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| Bristol Blenheim. |
The Bristol Blenheim is
a British light bomber designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company,
which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with
examples still being used as trainers until the end of the war. Development
began with the Type 142, a civil airliner, after a challenge from the newspaper
proprietor Lord Rothermere to produce the fastest commercial aircraft in
Europe. The Type 142 first flew in April 1935, and the Air Ministry, ordered a
modified design as the Type 142M for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a bomber.
Deliveries of the new
Blenheim to RAF squadrons commenced on 10 March 1937. In service the Type 142M
became the Blenheim Mk.I which would be developed into the long-nosed Type 149,
the Blenheim Mk.IV, except in Canada where Fairchild Canada built the Type 149
under license as the Bolingbroke. The Type 160 Bisley was also developed from
the Blenheim but was already obsolete when it entered service.
Both versions were
converted into heavy fighters by the addition of a gun pack with four Browning
.303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns mounted under the fuselage. The Mk.IV was also
used as a maritime patrol aircraft and both aircraft were also used as bombing
and gunnery trainers once they had become obsolete as combat aircraft.
The Blenheim was one of
the first British aircraft with an all-metal stressed-skin construction,
retractable landing gear, flaps, a powered gun turret and variable-pitch
propellers. The Mk.I was faster than most of the RAF's biplane fighters in the
late 1930s but advances soon left it vulnerable if flown in daylight, though it
proved successful as a night fighter. The Blenheim was effective as a bomber
but many were shot down. Both Blenheim types were used by foreign operators and
examples were license built in Yugoslavia and Finland, in addition to Canada.
In 1933 Frank Barnwell,
Bristol's chief designer, went to the United States to collect first-hand
information on their latest twin-engined, low-wing monoplane airliners. When he
returned home he discussed one of them, the Lockheed Electra 12A, with Roy
Fedden and prepared a design to match it using Fedden's Bristol Aquila engine
which produced 500 hp, the same power as the engine used in the Electra. Sir
Archibald Russell described Barnwell's design as "close to being a replica
of the Electra". It was designated Type 135.
In early 1934, Lord
Rothermere, owner of the Daily Mail newspaper, challenged the British aviation
industry to build a high-speed aircraft capable of carrying six passengers and
two crew members – he referred to the ambition as seeking "the fastest
commercial aeroplane in Europe, if not the world". German firms were
producing record-breaking high-speed designs, such as the single-engined
Heinkel He 70, and Rothermere wanted the prestige of being able to claim to
have the fastest civilian aircraft. Rothermere also intended to encourage
businesses and key figures to make greater use of civil aviation and to
demonstrate to the British Air Ministry how their fighter aircraft may not be
able to match modern transport aircraft, which may be easily converted to, or
used as the basis for, a bomber aircraft.
Rothermere became aware
of Bristol's Type 135 proposal and on 3 March 1934, Barnwell issued him with a
quote of the specification and performance statistics of the design, including
an estimated top speed of 240 mph (390 km/h) at 6,500 ft (2,000 m). The Aquila
engine had been shelved in favor of the supercharger-equipped, poppet-valve
Bristol Mercury engine. Deeming it suitable for the challenge, the design of
Type 135 was further adapted to produce the Type 142 to meet the requirements
outlined by Rothermere. In late March 1934, Rothermere placed an order for a
Type 142 aircraft, under which he paid for half of the estimated £18,500 cost
up front and the remainder upon the aircraft's first flight in the following
year.
On 12 April 1935, the
Type 142, named Britain First, conducted its maiden flight from Filton
Aerodrome, South Gloucestershire. Flight tests soon proved that the aircraft
was faster than the fighters in service with the Royal Air Force (RAF), having
a top speed of 307 mph (494 km/h). Rothermere presented the aircraft to the
nation for a formal evaluation as a potential bomber. By June 1935, the Air
Ministry had become interested in the project due to its high performance. On 9
July 1935, a design conference was held by Bristol at the ministry's request
into the question of converting the Type 142 into a medium bomber.
The Air Ministry quickly
formalized Specification B.28/35 for prototypes of a bomber version; the Type
142M (M for military). One change between the Type 142M bomber and its Type 142
predecessor was the repositioning of the wing from a low-wing to a mid-wing
position, which allowed for more internal space within the fuselage underneath
the main spar to accommodate a sizeable bomb bay. Other modifications included
the addition of a bomb-aimer's position and a Browning machine gun in the port
wing along with provisions for a semi-retractable gun turret in the dorsal
position.
In September 1935, an
initial contract for 150 aircraft was placed. The Air Ministry had chosen to
order the type directly from the drawing board, having been urgently sought as
one piece of a wider and rapid expansion of the RAF. The first aircraft built
of this production model, K7033, served as the only prototype; on 25 June 1936,
K7033 conducted its first flight from Filton. The service name for the aircraft
became Blenheim Mk I after the famous battle during the War of the Spanish
Succession. On 10 March 1937, production deliveries to the RAF formally
started; 114 Squadron became the first squadron to receive the Blenheim. On 13
January 1938, the Blenheim entered service with No. 30 Squadron, the first
overseas squadron to receive the type; in early 1939, the first Blenheims
arrived in India.
From July 1936 onwards,
various additional orders were placed for the Blenheim Mk I, including multiple
orders for the export market. By the end of 1936, 1,568 aircraft were on order.
In order to meet the demand, secondary assembly lines were established at
Chadderton by Avro and at Speke by Rootes Securities. The aircraft was built
under license by foreign countries, including Finland, who completed a total of
55 aircraft, and Yugoslavia, which completed 16 aircraft with a further 24 in
advanced stages of completion when Germany invaded Yugoslavia. Other countries
also procured the Blenheim, including Romania, Greece and Turkey. By September
1939, orders for the Blenheim had risen to 2,088 aircraft. Total production of
the Blenheim Mk I in England was 1,351 aircraft prior to the end of the
production run in 1939; production had been terminated in favor of more
advanced variants.
The Blenheim production
program saw several shifts in requirements and in capacity. A modified Blenheim
design, given the name Bolingbroke, was manufactured under license in Canada by
Fairchild Aircraft. The Bolingbroke, which had been developed in response to
Air Ministry Specification G.24/35 to procure a coastal reconnaissance/light
bomber as a replacement for the Avro Anson, had substantial improvements that
would serve as the basis for improved variants of the Blenheim. Both the
navigator's station and range limitations of the Blenheim Mk.I had been subject
to considerable criticism, prompting the development of an improved model to
rectify the shortcomings. On 24 September 1937, an experimental Blenheim Mk.I,
modified with an extended forward fuselage beyond its original stepless
cockpit, smooth-fronted nose enclosure, made its first flight from Filton.
Formal work on an
extended-range reconnaissance version started as the Blenheim Mk II, which
increased tankage from 278 to 468 imp gal (1,260 to 2,130 L; 334 to 562 US
gal). Only one Blenheim Mk II was completed, as flight tests revealed the increase
in speed to be marginal and not warranting further development. Another
modification resulted in the Blenheim Mk III, which lengthened the nose,
dispensing with the "stepless cockpit" format of the Mk.I,
introducing a true windscreen in front of the pilot, to provide more room for
the bomb aimer. This required the nose to be "scooped out" in front
of the pilot to maintain visibility during takeoff and landing. Both
modifications were combined, along with a newer version of the Mercury engine
with 905 hp (675 kW). The turret acquired a pair of Brownings in place of the
original single Vickers K gun, creating the Blenheim Mk IV.
In early 1939, the first
batch of Blenheim Mk IVs were accepted into service; these lacked outer fuel
tanks but were accepted due to the urgent demand for the type. Early Blenheim
Mk IVs were also equipped with the Mercury VIII engine, most were fitted with
the more powerful Mercury XV or Mercury 25 models. Further aircraft deliveries
were made to the production standard and were primarily manufactured by Avro
and Rootes. Production of the Blenheim IV continued until June 1943, when
newcomers such as the Beaufort-derived Beaufighter had succeeded the type. A total
of 3,307 were produced.
A long-range fighter
version, the Blenheim Mk IF, was also developed. For this role, about 200
Blenheims were fitted with a gun pack under the fuselage for four .303 in (7.7
mm) Brownings. Later, the Airborne Intercept (AI) Mk III or IV radar was fitted
to some aircraft in use as night fighters; these were the first British
fighters to be equipped with radar. The Blenheim had been selected as the first
aircraft to be adapted for this role as its fuselage was sufficiently roomy to
accommodate the additional crew member and radar apparatus. Their performance
was marginal as a fighter but they served as an interim type pending
availability of the more capable Beaufighter derivative. About 60 Mk IVs were
also equipped with the gun pack as the Mk IVF and were used by Coastal Command
to protect convoys from German long-range bombers.
The last bomber variant
was conceived as an armored ground attack aircraft, with a solid nose
containing four more Browning machine guns. Originally known as the Bisley,
(after the shooting competitions held at Bisley Ranges), the production aircraft
were renamed Blenheim Mk V and featured a strengthened structure, pilot armor,
interchangeable nose gun pack or bomb-aimer position and another Mercury
variant with 950 hp (710 kW). The Mk V was ordered for conventional bombing operations,
with the removal of armor and most of the glazed nose section. The Mk V (Type
160) was used primarily in the Middle East and Far East. The Blenheim served as
the basis for the Beaufort torpedo bomber, which led to the Beaufighter, with
the lineage performing two evolutions of bomber-to-fighter.
The Bristol Blenheim was
a twin-engine high performance all-metal medium bomber aircraft, powered by a
pair of Bristol Mercury VIII air-cooled radial engines, each capable of 860 hp
(640 kW). Each engine drove a three-bladed controllable-pitch propeller, and
were equipped with both hand-based and electric engine starters. To ease
maintenance, the engine mountings were designed with a split-segment to facilitate
rapid engine removal without disturbing the carburetors. A pair of fuel tanks,
each containing up to 140 gallons, were housed within the center section of the
fuselage.
The fuselage of the
Blenheim employed a light-alloy monocoque structure using open-section
stringers, and was constructed in three sections. The wing is also built in
three sections, the center section of which is bolted and riveted to the
fuselage. The outer wing sections are tapered in chord and thickness. Extensive
use of Alclad sheeting is made in elements such as the ribs, skin, flaps, and
web reinforcement of the spars. The tail unit is of a cantilever monoplane
style, using an all-metal tailplane and fin while the aerodynamically-balanced
rudder and elevators use a metal frame covered with fabric. The undercarriage
was hydraulically-retracted, with an auxiliary hand-pump for emergency
actuation; medium-pressure tires were used, complete with
pneumatically-actuated differential-control brakes.
The Blenheim typically
carried a crew of three – pilot, navigator/bombardier and wireless (radio)
operator/air gunner. The pilot's quarters on the left side of the nose were so
cramped that the control yoke obscured all flight instruments while engine
instruments eliminated the forward view on landings. Most secondary instruments
were arranged along the left side of the cockpit, essential items such as the
propeller pitch control were actually placed behind the pilot where they had to
be operated by feel alone. The navigator/bombardier was seated alongside the
pilot, and made use of a sliding/folding seat whilst performing the bomb aiming
role. Dual flight controls could be installed. The wireless operator/air gunner
was housed aft of the wing alongside the aircraft's dorsal gun turret.
Armament comprised a
single forward-firing .303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine gun outboard of the
port engine and a .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun in a semi-retracting Bristol Type
B Mk I dorsal turret firing to the rear. From 1939 onwards, the Lewis gun was
replaced by the more modern .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers VGO machine gun. A 1,000
lb (450 kg) bomb load could be carried in the internal bomb bay set into the center section of the fuselage. Like most contemporary British aircraft, the
bomb bay doors were kept closed with bungee cords and opened under the weight
of the released bombs. Because there was no way to predict how long it would
take for the bombs to force the doors open, bombing accuracy was consequently
poor. The bomb bay could be loaded using a hand-operated winch incorporated
into the fuselage.
To achieve its
relatively high speed, the Blenheim used a very small fuselage cross-section,
with its upper front glazing all at one angle in the form of a "stepless
cockpit" that used no separate windscreen panels for the pilot, a notable
feature of a substantial majority of German bomber designs, first conceived
during the war years. Both fixed and sliding window panels were present, along
with a transparent sliding roof. Other onboard equipment included a radio,
cameras, navigation systems, electric lighting, oxygen apparatus, and stowage
for parachutes and clothing.
In September 1939, the
month in which the Second World War broke out, the Blenheim Mk I equipped two
home-based squadrons and 11 overseas squadrons in locations such as Egypt,
Aden, Iraq, India, and Singapore. Further RAF squadrons had received, or were
in the process of converting to, the more capable Blenheim Mk IV; 168 Blenheim
Mk IV aircraft had entered RAF operational strength by the outbreak of war.
On the day that war was
declared on Germany, a Blenheim Mk IV, N6215, piloted by Flying Officer Andrew
McPherson was the first British aircraft to cross the German coast to perform a
high altitude reconnaissance mission upon the German Navy in the vicinity of
Wilhelmshaven, Lower Saxony. The following morning, 15 Blenheims from three
squadrons set off on one of the first bombing missions to attack the ships
spotted on the previous day. The raid was a failure, only nine aircraft
attacked, and only superficial damage was done to the cruiser Emden, when one
of No. 107 Squadron's Blenheims crashed into the cruiser, killing 11 crewmen.
RAF Coastal Command were soon using the Blenheim with the stated mission of
protecting British shipping convoys off the east coast.
