.01 two Gnome-Rhone 14M-6/7 engines
Bre.693 Engines: 2 x Gnome-Rhone 14M-6/7, 522kW (700 hp). Span: 15.37m (50ft 5in). Length: 9.67m (31ft 8.75in). Max T/O weight: 4900 kg (10,803 lb). Max speed: 304 mph at 16,405 ft. Operational range: 839 miles. Armament: 1 x 20-mm Hispano¬Suiza cannon and 4 or 6 7.5-mm (0.295-in) Darne mg, up to 400kg (882 lb) of bombs
Bre.693 AB2 Engines: 2 x Gnome-Rhone 14M-6/7, 522kW (700 hp). Take-off weight: 4892 kg / 10785 lb Empty weight: 3006 kg / 6627 lb Wingspan: 15.4 m / 50 ft 6 in Length: 9.7 m / 31 ft 10 in Height: 3.2 m / 10 ft 6 in Wing area: 29.2 sq.m / 314.31 sq ft Max. Speed: 490 km/h / 304 mph Ceiling: 9500 m / 31150 ft Range: 1350 km / 839 miles Crew: 2 Armament: 1 x 20mm cannon, 3 x 7.5mm machine guns, 400kg bombs
Bre.694.01
Bre.694 Gnome-Rhone 14M-4/5 engines.
Bre.695 Pratt & Whitney SB4G Twin Wasp Junior engines.
The first prototype Bre 19.01 was displayed at the Salon Aeronautique in 1921 while fitted with a 335.3kW Breguet-Bugatti engine. However, for the first flight in March 1922 (piloted by Marcel Vuillermet), a similarly rated Renault 12Kb was installed.
The Bre 19 was mostly of metal construction, with fabric covering only the unequal-span wings, aft fuselage and tailplane. Large-scale production of A2 (observation) and B2 (day bomber) versions, powered by Renault 12K or Lorraine 12 engines, was undertaken; ‘Amenagement 1926’ machines having increased fuel capacity.
Breguet XIX main fuel tank
The aircraft featured a biplane design with I-type struts, the upper wing substantially wider than the lower section and the aircraft was armed with 3 (or 4) .303 machine guns. The landing gears were covered. It being a day-time bomber, it could carry a payload of over 1,500lbs of ordnance.
In 1923 the prototype won a Spanish international military aircraft contest and the 11 pre-production machines under construction in France were inspected by a Yugoslav delegation. Sales to both countries followed. More than 1,000 were built for French service, the type equipping many Groupes of the French Aeronautique Militaire from 1925; the last escadrilles did not relinquish their aircraft until 1935. Included in the total were a number of night fighter (Cn2) variants.
Spain imported 19 aircraft, and CASA then produced 26 aircraft from French components before building another 177 with Lorraine (127 with licence-built and the other 50 with imported engines). The type was widely used in action within Spain’s North African territories, and 135 were still on strength in 1936, the majority of them in Spain where each side had about 60 aircraft. The Nationalists bolstered their numbers with 20 ex-Polish machines to create five units (1-G-10 to 5-G-10), but after considerable ground-attack and coastal patrol service in 1937 the survivors were retired on both sides to training.
1923 Bre.19 for Poland
Foreign deliveries went to Poland (250), Yugoslavia (160, plus 190 built under licence at Kraljevo), Romania (108), China (74), Greece (30), Argentina (25), Turkey (20), Spain (19, plus 177 built under licence by CASA), Venezuela (12), Bolivia (15), Belgium (6, plus 146 built under licence by SABCA) and Brazil (5). One hundred and three Yugoslav Bre 19 were still in service in 1939, many powered by 313kW Gnome Rhone Jupiter radial engines.
From 1926 twenty Bréguet XIX B-2 were licence built by Türk Hava Kurumu / THK, assembled in the halls of the Türk Tayyare Cemiyeti / TTaC.
THK- Bréguet XIX B2
Many record flights were made by Breguet 19 including one made by the ‘Grand Raid’ version named Nungesser-Coli, which was flown from Paris to San Francisco and Tokyo to Paris by Diudonne Costes and Joseph Le Brix, covering 57,000km in 350 hours flying time, powered by a 600 hp Hispano-Suiza.
Pilot Lt Pelletier d’Olsy during the Paris-Peking rally of 1926
Piloted by Lucien Girier and Dordilly the first non-stop air crossing of the South Atlantic, from St.Louis, Mauritania to Natal, Brazil, on 14 October 1927 (2356 miles in 27 hours).
Also, in September 1929 a Breguet 19 ‘Super Bidon’ named Point d’Interrogation was flown by Costes and Bellonte from Le Bourget to Manchuria to set up a new world distance record of 7,905km. A year later it was the first aircraft to fly non-stop from Paris to New York. It also flew Paris-Jask, Iran (3472 miles in 32 hours) piloted by Coatws and Jean Rignot.
After a total of 74,400 miles in 650 flight hours it was donated to a museum by the Breguet company.
