RAF Centenary 100 Famous Aircraft Vol 1: Early Fighters and

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he ‘RAF’. Three letters, pure and simple. Nothing else is changing killing machine. From the to the Gladiator, from required to identify its allegiance. Formed 100 years ago the to the Blenheim, Volume 1 of our ‘RAF Centenary’ series Ton 1 April 1918, the is the world’s oldest covers the formative years of the world’s greatest air force, featuring 25 independent air force, and has the history to match. Throughout its famous aircraft from the age. Back in 1918 the RAF was given the motto distinguished career it has shaped the course of modern history and, ‘Per Ardua ad Astra’, through adversity to the stars. Rarely can a motto as such, has had a profound effect on all our lives. have been so apt. All this seems a far cry from the battlefields of World War 1 where pilots of the and were fighting for AVIATION ARCHIVE SERIES survival in flimsy fabric-covered machines. But this was the age when Volume 1 of our ‘RAF Centenary’ salute is No 36 in the successful Aviation military supremacy began to swing away from land and sea and a ‘new’ Archive series. The aircraft have been listed chronologically under date service was born to take control of the skies, and with it the battlefield. of entering RAF service. It features unparalleled photographic coverage, With its combined might, the newly formed Royal Air Force ruled the including many exclusive and rare shots that have never been published skies of the world. However, after the war came a time of great austerity before. The words and photographs are complemented by ‘period’ and the service was drastically cut back, becoming a shadow of its former cutaways from the talented pens of the ‘Flight’ and ‘Aeroplane’ artists of glory… that is until the emerging threat of triggered the era, together with unique aircraft profiles. another age of rapid expansion. This then is the fascinating story of the early years of the RAF, a time Cover image: A sight dreaded by German pilots over the Western Front in when the flying machine evolved from a ‘novelty’ into a serious game- 1918, the angular shape of the SE5a. John Dibbs/The Plane Picture Co

Aviation Archive Series RAF Centenary: 100 Famous Aircraft – Vol 1: Early Fighters and Bombers • Editor: Allan Burney • Design: Philip Hempell • Publisher and Managing Director: Adrian Cox • Executive Chairman: Richard Cox • Commercial Director: Ann Saundry • Distribution: Seymour Distribution Ltd +44 (0)20 7429 4000 • Printing: Warners (Midlands) PLC, The Maltings, Manor Lane, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH. All rights reserved. The entire content of Aviation Archive is © Key Publishing 2018. Reproduction in whole or in part and in any form whatsoever is strictly prohibited without the prior permission of the Publisher. We are unable to guarantee the bona fides of any of our advertisers. Readers are strongly recommended to take their own precautions before parting with any information or item of value, including, but not limited to, money, manuscripts, photographs or personal information in response to any advertisements within this publication. Published by Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincs PE19 1XQ. Tel: +44 (0) 1780 755131. Fax: +44 (0) 1780 757261. Website: www.keypublishing.com ISBN: 9781912205202 4 CONTENTS RAF Centenary 100 Famous Aircraft Vol 1: Early Fighters and Bombers CONTENTS 5

6 RAF SE5A 10 SOPWITH CAMEL 14 DH9 16 O/400 21 24 VICKERS VIMY 30 GLOSTER GREBE 32 ARMSTRONG WHITWORTH SISKIN III 34 36 HAWKER WOODCOCK 37 38 BULLDOG 46 HANDLEY PAGE HINAIDI 48 3 56 FAIREY GORDON 61 66 HAWKER DEMON 68 HANDLEY PAGE HEYFORD 72 74 76 BOULTON PAUL OVERSTRAND 78 86 HANDLEY PAGE HARROW 90 6 FIGHTER Royal Aircraft Factory SE5a

hen the Royal Air Force was formed The SE5 was designed around the promising – a shortcoming that was alleviated somewhat, on 1 April 1918, it inherited the new Hispano-Suiza 8A V8 engine, the Royal but never entirely, by shortening the wingspan Wvery latest generation of aircraft Flying Corps requesting that the scout be a and reducing the rake of the wingtips in later forged from the technology of war, efficient robust machine that could be safely flown by production SE5s and SE5as. Engine reduction killing machines designed to defeat the inexperienced pilots. Inevitably, this meant and gun synchronisation problems also afflicted enemy. One of these fighters was the rakish that experienced pilots found it less nimble early SE5s. Amongst the first pilots to fly the SE5 Royal Aircraft Factory SE5a, an aircraft that than they would like. No 56 Squadron was the was 32-victory ace Capt Albert Ball, an eccentric had already gained legendary status. The first unit to receive SE5s, being issued with the but brilliantly aggressive loner whose exploits SE5a remained a vital element of the ‘new’ aircraft at Colney in March 1917. One were already legendary in the RFC. Ball had RAF until the armistice. outstanding feature of the new fighter was a high expectations for the SE5, but after giving Undoubtedly one of the best British fighters large ‘glasshouse’, which encircled half of the the first prototype a 10-minute test flight on of World War 1, the SE5a was easily the most forward cockpit area. It was not liked by service 23 November 1916 he remarked with bitter successful aircraft designed by the Royal Aircraft pilots, however, who thought it cumbersome regret that the new scout had ‘turned out a Factory (confusingly abbreviated as RAF). and a danger to the man in the cockpit in the dud’. He proceeded to modify his personal Although less agile than the Sopwith Camel, it event of a crash. These first production SE5s machine and replaced the ‘half-glasshouse’ with was much easier to fly, dived and climbed faster did not make a promising impression on their a small windscreen. The lower slide on the and could withstand severe battle damage. pilots, who complained of poor lateral control Lewis’ Foster mount was lengthened by two RAF SE5A 7

Above: No 74 Squadron B Flight line up at replaced by internally fitted fuel and water RAF SE5a Clairmarais North in the late summer of 1918. gravity tanks behind the leading edge of the SE5a ‘2’ was assigned to Capt Keith ‘Grid’ upper wing centre section. However, it was the Type: Fighter Caldwell (25 victories). via Aviation-images.com subsequent replacement of the SE5’s 150hp Crew: 1 Length: 20ft 11in (6.37m) Hispano-Suiza with the Wolseley-developed Wingspan: 26ft 7.5in (8.11m) inches to make it easier for the pilot to replace Viper engine that proved to be the fighter’s Height: 9ft 6in (2.89m) the ammunition drums, and Ball discarded saviour, and this 200hp motor was installed in Engine: Wolseley W.4a Viper his synchronised Vickers gun entirely. He also most SE5as, which began arriving in service in of 215hp removed the petrol and water gravity tanks June 1917. Max Speed: 138mph (222km/h) from the upper wing and installed long SPAD- Max all-up weight: 1,976lb (896kg) type exhaust pipes to the engine. Ball noted Into service Range: 300 miles (483km) that his alterations resulted in a considerable By December 1917, Nos 24, 32, 40, 41, 56, 60 Armament: 1 x fixed 0.303in improvement in performance. Many of the ace’s and 84 Squadrons had received SE5as and Vickers machine gun revisions were adopted for future production the aircraft was now considered to be the and 1 x 0.303in Lewis aircraft, and the SE5 was the better for it. best British fighter of the day. With the Camel machine gun on The undercarriage wheels were also moved revelling in medium to low altitude combat, the Foster mount farther forward and the external overwing tank SE5a was left to hold its own at higher ceilings. 8 FIGHTER

Fortunately for the RFC and, from 1 April 1918, the Royal Air Force (RAF), the SE5a was the superior aircraft at altitudes exceeding 10,000ft RFC/RAF SE5a units in any case. Therefore, squadrons equipped No 1 Squadron No 47 Squadron No 74 Squadron No 94 Squadron with the fighter tended to be used more for No 17 Squadron No 50 Squadron No 78 Squadron No 111 Squadron aerial combat at medium to high altitudes, No 24 Squadron No 56 Squadron No 81 Squadron No 143 Squadron and much less in the air-to-ground role. No 29 Squadron No 60 Squadron No 84 Squadron No 145 Squadron Furthermore, the SE5a’s armament of one No 30 Squadron No 61 Squadron No 85 Squadron No 150 Squadron forward-firing in front of No 32 Squadron No 64 Squadron No 87 Squadron No 229 Squadron the pilot and a single affixed to the No 40 Squadron No 68 Squadron No 92 Squadron top wing made the aircraft ideal for stalking No 41 Squadron No 72 Squadron No 93 Squadron high-flying prey. Pilots could sneak up beneath a hostile machine, ratchet down the gun and fire up into the underbelly of the enemy aircraft. Right: Though not as agile as the Sopwith Camel, the rugged SE5 was well liked by its pilots. For Some of the best-known pilots of the RFC ease of manufacture, the SE5/5a featured a and RAF scored the majority of their victories box-girder fuselage made up from ash in the SE5/5a. The leading British and Empire and spruce spacers, the whole ace of the war, Lt Col ‘Billy’ Bishop, scored 36 structure being wire-braced, fabric-covered of his 72 victories in the SE5/5a, Capt Anthony and surmounted by curved decking formed by Beauchamp Proctor claimed all 54 of his in stringers. The single-bay, staggered wings of parallel chord were built around two spruce the aircraft, while Maj James McCudden was spars with internal wire , and with credited with 51 victories in the SE5a from a on upper and lower wings. total of 57. No fewer than 92 pilots claimed ten or more victories with the SE5/5a, and a good sorties (using 20lb Cooper bombs) and patrols number of these men achieved high scores. over enemy . The vast majority of these pilots claimed their Like the Camel, the SE5a did not survive successes over the Western Front against a wide long in the peacetime RAF, with the last range of German fighter types. However, six aircraft being withdrawn from Nos 56 and 81 of them were serving with units in Macedonia Squadrons in January 1920. Small numbers (Nos 17, 47 and 150 Squadrons) and Palestine remained in service in and , (Nos 111 and 145 Squadrons). In the latter however, and more than 60 SE5as were built theatre, SE5as were heavily engaged during from components in the USA in 1919. These Gen Sir Edmund Allenby’s final offensive served as the US Army’s frontline fighter force through Palestine in the late summer of 1918, until indigenous types entered service in the the aircraft performing both ground attack early 1920s.

Customising the SE5 Seen here with Capt Albert Ball in the cockpit and the Lewis gun carried on the upper-wing centre section pulled back to fire obliquely forward and upward in the fashion much favoured by the RFC’s then leading ace, this SE5 (A8907) has the original type of semi-cockpit transparency that was disliked by virtually all pilots and was soon removed in favour of a small windscreen. via Aviation-images.com RAF SE5A 9 10 FIGHTER Sopwith Camel

n its formation, the RAF was both upper and lower wings, but for ease of near Ostend. By July 1917, No 70 Squadron fortunate to embrace into its ranks manufacture Sopwith decided to make the top became the first unit in the RFC to receive the Othe most successful dogfighter of wing flat. The dihedral of the lower wings was new Sopwith scout, at Liettres. The following World War 1, the legendary Sopwith Camel. doubled to five degrees to compensate, thereby month Camels started to reach Home Defence The Camel was the first purpose-built creating the Camel’s distinctive ‘pinched wing’ units, charged with defending London from British fighter to boast two Vickers machine appearance when viewed head-on. The Camel night raiders. The squadron’s experience with guns synchronised to fire through the was the first Sopwith design to feature two the aircraft led directly to the development propeller arc. The humped fairing covering 0.303in Vickers machine guns, synchronised to of a dedicated Camel , which had the breeches of these weapons actually fire through the propeller. All Camel variants its Vickers gun removed (their muzzle flash provided the inspiration for the fighter’s could carry four 20lb Cooper bombs in racks obliterated the pilot’s night vision) and a pair of unique sobriquet. Although the fighter under the fuselage. boasted a fearsome reputation in combat, Rotaries of French origin powered the the Camel’s exacting handling majority of Camels, with Clerget 9B 130hp and characteristics took a heavy toll on poorly Le Rhône 110hp engines initially dominating. trained novice pilots. From May 1917 the 150hp AR 1 rotary engine, The Camel was heavily influenced by the designed by RNAS engineering Wilfred preceding and Triplane, but for Owen Bentley, was put into production as the all their virtues, both Sopwith fighters had a Bentley BR1. This proved to be a more reliable weakness in the slow rate of fire of their single engine than its Clerget equivalent, making it Vickers guns when fitted with the Sopwith- very popular on the front line. Kauper interruptor gear. This became a real problem with the introduction of the German Into service Albatros D.I and D.II, whose twin synchronised The first production Camels were actually machine guns gave them nearly triple the delivered to the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) Sopwith duo’s rate of fire. In response to this in May 1917 following an Admiralty order for threat, on 22 December 1916 the twin-gun 50 examples. These were issued to No 4 Naval Sopwith F1 prototype, designed by Sopwith, Squadron at Bray Dunes, in , early the R. J. Ashfield, Herbert Smith, F. Sigrist and following month, and the unit gave the Camel Harry Hawker, was flown for the first time. The its combat debut on the evening of 5 June 1917 prototype was powered by a 110hp Clerget 9Z when Flight Commander Alexander ‘MacD’ rotary engine, and, as Harry Hawker put it, Shook claimed an Albatros D.III destroyed the aeroplane ‘bounced into the air’ from when he took it aloft for the first time. A highly experienced pilot, Sopwith F1 Camel Hawker quickly noted that the torque of the Type: Fighter/attack spinning rotary engine, combined with the Crew: 1 concentration of weight up front, gave the Length: 18ft 9in (5.72m) fighter outstanding manoeuvrability. Sensitivity Wingspan: 28ft 0in (8.53m) was required when flying the scout, as was a Height: 8ft 6in (2.59m) judicious hand, especially during take-off. Engine: Clerget 9B of 130hp The new aeroplane had a shorter, deeper Max Speed: 113mph (182km/h) fuselage than the Pup, with the engine, cockpit Max all-up weight: 1,453lb (659kg) and guns concentrated within the foremost 7ft Range: 250 miles (400km) of its fuselage, giving it its distinctive hump. Armament: 2 x 0.303in Vickers The Camel featured a box girder fuselage made machine guns up from ash longerons and spruce spacers, the whole structure being wire-braced, fabric- Right: The Sopwith Camel featured two 0.303in covered and surmounted by curved decking Vickers machine guns, synchronised to fire formed by stringers. The wing structure was through the propeller. The aircraft carried built up on twin spars of spindled spruce 500 rounds of ammunition in boxes below the weapons forward of the cockpit. The machine with spruce ribs and ash riblets. As originally gun butts protruded into the cockpit at near eye designed, the Camel was to have featured level, and the pilot aimed these weapons using about two-and-a-half degrees of dihedral on either Aldis ring-and-bead or tube gunsights. SOPWITH CAMEL 11

