Beaufighter part 1

You are here: Home › Gallery › UK › RAF ›
Beaufighter part 1 photo gallery

Click on thumbnail images to enlarge


British long range heavy fighter, night fighter, fighter bomber Bristol Beaufighter.
Based on the Bristol Beaufort torpedo bomber, the first of four Beaufighter prototypes (R2052) flew on 17th July, 1939, a fortnight after 300 Beaufighters Mk IF had been ordered. The first reached Fighter Command in September 1940 (29 and 604 Squadrons), being fitted two months later with A.I. (Airborne Interception) radar for night fighting. With its high speed, 2816 km range and a firepower from its four 20 mm cannons and six 0.303 in machine guns, the Beaufighter was a most welcome arrival. The Beaufighter Mk IC joined Coastal Command in the Spring of 1941 and was followed into production by the dihedral tailplane Beaufighter Mk IIF powered by 1280 hp Merlin XX engines, since the Stirling programme had first call on Hercules engines production. Next major version being the Hercules-powered Mk VI which came into service in 1942. More than 1000 Mk. VI were built, including the first rocket firing version and the first to carry a torpedo (Torbeau). In January 1943 the Mk VI arrived in the Far East, where it quickly acquired the title “Whispering Death” from the Japanese. It also served with USAAF night fighter units. Beaufighter The Beaufighter Mk. XIC (163 built) was an interim version of the Beaufighter Mk VI C without torpedo gear. The last major version (2231 built) was the Beaufighter Mk X, probably the finest torpedo and strike aircraft of its day, counting many U-boats among its victims. This version introduced the “thimble” radar nose and compensating dorsal fin, which were afterwards added to certain earlier models.
Total production: 5962

Variants

Mk IF – Initial night-fighter production variant. Early aircraft had drum-fed cannon with spare racks for drums, but later belt-fed cannon were introduced. Mk IF fi rst entered RAF service with the Fighter Interception Unit at Tangmere on August 12, 1940.
Mk IC – coastal command variant with additional radio and navigational equipment included navigators table and instruments, D/F radio and Radar, provision for flame and smoke floats, etc.
Mk IIF – re-engined night-fighter with two Rolls-Royce Merlin XX 1280 hp. Owing to the heavy demand for Bristol Hercules engines for heavy bombers the ”Beau” was temporarily fitted with Merlin liquid-cooled engines in nacelles identical to those fitted to the Lancaster Mk I. Mk IIF’s were not popular because, although faster at altitude, they lacked the punch of the Hercules for a short take-off at night. The first production Mk IIF, powered by Merlin XX engines, was first f own on March 22, 1941.
Mk III – Beau R2268 with twin fins anil rudders and Bristol Hercules III, X or XI engines
Mk IV – Mk III with Rolls-Royce Griffon B engines
Mk V – Mk II with Boulton Paul turret behind the pilot’s cockpit. Turret containing four .303 in machine-guns in place of wing guns and one pair of cannons. Only two Mk II were fitted out experimentally as Mk V. Both aircraft were trialled by 406 and 600 Squadron RAF.
Mk VI – fitted with two Bristol Hercules VI or XVI engines, Vickers K machine-gun at the observer’s station. First type to be fitted with dihedral tailplane to improve fore and aft stability. The extra power generated by the new engines gave the Beaufighter more flexibility from an equipment and weapons point of view. Machine guns in the wings could be replaced by a 190 l (50 gallons) tank on the starboard side and a 90 l (24 gallons) on the port to give a potential range of 2816 km (1750 miles). A pair of 113kg (250 lb) bombs could be carrier under the wings or 8 rockets.
Mk VIC – coastal command torpedo fighter similar to the Mk IC
Mk VIF – night fighter equipped with AI Mark VIII radar
Mk VI (ITF) – interim torpedo-fighter version with eight underwing rockets in place of wing guns
Mk VII – proposed variant with Bristol Hercules VIII engines with turbo superchargers and driving four-blade airscrews., not built
Mk VIII – reserved for Beau to be built in Australia with Hercules XVII engines, not built
Mk IX – proposed Australian-built variant with Hercules XVII engines, not built
TF Mk X “Torbeau”- Mk VIC with Hercules XVII engines and ASV radar fitted in a modified thimble shaped nose. Mk X was fitted with a rear-firing Browning gun for the observer. Mk X fi rst entered service with 248 Squadron RAF at Predannock in June 1943
Mk XIC – coastal command version of the Mk X without torpedo gear
Mk XII – proposed long-range, strengthened variant of the Mk XI with drop tanks and provision for carrying two 454 kg (1000 lb) bombs outboard of each nacelle. Not built
Mk 21 – Australian T.F. Mk X, some equipped with Sperry auto-pilot. First “21” A8-1 was test flown on 26 May 1944.
TT Mk 10 – Beaufighters were converted for target-towing duties and delivered to RAF co-operation units for gunnery practice.