Shortly after the
conflict's start, the RAF Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF) was deployed to
numerous airfields in France, allowing for shorter range bombing missions
against German targets, including industries. Several squadrons of Blenheim IVs
were assigned to the AASF, being frequently used against targets in France and
the Low Countries once the Battle of France had begun. Blenheims were also assigned
to the air component of the British Expeditionary Force of the Army.
In May 1940, AASF and
BEF Blenheims participated in the Battle of France, being sent against German
forces moving towards Brussels, resulting in many aircraft quickly sustaining
heavy damage or being lost to enemy fire. German attacks upon the French
airfields also damaged a considerable number of Blenheims on the ground. On 14
May, a combined force of Fairey Battles and Blenheims was dispatched on a
counter-attack upon German forces as they broke through defensive lines: 40 out
of 71 aircraft were lost in this sortie. This is claimed to be the highest ever
losses known to the RAF. Further action by Blenheims of Bomber Command that day
sustained a 25% aircraft loss despite a high level of British fighter cover.
Shortly thereafter, the mostly-depleted squadrons were withdrawn to Britain.
Around 50 Blenheims supported the Dunkirk evacuation by harassing enemy forces.
Rapid advances in
technology which had taken place in the late 1930s had rendered the Blenheim
mostly obsolete by the outbreak of the war. In particular, it had become
heavier as extra service equipment was installed; much of this was found to be
necessary through operational experience. This, coupled with the rapid performance
increases of the fighters that would oppose it, had eclipsed the Blenheim's
speed advantage. In January 1941, the Air Staff classified the Blenheim as inadequate
in terms of performance and armament for current operations.
The light armament was
seldom able to deter fighter opposition. Squadrons were forced to use several
different improvisations in an attempt to provide better defensive armament,
until officially sanctioned modifications were able to be introduced in early
1940. The Blenheim also proved to be vulnerable to anti-aircraft artillery,
especially around the rear fuselage. Flexible, self-sealing liners had been
fitted to the fuel tanks but they were still not fully protected against the
0.79 in (20 mm) MG FF cannon carried by the Luftwaffe's Bf 109 and Bf 110
fighters.
Blenheim squadrons were
still in immediate and high demand after their withdrawal from France as part
of the British action during the Norwegian campaign. Typically operating from
bases in the northern areas of the British mainland, such as RAF Lossiemouth,
flying for extended periods over the North Sea led to the weather posing almost
as much of a risk as enemy combatants, particularly as most of the Blenheim IVs
lacked any heating or deicing systems; in response, some aircraft were later
equipped with boilers fixed onto the starboard engine exhaust. A sizeable
number of losses occurred, caused by both enemy action and mid-air engine
failures due to icing.
After the fall of France
in June 1940, the Free French Air Force was formed at RAF Odiham, Hampshire, in
the form of Groupe Mixte de Combat (GMC) 1, consisting of a mixed bag of
Blenheims and Westland Lysander liaison/observation aircraft, which were later
dispatched to North Africa and saw action against Italian and German forces.
Blenheim units operated
throughout the Battle of Britain, often taking heavy casualties, although they
were never accorded the publicity of the fighter squadrons. From July to
December 1940, Blenheims raided German-occupied airfields both in daylight and
at night. Although most of these raids were unproductive, there were some
successes; on 1 August five out of twelve Blenheims sent to attack Haamstede
and Evère (Brussels) were able to bomb, damaging (50%, 40% and 10%) three Bf
109Es of II./JG 27 at Leuwarden and apparently killing a Staffelkapitän
identified as Hauptmann Albrecht von Ankum-Frank. Two other 109s were claimed
by Blenheim gunners. Another successful raid on Haamstede was made by a single
Blenheim on 7 August which destroyed one 109 of 4./JG 54, heavily damaged
another, and caused lighter damage to four more.
There were also some
missions which produced an almost 100% casualty rate amongst the Blenheims. One
such operation was mounted on 13 August 1940 against a Luftwaffe airfield near
Aalborg in north-western Denmark by twelve aircraft of 82 Squadron. One
Blenheim returned early (the pilot was later charged but was killed on another
operation before a court martial was held); the other eleven, which reached
Denmark, were shot down, five by flak and six by Bf 109s. Blenheim units had
also been formed to carry out long-range strategic reconnaissance missions over
Germany and German-occupied territories. In this role, the Blenheims once again
proved to be too slow and vulnerable against Luftwaffe fighters and they took
constant casualties.
On 12 August 1941, an
action described by The Daily Telegraph in 2006 as being the "RAF's most
audacious and dangerous low-level bombing raid, a large-scale attack against
power stations near Cologne" took place. The raid was a low-level daylight
raid by 54 Blenheims under the command of Wing Commander Nichol of No. 114
Squadron RAF. They hit their targets (Fortuna Power Station in
Oberaußem-Fortuna and the Goldenberg Power Station in Hürth-Knapsack), but
twelve of the Blenheims were lost during the raid, 22% of those that took part,
which was far above the sustainable loss rate of less than 5%. The England
cricketer Squadron leader Bill Edrich was awarded the DFC for his part in the
raid.
From 5 September 1940
Blenheims of Bomber Command began a bombing campaign targeting German-occupied
ports along the English Channel, alongside heavier bomber types. Bomber Command
Blenheims also performed anti-shipping patrols due to Coastal Command's own
strike squadrons being heavily depleted throughout the latter half of 1940. On
11 March 1940, a Blenheim IV, P4852, became the first RAF aircraft to sink a
U-boat, having scored two direct hits on U-31 in the Schillig Roads. In April
1941, a campaign aiming to completely close off the Channel to enemy shipping
was launched using an initial flight of Blenheims stationed at RAF Manston.
Between April and June that year, a total of 297 Blenheims of No 2. Group
attacked German shipping at sea, losing 36 aircraft, while Coastal Command
launched 143 attacks in the same period, losing 52 aircraft; by the end of the
year, 698 ships had been attacked and 41 of these sunk for the loss of 123
aircraft.
The Bristol Blenheim was
used by both Bomber and Fighter Commands. About two hundred Mk I bombers were
modified into Mk IF long-range fighters with 600 (Auxiliary Air Force)
Squadron, based at Hendon, the first squadron to take delivery in September
1938. By 1939, at least seven squadrons were operating them as fighters,
increasing to about 60 squadrons within a few months. The Mk IF proved to be
slower and less maneuverable than expected, and by June 1940 daylight Blenheim
losses caused concern for Fighter Command. The Mk IF was relegated mainly to
night fighter duties where No. 23 Squadron RAF, which had already operated them
at night, soon relegated them to night intruder operations as they were not
effective as night fighters.
In the German
night-bombing raid on London on 18 June 1940, Blenheims accounted for five
German bombers, thus proving that they were better-suited for night fighting.
In July, No. 600 Squadron, by then based at RAF Manston, had some of its Mk IFs
equipped with AI Mk III radar. With this radar equipment, a Blenheim from the
Fighter Interception Unit (FIU) at RAF Ford achieved the first success on the
night of 2–3 July 1940, accounting for a Dornier Do 17 bomber. The Blenheim was
replaced by the faster and more heavily-armed Bristol Beaufighter in 1940–1941.
On 11 June 1940, only
hours after Italy's entry into the war on Germany's side, several Blenheim IVs bombed
Italian positions. In mid-1940, reinforcement ferry routes were established
throughout Africa, starting in Takoradi on the Gold Coast. By the end of 1940,
a total of three RAF squadrons equipped with Blenheim IV aircraft were
performing anti-shipping, bombing, and reconnaissance missions in support of
Allied ground forces in North Africa.
By July 1941, it had
been recognized that, in response to the increasing intensity of combat in
North Africa and in the Middle East theatres, additional squadrons were
urgently required. In the latter half of 1941, several Blenheim squadrons were
flown out to Malta, many being stationed there into early 1942 before mainly
being absorbed in the Western Desert air operations. As Bomber Command
gradually took Blenheims out of the Northern Europe theatre, they were often
dispatched to other areas such as North Africa. Upon the outbreak of the
Pacific War in December 1941, some Blenheim squadrons in the Middle East were
relocated from the theatre to the Far East in response to the new threat from
Japanese forces.
Blenheims continued to
operate widely in many combat roles until about 1943, equipping RAF squadrons
in the UK and at British bases in Aden, India, British Malaya, Singapore, and
the Dutch East Indies. Many Blenheims were lost to Japanese fighters during the
Malayan Campaign and the battles for Singapore and Sumatra. By that point, the
traditional daylight light bomber role was more effectively carried out by
suitable fighter-bombers, and the surviving examples were relegated to training
duties. Nonetheless, the Blenheim played a role in preventing India from
falling and in recapturing Burma, destroying over 60 aircraft on the ground in
raids on Bangkok early in the campaign.
One Blenheim pilot,
Squadron Leader Arthur Scarf, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for
an attack on Singora, Thailand, on 9 December 1941. Another bomber of No. 60
Squadron RAF was credited with shooting down Lt Col Tateo Katō's Nakajima Ki-43
fighter and badly damaging two others in a single engagement on 22 May 1942,
over the Bay of Bengal. Katō's death was a severe blow to the Imperial Japanese
Army Air Force.
The Air Ministry's
replacement for the Blenheim as a daylight bomber, another Bristol design, the
Buckingham, was overtaken by events and changes in requirements, and considered
inferior to the de Havilland Mosquito, and as such did not see combat. The
final ground-attack version – the Blenheim Mk V – first equipped 139 Squadron
in June 1942. Eventually thirteen squadrons – mainly in the Middle East and Far
East – received this variant but operated them generally only for a few months.
One Blenheim Mk IV left
in Java by the retreating British forces in 1942 ended up in the hands of the
fledgling Indonesian Air Force (AURI). They repaired it, installed 950 hp (699
kW) Nakajima Sakae engines, painted it in their colors, and flew it around
Yogyakarta on at least three occasions.
On 9 April 1942, nine
Blenheims from the 11 Squadron RAF attacked Admiral Chuichi Nagumo's Kidō
Butai; the Imperial Japanese main carrier battle group. The Blenheims
approached undetected by the A6M2 Zero combat air patrol (CAP) fighters,
resulting in a total surprise-attack upon the Japanese carrier battle group.
While the bombers were able to drop bombs on fleet carrier Akagi from an
altitude of 11,000 feet (3,353 m), they fell off-target without scoring any
hits. Four of the Blenheims were shot down over the carriers by CAP Zeroes (two
of which were claimed by ace-fighter pilot Kaname Harada from the Soryu), and
by other Japanese aircraft returning from the earlier-strike on HMS Hermes.
This was the first time a Japanese carrier force had faced a concerted air
attack in the Pacific War.
In 1936, the Finnish Air
Force became the first export customer for the Blenheim, ordering 18 Blenheim
Mk Is, which were delivered from Britain between June 1937 and July 1938. Two
years later, Finland obtained a manufacturing license for the Blenheim. Before
any aircraft could be manufactured at the Valtion lentokonetehdas (State
Aeroplane Factory) in Finland, the Winter War broke out, forcing the Finns to
order more aircraft from the UK. A further 24 British-manufactured Blenheims
were ordered during the Winter War and were delivered from the RAF's own
stocks.
In the aftermath of the
Winter War, 55 Blenheims were constructed in Finland, the final aircraft being
completed in September 1944; this brought the total number of Blenheims in
Finnish service to 97 (75 Mk Is and 22 Mk IVs). The Finns also received 20
half-completed ex-Yugoslavian Mk IV Blenheims captured by Germany, together
with manufacturing tools, production equipment, and a huge variety of spare
parts, although some of these had been damaged or otherwise destroyed through
sabotage. Yugoslavia had ceased production of the Mk I and commenced a
production run of Mk IVs just prior to the April 1941 invasion. The
British-made Blenheims had RAF green interiors, RAF seat belts and instruments
on imperial units, while Finnish-made Blenheims had medium grey interiors,
Finnish-style seat belts and metric instruments.
The Finnish Blenheims
flew 423 missions during the Winter War, and close to 3,000 missions during the
Continuation War and Lapland War. Blenheim machine-gunners also shot down eight
Soviet aircraft. Thirty-seven Blenheims were lost in combat during the wars.
The Finnish Blenheims were divided on six series (sarja):
Series I (BL-104..BL-121): 18 British-made
Blenheim I bombers with doorless bomb bays. Arrived in 1938
Series II (BL-146..BL-160): 15 Finnish-made
Blenheim I bombers with deepened bomb bay doors. In service by 1941.
Series III (BL-122..BL-133): 12 British-made
Blenheim IV bombers ("long-noses"). Arrived in January 1940.
Series IV (BL-134..BL-145): 12 British-made
Blenheim I bombers. Arrived in February 1940.
Series V (BL-161..BL-190): 30 Finnish-made
Blenheim I bombers. In service by 1943.
Series VI (BL-196..BL-205): 10 Finnish-made
Blenheim IV bombers. In service by 1944.
Series VII (BL-191..BL-195): six
Finnish-made Blenheim I bombers, was cancelled in 1944.
Series I with doorless
bomb bays could carry 1,800 lb (800 kg) bomb load in the bomb bay and up to 220
lb (100 kg) in wing cells. Series II, V and VI could carry 1,800 lb (800 kg)
load on bomb bay and 379 lb (172 kg) on wing cells and fuselage racks. Series
III and IV had the original RAF bomb bays and racks and could carry only 1,000
lb (450 kg) load on bomb bay and 200 lb (91 kg) on wing cells. The bomb bays,
bomb bay doors and bomb racks of various series were modified on major
overhauls to host bigger bombs.