Lewis guns fitted to a double Foster mounting the SE5a, which gave the pilot a better view of and 80 Squadrons claiming six German aircraft on the upper wing section. The cockpit was the ground at low level, while its turning ability in a single patrol on 22 March. Camel pilots were also repositioned 12 inches further back to gave the Camel the edge if challenged by responsible for downing 1,294 enemy aircraft allow the pilot to aim and reload the guns. ground fire. The first real test for the aeroplane between June 1917 and November 1918, so By late 1917 Camels were being flown in this new role came during the Cambrai it was inevitable that a large number of Allied operationally by nine RFC and six RNAS offensive of November 1917. pilots would ‘make ace’ flying the aeroplane. squadrons in France, two RFC squadrons in The air fighting in France during 1918 was Indeed, no fewer than 19 pilots claimed 20 or and No 44 Squadron in Home Defence. some of the toughest of the entire war, and more victories with the Sopwith scout, with Some 3,450 examples had been ordered, and the Camel squadrons were in the vanguard of the ranking aces on this list being Capt Donald the fighter was being built at nine factories in the action. Typical unit strength was increased MacLaren with 54 victories, Maj ‘Billy’ Barker the UK. early in the year from 18 to 24 aircraft and, by with 46 and Maj John Gilmour with 36. Although performing very well in its the start of the final great German offensive of Although progressively replaced by the designed role as a fighter, the Camel was also the conflict on 21 March, seven squadrons had Sopwith Snipe in the final months of World well-suited to ground attack operations. Its achieved this planned establishment. These War 1, Camels remained in service with the RAF cockpit was further forward than its great rival larger units enjoyed great success, with Nos 73 well into 1920. 12 FIGHTER

Famous Camel This Sopwith Camel of A Flight No 209 Squadron became famous as the aircraft in which Canadian ace Capt Roy Brown chased Manfred von Richthofen, the ‘Red Baron’, over the Somme on 21 April 1918, a flight from which the Baron did not return. Brown had fired at the Baron’s Fokker Dr1 Triplane, and upon landing was told that he had shot it down. The Royal Air Force officially credited Brown with the victory, but it is now generally accepted that Manfred von Richthofen was killed by groundfire. This machine was also flown by Capt O. W. Redgate, who scored two more victories in it that same month. It featured three white bars on the fuselage sides, one ahead of where a roundel might have been, and two aft. A red chevron, edged in white, appeared on the top wing across the centre section. SOPWITH CAMEL 13

RFC/RAF Sopwith Camel units

No 3 Squadron No 65 Squadron No 143 Squadron No 209 Squadron No 17 Squadron No 66 Squadron No 150 Squadron No 210 Squadron No 28 Squadron No 70 Squadron No 151 Squadron No 212 Squadron No 37 Squadron No 71 Squadron No 152 Squadron No 213 Squadron No 43 Squadron No 73 Squadron No 155 Squadron No 219 Squadron No 44 Squadron No 75 Squadron No 187 Squadron No 220 Squadron No 45 Squadron No 78 Squadron No 188 Squadron No 222 Squadron No 46 Squadron No 80 Squadron No 189 Squadron No 225 Squadron No 47 Squadron No 81 Squadron No 198 Squadron No 230 Squadron No 50 Squadron No 89 Squadron No 201 Squadron No 233 Squadron No 51 Squadron No 94 Squadron No 203 Squadron No 273 Squadron No 54 Squadron No 112 Squadron No 204 Squadron No 61 Squadron No 139 Squadron No 208 Squadron 14 LIGHT Airco DH9

rom tragedy to triumph… One of the massive order was placed for 4,630 aircraft even to deliver 300hp, the Puma engine proved least successful aircraft that the RAF before its first flight. The prototype DH9 (A7559) unreliable and so it was de-rated to 230hp, Finherited on 1 April 1918 was the Airco was a modified Airco-built DH4 and first flew resulting in a disappointing performance. Even DH9 bomber, an underpowered machine in July 1917 at Hendon in North London. It was at 230hp, the engine still proved unreliable that actually had an inferior performance powered by a six-cylinder in-line 230hp BHP/ which severely compromised performance, to the aircraft it was designed to replace. Galloway Adriatic engine, although throughout making it hugely inferior to that of the DH4. Consequently, it suffered from disastrous its life it was fitted with a multitude of differing losses over the Western Front. However a powerplants. The main external difference Into service re-engined variant, the DH9A, fared much from the DH4 was a change in the cockpit The DH9 entered service in November 1917 better and although it saw limited service arrangement to bring the pilot and observer with first deliveries of the type to No 108 during World War 1, it became a standard closer together to improve communications. To Squadron RFC. The first combat over France was type in the postwar RAF. aid the switch in production from the DH4 to in March 1918 by No 6 Squadron and by July The prototype Airco DH9 was a single-engine the DH9, the design utilised the wings and tail 1918, a total of nine operational DH9 squadrons designed by Geoffrey assembly from the DH4, mounted onto a larger were deployed on the Western Front. The DH9’s during his time at the Aircraft Manufacturing fuselage. After trying a number of powerplant performance in combat was typically deemed Company (Airco). It was planned as a successor configurations, the Siddeley Puma (a lighter to have been a disaster; heavy losses of the to the DH4 for use as a and based weight version of the BHP engine), was selected type were quickly incurred, attributed to both upon promising performance estimates, a for mass production. Originally intended its poor performance and to engine failures. AIRCO DH9 15

Left: The American Liberty-engined DH9A helped the machine to achieve its promise and was popular with its pilots, though it saw limited action in World War 1.

after the unit’s move to France at the end of August, was employed in the strategic bombing role. A further three squadrons were equipped with the aircraft on the Western Front before the end of hostilities. The DH9A was armed with a forward firing 0.303in Vickers machine gun and either one or two 0.303in Lewis guns mounted in the rear Between May and November 1918, a pair of RAF ‘Ninak’. The prototype flew in March 1918 with cockpit; it was capable of carrying a bomb squadrons stationed at the Western Front the first production machine powered by the load of up to 740lb mounted on under-wing (Nos 99 and 104) had 54 of its DH9s shot down new 400hp American Liberty engine quickly and fuselage racks. The aircraft soon earned and another 94 written off due to accidents. following on 18 April. The DH9A entered RAF an enviable reputation for reliability and was The type’s poor operational performance on service with No 110 Squadron in July 1918 and, popular with both pilots and gunner/observers. the Western Front soon resulted in it being transferred to operations in the RAF Airco DH9A units and for coastal patrol duties in the UK, spotting marauding U-Boats. No 3 Squadron No 25 Squadron No 99 Squadron No 501 Squadron Eventually, a re-design produced the No 8 Squadron No 30 Squadron No 100 Squadron No 600 Squadron Liberty-powered DH9A otherwise known as the No 11 Squadron No 39 Squadron No 110 Squadron No 601 Squadron No 14 Squadron No 45 Squadron No 205 Squadron No 602 Squadron No 15 Squadron No 47 Squadron No 207 Squadron No 603 Squadron No 18 Squadron No 55 Squadron No 207 Squadron No 604 Squadron No 22 Squadron No 60 Squadron No 221 Squadron No 605 Squadron No 24 Squadron No 84 Squadron No 273 Squadron

Airco DH9 Type: Light bomber Crew: 2 Length: 30ft 5in (9.27m) Wingspan: 42ft 5in (12.92m) Height: 11ft 4in (3.44m) Engine: Siddeley Puma of 230hp Max Speed: 113mph (182km/h) Max all-up weight: 3,790lb (1,723kg) Armament: Guns: Forward firing Vickers machine gun and 1 or 2 rear Lewis guns on scarf ring Bombs: Up to 460lb (209kg)

After the war, the DH9A continued in service as the RAF’s standard light bomber and eventually equipped no fewer than 31 squadrons at home and abroad. Its first post-war operations were in brief support of the ‘White Army’ in the Russian Civil War until September 1919. Thereafter the aircraft was deployed primarily in a colonial policing role being extensively used in the Middle East and on the North West frontier of . Remarkably, it continued in regular service until 1931. 16 Handley Page O/400

uring the early part of World War 1, Handley Page was instructed to build Da ‘bloody paralyser of an aircraft’ to attack German targets. The result was the Type O heavy bomber that culminated with the O/400, the largest aircraft then flown by the RAF and its principle heavy bomber at the end of the conflict. The Handley Page O/400 was directly descended from the previous O/100 model series, with the ‘100’ and ‘400’ designations depicting the horsepower output of the engines. A small number of O/100s entered service but the development of the Rolls- Royce Eagle VIII engine meant that a redesign Ordnance capabilities were impressive with the of the airframe was possible with a new fuel ability to field up to 16 112lb bombs or up to system and heavier bomb load – this was to eight 250lb bombs. Bombing was accomplished become the O/400. The bomber was of fairly- through a Drift Mk 1A bombsight. This system conventional design for aircraft of the era, had the capability to process aerial information though built to a much larger scale, boasting for the bomber to utilise in the form of drift, a 100ft (30.48m) wingspan and a length of the aircraft's current airspeed and altitude, nearly 63ft (19.2m). The aircraft was crewed for improved bombing capabilities by a compliment of four to five personnel and over its predecessor. fitted with two systems mounting two wheels a piece. The 360hp Rolls-Royce In service brand Eagle VIII V-12 engines were mounted on Delivery of the O/400 variant either side of the fuselage between the heavily began in early 1918, and strutted biplane wings. The aircraft featured a of the 549 built, over 400 had three-, twin- system. Armament been received by the Royal Air of the mammoth bomber consisted of three Force before the November 1918 Lewis-type machine gun systems mounted at Armistice, when it was serving with various defensive positions about the fuselage. seven RAF squadrons as the standard British HANDLEY PAGE O/400 17

hitting a powder store, the ensuing explosion Above: Handley Page O/400 F.5417 was built by causing extensive damage. Bombing was the Standard Aircraft Company of New Jersey, curtailed during the last days of the war by bad USA in 1918 and shipped over in components to Britain to be assembled at the National Aircraft heavy bomber. For the most part, they co- weather, but several aerodromes were attacked, Factory at Watton. It was taken on charge by the ordinated with the Army and Navy to carry particularly that at Morhange. Despite the RAF briefly as F.5417, before being returned to out bombing strikes on German positions, efforts of the crews who flew these raids, often Handley Page after the Armistice. Modified for particularly during the German ‘Spring in poor weather and against increasingly heavy commercial use as a transport, it had two cabins Offensive’ of May-June 1918. They also took defences, it was accepted that a significant for passengers (forward and aft of the fuel tanks) within the fuselage, with rectangular windows part in some of the first strategic bombing proportion of the bombs dropped would not on either side. It was registered as G-EAAW and raids in history as part of the ‘Independent explode. In October the 1,650lb SN bomb was operated by Handley Page Ltd as a flight services Air Force’, which was a branch of the RAF brought into service and was so large it had subsidiary of the manufacturer. The aircraft was that conducted strikes against German to be carried externally under the bomb bay. withdrawn from use on 30 April 1920. railways, aerodromes and industrial centres. Meanwhile, a limited number of O/400s saw Left: The Handley Page O/400 was the largest As a portent of World War 2 operations, service in the Middle East and seven were taken aircraft flown by the RAF during World War 1 and on the night of 14-15 September 1918, 40 on charge by the US Air Service, but none was used on bombing raids deep into German O/400s attacked targets in the Saar region were used operationally. After the cessation territory towards the end of the conflict. of Germany. Over the next few months of hostilities, the Handley Page bombers were Below: The 1,650lb SN bomb was introduced just Handley Pages targeted Kaiserslautern, retired in favour of the Vickers Vimy, although prior to the Armistice and was so big that it had Coblenz, Mannheim and Wiesbaden. On eight were used for VIP transport until 1920, and to be suspended underneath the fuselage of the the night of 9-10 October, Nos 97, 215 and a few others also continued in civilian use in the O/400. The message written on this bomb hints 216 Squadrons bombed Metz, one bomb early post war years. at the devastation it could cause.

20 HEAVY BOMBER

Right: The immense wings of the O/400 could be folded for ease of storage.