In 1928 the Breguet 19ter was developed into the improved Breguet 19.7, with a 484.3kW Hispano-Suiza 12Nb engine, new wings with semi-elliptical tips, redesigned vertical tail-plane and increased fuel tankage. Yugoslavia built 75 and a small batch built by Breguet went to Romania. Fifty similar aircraft were exported to Turkey in 1932 and were the last of the breed to be built by Breguet. Forty-eight Yugoslav-built Breguet 19.8 had Wright Cyclone 580kW radials with long chord cowlings, the last being completed in 1937. Yugoslav Breguets were used later by Croat forces, and two recaptured by Tito’s troops were flown during 1945.
2700 units of the Bréguet XIX were produced worldwide.
Engine: 1 x HS 12Nb, 480kW Take-off weight: 6700 kg / 14771 lb Empty weight: 2190 kg / 4828 lb Wingspan: 18.3-11.5 m / 60 ft 0 in-37 ft 9 in Length: 10.7 m / 35 ft 1 in Height: 4.1 m / 13 ft 5 in Wing area: 60.0 sq.m / 645.83 sq ft Max. speed: 245 km/h / 152 mph Ceiling: 6500 m / 21350 ft Range: 950 km / 590 miles Armament: 1 x 12.7mm machine-guns Crew: 2
Breguet Bre.19 Engine: 1 x Renault 12Kc water-cooled inline, 550hp. Length: 29.17ft (8.89m) Width: 48.56ft (14.80m) Empty Weight: 3,272lbs (1,484kg) Maximum Take-Off Weight: 5,093lbs (2,310kg) Maximum Speed: 149mph (239kmh; 129kts) Maximum Range: 497miles (800km) Service Ceiling: 25,591ft (7,800m; 4.8miles) Armament: 3 or 4 x .303in machine guns 1,543 lbs (700 kg) of external ordnance Accommodation: 2 Hardpoints: 2
Bre.19A2 Engine: l x Lorraine l2Ed, 336kW (450 hp). Wing span: 14.83m (48ft 7.75in). Length: 9.61m (31 ft 6.25in). Max T/O weight: 2500 kg (5,511 lb). Max speed: 133 mph at sea level. Operational range: 497 miles. Armament: 3 x 7.7-mm (0.303-in) mg plus light bombs.
Bréguet XIX B2 Engine: Lorraine 12Ed, 336kW (450 hp) Wingspan 14.83 m Wing area: 50 sq.m Length: 9,61 m Height: 3.69 m Empty weight: 1387 kg MTOW: 2500 kg Maximum speed: 214 km / h Range: 800 km Service ceiling: 7200 m
Louis Breguet, founder of Societe Anonyme des Ateliers d’Aviation Louis Breguet in 1911, was a French pioneer of rotary-wing flight. The aircraft built by the Breguet brothers lifted a man off the ground on September 29,1907, but did not constitute a free flight. BU3 biplane bomber prototype of 1915 built under subcontract by Edouard and Andre Michelin as Breguet-Michelin BUM. Improved SN3 entered production with Michelin 1916 as BUC. Breguet 14 tractor biplane of 1917 was a significant French wartime bomber. Its successor, the Breguet 19 of 1921, remained in service until 1936. One specially prepared Breguet 19 (Question Mark), flown by Costes and Bellonte, made first east-west aircraft crossing of North Atlantic September 1930. Built Short Calcutta flying-boat under license during 1930s as Breguet Bizerte. Breguet elected not to be included in nationalized industry 1936; his factories were, however, incorporated. Les Mureaux, CAMS, and part of Breguet formed SNCAN in 1938.
Regained some independence in 1939 through purchase of former Latecoere factories. Avions Marcel Dassault became major stockholder June 28,1967. Anglo-French company Societe Europeenne de Production de I’Avion Ecole de Combat et d’Appui Tactique (SEPECAT) formed between British Aircraft Corporation and Breguet Aviation 1966 to design and develop tactical support/advanced trainer. Built four 941 unpressurized cargo/passenger transports, which used deflected slipstream technique to give STOL capability, for French Air Force trials. Breguet Type 1150 Atlantic maritime patrol aircraft selected by NATO, with prototypes ordered 1959; production aircraft built internationally by Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, and U.S.A..
Avions Marcel Dassault had merged with Breguet Aviation on 14 December 1971 to become Dassault Breguet Aviation.
Filippo Zappata, responsible for the C.R.D.A. Cant series of bombers, joined the Breda design staff in 1941, and was subsequently responsible for several interesting projects, few of which were actually built.
The Breda- Zappata BZ.301 was a projected medium bomber derived from the Cant Z.1018 Leone. It was accepted for production but none were completed.
The Breda BZ.303 was a projected night fighter derived from the Cant Z.1018 bomber. The Bz 303 was a sleek two-seat, low-wing monoplane of mixed construction with twin fins and rudders. Power was provided by two 1,450-h.p. Piaggio P.XV R.C.60j2V radials, and the exceptionally heavy armament of eight 20-mm. Mauser cannon (four firing forwards and four firing to the rear) and a 12.7-mm. machine gun in a dorsal position. Maximum speed was 360 m.p.h., and range was 963 miles. The sole prototype was under construction in 1943 but was scrapped after the armistice.
BZ.303 Engines: 2 x 1,450 hp Piaggio P.XV R.C.60 Armament: 8 x 20 mm + 1 x 12.7 mm
All Aero 