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Bristol Blenheim

History of Bristol Blenheim

The origins of the Bristol Blenheim light bomber/heavy fighter can be traced back to the 1930s when Lord Rothermere, owner of the Daily Mail, took on the challenge of building the fastest plane in Europe. This resulted in the Bristol "Type 142", which was very promising in its sleek design. It certainly impressed onlookers, including the RAF authorities, who eventually considered it for military service (in fact, it turned out to be faster than some of the front-line fighters of the time). Specification B. 28/35 was created by the Department of the Air Force in 1935 to regulate the process of converting a fast aircraft into a three-seat twin-engine light bomber/heavy fighter. It was called the "Type 142M" by Bristol and Blenheim when it was in service with the RAF.

150 were ordered in 1935, followed by 434 in 1936 (as the Blenheim Mk. I).

The first users were pilots of 114th Squadron in March 1937, and when the British went to war in September 1939, hundreds of stocks were available. However, many of them were already stationed as far abroad as the Middle and Far East, so they were of little value in defending the homeland and attacking Axis positions on the European continent.

The series continued to evolve during its early involvement in the war, resulting in some more specialized designs, including a night fighter and several long-range performers.

Blenheim in action

Blenheim was the first RAF violation of German airspace during the war, when a reconnaissance plane overran enemy territory near Wilhelmshaven (3 September 1939). The next day, German naval positions at Blenheim attacked at the mouth of the Elbe, but the 10-man force was reduced to just five returning bombers, and most of the ordnance dropped did not detonate. Despite its shortcomings, the aircraft continued to be used, flying over Norway, France and the Netherlands. In these environments, the aircraft proved to underperform and lack adequate defensive capabilitiesit was underpowered and underarmed.

This led to modifications to the armor kit, which increased the total number of machine guns carried. On March 11, 1940, HMS Blenheim claimed that the RAF had sunk an enemy U-boat (German U-boat) for the first time.

When the 25th Squadron received the type, Blenheim was equipped with the world's first night fighter unit. During the "Battle of Britain" in the summer of 1940, a Blenheim night fighter achieved its first aerial kill while carrying a radar while shooting down an ambushed German Dornier Do 17 medium bomber.

The series played a vital role in Britain's actual night defense, despite its inherent shortcomings in performance and firepower.

The Blenheim Mk. II was developed as a long-range reconnaissance platform and received an additional fuel supply for this purpose. However, the brand was not used for mass production and only one example was completed.

The Blenheim Mk. IV was introduced as an improved model with 2 Bristol Mercury XV radial piston engines, each producing 905 hp, and a clearly elongated stepped nose section. The 7.7mm machine gun on the left wing was retained, but the back turret is now adorned with two 7.7mm machine guns. A pair of remote-controlled 7.7mm machine guns were mounted directly under the nose (although a single gun was sometimes mounted), aimed rearward to engage a potential following enemy. Armor protection has been added to improve crew and aircraft survivability.

The crew consists of three people. Bomb load remains at 1,000 lbs, while external carrying capacity (eight pylons) can be increased by 320 lbs. A total of 3,307 were produced by the brand, making it the final version of the collection.

The performance of the Mk. IV includes a top speed of 266 mph, a cruising speed of 200 mph, a range of up to 1,460 miles and a service ceiling of 27,260 feet.

The Mk. IV entered service with the RAF in 1939, quickly replacing the once vaunted production Mk. I.

The Blenheim Mk. IVF became a long-range heavy fighter with armament similar to the Mk. IF night fighter (4 x 7.7mm machine guns and a ventral weapon pack). The Mk. IV model was used as the base and modified to become the Mk. IV. The IFV standard passes 60 examples.

The Blenheim Mk. V became the final production form of the aircraft family and was used in the high-altitude bomber role. Power comes from two Bristol Mercury XV or XXV series radial piston engines.

Blenheim operators (outside the UK) include Australia, Canada, China, Croatia, Finland, France, Greece, India, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, South Africa, Turkey and Yugoslavia.

A total of 4,422 Bristol Blenheims of all brands were manufactured, 44 in the Yugoslav factory (by Ikarus) and 55 in Finland. The Canadian factory (Bristol Fairchild) produced 626 related "Bolingbroke" bombers from 1939 to 1943. The last front-line aircraft was not retired by the Finns until 1956.

Bristol Beaufort (introduced in 1939) is a branch of Blenheim with 1,821 productions in the UK and Australia.