RAF Handley Page O/400 units

No 58 Squadron No 115 Squadron No 215 Squadron No 70 Squadron No 116 Squadron No 216 Squadron No 97 Squadron No 207 Squadron No 100 Squadron No 214 Squadron

Handley Page O/400 Type: Heavy bomber Crew: 4-5 Length: 62ft 10in (19.16m) Wingspan: 100ft 0in (30.48m) Height: 22ft 0in (6.71m) Engine: 2 x Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII of 360hp each Max Speed: 97.5mph (157km/h) Above: A striking view of a No 207 Squadron Handley Page O/400 over Germany during a raid towards Max all-up weight: 13,360lb (6,060kg) the end of 1918, illustrating the big 100ft wingspan of the type. Armament: Guns: 5 x 0.303in (7.7mm) Lewis guns, Below: By Royal Appointment. A very rare image of King George V trying out the cockpit of an O/400, 2 on nose scarff ring, while his son Prince Albert (later to become George VI and father of Queen Elizabeth II) can be seen 2 on dorsal position standing near the entrance ladder to the aircraft. Prince Albert was the first member of the royal family and 1 at side hatch to qualify as a pilot and he served on the staff of the RAF’s Independent Air Force until the end of 1918. Bombs: Up to 2,000lb Not all O/400s were powered by Rolls-Royce Eagle engines, this being one of the few to be fitted with (907kg) Sunbeam Maori powerplants, hence the unusual circular nacelles. SOPWITH SNIPE 21

Sopwith Snipe Sopwith Snipe Type: Fighter Crew: 1 n aircraft that can rightly lay claim to machine guns and a Bentley AR.1 rotary engine. Length: 19ft 10in (6.05m) being the ‘RAF’s first ’, During the testing of six Snipe prototypes in Wingspan: 31ft 1in (9.48m) Athe Sopwith Snipe was intended as the summer of 1917, modifications were made Height: 9ft 6in(2.9m) a successor to the mighty Camel. Although to bring the new Sopwith design in line with Engine: 1 x Bentley BR2 rotary it was designed to be more pilot friendly the Air Board’s specifications. The most notable of 230hp than its illustrious predecessor, experienced change was the expansion of the biplane wing Max Speed: 121mph (195km/h) pilots found it an unhappy compromise. cell to two bays instead of the typical single- Max all-up weight: 2,020lb (918kg) Nevertheless, it saw action right at the end bay configuration. An order for 1,700 aircraft Armament: Guns: 2 x 0.303in of World War 1 and the last examples were was placed by the in March 1918 (7.7mm) Vickers finally retired in 1926. and although the order book boasted a full machine guns Bombs: 4 x 25lb (11kg) As 1917 wore on and there appeared to be requirement for 4,500 units, only a fraction no prospect of the war ending in that year, or of that number was ever realised by the time even the next, so the leading fighter aircraft production ceased in March 1919. it had better all-round performance, but it had companies began work on their designs to none of the qualities of lightning manoeuvre equip the RAF in 1919. The Sopwith Aviation In service of the Camel. To turn from a Camel to a Snipe Company chose to radically evolve the Camel After evaluation and approval by the Number 1 was like turning from an eight-horsepower into the 7F.1, later named the Snipe. Designed Aerial Supply Depot in St Omer, France, 15 sports car to an eight-ton lorry.’ This was not by Herbert Smith, the Snipe was selected as Snipes replaced the Sopwith Camel at No 43 an opinion shared by all. Many flyers who got a replacement for the battle-weary Sopwith Squadron RAF in August 1918. The Snipe was the rare chance to pilot a Snipe in combat said Camel, which saw such distinguished service well-liked by those who flew it, but many Camel it was an amazing machine. On 27 October during the final years of the conflict. Initially pilots, having mastered the tricky habits of their 1918, Canadian ace Maj W. G. Barker got the conceived as a single-bay biplane, the previous mount, were reluctant to relinquish chance to back up all the talk with action. Snipe first flew in October 1917 and the first the Camel’s superior combat manoeuvrability He was at the controls of a Snipe when he prototype was fitted with a pair of Vickers for the Snipe’s more stable flight characteristics. suddenly found himself alone and cornered Oliver Stewart, an experienced test pilot who by 15 German Fokkers. In the ensuing epic air Left: Post-war, the Sopwith Snipe became standard equipment for Home Defence units and flew all of Sopwith’s wartime aircraft, expressed battle, Barker amazingly managed to shoot also served widely overseas, in India, , the differences thus: ‘It [the Snipe] was soberer down four of his attackers and, though badly and elsewhere. and more dignified. It was more powerful and wounded, used the Snipe’s exceptional traits to escape the balance of his angry foes. During RAF Sopwith Snipe units the war, Snipes generally were used for escort work, but the aircraft could be equipped with No 1 Squadron No 29 Squadron No 56 Squadron No 112 Squadron four 20lb (9kg) Cooper bombs beneath the No 3 Squadron No 32 Squadron No 70 Squadron No 143 Squadron fuselage. With the creation of the RAF in April No 17 Squadron No 37 Squadron No 78 Squadron No 201 Squadron 1918, it has the distinction of being the first No 19 Squadron No 41 Squadron No 80 Squadron No 208 Squadron fighter of the newly established unit of the No 23 Squadron No 43 Squadron No 81 Squadron British armed forces. But it arrived too late No 25 Squadron No 45 Squadron No 111 Squadron to have any significant operational impact. Following the Armistice with Germany, Sopwith Snipes formed part of the of Occupation before returning to the UK in 1919 and by the end of that year only one single squadron (No 80) was equipped with the aircraft. The Snipe also took part in the Allied intervention during the Russian Civil War against the Bolsheviks in 1919. The last Sopwith Snipes were retired from active service in 1926.

Left: Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe E6949/’E8100’/‘E8105’, as flown at Old Rhinebeck, New York, USA, in 1979. The aircraft now resides in the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC, USA.

24 HEAVY BOMBER Vickers Vimy

he Vickers Vimy is the best-known heavy bomber of the RAF’s formative Tyears. However, it did not gain its international fame from its combat career, but rather from its record-breaking non-stop transatlantic flight in the hands of Messrs Alcock and Brown in June 1919. In so doing, it heralded a new age in which aviation would make the world a smaller place. Following a raid on London in July 1917 by a German bomber, the British Air Board decided that it needed a heavy bomber of its own and duly issued contracts to Handley Page and Vickers. Accordingly, Reginald Pierson, chief designer of Vickers, set about designing a large twin-engine biplane bomber. The resulting Vickers FB27 Vimy (named after the Battle of Vimy Ridge) was designed to accommodate a 3-4 man crew. In addition to the pilot’s cockpit, which was positioned just ahead of the wings, there were two separate cockpits for the gunners, who were each provided with Scarff ring-mounted Lewis guns, located behind the wings and in the nose of the aircraft. To improve bombing accuracy, the Vimy was equipped with the High Altitude Drift Mk1a bombsight. It could carry a payload of 12 bombs, the latter stowed vertically within the fuselage. For anti-shipping warfare in the maritime environment, the Vimy could also be armed with a pair of torpedoes. Design and production of the prototypes was extremely rapid and within four months the first example flew at Joyce Green, Kent, on 30 November 1917 with Capt Gordon Bell at the controls. The first Vickers FB27 was powered by Hispano Suiza engines and went to Martlesham Heath for official trials in January 1918 where it caused a sensation by lifting a payload heavier than its main competitor, the Handley Page O/400 which boasted almost twice the power. Unfortunately, the Vimy was beset with engine problems and had to be returned to Joyce Green earlier than expected, where a number of alternative powerplants were tried. In all, four prototypes were built and trialled with different engines (Hispano Suiza, Salmson,

Inset: Vickers FB27 Vimy side view.

Right: With all of its crew keen to get into the shot, a Vimy of No 4 FTS based at Abu Sueir is photographed over Egypt. In the hot temperatures of the Middle East, the engine cowlings were often left off to aid cooling. VICKERS VIMY 25

Pic and caption numbering didn’t correspond so I’ve made it up as I went along 26 HEAVY BOMBER VICKERS VIMY 27 28 HEAVY BOMBER VICKERS VIMY 29

Sunbeam Maori, Fiat, Hispano and Rolls-Royce Eagle), with the production FB27A Vimy II using Vickers Vimy the Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII engines. The first Type: Heavy bomber production order for 150 aircraft was placed Crew: 3-5 on 26 March 1918 and by the end of the year Length: 43ft 7in (19.16m) 13 had been completed. Consequently, the Wingspan: 68ft 1in (20.75m) type was too late to see action during World Height: 15ft 8in (4.77m) War 1. Over 1,000 aircraft were ordered under Engine: 2 x Rolls-Royce Eagle wartime contracts, but following the Armistice, VIII of 360hp each this number was slashed. In the confusion Max Speed: 100mph (161km/h) of cancelled orders and unfinished aircraft, Max all-up weight: 10,884lb (4,937kg) the total number delivered is still uncertain, Armament: Guns: 2 x 0.303in although it appears to have been in excess (7.7mm) Lewis guns, of 230. 1 on nose Scarff ring, 1 on mid fuselage In service Scarf ring The Vimy was designed to conduct long range Bombs: 2,476lb (1,123kg) bombing missions into Germany, having the ability to reach Berlin from bases in France, but the Armistice of 11 November 1918 brought 1925, by which time it was replaced by the an end to the conflict before it could be used newer Vickers Virginia. Of course, its greatest on any offensive operations. Following the end claim to fame took place after the war when it of the war, the RAF rapidly contracted in size, revealed its true capability with long distance, which slowed the introduction of the Vimy and record-breaking flights. These included the meant that it only reached full service status in famous first direct, non-stop transatlantic July 1919 when it became operational with flight of Capt John Alcock (DSC) and Lt Arthur No 58 Squadron in Egypt. The Vimy became the Whitten-Brown on 14-15 June 1919, when they backbone of the main heavy bomber force of flew from Newfoundland to County Galway, the RAF and served as a front-line bomber in thus winning the £10,000 prize offered by the the Middle East and in the UK from 1919 until ‘’.

RAF Vickers Vimy units

No 7 Squadron No 45 Squadron No 99 Squadron No 500 Squadron No 9 Squadron No 58 Squadron No 100 Squadron No 502 Squadron No 24 Squadron No 70 Squadron No 216 Squadron

Above: Rear quarter aspect of the Sunbeam Maori-powered second Vickers Vimy prototype, B9953. Although substantially smaller than the rival Handley Page O/400, the Vimy was able to carry a heavier payload over longer distances.

Left: A rare image of four Vimys of No 216 Squadron overflying Heliopolis race course, Egypt, in 1928. 30 FIGHTER

Gloster Grebe Type: Fighter Crew: 1 Length: 20ft 3in (6.17m) Wingspan: 29ft 4in (8.94m) Height: 9ft 3in (2.82m) Gloster Grebe Engine: 1 x Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IV radial of 400hp he honour of being the Royal Air its performance was considered to be so Max Speed: 152mph (245km/h) Force’s first post World War 1 fighter impressive that three prototypes were ordered. Max all-up weight: 2,614lb (1,189kg) Tgoes to the Gloster Grebe, an aircraft The first of these became the Grebe prototype Armament: 2 x 0.303in (7.7mm) that entered service in 1923. A lively aircraft, which, following evaluation, was ordered into Vickers machine guns it was nevertheless prone to wing flutter and production under the designation Grebe II. This engine problems. differed from the two-seat version by having a In 1923 Gloster built a two-seat private- more powerful Jaguar IV engine (instead of a RAF Gloster Grebe units venture research aircraft which became Jaguar III) and several other modifications. Like No 19 Squadron No 32 Squadron known as the Grouse, to carry out flight the Sopwith Snipe it replaced, the Grebe was a No 25 Squadron No 56 Squadron evaluation of new and special biplane wings. single-seat, single-engined biplane of fabric- No 29 Squadron No 111 Squadron Simultaneously a single-seat version was built. covered wood construction. The fuselage had When demonstrated to Air Ministry officials, ash longerons and spruce stringers joined to GLOSTER GREBE 31

plywood formers, while the single-bay wings Above: A pair of Gloster Grebe IIs of No 25 Squadron. The unit’s CO, Sqn Ldr Arthur Hicks-Peck, was (which had a considerable overhang outboard determined to establish the squadron as the RAF's top fighter unit and set about achieving this by of the struts), had fabric-covered spruce spars setting standards of gunnery and formation flying that were way above those of its competitors. Under his leadership, in 1925 the squadron performed the first of the spectacular aerobatic routines and ribs. Two synchronised 0.303in (7.7mm) that became the highlight of Hendon displays during the inter-war years. Vickers machine guns were mounted on the fuselage top decking. However, it suffered from wing flutter, owing to A total of 133 Grebes were produced, the large overhang outside the interplane struts, including the four prototypes, 108 Grebe II In service which led to all RAF aircraft being modified single-seat fighters and 21 two-seat dual- The Grebe entered service in October 1923 with additional Vee-struts supporting the outer control trainers. Grebes were retired from the with the RAF’s No 111 Squadron. It was popular upper wing. Another on-going problem was the RAF in 1929, replaced by Armstrong Whitworth in RAF service, being much faster than the Jaguar engine, which was heavy and unreliable, Siskins and by the Gloster Gamecock, which Snipe that it replaced, and was also very agile. being prone to in-flight fires. was in essence a developed Grebe. 32 FIGHTER Armstrong Whitworth Siskin III

he Siskin could never be called an busy building the AW Atlas, some of the later attractive aircraft, but its no-nonsense Siskin IIIA production was sub-contracted out Armstrong Whitworth Tlines reflected a sturdy design that to Blackburn (42), Bristol (85), Gloster (74) and Siskin IIIA was well-liked by its pilots and which served Vickers (52). the RAF well in its formative years. It was Type: Fighter also noted for its aerobatic qualities. In service Crew: 1 The Siskin was one of the first British fighters The Siskin III entered RAF service with No 41 Length: 25ft 4in (7.72m) produced after World War 1 and was designed Squadron at Northolt in May 1924, while Wingspan: 33ft 2in (10.11m) by Maj F. M. Green to meet an RAF specification the upgraded IIIA was introduced by No 111 Height: 10ft 2in (3.10m) for a single-seat machine powered by the (Fighter) Squadron at Duxford in September Engine: 1 x Armstrong new Dragonfly . The SR2 Siskin 1926. Armament as a fighter comprised a Siddeley Jaguar IV was a single-bay biplane of wood and fabric pair of 0.303in Vickers machine guns, but radial of 400hp construction. Its wings were of unequal span provision was also made for the carriage of up Max Speed: 156mph (251km/h) and the aircraft was fitted with a distinctive to four 20lb bombs under the wings. A superb Max all-up weight: 3,012lb (1,366kg) fixed conventional landing gear with long aerobatic machine, the Siskin was a regular Armament: Guns: 2 x 0.303in (7.7mm) Vickers oleo strut shock absorbers carrying the axle, participant at RAF displays between 1925 and machine guns which was connected by radius rods to a pair 1931; it was also successful in other disciplines, Bombs: Up to 4 x of V-struts situated behind. The Dragonfly with a civil version, the Mk V, winning the King’s 20lb (9kg) engine was fitted in a streamlined cowling to Cup Air Race in 1925 at a speed of more than reduce drag, with individual cooling channels 151mph. A small number also saw service with Right: A flight of nine Siskin IIIAs of No 43 for each engine cylinder. As such, it first flew Canada, and . The type was Squadron based at in 1930. The in May 1919, but while the aircraft had a retired from front-line RAF service in October formation is led by the squadron commander’s generally good performance and handled well, 1932, being replaced by the . aircraft J8959 (chequerboard tail). the Dragonfly proved not only unreliable but quite unable to provide the power expected. Green therefore decided to retrofit the now proven Siddeley Jaguar engine and, at the same time, introduce an all-metal structure. The result, designated the Siskin III, took to the air on 7 May 1923 with six being delivered to the RAF for evaluation in January 1924. The main production version was the Siskin IIIA ordered in 1926 and with 412 being built, including 47 dual-control trainers. This variant featured the supercharged Jaguar IVA engine. The , a novel idea at the time, had little effect on performance below 10,000ft (3,050m), but it greatly improved speed and climb above that height. With Armstrong Whitworth