After the war, Finland
was prohibited from flying bomber aircraft by the Paris Peace Treaty, with
Finland's Blenheims being placed into storage in 1948. However, in 1951, five
Blenheims were re-activated for use as target tugs, with the last flight of a
Finnish Blenheim taking place on 20 May 1958. The usual nickname of Blenheim in
the Finnish Air Force was Pelti-Heikki ("Tin Henry").
Role:
Light
bomber
Night
fighter
Aerial
reconnaissance
Manufacturer:
Bristol Aeroplane Company
Designer:
Frank Barnwell
First
flight: 12 April 1935
Introduction:
1937
Retired:
1944
(United Kingdom)
1958
(Finland)
Primary
users:
Royal
Air Force
Royal
Canadian Air Force
Finnish
Air Force
Royal
Yugoslav Air Force
Number
built: 4,422
Variants:
Bristol
Beaufort
Bristol
Fairchild Bolingbroke
Variants
Blenheim Mk.I: Three-seat twin-engined
light bomber, powered by two 840 hp (630 kW) Bristol Mercury VIII radial piston
engines, armed with a 0.303 in (7.7 mm) machine gun in the port wing, plus a
0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers K gun in the dorsal turret, maximum bombload 1,000 lb
(450 kg). 1,552 built. Company designation Type 142M.
Blenheim Mk.IF: Night fighter version,
equipped with an AI Mk III or Mk IV airborne interceptor radar, armed with four
0.303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns in a special gun pack under the fuselage. About
200 Blenheim Mk Is were converted into Mk IF night fighters.
Blenheim Mk.II: Long-range
reconnaissance version with extra fuel tankage. One built.
Blenheim Mk.III: Prototype for Mk.IV
with lengthened nose.
Blenheim Mk.IV/Bolingbroke I: Improved
version, fitted with protective armor and extended nose, powered by two 905 hp
(675 kW) Bristol Mercury XV radial piston engines, armed with a 0.303 in (7.7
mm) machine gun in the port wing, plus two 0.303 in (7.7 mm) machine-guns in a
powered operated dorsal turret, and two remotely controlled rearward-firing
0.303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns mounted beneath the nose, maximum bombload 1,000
lb (450 kg) internally and 320 lb (150 kg) externally. 3,307 built. Company designation
Type 149.
Crew:
3
Length:
42 ft 7 in (12.98 m)
Wingspan:
56 ft 4 in (17.17 m)
Height:
9 ft 10 in (3.00 m)
Wing
area: 469 sq ft (43.6 m2)
Airfoil:
RAF-28 (18%)
Empty
weight: 9,790 lb (4,441 kg)
Gross
weight: 14,400 lb (6,532 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Bristol Mercury XV 9-cylinder air-cooled radial
piston engines, 920 hp (690 kW) each
Propellers: 3-bladed Hamilton Standard variable-pitch propellers,
built under a license agreement (1935) by de Havilland
Maximum
speed: 266 mph (428 km/h, 231 kn) at 11,800 ft (3,600 m)
Cruise
speed: 198 mph (319 km/h, 172 kn)
Range:
1,460 mi (2,350 km, 1,270 nmi)
Service
ceiling: 27,260 ft (8,310 m)
Time
to altitude: 6,500 ft (2,000 m) in 4 minutes 10 seconds
Wing
loading: 30.7 lb/sq ft (150 kg/m2)
Power/mass:
0.13 hp/lb (0.21 kW/kg)
Armament:
Guns:
1 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine gun in port wing
1 or 2 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Browning guns rear-firing in under-nose
blister or Nash & Thompson FN.54 turret
2 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Browning guns in dorsal turret
Bombs:
1,200 lb (540 kg) total
4 × 250 lb (110 kg) General Purpose bombs or
2 × 500 lb (230 kg) GP bombs internally and 8 × 40 lb (18 kg) GP
bombs externally
Finnish Series VI Blenheim IVs could carry a 1,800 lb (800 kg)
load on bomb bay and 379 lb (172 kg) on wing cells and fuselage racks.
Avionics:
T1082 (transmitter) and R1083 (receiver) radio sets
Blenheim Mk.IVF: Long-range fighter
version, armed with four 0.303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns in special gun pack
under the fuselage. About 60 Blenheim Mk IVs were converted into Mk IVF
fighters.
Blenheim Mk.V/Bisley Mk.I: High-altitude
bomber, powered by two Bristol Mercury XV or XXV radial piston engines. Company
designation Type 160
Operators
Australia
Canada
Independent State of
Croatia
Finland
France
Greece
India
Indonesia
New Zealand
Poland
Portugal
Romania
South Africa
Turkey
United Kingdom
Yugoslavia
Surviving Aircraft
In Finland, the sole
surviving original Blenheim in the world, a Mk IV registered as BL-200 of the
Finnish Air Force, has been completely restored and is now on display at the
Aviation Museum of Central Finland at Tikkakoski.
An airworthy Blenheim
was rebuilt from a scrapped Bolingbroke over a 12-year period, only to crash at
an airshow at Denham within a month of completion in 1987.
A replacement Bolingbroke
Mk IVT was rebuilt to flying status over five years and painted to represent a
Blenheim Mk IV in RAF wartime service. It began flying at air shows and
exhibitions in the UK in May 1993, and was used in the 1995 film version of
Shakespeare's Richard III. This aircraft crashed on landing at Duxford on 18 August
2003, but after extensive repair and conversion to the Mark I "Short
nose" version by The Aircraft Restoration Company (ARC) at Duxford, was
displayed to the public on 30 May 2014, and flew again, for 29 minutes, on 20
November 2014, following restoration at the Imperial War Museum Duxford,
Cambridgeshire, England. The aircraft appeared in the 2017 Christopher Nolan
film Dunkirk.
In summer 1996, a
Bristol Blenheim Mk IVF was recovered from the sea, a few kilometers off
Rethymnon, Crete. The aircraft belonged to No. 203 Squadron RAF and was downed
by friendly fire on 28 April 1941. The Blenheim was moved to the Hellenic Air
Force Museum for restoration.
The Kent Battle of
Britain Museum in Hawkinge has begun a project to build a Blenheim IVF using
the remains of four Bristol Bolingbrokes. The Aircraft Restoration Company
(ARC) provided the left-over parts from its own Blenheim restoration.
The Royal Museum of
the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels exhibits a Bolingbroke
painted as a No. 139 Squadron RAF Blenheim XD-A that crash landed in May 1940
in Belgium.
Bibliography
Air Ministry
Pilot's Notes: Blenheim. London: HMSO (reprint by Air Data Publications), 1939.
Air Ministry
Pilot's Notes: Blenheim V. London: HMSO (reprint by Air Data Publications),
1942.
Axworthy, Mark
(September–October 1999). "Flank Guard: Romania's Advance on Stalingrad,
Part Two". Air Enthusiast (65): 72–75.
Barnes, C.H.
Bristol Aircraft Since 1910. London: Putnam, 1970.
Boiten, T.
Bristol Blenheim. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire, UK: The Crowood Press,
1998.
Bowyer, C.
Bristol Blenheim. London: Ian Allan, 1984.
Chorley, W.R.
RAF Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War: 1939–40 v. 1. Earl Shilton,
Leicester, UK: Midland Publishing, 1998.
Ciglić, Boris
and Dragan Savić. Croatian Aces of World War II (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces –
49). London: Oxford, 2002.
Donald, David.
The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. New York: Barnes & Noble,
1997.
Falconer, Jonathon.
The Bomber Command Handbook 1939–1945. Stroud, UK: Sutton Publishing Limited,
1998.
Frith, David.
Pageant of Cricket. Melbourne: The Macmillan Company of Australia, 1987.
Green, William
& Swanborough, Gordon (n.d.). "Pentagon Over the Islands: The
Thirty-Year History of Indonesian Military Aviation". Air Enthusiast
Quarterly (2): 154–162.
Keskinen,
Kalevi; Stenman, Kari (2004). Suomen Ilmavoimien Historia 10, Bristol Blenheim
[History of the Finnish Air Force 10, Bristol Blenheim] (in Finnish). Loviisa,
Finland: Painoyhtymä Oy.
Jefford, C.G.
RAF Squadrons: A Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of All RAF
Squadrons and Their Antecedents Since 1912. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing,
2nd edition, 2001.
Lake, Jon.
Blenheim Squadrons of World War 2. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 1998.
Cortet, Pierre
(April 2002). "Des avions alliés aux couleurs japonais" [Allied
Aircraft in Japanese Colors]. Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire (in
French) (109): 17–21.
Lawrence,
Joseph (1945). The Observer's Book Of Airplanes. London and New York: Frederick
Warne & Co.
Mackay, Ron.
Bristol Blenheim in Action. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications,
1998.
March, Daniel
J., ed. British Warplanes of World War II. London: Aerospace, 1998.
Marttila,
Jukka. Bristol Blenheim – Taitoa ja tekniikkaa (in Finnish). Vantaa, Finland:
Blenimi-Publishing, 1989.
Mason, Francis
K. The British Bomber Since 1914. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1994.
Mondey, David.
The Hamlyn Concise Guide to American Aircraft of World War II. London:
Aerospace Publishing Ltd, 1996.
Moyes, Philip
J.R. The Bristol Blenheim I (Aircraft in Profile No 93). Leatherhead, Surrey,
UK: Profile Publications, 1966.
Ognjević,
Aleksandar M. (2014). Bristol Blenheim: The Yugoslav Story: Operational Record
1937-1958. Zemun, Serbia: Leadensky Books.
Oughton, James
D. (1971). Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV. Aircraft in Profile No 218. Leatherhead,
Surrey, UK: Profile Publications Ltd.
Persyn, Lionel
(February 2000). "Victoire sur Blenheim" [Victory Over Blenheim].
Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (83): 24–28.
Sakaida, Henry.
Japanese Army Air Force Aces 1937–45. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 1997.
Stenman, Kari
(July–August 2001). "From Britain to Finland: Supplies for the Winter
War". Air Enthusiast. No. 94. pp. 56–59.
Stenman, Kari.
"Staying Power: The Bristol Blenheim in Finnish Service". Air Enthusiast,
No. 54, Summer 1994. pp. 26–35.
Thomas, A.
Bristol Blenheim (Warpaint No. 26). London: Hall Park Books, 2000.
Warner, Graham.
The Bristol Blenheim: A Complete History. London: Crécy Publishing, 2nd edition
2005.
Warner, Graham.
"Spirit of Britain First: A Pictorial Tribute to Britain's Airworthy
Blenheim". Air Enthusiast, No. 65, September–October 1996, pp. 68–69.
Wheeler, Barry
C. The Hamlyn Guide to Military Aircraft Markings. London: Chancellor Press,
1992.
Further Reading
Stuart, Robert
(2014). "Air Raid Colombo, 5 April 1942: The Fully Expected Surprise
Attack". Royal Canadian Air Force Journal. 3 (4). Department of National
Defence of Canada.
Stuart, Rob
(2006). "Leonard Birchall and the Japanese Raid on Colombo". Canadian
Military Journal. 7 (4). Department of National Defence of Canada.
