Bristol Bolingbroke Mk. IV
In 1934, the Germans could boast that they had the fastest airliner in existence: the Heinkel He 70. For the British aviation industry, this simply could not stand, and Bristol Aircraft answered with its Type 142, which first flew in April 1935. Not only was it faster than the He 70, it was also faster than anything in the Royal Air Force's inventory. This spurred two developments: first, that the RAF needed new monoplane fighters in a hurry (which led to the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire) and to the development of the Type 142 as a fast light bomber. In June 1936, the Type 142 became the Blenheim.
As a bomber of its time, the Blenheim was certainly fast. It could not carry a particularly large amount of ordnance, but since the intent was to use it on hit-and-run raids, this was not deemed to be an issue. A powered turret--one of the first used on a British aircraft--was added behind the cockpit and would be manned by the radio operator, while the pilot was given a single wing-mounted machine gun. Speed would be the Blenheim's main defense. The sleek design and powerful Bristol Mercury engines gave it this speed, but also made flying the Blenheim difficult at best: the control wheel obscured most of the instruments, and the cockpit was an ergonomic nightmare.
The Blenheim formed the majority of RAF light bomber squadrons when World War II began in September 1939, and in fact a Blenheim flew the RAF's first combat mission. Very quickly, it was revealed that, in the four short years between 1935 and 1939, aircraft technology had already surpassed the Blenheim: unescorted attacks on Germany in the first week of the war were disastrous when the Blenheims were chased down by Messerschmitt Bf 109s. The situation only got worse during the Battle of France. During the Battle of Britain, the situation was so desperate that Blenheims were pressed into service as emergency fighters, and as "intruders" to raid German fighter bases in France. These also resulted in high casualties.
Nonetheless, the Blenheim was still a stable and reliable light bomber, and if given proper escort, remained viable. Rather than be used as a poor day fighter, Blenheims were equipped with radar and moved to night fighting, where they proved adequate if not exceptional. Others were used as long-range patrol aircraft against German U-boats and Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor bombers over the North Atlantic.
By 1942, the Blenheim was obsolete, though they continued to be used in North Africa and briefly in the Pacific. Survivors were relegated to training units, and Blenheim squadrons were reequipped with the Bristol Beaufighter, a far superior aircraft that was based initially on the Blenheim. Nonetheless, the Blenheim had held the line in the darkest days of 1939-1941. A number had been supplied to Romania and Finland before the war, with the result that Blenheims also fought for the Axis on the Eastern Front. Of the 4422 built, only three survive to the present day.
Luckily for warbird collectors and museums, during the war Fairchild Aircraft of Canada built the Bristol Bolingbroke--a Blenheim variant for training and maritime patrol. The Bolingbroke was nearly identical to the later Blenheim IV (the Blenheim IV owed most of its modifications, namely the longer nose, to the Bolingbroke), and as such with a little modification can be made to look like a Blenheim. 626 Bolingbrokes were built during the war, and 19 of these have survived.
This Bolingbroke IV, serial number 10076, was built by Fairchild Canada and delivered to the RCAF in 1943; it served as a trainer until it was retired in 1946. Like many Canadian aircraft from World War II, it was then offered as surplus to anyone who could tow it away from the storage site at RCAF Paulson, Manitoba. A local farmer acquired the aircraft and used it for spare parts until 1972, when it was located by the Military Aircraft Restoration Corporation, based at Chino, California. It was in very poor shape, but enough remained to make a viable aircraft for static restoration. The Yanks Air Museum at Chino lacked the funds to restore the Bolingbroke, so it was handed over to the Pima Air and Space Museum, which used parts from several other Bolingbrokes to finally restore the aircraft to static display; it went on display in 2015.
Today, 10076 is displayed as RCAF 9118, a Bolingbroke IV assigned to 115 Squadron at Annette Island, Alaska. In July 1942, two US Coast Guard cutters reported tracking a Japanese submarine near the island, and 9118 attacked the submarine with depth charges. An oil slick was sighted the next day, and both the aircraft and cutters were credited with the destruction of Japanese submarine RO-32. Thus it came as quite a surprise when RO-32 was discovered very much intact when Japan surrendered in 1945! 9118 had sunk something, and it is now thought that the hunter-killer force might have sunk a Soviet submarine, S-138. S-138 was reported missing two days after the reported sinking; though the USSR claimed the sub was lost to a torpedo explosion, it would be unlikely that the Soviets would admit to operating submarines off the coast of two obstensibly friendly nations.
Whatever 9118 sank (if anything), its reproduction is painted in standard RAF camouflage and markings for the early war period, with a small roundel, large white reporting letters and underwing "buzz numbers," and a large fin flash. Though by 1942 these were disappearing from RAF aircraft in war zones, the early markings were retained in Canada for much longer.