RAF Siskin units

No 1 Squadron No 41 Squadron No 17 Squadron No 43 Squadron No 19 Squadron No 54 Squadron No 25 Squadron No 29 Squadron No 56 Squadron No 32 Squadron No 111 Squadron ARMSTRONG WHITWORTH SISKIN III 33 34 HEAVY BOMBER Vickers Virginia

‘ tately’ would be the kindest way to (on 24 November 1922). Essentially an describe the Vickers Virginia. Very enlarged version of the Vickers Vimy, it had RAF Vickers Virginia units Smuch a product of its time, the big Napier Lion engines mounted on the lower No 7 Squadron No 75 Squadron aircraft became a mainstay of the interwar wings and enclosed in rectangular nacelles. No 9 Squadron No 214 Squadron RAF heavy bombing force and remained on Construction was mainly of wood and fabric No 10 Squadron No 215 Squadron the front-line until 1938. with an extensive amount of wire bracing. The No 51 Squadron No 500 Squadron Designed to replace the Vickers Vimy and second Virginia primarily differed from the No 58 Squadron No 502 Squadron to meet the requirements of Air Ministry first in having a lengthened nose, to provide Specification 1/21, work on the Virginia more room for the bomb-aimer, and a variable- Below: The Vimy lineage of the Vickers Virginia started in 1920. Two aircraft were ordered incidence tailplane. Large and cumbersome, the is very apparent in this image of J6856 initially, designated Virginia I and Virginia II. Virginia was a tempting target, so to provide it (foreground) and J8329. Note the rear-gunner The former was the first to fly from Brooklands with more protection, from the Mark III variant position extending beyond the tail. VICKERS VIRGINIA 35 it carried a rear fuselage gunner, later moved heavy night bomber force in the inter-war years. into a tail turret with the Mark VII. Early variants Their melodious but unsynchronised drone Vickers Virginia of the design (I–VI) had straight wings, whereas could often be heard echoing around British Type: Heavy bomber the Mark VII introduced swept outer wings. skies during night exercises. In fulfilling such a Crew: 4 Eventually the ultimate Mark X was introduced role from 1924 to 1937, this rugged and reliable Length: 52ft 3in (15.93m) in early 1928 and featured a duralumin and aircraft made a considerable contribution to steel structure covered in fabric, aluminium, the development of the ideas and the Wingspan: 87ft 8in (26.77m) and wood. Earlier all-wood structured marks experience of men who were the founder Height: 18ft 2in (5.54m) were frequently rebuilt and updated to the members of in World War 2. Engine: 2 x Napier Lion VB Mark X standard. However, the Virginias were highly accident in-line of 580hp each A total of 124 Virginias was built, of which prone, with 81 lost in this manner. Despite their Max Speed: 108mph (173km/h) 50 were Mark X variants. They could deliver a obsolescence, the last front-line Virginias were Max all-up weight: 17,620lb (7,993kg) useful 3,000lb bomb load. still flying with one flight of No 51 Squadron Armament: Guns: 3 x 0.303in at Boscombe Down in February 1938. Virginias (7.7mm) Vickers In service even continued to soldier on in support roles machine guns Bombs: Up to 3,000lb First entering service in 1924, the Vickers with the Test Flight at Henlow until (1,360kg) Virginia proved to be the backbone of the RAF's December 1941. 36 FIGHTER Hawker Woodcock

erhaps the most notable thing about Hawker Engineering emerged out of the ashes calling for a single-seat night interceptor fighter, this small stubby biplane is that it was of the once mighty Sopwith Aviation. The new the Woodcock was a two-bay biplane of Pthe first fighter to bear the Hawker company's first design for a military aircraft, the wooden construction with fabric skinning. moniker, thus marking the start of an Hawker Duiker reconnaissance aircraft, had been Powered by a 358hp illustrious dynasty that produced some of a failure, and the first version of the Woodcock Jaguar II 14-cylinder radial engine, it carried the most famous machines of all time. It was was also rather disappointing. Designed by an armament of two 0.303in (7.7mm) not to be a particularly auspicious start. Capt B. Thomson to meet Specification 25/22 Vickers machine guns. First flown in 1923, its flying qualities matched its rather ungainly RAF Hawker Woodcock units appearance. Lacking manoeuvrability, it Hawker Woodcock II suffered serious wing flutter and an ineffectual No 3 Squadron No 17 Squadron Type: Fighter rudder. Several revisions of the vertical tail were Crew: 1 undertaken, but clearly a re-design was called for. Former Sopwith designer George Below: The stocky Hawker Woodcock only Length: 25ft 7in (7.8m) served with two RAF squadrons and was quietly Wingspan: 34ft 8in (10.57m) Carter was called in and he replaced the Jaguar replaced by the Gloster Gamecock just three Height: 9ft (2.74m) engine with a 380hp IV radial. years after it had been introduced. Engine: 1 x Bristol Jupiter IV He also designed a new single-bay wing, with radial of 425hp Max Speed: 141mph (227km/h) Max all-up weight: 2,979lb (1,354kg) Armament: 2 x 0.303in (7.7mm) Vickers machine guns GLOSTER GAMECOCK 37 a shorter span but greater chord and the new aircraft (J6988, the second prototype) was issued as the Woodcock II. This time the results were more positive and the fighter Gloster Gamecock was ordered into production, with eventually 61 Woodcock IIs being produced for the RAF.

In service The first Woodcock to be delivered to the RAF entered service with No 3 Squadron in May 1925 at RAF . No 17 Squadron was the only other operational unit with first deliveries being made in March 1926, replacing the Sopwith Snipe. The Woodcock proved popular with its pilots, but it was never an entirely satisfactory aircraft and suffered from a series of problems during its short service career. In January 1928 No17 Squadron converted to the Gloster Gamecock, and by the summer of 1928, No 3 Squadron had followed suit.

s its name implied, the Gloster Above: The first and last unit to operate the Gamecock was a more aggressive Gloster Gamecock was No 23 Squadron, seen Aversion of the company’s Grebe here on parade. and was in fact the RAF’s last fighter with a wooden structure. Gloster Gamecock II In July 1924, The began work on a fighter based on its earlier Type: Fighter Grebe, but fitted with the newly developed Crew: 1 and relatively light and simple Jupiter IV radial Length: 19ft 8in (5.99m) engine. Other changes included improved Wingspan: 29ft 9in (9.07m) ailerons, refined fuselage contours, and Height: 9ft 8in (2.94m) internally mounted machine guns. The first Engine: 1 x Bristol Jupiter IV prototype was delivered to Martlesham Heath radial of 425hp on 20 February 1925 and, following successful Max Speed: 155mph (250km/h) trials by service pilots, an order was placed in Max all-up weight: 2,860lb (1,297kg) September of that year for 30 machines to be Armament: 2 x 0.303in (7.7mm) known as the Gamecock I. Vickers machine guns

In service to be handled carefully during . The Powered by the Jupiter VI, the aircraft entered accident rate for Gamecocks was concerning, service with No 23 Squadron at RAF Henlow with four lost in 1926 and a further 18 in 1927, in May 1926. A further 42 were ordered in the majority because of landing or spinning July 1926 and 18 more shortly thereafter. The accidents. Spins to the right were easily machine was popular with its pilots, but had entered, particularly at low speed. Its faults were remedied in the revised Mk II version, by RAF Gloster Gamecock units means of a longer upper wing and a modified tail unit, but by then the more capable Bulldog No 3 Squadron No 23 Squadron was coming on line. Just six RAF squadrons No 17 Squadron No 32 Squadron were equipped with the Gamecock and it had a No 19 Squadron No 43 Squadron short service life, with the last operational unit relinquishing its machines in July 1931. 38 FIGHTER

Bristol Bulldog

he Bulldog has frequently been Bristol Aeroplane Company’s chief designer developed radial engine of described as one of the few aeroplanes Capt (who had created the 450hp. However, when the head of Bristol’s Tthat were a mirror of their age. Hailing F2B Fighter, and would go on to design the aero engine department warned Barnwell that from the same stable as the legendary Blenheim), began work on a series of single- production Mercuries would not be available Bristol F2B Fighter, the pugnacious aircraft seat radial-engined fighter prototypes from for a further two years, it was decided to build a dominated the RAF’s ranks in the early 1924. One of the most promising of these prototype of the Type 105 as a private venture, 1930s and was not retired until the ‘new was the Bristol Type 105, tailored to meet powering it with a tried and tested Jupiter VII generation’ of fighters emerged Specification F.9/26 for a single-seat day radial. The Type 105, or Bulldog as it was now just prior to World War 2. and night fighter and powered by the newly called, was an unequal span single-bay biplane featuring an all-metal structure with a fabric covering, using members built up from rolled high-tensile steel strips riveted together. To ensure the maximum field of view for the pilot, there was a large semi-circular cut out in the trailing edge of the upper wing and the inboard

Top: A trio of No 41 Squadron Bulldog IIAs formate during a flight from RAF Northolt in 1933. The aircraft are festooned with bolt-on extras, including a camera gun on the upper surface centre section of the top wing, light bomb racks on the underside of the port lower wing and 12 volt generators on the upper surface of either lower wing.

Left: The first Bristol Type 105 Bulldog prototype, c/n 7155, with the original short fuselage that gave test pilot ‘Mutt’ Summers trouble during spin trials at the A&AEE at Martlesham Heath. BRISTOL BULLDOG 39 section of the lower was of reduced chord. As with squadron pilots though, being much from October 1929. It was the first of seven was standard for the time, it was armed with a heavier than previous fighters such as the Siskin units to receive Bulldogs through to pair of 0.303in (7.7mm) Vickers machine guns, Gamecock and Siskin, great care had to be October 1932, Nos 19, 29, 41, 54, 56 and mounted one either side of the cockpit. Freed exercised during low-level aerobatics, and 111 Squadrons all making the switch, as from production delays caused by Air Ministry problems were sometimes experienced with did Gamecock-equipped Nos 23 and 32 interference, the prototype was soon ready for spin recovery. Squadrons. With the exception of the three flight testing and made its on Fury squadrons on the south coast, the 17 May 1927. While the Bulldog's In service Bulldog reigned supreme by 1932. The Hendon manoeuvrability and strength were praised by The first RAF unit to receive Bulldog IIs was pageants usually saw Bulldog units attending the RAF, it had poor spin recovery properties. No 3 Squadron at Upavon, in , which en masse from 1931, with the fighter’s peak This was solved by fitting an enlarged fin started to receive aircraft from 22 May 1929 being reached in 1933 when Nos 3, 17, 19, 41 and rudder, but this modification led to as replacements for its Gamecocks. A full and 54 Squadrons participated, performing further difficulties in taxying in a crosswind. complement of 12 aircraft had been received spectacular displays of formation aerobatics, Accordingly, a second prototype with a by the end of September, the unit having usually with coloured smoke trails. lengthened rear fuselage was ordered for by then given the Bulldog its RAF Pageant The final fling for the Bulldog at Hendon further evaluation. In this form, designated the debut at Hendon. Responsible for working- came in 1936, when Nos 17, 32, 54 and Type 105A or Bulldog II, it was first flown on up the Bulldog for front-line operations, No 3 56 Squadrons displayed just prior to their 21 January 1928. Following successful flight Squadron would ultimately retain the aircraft conversion onto the Gauntlet. That same trials the Air Ministry awarded Bristol the longer than any other RAF fighter squadron – year, with the establishment of RAF Fighter contract for 25 Bulldog IIs on 21 August 1928. it finally relinquished them in the summer of Command, the Bulldogs were to play an As a flying machine, the Bulldog was popular 1937 following the arrival of Gladiators. important role in the air defence of the UK for No 3 Squadron was also the only Bulldog unit the last time when they participated in the Below: A photographer with nerves of steel to serve overseas, basing 18 aircraft at Annual Air Exercises. No 3 Squadron retired its captures a dramatic image of a Bulldog on a fast Khartoum and Fort from October 1935 last Bulldogs in July 1937, although examples run at very low level. Despite having unpleasant spinning characteristics, the type was developed to August 1936. remained in service with training schools, step-by-step by designer Barnwell and his team, No 17 Squadron became the next to switch meteorological flights and the A&AEE for to become the best of its breed. to the Bulldog II when it received the aircraft another 18 months.

44 FIGHTER BRISTOL BULLDOG 45

Above: Whilst in service with the RAF, no fewer than 10 fighter squadrons of what was then known as the Air Defence of Great Britain (ADGB) were equipped with Bulldogs, and it still equipped four units upon the formation of Fighter Command in July 1936.

Above left: Bristol Bulldog IIAs of No 56 Squadron during a visit to RAF Mildenhall. The unit, based at North Weald throughout the 1930s, received its first Bulldogs in October 1932, replacing them with Gauntlets in 1936.

Left: Pilots of No 17 Squadron at dash to their Bulldogs during a rehearsal for the Empire Air Day display in May 1936. Taking part in various flying events was a major part of squadron life in the 1930s.

Bristol Bulldog II Type: Fighter Crew: 1 Length: 25ft 2in (7.67m) Wingspan: 33ft 10in (10.3m) Height: 8ft 9in (2.67m) Engine: 1x Bristol Jupiter VII radial of 440hp Max Speed: 178mph (287km/h) Max all-up weight: 3,490lb (1,586kg) Armament: Guns: 2 x 0.303in (7.7mm) Vickers machine guns Bombs: 4 x 20lb (9.1kg) 46 HEAVY BOMBER Handley Page Hinaidi HANDLEY PAGE HINAIDI 47

Left: The Hinaidi was directly developed from the earlier Handley Page Hyderabad, the latter seen here in all its wooden and fabric glory.

airframe. The first true Hinaidi, the HP36 Mk II, went into production after major modifications were implemented, the structure being changed from wood to metal.