 |
| Bristol Blenheim prototype (K7033) RAF. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mk IV in flight, banking steeply towards the camera aircraft, circa 1940. |
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| The crew of a Blenheim IV of No 88 (Hong Kong) Squadron climb from their aircraft at Attlebridge, Norfolk, after returning from an Army co-operation exercise, 16 August 1941. |
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| Bristol Blenheims of No. 101 Squadron, circa August 1940. |
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| The crew of a Bristol Blenheim Mk 1F of No. 604 Squadron climb from their aircraft at Northolt, April 1940. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mk 1Fs of No. 604 (County of Middlesex) Squadron at Northolt, April 1940. L6798 closest to camera. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mk IVs of No. 101 Squadron, circa August 1940. |
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| The crew of Bristol Blenheim Mark I, L1381 VA-G, of No. 84 Squadron RAF, prepare to board their aircraft at Menidi/Tatoi, Greece, for a raid on an Italian port in Albania. L1381 was one of four Blenheims lost during a raid on Valona on 7 December 1941, when it crash-landed near Sarande after being damaged by an Italian fighter. |
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| A nitrates factory in Crotone, Italy, under attack from three Bristol Blenheims of No. 105 Squadron RAF based at Luqa, Malta. The aircraft, two of which can be seen flying between the columns of smoke rising from the factory, came under concentrated anti-aircraft fire from vessels moored offshore, as a result of which one damaged Blenheim crash-landed near the town and another was written off attempting to land back at Luqa. |
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| A crew of a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 404 Squadron RCAF, prepare to take off from Dyce, Aberdeen, in the evening of 17 May 1942, to take part in the attack on the German heavy cruiser PRINZ EUGEN off Norway. Six Blenheims were detailed to accompany the strike force of Bristol Beauforts in order to make dummy torpedo attacks on the cruiser so as to confuse the enemy anti-aircraft defenses, and to provide fighter cover. |
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| Operation WRECKAGE: low-level daylight attack on targets in Bremen by aircraft of No. 2 Group. Low-level oblique photograph taken from the nose of a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV during this determined daylight raid by nine aircraft drawn from Nos. 105 and 107 Squadrons RAF. Docks, railways and factory buildings were successfully attacked for the loss of four Blenheims. Wing Commander H I Edwards, the Commanding Officer of 105 Squadron, was awarded the Victoria Cross for leading the attack. |
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| The sun rises over the airfield at Menidi/Tatoi, Greece, as ground crew remove the covers from Bristol Blenheim Mark I, L8374 'X', of No. 84 Squadron RAF, for a morning raid over Albania. L8374 was one of two Blenheims shot down when nine aircraft of the Squadron bombed the Kucera oil fields on 22 December 1940. |
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| Low-level oblique aerial photograph taken during a major daylight raid on the docks at Rotterdam, Holland, by Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 2 Group. The Commanding Officer of No. 18 Squadron RAF, Wing Commander T Partridge, in Bristol Blenheim Mark IV, V6267 'WV-M', leads the second wave of the attack in at low level toward the docks, seen on the skyline. Moments later he was shot down by anti-aircraft fire and killed with his crew, Sergeant G Dvorjetz and Flight Sergeant J Smith. |
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| Low-level oblique aerial photograph taken during a major daylight raid on the docks at Rotterdam, Holland, by Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 2 Group. Blenheims of No. 21 Squadron RAF approach the target at low-level. |
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| Low-level oblique aerial photograph taken during a major daylight raid on the docks at Rotterdam, Holland, by Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 2 Group. Bombs burst on the docks by the Nieuwe Maas as a Blenheim banks away after its attack. The tail of the aircraft is seen on the left of the picture. |
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| Low-level oblique aerial photograph taken during a major daylight raid on the docks at Rotterdam, Holland, by Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 2 Group. Bombs burst on the dock area as a Blenheim heads away over the rooftops. The tail of the aircraft is on the left of the picture, and the gunsight and part of the barrel of the machine gun mounted in the mid-upper turret, from which the photograph was taken, is on the right. |
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| Low-level oblique aerial photograph taken during a major daylight raid on the docks at Rotterdam, Holland, by Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 2 Group. Bombs burst on the dock area as a Blenheim heads away over the rooftops south of the Nieuwe Maas. The tail of the aircraft is on the left of the picture. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark IV, Z5969 'P3', taxis past other Blenheims and Handley Page Hampdens of No. 5 Air Observers School, in an early January morning at Jurby, Isle of Man. |
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| On 6 December 1939 King George VI, with the Duke of Gloucester and Viscount Lord Gort (Commander-in-Chief of the BEF), inspected RAF Air Component units at Lille-Seclin. Here, the King reviews personnel from No 615 Squadron, Auxiliary Air Force, drawn up in front of one of their Gladiators. A Blenheim IV from one of the Air Component's strategic-reconnaissance squadrons can be seen in the background. |
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| Original wartime caption: A flight formation of Bristol Blenheim I aircraft operating in the Middle East. The Blenheim Mk.I, a twin-engined high-performance all-metal, day and night bomber has a maximum speed of 285 m.p.h. at 15,000 feet and a range of 1,125 miles at 220 m.p.h. It is fitted with Bristol Mercury VIII air-cooled radial engines, hydraulically operated retractable undercarriage and split trailing-edge flaps. Aircraft of this type have also been adapted for long range fighter duties. |
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| The Royal Air Force in France 1939 - 1940: Two Bristol Blenheim Mk IV aircraft take off from an airfield in France for a reconnaissance mission over enemy lines. |
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| A Bristol Blenheim Mark IV returns to Gambut, Libya, in the failing evening light, after completing a sortie. In the foreground, Blenheim Mark IV, V6149 'A', of No. 45 Squadron RAF has been 'bedded down' for the night with tarpaulin covers over the engines and nose section. |
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| A Bristol Blenheim Mark V of No. 113 Squadron RAF, taxies past a Blenheim Mark IV at Asansol, India. |
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| General view of the Blenheim Mk IV cockpit, looking forward. (Click image to enlarge) |
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| Key to previous photo. (Click image to enlarge) |
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| Bristol Type B.I Mk. V Centre Gun Turret. (Click image to enlarge) |
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| Blenheim Mk. V turret. (Click image to enlarge) |
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| View of rear fuselage interior looking towards the tail. (Click image to enlarge) |
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| Bristol Blenheim interior showing arrangement of equipment. Key to numbered items was not available. (Click image to enlarge) |
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| Bristol Blenheims of No. 101 Squadron, circa August 1940. |
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| Bombs burst on the airfield at Herdla, Norway, during a successful low-level attack by 13 Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 114 Squadron RAF, in support of the Combined Operations raid on Vaagso. Photograph was taken from one of the attacking aircraft using a rear facing camera. |
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| An armorer attends to the rearward-firing .303 Vickers K-type gas-operated machine gun in a blister-turret fitted under the nose of Bristol Blenheim Mark IV, R3874, of No. 110 Squadron RAF at Wattisham, Suffolk. The K gun augmented the Blenheim's main defensive armament in providing some defense against a low rear attack by enemy fighters. |
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| A Bristol Blenheim Mark IV, piloted by the Commanding Officer of No. 107 Squadron RAF, Wing Commander Basil Embry, circles a British oil tanker, on fire and sinking in the English Channel after a German attack. The Blenheim's serial number and unit codes have been removed by the censor. Note the Vickers K-type gas-operated .303 machine gun protruding from the tail just aft of the tailwheel, a modification exclusive to aircraft of this squadron. |
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| Bombs from Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 270 Wing RAF explode among Junkers Ju 52s parked on the landing ground at El Magrun, Libya, in the afternoon of 22 December 1941. Blenheims, from Nos, 14 and 84 Squadrons RAF and the Lorraine Squadron of the Free French Air Force, made a series of attacks on El Magrun on 21-22 December, which was being used extensively by the Luftwaffe to provide air support for their retiring ground forces during Operation CRUSADER. |
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| Blenheim Mark IV, R3612 BL-V, of No. 40 Squadron RAF based at Wyton, Huntingdonshire, in flight. R3612 previously served with the Photographic Development Unit. It was lost with its entire crew on 8/9 September 1940 during a night raid on invasion barges at Ostend. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark I, L1295 in flight above the clouds. This aircraft commenced service in August 1938 with No. 107 Squadron RAF, followed by No. 600 Squadron RAF, the Royal Aircraft Establishment, No. 54 Operational Training Unit, RAF Cranwell, No. 3 Radio School, and finally No. 12 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit, with whom she was damaged beyond repair after crash-landing at Harlaxton on 29 July 1943. For reasons not known, the fuselage roundel and unit code were painted out at the time this photograph was taken. |
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| Two Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 40 Squadron RAF, running up their engines at Wyton, Huntingdonshire. |
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| Blenheim Mark IV, R3816 OM-J, of No. 107 Squadron RAF, on the ground at Leuchars, Fife. |
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| Bristol Blenheim. A Douglas Boston is visible in the left background. |
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| Bristol Blenheim N6155. |
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| Bristol Blenheims. Original wartime caption: Mechanics make a final overhaul of the engines before the air crews take over. |
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| Original wartime caption: Pilots and air-crews on their way to their aircraft by lorry. |
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| A Bristol Blenheim Mk IVF of No. 254 Squadron RAF based at Aldergrove, County Antrim, in flight. Note the gun pack containing four forward-firing .303 Browning machine guns, mounted under the fuselage. Seven fighter-reconnaissance squadrons of Coastal Command operated this version for shipping protection duties. |
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| Bristol Blenheims. Original wartime caption: The first aircraft is a Percival Q-6 Petrel with 2 x 205 h.p. De Havilland Gipsy Six II engines. Six to seven seat communications aircraft. |
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| Original wartime caption: The swastika in this picture records the shooting down of an Me 109 by this Blenheim of Coastal Command. The Messerschmitt appeared suddenly while the Blenheim was on patrol. The Blenheim pilot opened fire with his front guns and the Messerschmitt swung round, out of the way to make an attack on the rear. The Blenheim gunner then let go with a full pan of ammunition and the Messerschmitt dived into the sea. The gunner who is from Wombwell, Yorkshire, thinks his sort of life is much to be preferred to 'civvy street'. He was a costing clerk. The pilot says "My gunner is a wizard, I would not like to fly anywhere without him". |
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| Bristol Blenheims of No. 113 Squadron RAF, based at Asansol, India, in flight during a bombing sortie over Burma. In the foreground is Blenheim Mark IV, Z7856; in the background, a Blenheim Mark V. |
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| Low level oblique taken during an attack on an enemy convoy off the Dutch coast by Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 2 Group. Eight vessels sailing between Ijmuiden and the Hague were intercepted by aircraft drawn from Nos. 105 and 139 Squadrons RAF. Although hits were scored on the ships, three Blenheims were shot down and two crash-landed on return to their base. Here, bombs can be seen narrowly missing MV DELAWARE, a Danish-registered vessel as aircraft attack at low level. The photograph was taken from the mid-upper gun turret of another Blenheim. |
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| A Bristol Blenheim Mark IV, V5589, of No. 113 Squadron RAF based at Asansol, India, veers out of control as it is shot down by Japanese fighters while carrying out a low-level bombing attack on two Japanese merchant vessels moored at Akyab, Burma. The attack, comprising thirteen Blenheims drawn from Nos. 34, 60 and 113 Squadrons RAF, sank the two vessels and badly damaged the jetty for the loss of three Blenheims. The crew of V5589, Sergeants John Reid (pilot), Peter Wilson (navigator), and Len White (wireless operator/air gunner), were captured by the Japanese. |
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| A Dornier Do 18 flying boat seen from an RAF Blenheim during a combat over the North Sea, 26 April 1940. The Blenheim was one of a number returning from a raid near Bergen. The Dornier was shot down. |
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| A corporal runs to a waiting car with a magazine of undeveloped film from an F.24 aerial camera, just handed over by the aircrew of a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 139 Squadron RAF at Bétheniville, after a photo-reconnaissance sortie. |
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| British bombers keep ceaseless patrol over Ceylon. A Blenheim aircraft framed by palm trees on the jungle-fringed coastline. |
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| Pilot Officer Peter Kells, the pilot of a Blenheim IF of No. 29 Squadron, climbs into his cockpit at the start of another night patrol from Coleby Grange, Lincolnshire, October 1940. |
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| A Bristol Blenheim IV possibly of No. 86 Squadron RAF flies low over RAF Gosport observed by airman and sailors from the ground. A Blackburn Skua of the Aircraft Torpedo Development Unit is seen on the ground. |
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| Original wartime caption: The Blenheim IV is the latest version of the Blenheim I. Its main difference is the redesigned nose which is longer and gives more room for the navigator-bomb aimer. The Blenheim has a speed of 295 m.p.h. and a range of nearly 2,000 miles. It can be used for bomber, reconnaissance and fighter duties. This particular squadron undertakes daylight offensive action against the enemy. The bomb aimer at his instruments in the nose of a Blenheim. |
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| Original wartime caption: The Bristol Blenheim Mk. IV high speed fighter-bomber is an all metal stressed skin midwing cantilever monoplane. It has two Bristol Mercury supercharged engines, and variable pitch airscrews. The aircraft has a range of 1,900 miles at 220 m.p.h., with a maximum speed of 295 m.p.h. at 15,000 feet. The initial climb is 1,500 feet per minute, and its ceiling is 27,000 feet. A Blenheim in flight. |
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| Blenheim Mark IVF, N6239 WR-L, of No. 248 Squadron RAF, on the ground at North Coates, Lincolnshire. |
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| Original wartime caption: Flights of Blenheims above the clouds. |
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| Original wartime caption: A flight of Bristol Blenheims. |
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| Original wartime caption: A flight of Bristol Blenheims. |
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| Original wartime caption: Blenheims in flight. |
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| Original wartime caption: Flights of Blenheims above the clouds. |
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| Original wartime caption: Flights of Blenheims above the clouds. |