Serials

Prototypes: R2052 to R2060
Mk I: R2063 – R2269; T4623 to T4647; V8219 to V8385; X7540 to X7879
Mk Ic: T3228 – T3355; T4648 – T5099
Mk II Prototypes R2058, R2061, R2062;
Mk II: R2270 – R2479, T3009 – T3447, V8131 – V8218
Mk V: R2274 and R2306
Mk VI: V8386 – V8901, X7880 X8269, BT286 – BT303, EL145 – EL218, KV896 – KV981, KW101 – KW203, MM838 – MM948, ND139 – ND322.
Mk VIc: T5100 – T5352, X7925 – X8099, EL219 – EL534, JL421 – JL875.
Mk X: JM268 – JM417, KW277 – KW416, LX779 – LX799, LZ113 – LZ544, NE193 – NE832, NT888 – NT999, NV113 – NV632, RD130 – RD867, SR910 – SR919.
Mk XI: JL876 – JL948, JM105 – JM267

Bibliography and sources

  • Philip J. R. Moyes: The Bristol Beaufighter I & II, Aircraft Profile Number 137
  • Jane’s Fighting Aircraft of World War II
  • C. H. Barnes: Bristol Aircraft Since 1910
  • Bill Gunston: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Combat Aircraft of World War II
  • Jim Winchester: Aircraft of World War II, The Aviation Factfile
  • Jerry Scutts: Beaufighter in Action, Squadron/Signal Publications Aircraft Number 153
  • Bristol – Company Profile 1910-1959, Aeroplane Company Profile
  • Alan W. Hall: Bristol Beaufighter, Warpaint Series №1
  • Andrew Thomas: Beaufighter Aces of World War 2, Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 65
  • Beaufighter, FlyPast Special
  • Pilot’s Notes Beaufighter II aeroplane Two Merlin XX engines, Air Publication
  • Pilot’s Notes for Beaufighter – Mark VI – Two Hercules VI Engines, Marks TFX & XI – Two Hercules XVII Engines, Air Publication
  • Kamil Nowicki: Bristol Beaufighter cz. 1 &2 , AJ-Press Monografie Lotnicze 74 & 75 (polish)
  • Richard Pike: Beaufighter Ace. The Nightfighter Career of Marshall of the Royal Air Force Sir Thomas Pike
  • Richard A. Franks: The Bristol Beaufighter. A Comprehensive guide for the modeller, SAM Modellers Datafile 6
  • James Goulding: Bristol Beaufighter. RAF Northern Europe 1936 – 45, Camouflage & Markings Number 9
  • Marin Bowman: Deep Sea Hunters – RAF Coastal Command and the War Against the U-Boats and the German Navy 1939-1945
  • Andrew Hendrie: The Cinderella Service, RAF Coastal Command 1939 – 1945
  • Chaz Bowyer: Beaufighter at War
  • Roy Conyers Nesbit: The Armed Rovers – Beauforts and Beaufighters over the Mediterranean
  • Graham White: Night Fighter over Germany. Flying Beaufighters and Mosquitoes in World War 2
  • Brick Eisel: Beaufighters in the Night. 417 Night Fighter Squadron USAAF
  • Jerry Scutts: Bristol Beaufighter, Crowood Aviation Series
  • David J. Innes: Beaufighters Over Burma. No. 27 Squadron, RAF, 1942-45
  • Stewart Wilson: Beaufort Beaufighter and Mosquito in Australian Service
  • Brian Cull: Fighters over the Aegean. Hurricanes over Crete, Spitfires over Kos, Beaufighters over the Aegean 1943-44
  • Steve Stevens: Beaufighter over the Balkans. From the Balkan Air Force to the Berlin Airlift
  • Simon W. Parry: Beaufighter The Photographic History, In Focus
  • Victor F. Bingham: Bristol Beaufighter
  • Lee Heide: Whispering Death my wartime adventures
  • Neville Parnell: Whispering Death. A history of the RAAF’s Beaufighter Squadrons