In service The first 33 Hinaidis entered service in 1929, and were issued to Nos 99, 10 and 503 he name of this Handley Page bomber Squadrons. Total production ended with was perhaps the most exotic thing 36 aircraft, with some being converted into Tabout this lumbering beast. If it transports on the North-West Frontier in India. looked familiar, that is because it was based An aircraft from another age, the Hinaidi quickly on the earlier Hyderabad. became obsolete, but the type continued to The Handley Page Hinaidi was one of two provide sterling service with the RAF until twin-engine bombers built by Handley Page October 1935, primarily in the Middle East. that served with the RAF between 1925 and 1935. The aircraft was developed from the Handley Page Hyderabad, an all-wooden, Handley Page Hinaidi II three-bay biplane powered by two Napier Type: Heavy bomber Lion engines. It was fitted with a single fin and Crew: 4 rudder, and was one of the first large aircraft Length: 59ft 2in (18.03m) to feature Handley Page leading edge slats, Wingspan: 75ft 0in (22.86m) giving good lateral stability. The Hinaidi, named Height: 17ft 0in (5.18m) after an RAF station in Iraq, was an improved Engine: 2 x Bristol Jupiter VIII version of the Hyderabad built to meet Air radials of 440hp each Ministry Specification 13/29. The first example Max Speed: 123mph (197km/h) flew on 26 March 1927 and was in fact an early Max all-up weight: 14,400lb (6,500kg) production Hyderabad, J7745, re-engined and Armament: Guns: 3 x 0.303in fitted with a revised fin and rudder. At least (7.7mm) Lewis machine four Hyderabads were converted to Hinaidi Is, guns in nose, dorsal and ventral positions while six late-production Hyderabads were Bombs: 1,450lb (657kg) completed as Hinaidis, retaining their wooden

RAF Handley Page Hinaidi units

No 10 Squadron No 502 Squadron No 99 Squadron No 503 Squadron Above: The Bristol Jupiter radials of the Hinaidi gave the aircraft a much improved performance over its predecessor.

Left: RAF operations with the Hinaidi in the early 1930s, as depicted by artist Michael Turner. 48 LIGHT BOMBER Hawker Hart

uturistic, sleek and powerful, the pilot sitting under the wing trailing edge, and In the event, 1,042 Hart aircraft were built, Hart light bomber could outperform operating a single 0.303in (7.7mm) Vickers of which Hawker constructed 246. Contract Fthe fighters of the day when it machine gun mounted on the port side of production was undertaken from 1931 entered service in 1930. Although its the cockpit. The observer sat behind the pilot, by Gloster Aircraft Co Ltd (72), Armstrong supremacy would not last long, the aircraft and was armed with a single Lewis gun on a Whitworth Aircraft Ltd (456), Vickers (Aviation) demonstrated an adaptability and longevity Scarff ring mount, while for bomb-aiming, he Ltd (226), together with 42 aircraft under that its designers could not have imagined. lay prone under the pilot’s seat. Up to 520lb licence at Trollhäten, Sweden. Not only did The Hawker Hart was designed by Sydney (240kg) of bombs could be carried under the it look the part, the Hart proved to be an Camm against Specification 12/26, which aircraft’s wings. outstanding design, which gave rise to many called for a high performance two-seat light The prototype (J9052) was flown for the first variants. Developments included the Demon, biplane bomber. What emerged was a single- time in June 1928. Immediately it demonstrated Audax, Osprey, Nimrod, Hind, Hardy, Hartbees, bay biplane with all-metal primary structure both good speed and handling characteristics. Hector and Fury. The RAF used the Hart in both married to a cleanly-cowled 12-cylinder Once selected following competition trials its original light bomber role and as the Hart Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine. The crew of two at Martlesham Heath on 8 September 1928, Trainer, fitted with dual control and with all sat in individual tandem cockpits, with the production began. armament deleted.

Above: The Hawker Harts of No 600 Squadron offered a futuristic sight when they first entered service.

RAF Hawker Hart units

No 5 Squadron No 33 Squadron No 235 Squadron No 600 Squadron No 6 Squadron No 39 Squadron No 237 Squadron No 601 Squadron No 11 Squadron No 40 Squadron No 296 Squadron No 602 Squadron No 12 Squadron No 45 Squadron No 500 Squadron No 603 Squadron No 15 Squadron No 57 Squadron No 501 Squadron No 604 Squadron No 17 Squadron No 60 Squadron No 502 Squadron No 605 Squadron No 18 Squadron No 81 Squadron No 503 Squadron No 609 Squadron No 24 Squadron No 142 Squadron No 504 Squadron No 610 Squadron No 27 Squadron No 173 Squadron No 510 Squadron No 611 Squadron HAWKER HART 49

In service The Hart entered service with No 33 The introduction of the Hawker Hart light Squadron in February 1930, replacing the Hawker Hart bomber highlighted a major deficiency in larger and slower Hawker Horsley. No 12 Type: Light bomber Britain’s home defence capability, as it was faster Squadron replaced its Fairey Foxes with Harts Crew: 2 than the Bristol Bulldog fighter, which had only in January 1931, with a further two British- Length: 29ft 4in (8.94m) recently entered service in very large numbers. based Hart light bomber squadrons forming Wingspan: 37ft 3in (11.36m) The Hart was capable of 184mph in level flight, during 1931. Harts were deployed to the Height: 10ft 5in (3.18m) 10mph faster than the fighter – to polarize this Middle East during the Abyssinia Crisis of Engine: 1 x Rolls-Royce situation further, in a bombing exercise which 1935–1936 and it saw extensive and successful Kestrel IB of 510hp featured the new Hawker Hart bomber, the service on the North-West Frontier, British India Max Speed: 185mph (298km/h) attacking aircraft were able to complete their during the inter-war period. Though obsolete Max all-up weight: 4,596lb (2,089kg) mission almost unopposed by compared to the opposition at the start of Armament: Guns: 1 x synchronised fighter defences. This was a World War 2, the Hart continued in service, forward firing 0.303in worrying scenario for the RAF mainly performing in the communications (7.7mm) Vickers fighters, but good news for the and training roles until being withdrawn from machine gun, 1 x bomber pilots. service in 1943. 0.303in (7.7mm) Lewis gun on Scarff ring in rear cockpit Bombs: Up to 500lb (227kg) under wing 50 LIGHT BOMBER

Below: The Hawker Hardy was a general-purpose variant of the Hawker Hart tropicalised as a Wapiti replacement in Iraq. The prototype was a production Hart which was fitted with a modified radiator, a message pick-up hook, water containers and a desert survival kit. The first production aircraft were delivered to No 30 Squadron in January 1935. The Hardy saw some service during World War 2, in Africa and the Middle East, performing a number of operations against Italian-occupied Abyssinia as well as other areas of Africa. HAWKER HART 51 52 FIGHTER HAWKER FURY 53

Hawker Fury

he Hawker Fury is widely regarded in March 1929. Tests at Martlesham Heath Above: As well as being a highly advanced, as the epitome of biplane fighter demonstrated that the Hornet was capable highly capable combat aircraft, the Hawker Fury development and arguably the of reaching 207mph and was superior to the was without doubt one of the most attractive T ever produced. Everything about it was most stunning of the genre ever created. Bristol Bulldog, which had just been ordered cultured – sleek, sophisticated and polished, as Furthermore, it was fast and agile being the in extensive quantities for the RAF. The Hornet demonstrated here by Hawker Fury I K2051. first interceptor in RAF service capable of was purchased by the Air Ministry at the start speeds higher than 200mph. of 1930 and was subject to more tests, with a Left: No 25 Squadron from Hawkinge puts up an Before the aviation world finally turned small initial production order for 21 aircraft. impressive formation of Fury IIs over the south coast, headed by K7270 flown by the OC of the its back on biplane aircraft, At this stage, it was renamed the Fury as unit, Sqn Ldr H.H. Down. Company managed to perfect the design and the Air Ministry wanted fighter names that produce what is for many, one of the most ‘reflected ferocity’. The Fury I made its maiden attractive aircraft ever to take to the skies. A flight at Brooklands, with chief test pilot exceed 200mph (322km/h) in level flight. It had lean, mean, silver machine, the Hawker Fury at the controls, on 25 March highly sensitive controls which gave it superb was a development of the earlier Hawker 1931. Fundamentally, it was a relatively small, aerobatic performance. It was designed partly F.20/27 prototype fighter, replacing the original single-seat biplane fighter with an airframe for the fast interception of bombers and to that radial engine with the new Rolls-Royce F.XI incorporating a newly advanced design of end it had a climb rate of almost 2,400ft/min V-12 engine (later known as the Rolls-Royce tubular steel and aluminum for the fuselage (730m/min). Kestrel). The new fighter prototype, was called and dumb-bell wing spars, which would remain Built during a time of austerity, only the Hornet and first flew at Brooklands, , features of all Hawker aircraft well into World 118 Furies were produced for the RAF, but War 2. Unlike the earlier Hart, there was no approximately 32 were exported. RAF Hawker Fury units wing sweepback and ailerons were installed only on the top plane. Standard armament In service No 1 Squadron No 43 Squadron was installed, comprising of twin Vickers When the Hawker Fury I entered RAF service in No 25 Squadron No 73 Squadron 0.303in (7.7mm) guns, with 600 rounds per May 1931, it was the fastest fighter in its history, No 41 Squadron No 87 Squadron gun. Not only did it look good, the Fury was eclipsing its main front-line aircraft, the Bulldog. the first operational RAF fighter to be able to The first unit to receive the Fury was No 43 54 FIGHTER

Right: Fast and furious. An experimental prototype, the High Speed Fury (K3586), was built to test design features for Hawker's planned competitor for the F.7/30 fighter competition as well as for more general development. Many of the improvements tested on the High Speed Fury were incorporated in an improved Fury II, with a cleaned up airframe and reduced drag, powered by a 690hp Mk4 Kestrel IV engine, which gave improved speed and rate of climb.

Squadron based at Tangmere, shortly followed by No 1 Squadron (also Tangmere-based) and No 25 at Hawkinge. Over the next few months, Furies dominated the Annual Air Exercises, out-climbing all other RAF fighter aircraft and making many ‘interceptions’. They were shown also to be superlative aerobatic machines and in 1933, a formation of nine No 25 Squadron aircraft took off at the RAF Pageant at Hendon, and performed formation aerobatics tied together with ribbon! The Fury I was followed by a redesigned Fury II in 1936, more than 20mph faster and with a 30% increase in climb-rate, thanks in part to its uprated Kestrel IV of 640hp. But even these machines could not stem the rise of the monoplane, and as the Bf109 in Germany, the Polikarpov I-16 in Russia, and the Seversky P-35 in the USA took shape, Hawker was working on the ‘Fury Monoplane’ – soon to be known as the Hurricane. After its front-line service ended, Furies continued in use as trainers. Although withdrawn from RAF squadrons, the Fury was still used by some foreign air forces in the early 1940s; Yugoslav Furies saw action against Axis forces in the invasion of 1941, but were decimated by the far superior aircraft of the German war machine.

Hawker Fury II Type: Fighter Crew: 1 Length: 26ft 9in (8.15m) Wingspan: 30ft 0in (9.14m) Height: 10ft 2in (3.10m) Engine: 1x Rolls-Royce Kestrel IV V12 of 640hp Max Speed: 223mph (360km/h) Max all-up weight: 3,609lb (1,637kg) Armament: 2 x 0.303in (7.7mm) Vickers machine guns

Right: The Fury entered RAF service with No 43 Squadron ‘The Fighting Cocks’, at Tangmere in 1931, where it was to serve until the unit replaced them with the new , in 1938. They were regarded as a hot-rod fighter compared to the Bulldog then in service. HAWKER FURY 55 56 LIGHT BOMBER Fairey Gordon

he Fairey Gordon looked Armament was one fixed, forward-firing 0.303in ideal for rough-field operations in the Middle unsophisticated… and it was. (7.7mm) Vickers machine gun and a 0.303in East, where it supported the British presence TDelightfully uncomplicated, it lacked (7.7mm) Lewis gun in the rear cockpit, plus flying patrols and utility missions, though its such ‘unnecessary’ bits and pieces as brakes, 500lb (230kg) of bombs carried under the Panther engine ultimately proved unreliable in flaps, electrics and radio. Here was an aircraft wings. The aircraft was somewhat basic and its desert conditions. which you just got into, warmed up the performance could best be described as sedate, The type had mostly been retired from RAF engine, and took off. with a top speed of 149mph, cruise speed of and service prior to World War 2, The Gordon was developed from the Fairey IIIF 120mph, endurance of five hours flying time although Nos 6, 45 and 47 Squadrons, still reconnaissance/utility aircraft, primarily by fitting and a ceiling of 22,000ft. operated the type in Egypt. Six of these aircraft the new Armstrong Siddeley Panther engine. were later transferred to the . The prototype was first flown on 3 March 1931, In service Seven Gordons were adapted to target towing and around 80 earlier IIIFs were converted to a Entering service in the early 1930s, the Gordon and stationed at No 4 Flying Training School at similar standard. Nearly 180 new-built aircraft proved functional rather than game-changing. RAF Habbaniya in Iraq. At the end of April 1941 were made for the RAF, with a handful of IIIFs It performed its tasks in an unspectacular these aircraft were hastily converted back into being converted on the production line. Over manner, but as one pilot put it, ‘Care had to be bombers, and in early May they took part in the 150 Gordon Is were produced, before production taken in taking off because if one got the tail defence of Habbaniya against Iraqi forces. switched to the Mark II, featuring a larger fin and too high the 12ft two-bladed fixed pitch metal Right: ‘Functional’, is the word most often used to rudder; only 24 of these were completed before airscrew had a tendency to mow the grass. describe the Fairey Gordon, but its simplicity was Fairey switched production to the Swordfish. With a reasonable wind it was possible to be also its strength. This shot of No 207 Squadron The Fairey Gordon carried a pilot in the front airborne in the length of two cricket pitches flying over southern was taken prior to open cockpit, protected by a small windscreen, and in the air it was very responsive to the 1935 when the unit was sent to the Sudan. and an observer/gunner in the large open controls and generally behaved in a predictable Below: Fairey Gordons of No 207 Squadron on rear compartment. It was an equal span, two manner, with the stall delayed by slats in parade at Eastleigh. The two aircraft in the bay, braced biplane powered by an uncowled the upper wing. Getting back on the ground foreground, K1765 and J9647, were both early Armstrong Siddeley Panther 11A radial of 525hp. required a forced landing technique; that is versions converted from Fairey IIIFs. side slipping in and stalling it on in the three- RAF Fairey Gordon units point position because, with only a tail skid, and no brakes, there was no way of stopping the No 6 Squadron No 45 Squadron beast.’ The rugged nature of the airframe proved No 14 Squadron No 47 Squadron No 29 Squadron No 207 Squadron No 35 Squadron No 223 Squadron No 40 Squadron FAIREY GORDON 57

Right: Beauty and the beast. Fairey Gordon K2645 flying over the spectacular rocky outcrop of the Al Taka Mountains in Kassala, Eastern Sudan. Note the non-standard headgear worn by the crew!