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| Original wartime caption: The Bristol Blenheim IV. |
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| Original wartime caption: Bristol Blenheims in formation high above the cloud layer. |
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| Original wartime caption: Flights of Blenheims above the clouds. |
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| Original wartime caption: The "bomb train" on its way to a Blenheim. |
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| Original wartime caption: The "bomb train" on its way to a Blenheim. |
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| Original wartime caption: Loading a Blenheim with bombs from a trailer. |
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| Original wartime caption: The Bristol Blenheim. |
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| Original wartime caption: A Bristol Blenheim in flight. |
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| Original wartime caption: Blenheims line up on their aerodrome, ready for a raid on enemy territory. |
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| Blenheim Mark IV, 'WR-B', of No. 248 Squadron RAF based at North Coates, Lincolnshire, in flight over the North Sea. The aircraft is fitted with a Light Series Carrier under the fuselage. Note also the gas warning panel, which has been applied to the top of the fuselage in front of the tail fin. |
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| Blenheim Mark Is of No. 84 Squadron RAF, lined up at Shaibah, Iraq. |
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| Blenheim Mark V prototype, DJ702, which served with No. 12 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit and No. 17 Service Flying Training Unit, in flight, 1943. |
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| Blenheim Mark IF, L1336 WR-E, of No. 248 Squadron RAF based at Hendon, on the ground at Northolt, Middlesex. |
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| A formation of five Blenheim Mark IVs (Z5893 'W' nearest) of No. 14 Squadron RAF in flight over the Western Desert. A Curtiss Kittyhawk, one of the escorting fighters, can be seen on the far right. |
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| A Blenheim Mark V of No. 113 Squadron RAF based at Asansol, India, in flight with other aircraft of the Squadron during a bombing raid over Burma. |
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| Blenheim Mark VD, AZ930, on the ground at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment, Boscombe Down, Wiltshire. AZ930 saw extensive service as a training aircraft with Nos. 42 and 13 Operational Training Units, and with No. 12 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit. |
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| Six Blenheim Mark IVFs of No. 254 Squadron RAF, flying in formation over Northern Ireland shortly after the unit's arrival at Aldergrove, County Antrim. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mk IVs of No. 40 Squadron at Wyton, July 1940. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mk 1Fs of No. 25 Squadron in flight, April 1940. |
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| A Bristol Blenheim Mk 1F of No. 25 Squadron being refueled at Northolt, April 1940. |
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| A Bristol Blenheim Mk IV of No. 110 Squadron running up its engines at Wattisham, August 1940. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mk 1Fs of No. 25 Squadron, Northolt, April 1940. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mk IV P4899 of the Photographic Development Unit, commanded by Wing Commander Sidney Cotton, at Lille-Seclin, France, 1940. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mk IV L4842 on a test flight from Filton, 29 May 1939. The aircraft went on to serve with No. 53 Squadron and was shot down on 17 May 1940. |
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| A Bristol Blenheim Mk IV of No. 40 Squadron at Wyton, July 1940. |
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| The crew of a Bristol Blenheim Mk IV of No. 40 Squadron exit their aircraft at Wyton, July 1940. |
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| Aircrew 'scrambling' towards three Blenheim Mark IVs of a No. 236 Squadron Royal Air Force detachment at Aldergrove, 19 November 1940. Note the bomb racks fitted under the fuselage. |
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| A Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 226 Squadron demonstrates the effectiveness of its camouflage as it flies over the English countryside, 18 August 1941. |
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| Blenheim fighters on patrol. |
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| Blenheim Mk IFs of No. 25 Squadron at Martlesham Heath, 25 July 1940. The foreground aircraft is equipped with AI Mk III radar. The squadron was used for night fighter operations. |
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| Blenheim Mk IV of No. 40 Squadron at Wyton, July 1940. |
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| Blenheim Mk IFs of No. 25 Squadron at Martlesham Heath, 25 July 1940. The foreground aircraft is equipped with AI Mk III radar. The squadron was used for night fighter operations. |
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| Blenheim Mk IF of No. 25 Squadron taxiing at Martlesham Heath, watched by air and ground crews, 25 July 1940. The squadron was used for night fighter operations. |
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| A newly delivered Hawker Hurricane Mk I being armed at an RAF airfield in the UK, probably North Weald, April 1940. A Blenheim Mk IF of No. 25 Squadron can be seen in the background. |
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| Bristol Blenheims of No. 13 OTU, circa 1943. |
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| Bristol Blenheim of No. 13 OTU, circa 1943. |
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| Original wartime caption: Picture (issued 1943) shows Blenheims returning from a bombing attack on Japanese positions in Burma flying over Assam. |
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| Aircrew with Blenheim Mk IF L1359 'WR-W' at an OTU in the Midlands, 1940. Probably No. 17 OTU at Upwood. |
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| Bomb-aimer holding an F24 aerial camera in the nose of a Blenheim (possibly of No 139 Squadron RAF) during an unescorted aerial photography mission over France. |
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| Original wartime caption: A "peel off" by fighter Blenheims. |
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| Blenheims of No 139 Squadron, Royal Air Force, part of the Advanced Air Striking Force, in flight over France during an unescorted aerial photography mission. |
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| Original wartime caption: Fighter Blenheims in formation. |
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| Original wartime caption: Crew of a Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV.F. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mk 1Fs of No. 25 Squadron being refueled at Northolt, April 1940. |
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| Original wartime caption: A Blenheim I in flight above the clouds. The rear gunner is ready to deal with any adversary. |
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| Fairey Battles and Bristol Blenheims being used for maintenance instruction at No. 2 School of Technical Training at Cosford, February 1940. |
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| A Bristol Blenheim Mark IV returns to a landing ground in the Western Desert after a raid supporting Allied forces advancing into Cyrenaica. |
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| Original wartime caption: Formations of Blenheim fighters. |
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| Original wartime caption: A Blenheim fighter "peels off" from formation. |
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| Original wartime caption: A formation of Blenheim fighters dives through a cloud layer to attack. |
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| Original wartime caption: Blenheim medium bombers return from a fray over the enemy. |
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| Blenheim crews of No. 110 Squadron at Wattisham add Le Bourget to a list of recent targets, August 1940. |
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| Original wartime caption: Ground staff putting new Blenheim into flying position to undergo alignment of guns. |
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| The pilot and observer of a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV sitting at their positions in the cockpit as for an aerial reconnaissance sortie. |
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| A close up view of the turret on a Bristol Blenheim long range fighter of No. 245 (Northern Rhodesian) Squadron at RAF Aldergrove, Northern Ireland. |
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| The observer climbing into the cockpit of a Bristol Blenheim long range fighter of No. 245 (Northern Rhodesian) Squadron at RAF Aldergrove, Northern Ireland. |
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| The pilot and the observer in the cabin of a Bristol Blenheim long range fighter of No. 245 (Northern Rhodesian) Squadron at RAF Aldergrove, Northern Ireland. |
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| Three Bristol Blenheim long range fighters of No. 245 (Northern Rhodesian) Squadron at RAF Aldergrove, Northern Ireland. |
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| A gunner's view of a trawler burning after being hit during an anti-shipping strike by Blenheims off the Dutch coast on 18 August 1941. |
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| Aircraft of Fighter Command displayed at Grangemouth, Stirlingshire, during a visit by Scottish newspaper correspondents. In the foreground is a Hawker Hurricane Mark I of No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron RAF based at Speke, Liverpool; in the background a Bristol Blenheim Mark IF of No. 23 Squadron RAF based at Ford, Sussex, while, overhead, three Supermarine Spitfires, flown by the flying instructors of No. 58 Operational Training Unit based at Grangemouth, prepare to give a flying demonstration. |
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| Air Force Operations: Bristol Blenheim aircraft attack a Japanese column on the lower Chindwin River. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs taxiing out for an air-test after assembly at Tengah, Singapore, following their urgent shipment to the theatre. |
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| A Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 11 Squadron RAF, takes off from Racecourse airfield, Colombo, Ceylon. |
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| Bombs explode on the Kuhlmann chemical works and power station at Chocques, France, during a daylight raid by ten Bristol Blenheims of No. 2 Group RAF. |
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| Low-level oblique photograph taken from one of a force of Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs attacking an Italian motor vessel in the Mediterranean, showing the first bomb exploding on the stern. |
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| Blenheim Mk IVs of No. 40 Squadron at Wyton, July 1940. The aircraft in the foreground is T1948. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark IV, Z7631 'N', of No. 14 Squadron RAF, in flight over the Western Desert. |
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| A formation of Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 270 Wing RAF meet with their fighter escort of Hawker Hurricanes on setting out for a raid over Libya. |
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| Three Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 59 Squadron RAF take off from Poix. |
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| Ground crew of a Bristol Blenheim squadron at Menid/Tatoi, Greece, await the return of their aircraft from an operation over Albania. |
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| Blenheim Mark Is of No. 84 Squadron RAF based at Shaibah, Iraq, flying in formations of three over the Iraqi desert. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark Is of No. 62 Squadron lined up at Sembawang, Singapore. Brewster Buffaloes of Nos. 21 or 453 Squadrons RAAF can be seen in the background. |
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| A salvo of bombs explodes on the hard standing at Schipol airport, Amsterdam, during a raid by Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 2 Group. |
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| Bombs burst across buildings and on the quays during an attack by six Bristol Blenheims of No. 88 Squadron RAF at Slykens, east of Ostend on the Ostend-Bruges Canal. |
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| Blenheim Mark IV, L8756 XD-E of No. 139 Squadron RAF, based at Plivot, France, in flight over northern France. |
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| A pilot and navigator of No. 139 Squadron RAF, seated in the cockpit of their Bristol Blenheim Mark IV at Plivot. |
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| An aircrew officer of No. 30 Squadron RAF checks the bomb load on a Light Series Carrier fitted underneath a Bristol Blenheim Mark I at Eleusis, Greece, before taking off on a sortie over Albania. |
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| Two Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 139 Squadron RAF based at Plivot, in flight over northern France. |
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| An airman stands guard in the snow at Betheniville, framed by the camouflage netting on the wing of a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 139 Squadron RAF. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 139 Squadron RAF about to take off from Betheniville on reconnaissance sorties. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark IV, L8760 'XD-D', of No. 139 Squadron RAF taxies to a halt at Betheniville after a sortie. |
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| Original wartime caption: Blenheim medium bombers return from a fray over the enemy. |
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| The Royal Dutch Shell oil depot near Beirut comes under a bombing attack from three Bristol Blenheims of No. 11 Squadron RAF, flying from Aqir, Palestine, at the start of Operation EXPORTER. |
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| Low-level oblique aerial photograph taken during a major daylight raid on the docks at Rotterdam, Holland, 16 July 1941, by Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 2 Group. Dutch civilians in a Rotterdam street watch and wave to the aircraft as they run in to the target. Seventeen enemy ships were put out of action, five severely damaged, as well as the bombing of two large warehouses and a factory. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark Is of No. 62 Squadron RAF lined up at Tengah, Singapore, before flying north to their new base at Alor Star, Malaya. |
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| A Bristol Blenheim Mark V of No. 113 Squadron RAF, parked at Asansol, India. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark I 'UQ-D' of No. 211 Squadron RAF, on the ground at Paramythia, Greece. |
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| A mobile X-ray unit of the Indian Army Medical Corps is unloaded from Bristol Blenheim Mark V, BA576 'N', of No. 34 Squadron RAF at an airstrip in north-eastern India. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark Is of No. 62 Squadron RAF, flying in formation over Tengah, Singapore, on departing for their new base at Alor Star, Malaya. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 18 Squadron RAF head back for Luqa, Malta, at low level after bombing a target in the port of Locri, Italy. Photograph taken from the mid-upper turret of the leading aircraft. |
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| Vertical aerial photograph taken during a 'Circus' operation by No. 2 Group aircraft, showing smoke rising from direct hits on the generating plant of the power station at Pont-a-Vendin, France, during an attack by 18 Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs drawn from Nos. 18 and 139 Squadrons RAF. |
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| A Bristol Blenheim Mark VD of No. 326 Wing RAF, silhouetted against the sun as it undergoes maintenance at Canrobert, Algeria. |
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| Fitters running up and checking the Bristol Mercury XV engines of a Bristol Blenheim Mark IVat a Maintenance Unit in Egypt, before releasing it for operational service. Note the Vokes air filters over the carburetor intakes under the engines, and the four .303 machine-gun pack fitted beneath the fuselage. |
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| Oblique aerial photograph showing a 500-ton German vessel burning after a direct hit amidships during an attack by Bristol Blenheims of No. 2 Group on a convoy of six enemy ships in Heligoland Bight. Taken from the mid-upper turret of one of the attacking aircraft. |