Bristol Bolingbroke Mk. IV
In 1934, the Germans could boast that they had the fastest airliner in existence: the Heinkel He 70. For the British aviation industry, this simply could not stand, and Bristol Aircraft answered with its Type 142, which first flew in April 1935. Not only was it faster than the He 70, it was also faster than anything in the Royal Air Force's inventory. This spurred two developments: first, that the RAF needed new monoplane fighters in a hurry (which led to the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire) and to the development of the Type 142 as a fast light bomber. In June 1936, the Type 142 became the Blenheim.
As a bomber of its time, the Blenheim was certainly fast. It could not carry a particularly large amount of ordnance, but since the intent was to use it on hit-and-run raids, this was not deemed to be an issue. A powered turret--one of the first used on a British aircraft--was added behind the cockpit and would be manned by the radio operator, while the pilot was given a single wing-mounted machine gun. Speed would be the Blenheim's main defense. The sleek design and powerful Bristol Mercury engines gave it this speed, but also made flying the Blenheim difficult at best: the control wheel obscured most of the instruments, and the cockpit was an ergonomic nightmare.
The Blenheim formed the majority of RAF light bomber squadrons when World War II began in September 1939, and in fact a Blenheim flew the RAF's first combat mission. Very quickly, it was revealed that, in the four short years between 1935 and 1939, aircraft technology had already surpassed the Blenheim: unescorted attacks on Germany in the first week of the war were disastrous when the Blenheims were chased down by Messerschmitt Bf 109s. The situation only got worse during the Battle of France. During the Battle of Britain, the situation was so desperate that Blenheims were pressed into service as emergency fighters, and as "intruders" to raid German fighter bases in France. These also resulted in high casualties.
Nonetheless, the Blenheim was still a stable and reliable light bomber, and if given proper escort, remained viable. Rather than be used as a poor day fighter, Blenheims were equipped with radar and moved to night fighting, where they proved adequate if not exceptional. Others were used as long-range patrol aircraft against German U-boats and Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor bombers over the North Atlantic.
By 1942, the Blenheim was obsolete, though they continued to be used in North Africa and briefly in the Pacific. Survivors were relegated to training units, and Blenheim squadrons were reequipped with the Bristol Beaufighter, a far superior aircraft that was based initially on the Blenheim. Nonetheless, the Blenheim had held the line in the darkest days of 1939-1941. A number had been supplied to Romania and Finland before the war, with the result that Blenheims also fought for the Axis on the Eastern Front. Of the 4422 built, only three survive to the present day.
Luckily for warbird collectors and museums, during the war Fairchild Aircraft of Canada built the Bristol Bolingbroke--a Blenheim variant for training and maritime patrol. The Bolingbroke was nearly identical to the later Blenheim IV (the Blenheim IV owed most of its modifications, namely the longer nose, to the Bolingbroke), and as such with a little modification can be made to look like a Blenheim. 626 Bolingbrokes were built during the war, and 19 of these have survived.
This Bolingbroke IV, serial number 10076, was built by Fairchild Canada and delivered to the RCAF in 1943; it served as a trainer until it was retired in 1946. Like many Canadian aircraft from World War II, it was then offered as surplus to anyone who could tow it away from the storage site at RCAF Paulson, Manitoba. A local farmer acquired the aircraft and used it for spare parts until 1972, when it was located by the Military Aircraft Restoration Corporation, based at Chino, California. It was in very poor shape, but enough remained to make a viable aircraft for static restoration. The Yanks Air Museum at Chino lacked the funds to restore the Bolingbroke, so it was handed over to the Pima Air and Space Museum, which used parts from several other Bolingbrokes to finally restore the aircraft to static display; it went on display in 2015.
Today, 10076 is displayed as RCAF 9118, a Bolingbroke IV assigned to 115 Squadron at Annette Island, Alaska. In July 1942, two US Coast Guard cutters reported tracking a Japanese submarine near the island, and 9118 attacked the submarine with depth charges. An oil slick was sighted the next day, and both the aircraft and cutters were credited with the destruction of Japanese submarine RO-32. Thus it came as quite a surprise when RO-32 was discovered very much intact when Japan surrendered in 1945! 9118 had sunk something, and it is now thought that the hunter-killer force might have sunk a Soviet submarine, S-138. S-138 was reported missing two days after the reported sinking; though the USSR claimed the sub was lost to a torpedo explosion, it would be unlikely that the Soviets would admit to operating submarines off the coast of two obstensibly friendly nations.
Whatever 9118 sank (if anything), its reproduction is painted in standard RAF camouflage and markings for the early war period, with a small roundel, large white reporting letters and underwing "buzz numbers," and a large fin flash. Though by 1942 these were disappearing from RAF aircraft in war zones, the early markings were retained in Canada for much longer.