Fairey Gordon I Type: Light bomber Crew: 2 Length: 36ft 9in (11.20m) Wingspan: 45ft 9in (13.95m) Height: 14ft 2in (4.32m) Engine: 1 x Armstrong Siddeley Panther IIa radial of 525hp Max Speed: 145mph (240km/h) Max all-up weight: 5,906lb (2,679kg) Armament: Guns: 1 x fixed 0.303in (7.7mm) Vickers machine gun and 1 x 0.303in (7.7mm) Lewis in rear cockpit Bombs: 500lb (227kg) carried under wings

Left: A difficult line-astern nine-ship formation is flown immaculately by Gordons of No 6 Squadron during its deployment to Egypt.

Below: Float-equipped Fairey Gordon K2634 of No 43 Squadron, moored by a Dhow on the Nile at Khartoum. VICKERS VILDEBEEST/VINCENT 61 Vickers Vildebeest/Vincent

he wildebeest is a large ungainly improved performance, increasing maximum creature with a heavy build and speed to 156mph. However, in this version the RAF Vildebeest units Tdisproportionately large forequarters. Perseus had overheating problems, and the No 7 Squadron No 42 Squadron The same could be said of the Vickers Mk IV was thus deemed unsuitable for tropical No 22 Squadron No 100 Squadron Vildebeest, that entered RAF service in 1932. service, with production limited to 18 aircraft all No 36 Squadron No 273 Squadron However, both are resilient creatures and of which served with home-based squadrons. the winged variant remained in service for Meanwhile, as a private venture, Vickers a decade, seeing action against Japanese pursued a general-purpose variant to support RAF Vincent units forces in World War 2. the Army in the Middle East. Known as the The Vickers Vildebeest was a single-engined Vincent, the only essential difference between it No 5 Squadron No 55 Squadron two/three seat biplane designed to meet Air and the Vildebeest was the replacement of the No 8 Squadron No 47 Squadron Ministry Specification 24/25 for a torpedo torpedo equipment by an auxiliary fuel tank. No 27 Squadron No 84 Squadron bomber. An all-metal fuselage aircraft with Between the two variants, a total of some 270 No 28 Squadron No 207 Squadron single-bay unstaggered fabric-covered wings were built, with 197 Vincents either constructed No 31 Squadron No 223 Squadron and tail, the prototype Vickers Type 132 was first from scratch or converted from Vildebeests. No 45 Squadron No 244 Squadron flown in 1928, powered by a Bristol Jupiter VIII radial engine. As the Jupiter was prone to In service withdrawn to Java at the end of January 1942 vibration, a second prototype was fitted with The Vildebeest entered service with No 100 and the last two machines were lost attempting an Armstrong Siddeley Panther IIA, and after Squadron at RAF Donibristle in October 1932 to escape to Burma in March of that year. The further testing, the Vickers design was selected and was soon equipping four front-line units, last Vildebeests in RAF service, operated by by the RAF. But engine problems persisted two in the UK and two in . The No 273 Squadron at Ceylon, were retired in until the type was tested with a new version Vincent, entered service with No 84 Squadron March 1942. of the Jupiter, which later became known as at RAF Shaibah, Iraq in 1934 and, by 1937, was The Middle East Vincent squadrons were the Bristol Pegasus. An initial production order equipping six Middle East squadrons. used for bombing missions against Italian was placed in 1931 for nine aircraft, with the Following the outbreak of war in 1939, the forces in the East African campaign, and for first production machine flying in September UK-based Vildebeests were employed on coastal patrols from Aden, one attacking the 1932. Further orders soon followed for the Mk II coastal patrol duties before being replaced Italian submarine Galileo Galilei. Other Vincents with an up-rated Bristol Pegasus engine and by the in 1940. The Singapore bombed Iraqi forces during the Anglo-Iraqi War the main production version, the Mk III (150 squadrons were still awaiting their replacement of 1941. built), which added a third crew member. The Beauforts when the Japanese invaded Malaya The last front-line Vincents were retired in Mk IV introduced the much more powerful in December 1941 and suffered heavy losses January 1943, with the type continuing in 825hp Bristol Perseus radial engine as enemy forces advancing south towards the second line service (which included pesticide enclosed in a NACA cowling, which significantly island were engaged. A few survivors were spraying against locusts in ) until 1944.

Left: The Vickers designers did not let aesthetics get in the way when they were engineering the Vildebeest. K4688 is the Vincent version of the aircraft with its torpedo armament removed to be replaced by a long-range fuel tank for operations in the Middle East.

Below: An impressive line-up of Vildebeest toting their torpedo armament.

64 LIGHT BOMBER

Above: A formation of Vincents viewed through the struts during a training mission. By the time World War 2 broke out, the lumbering bomber was badly outdated.

Left: The performance of the Vildebeest was significantly improved with the more powerful 825hp Bristol Perseus sleeve valve radial engine, enclosed in a NACA cowling.

Top right: Wise instructions as a Vincent is refuelled during operations in the Far East.

Right: A small herd of Vildebeest IIIs roving over the English countryside. At the beginning of World War 2 the type was used on coastal patrol duties, but was soon replaced on the task by more modern types.

Vickers Vildebeest III Type: Light bomber Crew: 3 Length: 36ft 8in (11.18m) Wingspan: 49ft 0in (14.94m) Height: 14ft 8in (4.47m) Engine: 1 x Bristol Pegasus II radial of 635hp Max Speed: 143mph (230km/h) Max all-up weight: 8,500lb (3,864kg) Armament: Guns: 1 x fixed 0.303in (7.7mm) Vickers machine gun and 1 x 0.303in (7.7mm) Lewis in rear cockpit Bombs: 1,100lb (500kg) or 1 x torpedo VICKERS VILDEBEEST/VINCENT 65 66 FIGHTER Hawker Demon

he sleek Hawker Hart origins of the also being slow, it was decided to produce 0.303in Lewis gun and observer/air gunner. Demon are there for all to see, and for a two-seat fighter version of the Hart. Two These were known as Hart Fighters, as were a Ta short while it served its purpose. But modified Harts were produced as prototypes further batch of six machines. The name Demon the age of the biplane fighter, especially a for evaluation. Powered by the supercharged was adopted in 1932 and full production began two-seat one, was drawing to a close. Rolls-Royce Kestrel , each was shortly thereafter. An impressive 305 Demons When the Hawker Hart bomber entered equipped with a pair of synchronised forward were built, including 232 for the RAF service in January 1930, embarrassingly it firing 0.303in Vickers machine guns and had outperformed the RAF fighters then in service, the rear cockpit modified to accommodate a In service so much so, that during air defence exercises The Demon entered RAF service with No 23 it was often instructed to slow down to enable Below: The sleek Hawker Demon was so fast that Squadron in April 1933 and eventually the Siskins and Bulldogs to intercept it. With it needed to be fitted with a semi-turret to help equipped seven regular and five auxiliary deliveries of the new more capable Fury deflect the slipstream away from the rear gunner. squadrons. Such was its speed that the rear HAWKER DEMON 67

Hawker Demon RAF Hawker Demon units Type: Fighter No 6 Squadron No 41 Squadron No 208 Squadron No 607 Squadron Crew: 2 No 23 Squadron No 64 Squadron No 600 Squadron No 608 Squadron Length: 29ft 7in (9m) No 25 Squadron No 65 Squadron No 601 Squadron Wingspan: 37ft 3in (11.4m) No 29 Squadron No 74 Squadron No 604 Squadron Height: 10ft 5in (3.2m) Engine: 1 x Rolls-Royce Kestrel gunner experienced considerable difficulty performance of the fixed guns whenever the V12 of 560hp manoeuvring his gun against the slipstream. turret was pointed abeam. The Demon was not Max Speed: 143mph (230km/h) From late 1936 a number of aircraft built a particularly successful fighter, but the aircraft Max all-up weight: 4,668lb (2,117kg) by Boulton-Paul were provided with a remained in service until late 1938, when its Armament: 2 x fixed 0.303in hydraulically operated Frazer-Nash turret units were re-equipped with the Bleheim1F. (7.7mm) Vickers shield in the rear cockpit and many earlier It was obsolete by the time war broke out machine guns and aircraft were retrospectively modified to this in 1939, but a few continued 1 x 0.303in (7.7mm) standard. This initiative greatly improved the to serve as target tugs and Lewis in rear cockpit rear gunner’s accuracy, but badly affected the communications aircraft. 68 HEAVY BOMBER Handley Page Heyford

he Handley Page Heyford looked The prototype of the Heyford was the Handley Page Heyford IA unconventional, but it worked. The H.P.38, designed by G. R. Volkert and his Type: Heavy bomber Tunusual arrangement of the fuselage team. Serialled J9130, it had a fabric-covered Crew: 4 abutting the top wing gave the crew a field all-metal airframe and two 550hp Rolls- Length: 58ft 0in (17.68m) of vision hitherto unknown in a bomber Royce Kestrel II engines. It first flew in June Wingspan: 75ft 0in (22.87m) and gave the gunners a wide field of fire. 1930 at Handley Page’s then-new airfield at Height: 17ft 6in (5.34m) Thus, it combined many of the advantages Radlett, piloted by Sqn Ldr T. H. England, the Engine: 2 x Rolls-Royce Kestrel II of a monoplane with the manoeuvrability company’s chief test pilot. An order was placed V12 of 525hp of a biplane... but even its designers would for a production version, known as the H.P.50, Max Speed: 142mph (229km/h) admit that it did not look ‘quite right’. and it was named Heyford, after the bomber Max all-up weight: 16,900lb (7,680kg) The last of the RAF's biplane heavy bombers, station at Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire. Armament: Guns: 3 x 0.303in the Heyford was built to the same 1927 The fuselage of the Heyford was made in (7.7mm) Lewis guns, specification (B.19/27) as the , four main sections, joined together by bolts. nose, dorsal and ventral the first of the big monoplane bombers, but The front, monocoque, portion was built up ‘dustbin’ positions unlike the latter (whose production was long of duralumin formers and longerons covered B ombs: 2,500lb delayed), it was destined to serve with no less with Alclad. The extreme end of the fuselage (1,134kg) than 11 front-line squadrons. was faired off by an aluminium monocoque HANDLEY PAGE HEYFORD 69 streamlined box, hinged to the main structure (combining duties of bomb-aimer and front Squadrons. Despite its rather ungainly so as to allow access to the complete interior gunner); wireless operator (who in a defensive appearance, the Heyford was well liked by its of the tail. The fuselage was carried over the action doubled as mid-upper gunner); and rear crews and was very easy to maintain. It had no bottom wing centre section by two metal gunner, normally located in the mid-upper tricks or vices and such was its manoeuvrability vee struts. The wings were of duralumin gun position, but manning the ventral ‘dustbin’ that it was looped on several occasions, construction with fabric covering. They were turret in a defensive action. including at least one air display. equal in span and chord and the top wings The first production Heyford, K3489, made By today’s standards the Heyford had were fitted with Handley Page automatic its maiden flight on 21 June 1933, at Radlett. a comparatively short service life, being slats. The lower centre section was deep to The production Mk I incorporated various superseded within the span of six years by accommodate the bombs and was suitably improvements. For example, the undercarriage the monoplane bombers of the expansion reinforced. The tail unit was of the strut-braced was not only strengthened but now featured era, notably Whitleys and Wellingtons. It was monoplane type with twin-balanced deeper spats which covered the lower part of completely obsolete by 1937 but at the time and strut-braced fins. The undercarriage the wheels. The next variants of the bomber of the Munich crisis in 1938, the RAF still had comprised twin single units with wheels faired were the Mk II and Mk III each powered by six squadrons in Bomber Command; they were into the lower wing. 640hp Kestrel VIs. brought to readiness with full bomb-loads and For normal operations, the Heyford carried armament during the crisis, but never dropped a crew of four comprising: pilot; navigator In service a bomb or fired a shot in anger in their entire Delivery of the first Heyford Mk Is began on careers. Nevertheless, the Heyford soldiered Below: Test pilot Maj Cordes revs up the 14 November 1933 to No 99 Squadron, based on until the summer of 1940 as a bombing and prototype’s Kestrels for take-off at the RAF Display, Hendon, on 25 June 1932. Note the appropriately enough at Upper Heyford. Other gunnery trainer. machine's modified exhausts (‘ram's horn’ type) units to equip on the type were Nos 7, 9, 10, The RAF's last two examples were struck off and wheel spats. 38, 78, 97, 102, 148, 149 and 166 (Bomber) charge in April and May 1941. Top: A splendid action study of the first production Heyford over Radlett airfield, 25 November 1933. The Heyford was termed ‘express bomber’ by Handley Page because not only could it carry a considerable load of bombs at high speed, but its arrangements for ground servicing were such that refuelling, re-arming and running adjustments could all be undertaken simultaneously in under 30min.

Above left and left: Open room with a view. Because of the unusual configuration of the Heyford, the pilot sat some 16ft (4.9m) above the ground, which meant that much practice was required to make a good landing. Entry into the Heyford was gained via a small trap door in the fuselage floor, above the trailing edge of the lower centre section.