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| The crew of a Bristol Blenheim Mark I of No. 3 Coastal Defence Flight get into their aircraft before taking off on a patrol. Photograph was probably taken at Dum Dum, India, following the unit's withdrawal from Burma. |
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| Bombs explode on the German-held airfield at Tamet, Libya, during a daylight raid by Bristol Blenheims of No. 253 Wing RAF. The aircraft in the left-hand corner is a Junkers Ju 88. |
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| Armorers of No. 113 Squadron RAF place 20-lb Fragmentation bombs into a Small Bomb Container, and prepare .303 ammunition, for loading into one of the Squadron's Bristol Blenheim Mark Is at Ma'aten Bagush, Egypt, before a raid on Italian positions at Tobruk. |
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| The observer of a Bristol Blenheim of No. 113 Squadron RAF hands a Type F.24 aerial camera to a member of the Photographic Section at Ma'aten Bagush, Egypt, following a sortie over Tobruk. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark IV, 'GB-S', of No. 105 Squadron RAF Detachment based at Lossie¬mouth, Moray, flying in at 50 feet above sea level to attack a 2,500-ton motor vessel off the coast of Norway. |
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| Armorers of No. 614 Squadron RAF preparing to load a 250-lb GP bomb into Bristol Blenheim Mark VD, BA783 'P', at Canrobert, Algeria. |
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| A petrol tanker and trailer on fire on the road between Homs and Misurata, Libya, after an attack by Bristol Blenheims interdicting enemy fuel supplies in support of Operation CRUSADER. |
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| Vertical aerial photographic-reconnaissance view of part of the docks at Rotterdam, following the low-level daylight raid by Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 2 Group on 28 August 1941. The ZAANDAM II cargo liner (formerly of the Holland-America Line) can be seen lying on its side at Wilton's Yard West (center left). |
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| Annotated vertical aerial photograph taken during a 'Circus' operation by a combined force of Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs drawn from Nos. 21, 105 and 110 Squadrons RAF, which attacked the Etabs. Kuhlmann chemical factory at Choques, France. Bombs can be seen exploding on, the power house ('1'), the chemical works ('2'), the railway sidings and rolling stock ('3'), and other buildings believed to be the benzol and by-products plants ('4'). |
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| A Bristol Blenheim Mark IV drops a mixed load of 250-lb and 40-lb GP bombs from its bomb-carriers over Vichy French positions in Syria. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark VDs of No. 614 Squadron RAF undergoing maintenance and refueling at Blida, Algeria, in preparation for a sortie. |
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| Fitters, armorers and mechanics of No. 13 Squadron RAF prepare Bristol Blenheim Mark VD 'C' for a sortie at Canrobert, Algeria. |
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| The Commanding Officer of a squadron of No. 326 Wing RAF, followed by wireless operator/air gunner, alights from a Bristol Blenheim Mark VD at Blida, Algeria, after a night raid on Tunis. |
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| Bombs exploding on Maleme airfield, Crete, during a daylight raid by Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 14 Squadron RAF, flying from LG 21/Qotafiya III, Egypt. The aircraft are Junkers Ju 52/3ms, most of them in a wrecked condition as a result of the landing of airborne troops on the airfield on 21 May 1941, during the German invasion of the island. |
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| A large explosion and fire engulfs Spanish Quay in Tripoli harbor, Libya, during a raid by Bristol Blenheims of No. 253 (Army Cooperation) Wing, flying from Ma'aten Bagush, Egypt. |
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| German 2,500-ton motor vessel under attack by four Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 105 Squadron Detachment from Lossiemouth, Moray, off the coast of Norway. |
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| A bomb explodes by the side of an Italian motor vessel, under attack from Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs in the Mediterranean. |
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| Low-level oblique photograph of Four Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 21 Squadron RAF Detachment based at Luqa, Malta, fly past Linosa Island at 50 feet above the Mediterranean Sea while on an anti-shipping strike. |
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| High oblique photograph showing bombs bursting on newly-built hangars on the airfield at Desvres, France, during an attack by 6 Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 110 Squadron RAF, ('Circus' operation). |
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| Quadrath/Fortuna power station, near Cologne, under attack by Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 2 Group. Photograph taken from the mid-upper turret of one of the attacking aircraft as it banked away from the target area. |
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| The Under-Secretary of State for Air, Captain H H Balfour, questions an Air Commodore about 250-lb GP bombs, which are about to be loaded into a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of the Advanced Air Striking Force on a snow-covered airfield in France. |
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| Vertical aerial photograph showing bombs from Bristol Blenheims of No. 82 Squadron RAF exploding near a large concentration of German tanks, guns, ammunition limbers and motorized transport, advancing towards Paris on a road and across fields near Montagne-Fayel. |
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| Vertical aerial photograph showing a Bristol Blenheim of No. 105 Squadron RAF passing over a fiercely-burning enemy merchant vessel, previously attacked off the Norwegian coast. |
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| Vertical aerial taken during the second 'Circus' operation by aircraft of No. 2 Group, a fighter-escorted daylight attack on the docks at Boulogne, France, by 6 Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 139 Squadron RAF. Bombs can be seen exploding in and around Nos. 3, 4 and 7 Docks at top right. |
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| Bombs from a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 2 Group fall over the junction of the main lines from Munster and Hamburg to Dortmund, in the marshaling yard at Hamm, Germany, during the first RAF raid on the city. |
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| Aircrew of 'A' Flight, No. 30 Squadron RAF, collect their equipment and board Bristol Blenheim Mark I, K7095 'VT-G', at Eleusis, Greece, for a raid on Italian targets in Albania. |
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| Two Bristol Blenheim Mark Is of 'A' Flight No. 30 Squadron RAF, taking off from Eleusis, Greece, for a bombing raid over Italian-occupied Albania. Both aircraft are carrying external bomb loads in the Light Series Carriers fitted under the fuselage. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark I, L6670 UQ-R, of No. 211 Squadron RAF preparing to taxi at Menidi/Tatoi, Greece. |
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| A wireless operator/air gunner mans his Vickers K gun in the turret of an RAF Bristol Blenheim Mk I at Menidi/Tatoi, Greece, November 1940. |
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| Blenheim Mark IF, L6670 UQ-R, of No. 211 Squadron RAF, landing at Menidi/Tatoi, Greece, after a raid on Italian positions in Albania. |
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| Ground crew run an engine test on Bristol Blenheim Mark I 'VA-O', of No. 84 Squadron RAF at Menidi/Tatoi, Greece. |
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| An aircrew member of a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV at Wattisham, Suffolk, holds a Type F.24 aerial camera fitted with a reflecting mirror for photographing during the low-level bombing raids undertaken by No. 2 Group. |
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| The reflecting mirror of a Type F.24 aerial camera adapted for low-level oblique photography, protruding through the underside, and pointing to the rear, of a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 2 Group at Wattisham Suffolk. |
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| The bomb-aimer of a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 139 Squadron RAF mans his position behind the Mark IXA Course-setting Bombsight in the nose of aircraft, at Plivot. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark IV, N6227 'XD-M', of No. 139 Squadron RAF, undergoes an engine overhaul at Plivot. Note the armorer (foreground) who has just removed the forward-firing .303 machine gun from its mounting in the port wing for examination. |
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| Three Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 139 Squadron RAF based at Plivot, flying eastwards over Northern France to survey enemy fortifications. |
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| Airmen wheel away a mobile petrol unit after refueling a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 139 Squadron RAF in the snow at Betheniville. Note the attempt to camouflage the aircraft with cut spruce saplings. |
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| An engine tent is erected around the engine of a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 139 Squadron RAF at Betheniville to protect it from the weather. |
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| Ground crew servicing the starboard engine of a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 139 Squadron RAF, covered with camouflage netting and snow, at Betheniville. |
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| A member of the ground crew hands a Type F.24 aerial camera to the observer of a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 139 Squadron RAF at Betheniville, prior to a sortie. |
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| 500-lb GP bombs fall over the cooling towers of the Goldenburg power station at Knapsack, near Cologne, during an attack by Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 2 Group. |
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| A Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 226 Squadron RAF skip-bombs the 510-foot ZAANDAM II cargo liner (formerly of the Holland-America Line), moored at Wilton's Yard West, during a low-level raid by No. 2 Group on shipping in Rotterdam. 12 aircraft out of 36 dispatched were lost. |
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| Bombs explode around hangars and buildings at Abbeville airfield, France during a successful surprise attack by twelve Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 82 Squadron RAF. |
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| The Goldenburg power station at Knapsack, near Cologne, Germany under attack by Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 2 Group. Photograph taken from the mid-upper turret of one of the attacking aircraft as it cleared the target area. |
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| A Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 45 Squadron RAF, on the ground at Magwe, Burma, while operating as part of 'X' Wing/'Burwing'. Note the jeep (right), borrowed from the American Volunteer Group, units of which were also based at Magwe in the closing stages of the first Burma Campaign. |
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| The crew of a Bristol Blenheim Mark I of No. 113 Squadron RAF rest under the wing of their aircraft, between sorties at Ma'aten Bagush, Egypt. |
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| German transport column on the Agheila-Agedabia road, south of Benghazi, under cannon attack from Bristol Blenheim Mark IV, Z5867, of No. 113 Squadron RAF, 26 October 1941. The first two lorries are running off the road. Rommel’s supply line, stretched out along the solitary road which hugged the North African coast, was acutely vulnerable to air attack. The Desert Air Force exacted a heavy toll of transport vehicles in this featureless landscape. |
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| Oblique aerial photograph taken from an attacking Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No,. 2 Group over the Quadrath/Fortuna generating station, near Cologne, Germany showing a direct hit on the coal handling plant. |
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| Armorers ride a bomb train loaded with 250-lb GP bombs to a Bristol Blenheim Mark V of No. 34 Squadron RAF, parked in a dispersal on an airfield in India. |
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| Original wartime caption: A demonstration of a smoke screen being put down by Blenheim bombers. |
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| Original wartime caption: Blenheim Mk.IV planes, fitted with sirens which dive bomb and attempt to demoralize the troops. |
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| Original wartime caption: "Old Faithful" the Prime Minister looking at a Blenheim Bomber bearing his name. |
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| Original wartime caption: The pilot of Lieut. General Ritchie's Blenheim, F/O F. Alder who comes from Berkshire. |
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| Original wartime caption: Blenheim Mk.IV planes, fitted with sirens which dive bomb and attempt to demoralize the troops. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark I, L1434, of No. 211 Squadron RAF, undergoing an engine service at Paramythia, Greece. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 14 Squadron RAF in flight over desert, possibly in Iraq where the Squadron was based from August to October 1941. The nearest aircraft is Z5860, which was shot down during a raid on an enemy vehicle convoy on the Derna-Bardia road on 14 December 1941, all its crew being killed. |
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| A trainee gunner familiarizes himself with the mid-upper turret position of a Bristol Blenheim in a hangar at No. 5 Air Observers School, Jurby, Isle of Man |
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| The Goldenburg power station at Knapsack, near Cologne, under attack by Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 2 Group. On the left, Sergeant I Broome, flying V6391 'RT-V' of No. 114 Squadron RAF, banks steeply away after bombing as flak fills the sky over the target. |
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| Low-level oblique photograph taken during a 'Circus' operation, an attack on the docks at Cherbourg, France, by 12 Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs, drawn from Nos. 21 and 107 Squadrons RAF. A dockside store on the west quay of the Darse Transatlantique explodes from a direct hit (left), while another bomb bursts close to a moored tanker. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark IV, V6014 'GB-J', of No. 105 Squadron RAF Detachment in a dispersal at Luqa, Malta. Canvas covers protect the cockpit and glazed nose section from the sun. From July to September 1941, 105 Squadron was detached from the United Kingdom to Malta, to operate against targets in the Mediterranean and North Africa, losing 14 aircraft during the period. Note the modified gun mounting under the nose. |
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| Apprentices learning to make repairs to a fuselage of a Bristol Blenheim in the workshops at No. 1 School of Technical Training, Halton, Buckinghamshire. |
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| Oblique aerial view of RAF Hinton-in-the-Hedges, Northamptonshire, from the west. Aircraft of No. 13 Operational Training Unit, detached their base at Bicester, Oxfordshire, can be seen on the airfield. A line of Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of 'A' Flight is parked along one of the runways and Avro Anson navigational trainers of 'D' Flight occupy some of the finger dispersals by the technical site in the foreground. Note the 'wood and hedge' camouflage pattern painted on the southwestern half of the airfield. |
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| A Bristol Blenheim Mark IV, 'U' (serial number unclear) of No. 45 Squadron RAF, undergoes an engine overhaul at waterlogged Gambut, Libya, after violent rainstorms in November and December 1941 rendered many of the forward airfields unusable during Operation CRUSADER. |
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| Mechanics at work on the Bristol Mercury VIII engine of a Bristol Blenheim Mark I of No. 3 Coastal Defence Flight. Photograph was probably taken at Dum Dum, India, following the unit's withdrawal from Burma. |
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| Composite of two aerial photographs taken during an attack on Ypenburg airfield, Holland, by Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of the Advanced Air Striking Force. 250-lb GP bombs can be seen falling over the main Delft-Den Haag road onto the airfield where two Focke-Wulf Fw 58 are parked near the hangars. The bomb craters on and around the site were made during Luftwaffe attacks immediately prior to the German invasion. |
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| Aircrew of a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 21 Squadron RAF, detached to Luqa, Malta, hand over Type F.24 aerial cameras to photographic assistants at a landing ground in Egypt, after a photo-reconnaissance sortie over enemy territory. |
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| The Commanding Officer of No. 211 Squadron RAF, Squadron Leader J R Gordon-Finlayson, and his wireless operator/air gunner, Pilot Officer A C Geary, photographed in a Bristol Blenheim Mark I at Menidi/Tatoi, Greece, after returning from Corfu. On 24 November 1941, Gordon-Finlayson's aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire during a bombing raid on Valona, Albania. Unable to reach Menidi, he force-landed on a beach at Corfu, where he and his crew were toasted and feted before returning to the mainland by fishing boat and rejoining their unit. Gordon-Finalyson is carrying bottles of wine and other gifts given to them by their Greek hosts. |
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| An air convoy of Hawker Hurricane Mark IIs led by a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV 'mother' aircraft, in flight along the West African Air Reinforcement Route to Egypt. Note the long-range fuel tanks fitted to the Hurricanes. Aircraft reinforcements for the North African theatre were shipped to Takoradi, in Gold Coast Colony, assembled there, then flown in stages along the coast line of the Gold coast and French Dahomey, across Nigeria, French Equatorial Africa and Sudan to Khartoum, before following the course of the River Nile to Cairo. |
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| The crew of a Bristol Blenheim Mark I study their maps before taking off on a raid to an Italian port in Albania. |
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| A Messerschmitt Bf 109 attempts to take off from the airfield at Herdla, Norway, during a successful low-level attack by 13 Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 114 Squadron RAF, in support of the Combined Operations raid on Vaagso. Photograph was taken with a rear-facing camera from one of the attacking aircraft. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mk IVs of No. 40 Squadron RAF prepare for takeoff at Wyton, Cambridgeshire. |
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| A salvo of bombs burst on German troops massed on the east bank of the River Meuse at Maastricht, Netherlands, during the desperate attempt by aircraft of No. 2 Group RAF to block the German advance by bombing bridges and buildings near the bridges in Maastricht, Hasselt and Tongres, 12 May 1940. Of forty-two Bristol Blenheims dispatched on the raids by Nos 15, 107 and 110 Squadrons RAF, eleven were shot down. |
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| Damaged hangars and buildings in the north-east corner of the airfield at Waalhaven, Holland, after an raid by Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 15 Squadron RAF, No. 2 Group, dispatched from Wyton, Huntingdonshire, in the afternoon of 10 May 1940 to bomb German paratroops and aircraft which had landed there. The aircraft on the concrete apron is a Fokker G.1 of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. |
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| Vertical aerial photograph taken during a 'Circus' operation, a daylight raid on the power station at Grand Quevilly near Rouen, France, by 11 Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs (1 from No. 18 Squadron RAF, the rest from No. 139 Squadron RAF). Bombs can be seen exploding on the power station, workshops, a chemical factory, railway sidings and also on barges moored on the River Seine. |
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| Low-level oblique aerial photograph taken during an attack on an enemy radio-equipped trawler off Borkum Island by three Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 21 Squadron RAF. Sergeant E A R R Leaver's aircraft, V6034 'YH-D', can be seen (left) spinning out of control after hitting the ship's mast during his attack. The 21 year- old pilot and his crew, Sergeant I Overheu and Sergeant J Phelps, were all killed, although the "squealer" (a vessel equipped with radio to warn enemy shipping of impending aerial attack) was sunk. |
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| A pilot, (Flying Officer L G H Kells; left), and gunner of No. 29 Squadron RAF climb on board their Bristol Blenheim Mark IF for a night sortie from Coleby Grange/Wellingore Heath, Lincolnshire. |
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| Bombs explode among Italian Caproni Ca 133s on 'K14' satellite landing ground at Assab, Ethiopia, during a raid by Bristol Blenheim Mark Is of Nos. 8 and 39 Squadrons RAF, based at Khormaksar and Sheikh Othman, (respectively), Aden. Three Ca 133s were destroyed and one damaged. |
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| Vertical photographic-reconnaissance aerial of German aircraft on Sola airfield, Stavanger, taken after the attack by Bristol Blenheims of No. 107 Squadron RAF, led by Wing Commander Basil Embrey, on 17 April. Little damage was inflicted. |
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| Six Bristol Blenheim Mark IVFs of No. 2 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit based at Catfoss, Yorkshire flying in starboard echelon formation. |
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| Annotated vertical aerial photograph taken during a 'Circus' operation by No. 2 Group aircraft, showing an attack on the power station at Comines, France. Explosions and smoke are rising from direct hits on the boiler house, the pump house and the circulating water pipes of the power station (bottom). Direct hits on workers' houses can also be seen within the marked rectangle (middle). 24 Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs drawn from Nos. 18, 21, 139 and 226 Squadrons RAF took part in the raid. |
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| Low-level oblique photograph taken from a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 2 Group as it left the target area during a costly low-level raid on the docks at Rotterdam. Eighteen aircraft, drawn from Nos. 21, 110 and 226 Squadrons RAF, took part in the raid, during which one crashed on takeoff and seven were shot down over the target, although three large cargo ships were sunk at their moorings and other damage was caused in the docks. |
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| Hawker Hurricanes being assembled for dispatch to the North African and Mediterranean theatres, at Takoradi, Gold Coast. In the foreground Hawker Hurricane fuselages are pulled by civilian laborers from their packing crates for assembly, after being shipped from the United Kingdom. Behind them are parked aircraft in various stages of assembly. In the background, a line of completed Hurricanes, with white recognition panels painted on the tops of their fuselages, wait by the main runway before being ferried to Egypt, headed by two similarly painted Bristol Blenheim Mark IV 'mother' aircraft which will guide them along the West African Air Reinforcement Route. |
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| A Bristol Blenheim Mark I of No. 62 Squadron RAF taxis past a line of Brewster Buffaloes of Nos 21 or 453 Squadrons RAAF, at Sembawang, Singapore. |
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| An RAF Blenheim IV light bomber flies low to lay a smokescreen during a demonstration of air power in front of a gathering of Regular and Home Guard officers and NCOs in East Anglia, 29 March 1942. During the display fighter aircraft strafed ground targets, bombers carried out low-level attacks and parachute and glider forces were also deployed. |
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| The fort at Rutbah, Iraq, under attack from Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 84 Squadron RAF Detachment, based at H4 landing ground in Transjordan. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark I, L1134 'PT-F', of No. 62 Squadron RAF, taxiing in front of a line of Brewster Buffaloes at Sembawang, Singapore, as another section of Buffaloes flies over the airfield. It was in L1134 that Squadron Leader A S K Scarf and his crew single-handedly attacked the Japanese-held airfield at Singora, Thailand, on 9 December 1941, for which action he was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. |
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| The gunner of a Blenheim bomber, F/Sgt J Mitchell, in his turret, 12 February 1942. This aircraft was used as personal transport by Lt Gen Neil Ritchie, GOC 8th Army, for visiting units in the desert. |
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| Twelve Brewster Buffalo Mark Is of No. 243 Squadron RAF, based at Kallang, Singapore, in flight over the Malayan jungle in formations of three, accompanied by a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No, 34 Squadron RAF (lower right), based at Tengah. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of Nos. 84 and 203 Squadrons RAF Detachments based at H4 landing ground in Transjordan, en route to attack Palmyra airfield during the first sortie by the RAF against Vichy French targets in Syria. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 40 Squadron RAF about to attack German road transport moving through a village near Oyghem, Belgium. One of a series of attacks, on German forces closing in on the Dunkirk perimeter, mounted by aircraft of No. 2 Group on 26 May 1940. |
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| Vertical photographic-reconnaissance aerial mosaic of Wilhelmshaven, composed from photographs taken from an altitude of 21,000 feet by a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 21 Squadron RAF flying from Watton on the unit's first successful mission of the Second World War. The area covered is the western half of the naval base, showing Hipper Hafen, Torpedoboots Hafen and harbor entrances, and Ausrustungshafen, with (at top) the new harbor and entrance locks under construction. In the middle can be seen the square Bauhafen with, on its south side, the battleship TIRPITZ fitting out at the Naval Dockyard (Kriegsmarinewerft) following her launch on 1 April 1939. Inland, to the left, can be seen the Naval barracks and ammunition depot. |
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| Bombs explode on Ywataung-Myitkyina railway line near the Irrawaddy River in Burma, during a raid by Bristol Blenheims of No. 167 Wing RAF operating from airfields in India. At left can be seen teak logs, probably conveyed by Japanese trucks and off-loaded to await floating down the Irrawaddy in the monsoon season. |
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| Riggers inspect the exit holes of enemy machine gun bullets in the fuselage of Bristol Blenheim Mark IV, N6207 'VE-G,' of No. 110 Squadron RAF, while under repair in a hangar at Wattisham, Suffolk. |
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| Mechanics fit a new petrol tank into the wing of a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 110 Squadron at Wattisham, Suffolk, June 1940. |
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| A line-up of NCOs, including wheelchair-bound Sergeant G A Gamble, about to receive the Distinguished Flying Medal from the Commander-in-Chief of Bomber Command, Air Marshal Sir Charles Portal, at Wyton, July 1940. Gamble, a No 40 Squadron Blenheim gunner, was wounded fighting off an attack by Messerschmitt Bf 109s over the Netherlands on 27 June 1940. |
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| Vertical aerial photograph taken from 3,100 feet by Bristol Blenheim Mark IV, T2032, of No. 82 Squadron RAF, of part of the docks at Dunkirk. Invasion barges assembled for Operation SEALION are moored to Mole No. 4 in the Bassins de Freycinet. A number of sunk and damaged barges can be seen at the top of Darse No. 4 (upper right), and the dock buildings to its right are completely destroyed. Two of the three warehouses on Mole No. 4 have been gutted by fire and wharves, roads and railway sidings are pitted with bomb craters. |
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| Ground crew preparing a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 40 Squadron RAF to receive a load of 250-lb GP bombs at Wyton, Cambridgeshire. |
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| Trainee airframe fitters are taught repair procedures on Hawker Hurricane instructional airframe, 1359M, in a hangar at No. 2 School of Technical Training, Cosford, Shropshire. The Hurricane (formerly L1995) flew with No. 111 Squadron RAF before crashing during a forced landing in January 1939. More instructional airframes, including Bristol Blenheim Mark Is and a Fairey Battle, can be seen in the background. |
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| High-level oblique aerial photograph taken from a Bristol Blenheim of No. 107 Squadron RAF, showing a German motorized column of 89 vehicles on the Cambrai-Arras road, entering Vis-en-Artois (bottom) from the east. The village of Haucourt is on the left. |
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| Aircrews of No. 40 Squadron RAF board a lorry for transport to their dispersed Bristol Blenheims at Wyton, Cambridgeshire. They are all wearing the Irvin Harnessuit, a short-legged flying jerkin incorporating a parachute harness and lifejacket bladder, issued to Bomber Command crews from May 1940. |
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| Vertical aerial reconnaissance view of Castelvetrano airfield, Sicily, the day before a successful attack was made on it by Malta-based Bristol Blenheims of Nos. 18 and 107 Squadrons RAF. A number of Junkers Ju 52 and Savoia Marchetti SM 82 transport aircraft, many of which were destroyed during the raid, can be seen parked around the airfield perimeter. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark IV, Z5899 'GB-J', of No. 105 Squadron RAF based at Watton, Norfolk, about to touch down on the main runway at Attlebridge, Norfolk, during an Army Co-operation exercise. |
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| Vertical aerial photograph taken during an afternoon bombing attack on Italian shipping and installations at Valona, Albania, by eight Bristol Blenheim Mark Is of No. 211 Squadron RAF, flying from Menidi (Tatoi) near Athens in north-western Greece. Direct hits can be seen exploding on the jetty and on motor vessels alongside. |
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| Vertical aerial photograph taken during a bombing attack by Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of Nos. 15 and 40 Squadrons RAF on the pontoon bridge erected by the Germany Army across the River Meuse at Dinant, Belgium, and on associated communications targets. A salvo of bombs can be seen exploding on engineering workshops on the eastern bank and across the river to the railway lines on the opposite side (lower center). |
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| Operation WRECKAGE: low-level daylight attack on targets in Bremen by aircraft of No. 2 Group. Luftwaffe and German fire brigade personnel inspect the wreckage of Bristol Blenheim Mark IV 'OM-W' of No. 107 Squadron RAF which crashed at Bremen-Blockland after being hit by anti-aircraft fire over the target area. This aircraft is probably V6193, the pilot of which, Flight Lieutenant F Wellburn, survived, but the remaining three crew members of which, including the Station Armament Officer who went along 'for the experience', were killed. |
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| The funeral cortege of Sergeant John Merifield passing down a street in Athens to the English Church, where he was interred. Merifield, an air gunner serving with No. 30 Squadron RAF, was the first RAF casualty of the campaign in Greece. He was killed during the RAF's first offensive action on 6 November 1940, when Bristol Blenheims of the Squadron were attacked by Italian fighters while bombing Valona airfield in Albania. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 40 Squadron RAF, lined up ready for a raid at Wyton, Cambridgeshire. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark IV, 'BL-R', of No. 40 Squadron RAF, No. 2 Group, based at Wyton, Huntingdonshire, photographed from another aircraft while on a daylight reconnaissance sortie to Abbeville, France. The pilot was Flying Officer P F T Wakeford. |
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|
Annotated vertical aerial photograph
taken during a 'Ramrod' operation (fighter-escorted bombing operation against a
specific target). This shows a daylight raid on docks and shipping at Le Havre,
made by 12 Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 2 Group (11 from No. 226 Squadron
RAF and one from No. 110 Squadron RAF), escorted by fighters of No. 10 Group,
Fighter Command. The annotations show: bombs bursting on a 12,000-ton tanker (1) and on a 5,000-ton merchant vessel (2); a near miss on a 9,5000-ton merchant vessel (3); bombs exploding on the quay and on a coastal tanker
of 1,000 tons (5), and further along the quay (6). Damage from previous raids includes: a partly
submerged vessel by the quay (4); a sunk and
partly-submerged dredger (7) and more sunk
vessels (8),
including two marked by buoys (9); damage to oil
storage tanks (10) and to the roof of a warehouse
on the quay (11).