Right: Heyford Mk I/IA, K4029, was tested with a cockpit canopy. Although it did not increase drag, surprisingly the canopy was not adopted for subsequent production aircraft. HANDLEY PAGE HEYFORD 71

RAF Handley Page Heyford units

No 7 Squadron No 38 Squadron No 97 Squadron No 148 Squadron No 9 Squadron No 58 Squadron No 99 Squadron No 149 Squadron No 10 Squadron No 78 Squadron No 102 Squadron No 166 Squadron 72 FIGHTER Gloster Gauntlet

he Gloster Gauntlet’s claim to fame the Bristol Mercury VIS engine, which first took which utilised a revised construction method is that it was the last 'open-cockpit' to the air in July 1933. The Air Ministry placed based on that used by Hawker, following the Tfighter to be supplied to the RAF. For an order for 24 aircraft in September 1933 and latter’s takeover of Gloster. A total of 204 Mk IIs a short period it was also the service’s called it the Gauntlet. The type was a two-bay, were produced in the UK. fastest aircraft. single-seat biplane armed with two fuselage- The Gloster Gauntlet had its origins in the mounted 0.303 (7.7mm) Vickers guns. Like In service Mercury IIA powered SS.18 J9125 which first many other Gloster fighters, the type offered The first Gauntlet I, K4081, flew on 17 December flew in January 1929. Progressive modification a combination of excellent performance and 1934, with deliveries to No 19 Squadron at resulted in the production SS.19 powered by handling. The revised Gauntlet II followed, Duxford commencing in May 1935. At the time, the Gauntlet provided a huge leap forward in performance, being 56mph (90.12km/h) faster than the outgoing Bristol Bulldog. Indeed, between 1935-1937 it was the fastest fighter in the RAF. The Gauntlet II entered service with Nos 56 and 111 Squadrons in May 1936, a further six squadrons being re-equipped with the type by the end of the year. At the height of its career, the Gauntlet equipped a total of 14 squadrons of RAF Fighter Command. However, as more advanced fighters, such as the Gladiator, Hurricane and Spitfire began to appear, the Gauntlet took on a training role. Gauntlets were also shipped to the Middle East, equipping three RAF squadrons. All home- based Gauntlet squadrons had re-equipped with more modern fighters by the start of World War 2, but a flight of Gauntlets remained in service with No 3 Squadron RAAF in the Middle East when Italy declared war in 1940. These were briefly used for ground-attack operations.

Left and right: The fastest fighter in the RAF, Gloster Gauntlet IIs being put through their paces by No 56 Squadron in 1936.

Gloster Gauntlet II Type: Fighter Crew: 1 Length: 26ft 5in (8.05m) Wingspan: 32ft 9in (10m) Height: 10ft 3in (3.13m) Engine: 1 x Rolls-Royce Kestrel II RAF Gloster Gauntlet units V12 of 525hp No 6 Squadron No 54 Squadron No 80 Squadron No 504 Squadron Max Speed: 142mph (229km/h) No 17 Squadron No 56 Squadron No 111 Squadron No 601 Squadron Max all-up weight: 16,900lb (7,680kg) No 19 Squadron No 65 Squadron No 112 Squadron No 602 Squadron Armament: Guns: 3 x 0.303in No 32 Squadron No 66 Squadron No 151 Squadron No 615 Squadron (7.7mm) Lewis guns, nose, dorsal and ventral No 33 Squadron No 73 Squadron No 213 Squadron No 616 Squadron ‘dustbin’ positions No 46 Squadron No 74 Squadron No 234 Squadron Bombs: 2,500lb No 47 Squadron No 79 Squadron No 237 Squadron (1,134kg)

74 LIGHT BOMBER Hawker Hind

he final genre of biplanes produced powerplant, the Rolls-Royce Kestrel V. Other In service by Hawker were things of beauty, and refinements included a cut-down rear cockpit, The Hind went into service in November 1935 Tthe Hind was certainly no exception. as first seen on the Demon. In its new guise, the and eventually equipped 20 RAF bomber Hardly surprising really, as in essence it was Hind made its maiden flight on 12 September squadrons and numerous auxiliary units. an improved version of the Hawker Hart. 1934, though rather surprisingly in view of Only ever intended as a stop-gap, the Hind Purchased by the RAF as an interim aircraft the proven technology, the first production was rapidly overtaken by the next generation while more modern bombers were still in aircraft (K4636) did not fly until a year later, on of bombers (the and Bristol development, the main difference between 4 September 1935. It featured a Fairey-Reed Blenheim) and was phased out of front-line the Hind and its predecessor was a new metal propeller and engine improvements. service by 1937. When World War 2 broke out, only No 613 Squadron was still operating the RAF Hawker Hind units type in the Army co-operation role. However, the Hind was not finished just yet. It found No 12 Squadron No 62 Squadron No 108 Squadron No 502 Squadron a new career in 1938 as a training aircraft, No 15 Squadron No 63 Squadron No 110 Squadron No 503 Squadron representing the next step up from Tiger No 18 Squadron No 64 Squadron No 113 Squadron No 504 Squadron Moths. Meanwhile, a number of Hinds had No 21 Squadron No 82 Squadron No 114 Squadron No 602 Squadron been exported and in 1941 flew operations in No 24 Squadron No 83 Squadron No 139 Squadron No 603 Squadron their original role as light bombers against Axis No 34 Squadron No 88 Squadron No 142 Squadron No 605 Squadron forces. South African Hinds were employed No 40 Squadron No 90 Squadron No 185 Squadron No 609 Squadron against Italian forces in during the East No 44 Squadron No 98 Squadron No 211 Squadron No 610 Squadron African Campaign and Yugoslav Hinds were No 49 Squadron No 103 Squadron No 218 Squadron No 611 Squadron used against the Germans and Italians. No 50 Squadron No 104 Squadron No 267 Squadron No 613 Squadron No 52 Squadron No 106 Squadron No 500 Squadron No 614 Squadron The Hawker Hart origins of the Hind are readily No 57 Squadron No. 107 Squadron No 501 Squadron No 616 Squadron apparent as this early production example shows off its sleek lines to the camera. HAWKER HIND 75

Hawker Hind Type: Light bomber Crew: 2 Length: 29ft 3in (8.92m) Wingspan: 37ft 3in (11.36m) Height: 10ft 7in (3.23m) Engine: 1 x Rolls-Royce Kestrel VI V12 of 640hp Max Speed: 185mph (298km/h) Max all-up weight: 16,900lb (7,680kg) Armament: Guns: 1 x synchronised forward-firing 0.303in (7.7mm) Vickers gun and 1 x 0.303in (7.7mm) Lewis gun in rear cockpit Bombs: Up to 510lb (231kg) under the wings 76 Boulton Paul Overstrand

he Overstrand was a dinosaur, In service service and six were used for gunnery training. a design clinging on to biplane A total of 24 Overstrands were produced and They remained in operation until May 1941, Ttechnology in an age when the future in 1936 began replacing the Sidestrand flying though flying was limited following the mid-air was clearly ‘mono’. While it was the last twin- with No 101 Squadron (the only Sidestrand breakup of Overstrand K8173 on 22 April 1940. engined biplane bomber to see service with squadron). They also briefly saw service with the RAF, it did feature one very significant No 144 Squadron, before being replaced by Below: The Overstrand was the first RAF aircraft first… a power-operated turret. Bristol Blenheims in 1938. At the outbreak of to feature a power-operated nose turret. It was The Overstrand was essentially a ‘super- World War 2, only 11 Overstrands remained in also the service’s last biplane bomber. Sidestrand’ and was in fact originally known as the Sidestrand V. The Sidestrand twin- engined bomber was similar to its World War 1 predecessors, in that it had open cockpits and hand-operated machine-guns. However, unlike its predecessors, the Sidestrand could fly at 140mph (230km/h) making operating the guns in exposed positions difficult, particularly in the nose. Thus, the Overstrand was fitted with an enclosed and powered nose turret with a Lewis gun, the first RAF aircraft to have a power-operated turret. Traverse of the turret was driven by pneumatic motors, elevation and depression of the gun by hydraulic rams. The cockpit was also enclosed but the dorsal and ventral gun positions remained open, though shielded. The first Overstrand was a converted Sidestrand powered by two 580hp Bristol Pegasus IM.3 engines and flew in 1933. The conversion was a success and three more Sidestrands were modified using the Bristol Pegasus II.

RAF Overstrand units

No 101 Squadron No 144 Squadron

Boulton Paul Overstrand Type: Medium bomber Crew: 3-4 Length: 46ft 0in (14.02m) Wingspan: 72ft 0in (21.95m) Height: 15ft 6in (4.73m) Engine: 2 x Bristol Pegasus II of 580hp each Max Speed: 148mph (238km/h) Max all-up weight: 11,923lb (5,420kg) Armament: Guns: 3 x 0.303in (7.7mm) Lewis guns in nose turret, dorsal and ventral gun positions Bombs: 1,500lb (680kg) and 4 x 20lb BOULTON PAUL OVERSTRAND 77 78 FIGHTER

Gloster Gladiator

utperformed, outgunned and open-cockpit biplane, but it had only one In service outdated. The Gloster Gladiator pair of interplane struts each side and a more No 72 Squadron was the first RAF unit to receive Owas certainly all of that, yet in the streamlined cantilever undercarriage. Two of Gladiators when, on 22 February 1937, five right hands it could be deadly. As a biplane the required four guns were mounted in the of its pilots collected their aircraft from the in a monoplane world, it acquitted itself fuselage with the other pair under the lower Gloster company’s factory at . No 72 honourably. It had been intended to tide the wings. The initial tests went well, and when the was to operate the Gladiator until April 1939, RAF over until its fighter squadrons could SS37 was acquired by the RAF and flown by longer than any other home-based front-line be equipped with more modern aircraft, yet service test pilots at Martlesham Heath, they squadron. By September 1937, all eight RAF when World War 2 broke out, eight squadrons were impressed too. They liked it so much that Gladiator squadrons had reached operational were operating Gladiators, and it was thrown the Air Ministry ordered 23 of an improved status. In those pre-war days, Gladiators into battle in most major theatres. and more powerful version to specification enlivened many flying displays with their The Gladiator resulted from a piece of F14/35. This featured a cockpit enclosed by a aerobatics, often featuring aircraft tied together, opportunism by the Gloster Aircraft Company. sliding hood and there were constructional the sun glinting off their silver dope finish It came at a time when aviation was on the differences compared with the SS37. An set off by colourful squadron markings. After threshold of a design revolution. The future lay order for a further batch of 180 followed soon the Munich crisis all aircraft received a drab in the new breed of fast monoplane fighters, afterwards. By that time the new fighter had camouflage finish. But even though Gladiator but the British industry was finding it tough a name: Gladiator. The Gladiator took the units had started re-equipping with Hurricanes to fulfil the specifications set them by the Air evolution of the biplane fighter to its logical or Spitfires, the nation’s first-line air defences Ministry, especially as the preferred powerplant, conclusion. It was still fabric-covered, but were still relying on biplanes. In September the Rolls-Royce Goshawk, was also failing to the framework was of high tensile steel and 1938 five Gladiator units (Nos 25, 54, 65, 72 and live up to expectations. As the proponents alloy. Engine power was now over 800hp and 85 Squadrons) operated 102 front-line aircraft of and biplanes continued to there were wing flaps. The undercarriage was with another 37 in reserve. argue, Ministry officials dithered and the still fixed but much more streamlined than When World War 2 broke out, the RAF had timescale lengthened. This led Gloster to before. Production Gladiators were based 114 Gladiators in front-line service with another wonder if a developed Gauntlet might meet the on construction methods developed by the specification’s requirements and also bridge the Hawker Aircraft Company which acquired the Right: The Gladiator possessed a top speed of gap between the biplanes and the monoplane Gloster company in 1934. All Gladiators were about 257mph, yet even as it was introduced fighters then at the conceptual stage. The powered by the Bristol Mercury air-cooled it was being eclipsed by new-generation resulting company-funded prototype, nine-cylinder radial rated at 830hp or 840hp monoplane fighters. Nevertheless, a total of 747 designated SS37 was, like the Gauntlet, an with manual boost override. were built, including 483 for the RAF. GLOSTER GLADIATOR 79

84 FIGHTER

Right: No 72 Squadron Gladiators headed by K6130. The stocky Gladiator was a transitional aircraft, being the last British biplane fighter to be manufactured, but the first to feature an enclosed cockpit.

38 in reserve. All told, 24 RAF squadrons operated Gladiator Is and IIs, together with five Auxiliary Air Force units and 12 meteorological flights. By the time of the German Blitzkrieg in the west, RAF Gladiator squadrons had nearly all been re-equipped with Hurricanes, but a Gladiator detachment was formed at RAF Manston to cover the and during the two home-based Gladiator units were operational, although neither played a significant role. But for 11 critical days following Italy’s declaration of war on 10 June, ’s air defence rested on a handful of Sea Gladiators pressed into service by the RAF. RAF Gladiator units operated against the Italians over the Western Desert, but following the assault on , Nos 33, 80 and 12

RAF Gloster Gladiator units

No 1 Squadron No 72 Squadron No 127 Squadron No 520 Squadron No 3 Squadron No 73 Squadron No 141 Squadron No 521 Squadron No 6 Squadron No 74 Squadron No 152 Squadron No 602 Squadron No 14 Squadron No 80 Squadron No 237 Squadron No 25 Squadron No 85 Squadron No 239 Squadron No 603 Squadron No 33 Squadron No 87 Squadron No 247 Squadron No 604 Squadron No 46 Squadron No 94 Squadron No 261 Squadron No 605 Squadron No 54 Squadron No 112 Squadron No 263 Squadron No 56 Squadron No 117 Squadron No 267 Squadron No 607 Squadron No 65 Squadron No 123 Squadron No 274 Squadron No 615 Squadron

Squadrons were re-deployed to fight alongside Greek-flown Gladiators in October. By the end of the year No 80 Squadron alone claimed the destruction of 40 Italian aircraft for six losses. The following February a force of 28 Gladiators and Hurricanes downed a morale-boosting 27 out of about 50 Italian aircraft. A total of 16 pilots flying with four air forces were credited with five or more aerial victories while flying Gladiators. Flg Off Bill ‘Cherry’ Vale served with the RAF’s Nos 33 and 80 Squadrons and scored kills over , before becoming an ace in Greece in December 1940. His total score was 30 enemy aircraft, of which 10 were shot down while flying Gladiators. By 1941, the Gladiator’s RAF career as a first-line fighter had come to an end, although a few were used for tactical reconnaissance duties in Egypt and also for the aforementioned meteorological reconnaissance flights. GLOSTER GLADIATOR 85

Above right: Arab Legionnaires guard the landing ground at H4 pumping station on the Iraq Petroleum Company pipeline in Transjordan, as Gloster Gladiators of No 94 Squadron RAF Detachment refuel during their journey from Ismailia, Egypt, to reinforce the besieged garrison at Habbaniyah, Iraq. On arrival at Habbaniyah these aircraft flew operations against the Iraqi rebels.