|
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| Bofors gun crews practice firing at low-flying RAF Blenheim bombers, November 1939. |
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| Two crew members of Bristol Blenheim Mark IV, R3811 'BL-G', of No. 40 Squadron RAF enjoy the fresh air while waiting to take off from Wyton, Cambridgeshire. On 26 August 1940, R3811 failed to return from a night intruder sortie over Querqueville and Maupertus airfields in France, all the crew being killed. |
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| Vertical aerial photograph taken during a 'Circus' operation by Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of Nos 21 and 110 Squadrons RAF, showing bombs bursting on goods trains, trucks, bridges and track at the western end of the marshaling yards at Hazebrouck, France. |
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| Operation WRECKAGE: low-level daylight attack on targets in Bremen by aircraft of No. 2 Group. Luftwaffe officers stand by part of the wreckage of a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 105 Squadron RAF in a street in the dock area, while firemen attend to burning buildings beyond. The remains are probably those of Z7426 which was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed onto a factory in the target area. The pilot, Sergeant W MacKillop, and his 2 crewmen were all killed. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mark IV, R3600, of No. 110 Squadron RAF, undergoes an elaborate servicing for the photographer at RAF Wattisham, Suffolk. Armorers unload 250-lb GP bombs and Small Bomb Containers (SBCs) of incendiaries from a trolley, while other ground crew refuel the aircraft and attend to the engines, the cockpit and the gun-turret, accompanied by a pet dog on the engine cowling. |
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| Bristol Blenheim IV (V6083 FV-B) RAF in 1943. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mk I of the Finnish Air Force. |
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| First production Blenheim Mk I (K7037). |
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| Bristol Type 1 Mk IV turret. |
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| Bristol Type 142 (K7557) “Britain First”. |
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| Bristol Type 142 (K7557) “Britain First”. |
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| Bristol Type 142M with the experimental registration R-12. |
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| Bristol Mercury Engine in a Blenheim. |
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| First Bristol 142M (K7033). |
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| Bristol Blenheim top turret gunner of the Finnish Air Force. |
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| Bristol Blenheim (K7067 90-B) of No 90 Squadron RAF. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mk II (L1222) at Filton in 1938. |
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| Bristol Blenheim (L1545) of 60 Sqn and Westland Wapiti (including K1269) of 27 Sqn RAF. |
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| Bristol Blenheim (L1426 RX-M) over Tilbury in 1939. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mk I (L1304) of 110 Sqn RAF. |
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| Crashed Blenheim Mk I (L4823) of No. 113 Squadron RAF. |
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| Bristol Blenheim Mk I (L1132 OZ-L) of No. 82 Sqn in 1939. |
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| Blenheim, FV-[?]. |
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| This photograph of an early Blenheim IF night fighter YX-N has previously been published with the Al III installation retouched out. Here it can be seen clearly, with the horizontal dipole transmitter in the nose and upper and lower Azel receiver aerials on the port wing. Painted all black, this aircraft bears the code letters of 54 OTU, Church Fenton, about July 1940. |
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| Blenheim being readied for a mission. |
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| Blenheim Mark V: pilot's controls and instrument panel on the port side of the cockpit. |
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| Crewman entering Bristol Blenheim IV though the gunner's hatch for the upper gun turret with twin machine guns. |
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| Bristol Blenheim with crewman standing in the gunner's hatch for the upper turret. |
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| Bristol Blenheim advertisement. |
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| Malaya. A line-up of Blenheims with Buffaloes in the background. Circa June 1941. |
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| Middle East, North Africa. 30 March 1942. In flight, Bristol Blenheim bomber aircraft with fighter escort go into action in the Middle East. |
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| Three Royal Air Force Bristol Blenheim IV twin-engined long range day bomber in flight. Each aircraft carries a crew of three comprising the pilot, bomb aimer navigator, and wireless operator-air gunner. |
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| An artist's impression of Blenheim aircraft from the Royal Air Force Bomber Command attacking a convoy of enemy ships which was escorted by a strong force of German E-Boats. Circa September 1941. |
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| Malaya. Blenheim bombers flying over a grounded Buffalo. Circa June 1941. |
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| Libya, December 1941. Blenheim bombers coming in to land at a Western Desert aerodrome. |
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| Syria. Crew in the cockpit of a Blenheim aircraft who took part in a successful raid on the headquarters of General Dentz, Commander of the Vichy Forces. Circa August 1941. |
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| An artist's impression of Blenheim aircraft from the RAF Bomber Command carrying out a daylight raid on Bremen, Germany. Circa September 1941. |
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| Western Desert, Egypt. 5 January 1942. En route to a raid on Halfaya, the observer of a Bristol Blenheim bomber aircraft peers down on the target as the raiding aircraft sweep down on the isolated Axis positions. Ceaseless attacks are being carried out by RAF and Free French squadrons. |
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| Western Desert, Egypt. 5 January 1942. En route to a raid on Halfaya, this pilot of a Bristol Blenheim bomber aircraft looks through his gunsight as the raiding aircraft sweep down on the isolated Axis positions. Ceaseless attacks are being carried out by RAF and Free French squadrons. |
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| Egypt. 1941-12. An aircrew from No. 11 Squadron RAF stand in front of a Blenheim aircraft with their kits at Landing Ground (LG) 76. Included in the group are Bill Travers and 400188 Observer Maurice Kennedy "Bill" Burnside RAAF (right). |
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| Syria. Crew members of a Blenheim aircraft getting ready to climb into the cockpit, before a raid on the headquarters General Henri Dentz, Commander of the Vichy forces. They are possibly from No. 3 Squadron RAAF. Circa August 1941. |
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| Blenheims on an airfield and in flight. A composite of two photos. Circa January 1941. |
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| Syria. A crew member in the cockpit of a Blenheim aircraft after a successful raid on the headquarters of General Henri Dentz, Commander of the Vichy Forces. He is possibly from No. 3 Squadron RAAF. Circa August 1941. |
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| Burma, 20 October 1942. Low-level attacks by RAF Blenheim squadrons. An aircraft from No. 34 Squadron is coming in to bomb a ground target. Some RAAF men served with this squadron. |
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| Smoke from burning Blenheims of No. 45 Squadron RAF after a Japanese raid on Magwe, Burma, on the afternoon of 21 March 1942. The attack, sustained during 25 hours, destroyed No. 45 Squadron as an operational unit until it reformed with Vultee Vengeance dive bombers in mid-1943. |
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| El Megrun, Cyrenaica, Libya. 22 December 1940. In an attack on El Megrun aerodrome, RAF Blenheim bomber aircraft scored direct hits on five Junkers Ju 52 transport aircraft which were being used as fuel-carriers to transport fuel into the area for use by German aircraft. |
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| Mossbank, Saskatchewan, Canada, 1942. William Bernard ("Bill") Kaus standing on the tarmac beside the Bristol Blenheim aircraft in which he completed advanced flying training as a wireless air gunner. Kaus, a member of the RAAF, was undergoing training under the Empire Air Training scheme. |
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| Western Desert, Egypt. 5 January 1942. Missiles speeding down on the targets during a raid on Halfaya by Bristol Blenheim bomber aircraft aircraft. Ceaseless attacks are being carried out by RAF and Free French squadrons. |
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| Western Desert, North Africa, circa 1941. A captured German Volkswagen Kubelwagen 'People's Car', WH-816 120, has been put to a new use by the RAF. Already adapted by the enemy for conditions in the desert, the vehicle now serves as private transport for the Senior Air Staff Officer at a bomber wing. In the background is one of the Bristol Blenheim bomber aircraft operated by squadrons in the Wing. |
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| England, circa 1944-07. These pictures taken by a reconnaissance aircraft of RAF Coastal Command show "A" Beaufighters and "B" a Blenheim IV on a British airfield. |
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| Western Desert, Egypt, 5 January 1942. Missiles speeding down on the targets during a raid on Halfaya by Bristol Blenheim bomber aircraft aircraft. The rugged nature of the terrain is clearly illustrated. Ceaseless attacks are being carried out by RAF and Free French squadrons. |
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| Burma, 10 November 1942. Low-level attacks by RAF Blenheim squadrons. Aircraft from No. 60 Squadron leveling out for the "run in" to make a mast-head attack on a Japanese coaster off Akyab. A sprinkling of RAAF men served with this squadron. |
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| London, England, 7 January 1944. Pilot Officer Colin Levings (left) of Kalgoorlie, WA and Flying Officer Ken Gardiner of Highgate Hill, Qld, both of the RAAF, who had just arrived in London (still wearing their tropical kit) after completing a tour of Army Air Operations in RAF Blenheim Squadrons in Burma. They came to a BBC studio to give a broadcast about their experiences, in this series of programs in the BBC Pacific Service. |
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| Informal portrait of Sergeant (Sgt) Robert Johnston RAAF, 82 Squadron RAF of Turramurra NSW. Sgt Johnston was killed on 8 December 1941, aged 26, when the Blenheim aircraft V5876 aboard which he served as air observer was shot down on operations over Ostend, Belgium. He is buried at Adegem Canadian War Cemetery. |
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| Group portrait of 'Our Gang': Robert Johnston, Norman Kobelke, James Courtney, William Graham and Jack Dyson. Sergeant (Sgt) Robert Johnston was killed on 8 December 1941, when the Blenheim aircraft V5876 aboard which he served as air observer was shot down during air operations above Ostend, Belgium. Flying Officer (FO) Norman Kobelke was awarded the DFC for skill and fortitude against the enemy and survived the war. He continued to serve with the Royal Australian Air Force after the war and was killed on 9 February 1948 in an aircraft accident at Amberley Airbase, Queensland. FO James Courtney was killed on 21 February 1942 when the Wellington aircraft X9830 aboard which he served as air observer was shot down in a flying battle over Germany. He has no known grave and is commemorated at The Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede, England. Pilot Officer William Graham was killed on 16 March 1944 when the Lancaster ED 606 which he was piloting collided with Lancaster ND 637 while circling Blanston airfield preparing to land following a successful bombing mission to Stuttgart, Germany. Corporal Jack Dyson of Perth survived the war. |
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| Studio portrait of Sergeant (Sgt) Walter John Macmichael, Observer (note the Observer badge on his left breast), of No. 14 Squadron RAF. He was a bank teller prior to enlisting in December 1940. On 20 March 1942, Sgt Macmichael was killed on operations in the Middle East when the Blenheim aircraft in which he was a crew member, crashed during take off. He was 31 years of age. |
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| Outdoor group portrait including Sergeant (Sgt) Frederick William Dennis (left), 14 Squadron, RAAF. He enlisted from Sydney, NSW, on 24 June 1940. Sgt Dennis died on flying operations piloting Blenheim Z5860 over the Middle East on 14 December 1941. He was 28 years of age. |
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| London, England, 7 January 1944. Flying Officer Kenneth Gardiner, RAAF, who had just arrived in London (still wearing his tropical kit) after completing a tour of Army Air Operations in an RAF Blenheim Squadron in the Middle East and Burma. He broadcast the story of his experiences to Australia in this program in the BBC Pacific Service. |
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| London, England, 23 July 1943. Portrait of Flying Officer D. B. White, at RAAF Overseas Headquarters. He was a navigator and was one of the three Australians who took part in the historic raid by Blenheims on the Herdla Aerodrome in Norway in conjunction with the Combined Operations raid on Vaagso in December 1942. |
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| Portrait of Squadron Leader (Sqn Ldr) Kevin Harrold Walsh, RAAF and Agnes Mignon Barber on their wedding day at Our Lady Help of Christians, Folkestone, England, 22 April 1939. Sqn Ldr Walsh joined the RAAF on 15 July 1936 at the age of 20 and was serving with 139 Squadron RAF when he was the pilot of a Blenheim attacking shipping on a day mission off the coast of Belgium on 2 September 1941. The aircraft was hit by flak, caught fire and crashed into the sea. Sqn Ldr Walsh is buried in the Wenduine Community Cemetery, Belgium. |
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| London, England, 7 January 1944. Three Australian boys just arrived in London from Burma, two of them still in their tropical kit. Left to right: Pilot Officer Colin Levings; Flying Officer (FO) Ken Gardiner; FO Ken Willis. They had just told the story of their work in the Middle East and Burma in this program broadcast in the BBC Pacific Service. In Burma they were with RAF Blenheim Squadrons on Army Air Operations and have come to London to transfer to other work. |
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| Portrait of Sergeant (Sgt) Robert Keith Swann, RAAF attached to No. 14 Squadron RAF. A watchmaker prior to the war, Swann enlisted with the RAAF on 22 June 1940. He embarked from Sydney to join No. 14 Squadron RAF in the Middle East in April 1941. On 23 February 1942, Sgt Swann was the observer in a Blenheim IV aircraft returning from an operation over Bir el Baheira when it was attacked by four Messerschmitt Me 109 aircraft. The pilot took normal evasive action but received direct hits from cannon shells in both engines and was shot down in flames. The four crew members were taken to the 17th Field Ambulance, where Sgt Swann died of injuries sustained during the crash on 24 February 1942, aged 21. He was buried at Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery, Egypt. The other three crew members survived. |
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| Two RAAF boys present themselves to a BBC studio to broadcast home on a program in the BBC Pacific Service. Shown are Pilot Officer (later Flying Officer [FO]) Colin Levings (still wearing his tropical kit) and FO Ken Willis (probably Flight Lieutenant Kenneth Creswick Willis) both of whom had just arrived from Burma, where they had been engaged in Army Air Operations in an RAF Blenheim Squadron. In the broadcast they told the story of some of the experiences they had met with in Burma. FO Levings was later lost on operations over the United Kingdom on 21 March 1944. |
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| Informal portrait of Sergeant (Sgt) Garnham Frederick Green RAAF, No. 8 Squadron, RAF. A clerk prior to enlistment on 7 October 1940, Sgt Green was a crew member of a Blenheim aircraft from the Squadron and was killed during operations near Aden on 4 September 1942. He is buried in the Alamein War Cemetery, Egypt. |
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| Informal pre-war outdoor portrait of Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) Montrose Edward Sublet. Flt Sgt Sublet enlisted on 3 February 1941. He was serving as a wireless operator with No. 244 Squadron RAF when the Blenheim aircraft he was on board developed engine problems shortly after take-off from Masirah aerodrome in the Middle East on 15 July 1943. The aircraft crashed when the pilot attempted to land, and all on board were killed. Flt Sgt Sublet was initially buried in the Masirah Island cemetery but his remains were subsequently exhumed and re-interred in the Basra War Cemetery, Iraq. |
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| Derna Airstrip, Libya, April 1941. A Blenheim bomber aircraft of No 45 Squadron, RAF, about to take off from the Derna Airfield. |
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| Sandbostel, Germany. A funeral service at Stalag Xb Ilag Internment Camp for the crew of an RAF Bristol Blenheim bomber who were all killed when their aircraft was shot down. Gathered beside the grave in the foreground are (left to right): a civilian German chaplain; Captain 'Tug' Wilson, RN, the most senior British officer in the camp; Major White, the camp padre; a German soldier who is a member of a guard of honor. Standing at ease in the rear is a mixed group of RAF and RN prisoners of war (POWs), one of whom (left) is photographing the scene. Captain Wilson is saluting the dead airmen and is holding a special wreath that has been made up in the camp. Major White was serving with the Green Howards when he was captured in France in 1940. |
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| Idku, Egypt, 1943. A Bristol Blenheim bomber with its belly down on the airfield after a forced landing by Pilot Officer S. "Barney" Wallace. |
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| Burma, circa June 1943. Enemy road transport in the Buthidaung area about to be attacked by aircraft of No. 11 (Blenheim) Squadron RAAF. |
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| Rangoon, Burma, 6 March 1942. The work of demolition parties as seen from the last aircraft to be flown out. Smoke rises from charges set at a strategic site in Rangoon. The pilot was Sergeant R. P. Curtis, and the wireless operator-air gunner Sergeant J. L. Brinkley, who took this photograph. Portion of their Blenheim aircraft is at the left of the picture. |