Left Although the Gladiator was typically well liked by pilots, the accident rate encountered during operational training was so numerous that a small replacement batch of 28 Gladiator Mk IIs was hurriedly produced. Most accidents were caused by pilots being caught out by the fighter’s increased wing loading and many aviators had little experience in landing aircraft with such a wide area.

Right: Faith (serial number N5520), a Gloster Sea Gladiator I flown by the RAF at Malta, circa September 1940. The aircraft has been refitted with a Bristol Mercury XV engine and three-blade Hamilton Standard variable-pitch propeller salvaged from a Bristol Blenheim. In the siege of Malta in 1940, for ten days the fighter force defending Malta was the Hal Far Fighter Flight, which gave rise to a myth that three aircraft, named Faith, Hope and Charity, formed the entire fighter cover of the island. In fact the aircraft names were applied after the battle. 86 HEAVY BOMBER

Handley Page Harrow

s the RAF’s first monoplane heavy the more traditional featuring a high wing and dorsal turrets were armed with a single Lewis bomber, the Harrow deserves fixed landing gear. The Handley Page HP54 gun, while the tail turret carried two. (These Arecognition, though it could not was named Harrow and was intended for initial guns were later replaced by Vickers K machine escape its biplane roots and would soon give use as an interim bomber trainer and to be guns). A bombload of up to 3,000lb (1,400kg) way to more sophisticated designs. later relegated to transport status when more could be carried internally, or the aircraft could The Harrow arose out of the RAF specification advanced bombers became available. The Air be armed with a single 2,000lb (910kg) bomb. B.3/34 for a monoplane bomber of twin- Ministry placed an order for 100 Harrows on A production innovation of Handley Page engine design to replace the Handley Page 14 August 1937, before the type had even taken for the Harrow, was the sub-contraction of Heyford and the lumbering Vickers Virginia. to the air. Powered by Bristol Pegasus X engines minor components to small firms. The first 39 Two companies were awarded contracts to the of 830hp, the first Harrow flew on 10 October production aircraft were designated Harrow Is specification, one being Armstrong Whitworth, 1936 from Radlett. The Harrow was designed and were powered by Bristol Pegasus X engines, which submitted the Whitley, and the other to have powered nose and tail turrets, with a giving a top speed of 190mph (306km/h). The Handley Page, whose Handley Page HP54 was manually operated dorsal turret. The nose and Mk I did not come with power-operated gun HANDLEY PAGE HARROW 87

turrets in the nose, tail and mid-upper positions, (Driffield). As the delivery of more modern Above: With its engines being warmed up, the but were later retrofitted. The following 61 bombers increased, by the end of 1939 the crew of No 75 Squadron’s K6947 prepare for a aircraft were driven by Pegasus XX engines of Harrow was phased out as a front-line bomber sortie during home defence exercises in 1938. The Harrow was the RAF’s first monoplane heavy 925hp (providing an extra 10mph), and were (as originally planned), but it continued to be bomber. Although basic in design, it was never designated Harrow IIs. used as a transport. Thus, No 271 Squadron was intended to be more than a stop-gap aircraft. formed on 1 May 1940 and retained its flight In service of Harrows (sometimes nicknamed ‘Sparrows’ No 214 Squadron at Feltwell was the first unit due to a revised nose fairing), as transports were dwindling and when seven Harrows were to receive Harrows, in January 1937, when and ambulance aircraft until the end of conflict destroyed by a low-level attack by the type began to replace Virginias. By the in Europe. Harrows operated in support of fighters on Evere airfield (as part of Operation end of that year, four other squadrons had Allied forces in their advance into north-west ‘Bodenplatte’) on 1 January 1945, only five re-equipped with the new bomber: Nos 37 Europe, evacuating wounded from the Arnhem Harrows were left operational. These were (Feltwell), 75 (Driffield), 115 (Marham) and 215 operation in September 1944. By now, numbers eventually retired on 25 May 1945. 88 HEAVY BOMBER

Handley Page Harrow II Type: Heavy bomber Crew: 5 Length: 82ft 2in (25.05m) Wingspan: 88ft 5in (26.96m) Height: 19ft 5in (5.92m) Engine: 2 x Bristol Pegasus XX of 925hp each Max Speed: 200mph (322km/h) Max all-up weight: 23,000lb (10,500kg) Armament: Guns: 4 x 0.303in (7.7mm) Lewis guns in nose and rear turret RAF Handley Page Harrow units Bombs: Up to 3,000lb (1,400kg) in bomb-bay No 37 Squadron No 93 Squadron No 214 Squadron No 75 Squadron No 115 Squadron No 215 Squadron HANDLEY PAGE HARROW 89

Left: Devoid of its turrets, Handley Page Harrow I K6933 takes to the skies. The Heyford dynasty of the Harrow can be appreciated in this view.

Right: Inside the Harrow, looking towards the cockpit and showing the radio operator and navigator positions. Despite being fitted with cabin heating, the Harrow gained a reputation of being a cold and draughty aircraft.

Far right: Glory days. The Harrow’s tenure as a front-line bomber with the RAF was to be short lived, though it remained in service in the support role until the end of World War 2.

Below: You can almost hear the roar of Bristol Pegasus engines echoing around the airfield during this impressive formation take-off by Harrows of No 214 Squadron. 90 LIGHT BOMBER/FIGHTER Bristol Blenheim

hen the Bristol Blenheim first took its performance immediately sent ripples stringers, and was constructed in three sections, to the air it proved a revelation, of concern through the RAF when it was as was the wing. The Blenheim typically carried Wbut by the outbreak of World discovered that its top speed was 30mph faster a crew of three – pilot, navigator/bombardier War 2 it had been overtaken by advances in than Fighter Command’s then new fighter, the and wireless (radio) operator/air gunner. The technology. Nevertheless, it flew the RAF’s Gloster Gauntlet. Consequently, Specification pilot’s quarters on the left side of the nose were first wartime sortie on 3 B.28/35 was created for a light bomber and extremely cramped and flight instruments and also the service’s first bombing mission. Bristol was invited to submit the Type 142. Its restricted the forward view on landings. The During the war’s early months the Blenheim wings were raised to mid-fuselage position, navigator/bombardier was seated alongside was the mainstay of the RAF’s light bomber which allowed for more internal space within the pilot, and made use of a sliding/folding forces despite taking increasingly heavy the fuselage underneath the main to seat whilst performing the bomb aiming losses, proving particularly vulnerable to accommodate a sizeable bomb bay. Other role. A 1,000lb (450kg) bomb load could be German fighters. modifications included the addition of a bomb- carried in the internal bomb bay, but like most Bristol’s venerable Blenheim was the result of aimer’s position and a Browning machine gun contemporary British aircraft, the bomb bay a speculative private venture on the part of the in the nose along with provisions for a semi- doors were kept closed with bungee cords and manufacturer. Unencumbered by restrictions retractable in the dorsal position. It opened under the weight of the released bombs. on the aircraft’s weight, powerplants, was powered by a pair of Bristol Mercury VIII Consequently, bombing accuracy was poor. general layout or radius of action, the Bristol air-cooled radial engines, each capable of The Air Ministry placed a contract for 150 design team produced a sleek twin-engined 860hp, driving three-bladed controllable-pitch aircraft off the drawing board and named it machine known as the Type 142. It made its propellers. The fuselage utilised a light-alloy Blenheim I. The first aircraft built, K7033, served maiden flight at Filton on 12 April 1935 and monocoque structure using open-section as the only prototype, making its first flight on BRISTOL BLENHEIM 91

25 June 1936 from Filton. Production deliveries nose), in 1938 the decision was made to fighter duties, where it achieved some success. to the RAF formally started on 10 March 1937. convert the Blenheim I to a long-range fighter. In the German night bombing raid on London Meanwhile, work began on an improved Designated the Blenheim IF, the main difference of 18 June 1940, Blenheims accounted for five variant, resulting in the Blenheim IV. This aircraft was the addition of a ventral pack of four German bombers, thus proving they were better featured a revised and elongated nose, heavier 0.303in machine guns. Other armament of suited to nocturnal duties. Before long the defensive armament, additional fuel capacity, the IF was a single wing-mounted Browning Blenheim IF and IVF were to prove the backbone as well as more powerful Mercury XV engines. machine gun and a Vickers ‘K’ gun and a semi- of Fighter Command’s night fighter force. By First flying in 1937, the Blenheim IV became the retractable hydraulically operated dorsal turret. mid-1942, it was clear that the Blenheim was most produced variant of the type with 3,307 In all, there were some 200 Blenheim I bombers too vulnerable for use in Europe and the type built. As with the earlier model, the Mk VI could converted to Blenheim IFs and the first unit to flew its last bombing mission on the night of mount an underfuselage gun pack for use as a take delivery of these was No 600 Squadron 18 August 1942. Use in North Africa and the fighter. Bristol Blenheim IVs entered service with based at Hendon, this was in September 1938. Far East continued through the end of the year, Coastal Command in late 1939 and by 1940 was By the time World War 2 broke out, seven but in both cases the Blenheim faced similar the most important version having replaced the squadrons were operating these twin-engined challenges. With the arrival of the de Havilland Blenheim I in the majority of front-line duties. fighters. One of the greatest advantages that Mosquito, the Blenheim was largely withdrawn the Blenheim had over other fighter aircraft was from service. Blenheims also saw service as In service its range. It could penetrate deep into enemy long-range reconnaissance aircraft, though The first RAF squadron to receive Blenheim Is territory, but by mid-1940, daylight Blenheim they proved as vulnerable in this mission as was No 114, then based at Wyton. However, losses were so high that it was decided that when serving as bombers. Other aircraft were by the outbreak of World War 2, its speed the IF would be relegated mainly to night assigned to Coastal Command where they advantage had been overtaken by the new operated in a maritime patrol role and aided generation of fighters and it was found to be Below: In a relaxed pre-war setting, Blenheim Is in protecting Allied convoys. Outclassed in all K7141 (left) and K7140 of No 4 Squadron are vulnerable to attack. Having already been prepared for peace time exercises in 1937. In a roles by newer and more modern aircraft, the superseded by the more-capable Blenheim IV portent of things to come, obligatory gas masks Blenheim was effectively removed from front- (distinguishable by its extended scalloped are carried by the groundcrew. line service in 1943 and used in a training role. Above: Silver dream machine. The privately-built prototype Blenheim in its unadulterated natural metal finish.

Left: A trio of Blenheim Is drone their way towards a target during a training mission. The early Mk Is entered RAF service in March 1937 but by then the type had already lost its speed advantage over the rapidly advancing fighters of the era, making it vulnerable to enemy attack from the opening days of the conflict.

Below: When war broke out in September 1939, seven home-based fighter squadrons had re-equipped or were re-equipping with the Blenheim IF, a fighter version with four extra 0.303in Brownings in a belly pack. Other armament of the Mk IF was a single wing mounted Browning machine gun and a Vickers ‘K’ gun in the semi-retractable hydraulically operated dorsal turret.

RAF Bristol Blenheim units

No 6 Squadron No 55 Squadron No 140 Squadron No 244 Squadron No 8 Squadron No 57 Squadron No 141 Squadron No 245 Squadron No 11 Squadron No 59 Squadron No 142 Squadron No 248 Squadron No 13 Squadron No 60 Squadron No 143 Squadron No 252 Squadron No 14 Squadron No 61 Squadron No 144 Squadron No 254 Squadron No 15 Squadron No 62 Squadron No 145 Squadron No 267 Squadron No 17 Squadron No 64 Squadron No 150 Squadron No 272 Squadron No 18 Squadron No 68 Squadron No 162 Squadron No 285 Squadron No 20 Squadron No 82 Squadron No 173 Squadron No 287 Squadron No 21 Squadron No 84 Squadron No 203 Squadron No 288 Squadron Top right: During the Battle of Britain, RAF No 23 Squadron No 86 Squadron No 211 Squadron No 289 Squadron Fighter Command fielded six Blenheim IF No 25 Squadron No 88 Squadron No 212 Squadron No 353 Squadron Squadrons in the night fighter role, although No 27 Squadron No 90 Squadron No 218 Squadron No 500 Squadron most of their limited success was gained by day No 29 Squadron No 92 Squadron No 219 Squadron No 516 Squadron rather than by night. One notable exception No 30 Squadron No 101 Squadron No 222 Squadron No 521 Squadron to this was the world’s first air victory using airborne , achieved by a Blenheim of the No 34 Squadron No 103 Squadron No 223 Squadron No 526 Squadron Fighter Interception Unit over a Dornier Do17 No 35 Squadron No 104 Squadron No 224 Squadron No 527 Squadron during the night of 2/3 July 1940. This particular No 39 Squadron No 105 Squadron No 226 Squadron No 528 Squadron Blenheim IF was used by 54 OTU for nightfighter No 40 Squadron No 107 Squadron No 229 Squadron No 600 Squadron training and was fitted with an A1 Mk III radar No 42 Squadron No 108 Squadron No 233 Squadron No 601 Squadron antenna in the nose. No 44 Squadron No 110 Squadron No 234 Squadron No 604 Squadron Right: Many Blenheim Is were posted to the No 45 Squadron No 113 Squadron No 235 Squadron No 608 Squadron Middle East theatre, where the type was deemed No 52 Squadron No 114 Squadron No 236 Squadron No 614 Squadron to be less susceptible to concentrated fighter No 53 Squadron No 139 Squadron No 242 Squadron attack. Egypt’s pyramids of Giza provide a breathtaking backdrop. BRISTOL BLENHEIM 93 94 LIGHT BOMBER/FIGHTER

Above: RAF Bristol Blenheim I, K7096, of No 30 Squadron, circa 1938. The aircraft is shown in the factory-issue European camouflage of that period. The undersides are night black, the upper surfaces dark earth dark/green. No 30 Squadron operated Blenheims mainly out of Ismailia from January 1938 until the outbreak of war in the Middle East, and then in the Western Desert along with Mark IFs.

Above: RAF Bristol Blenheim I, L1489 UQ-D of No 211 Squadron, in Middle East markings. L1489 served with the unit from May 1939-May 1940.

Above: RAF Bristol Blenheim IV V6028, GB-D of No 105 Squadron, wearing the ‘camouflage pattern A’. This was the aircraft in which Wg Cdr Hughie Idwal Edwards won the on 4 July 1941 for his part in leading a low-level bombing raid on the industrial complex at Bremen, designated Operation 'Wreckage'.

Above: Bristol Blenheim IVs entered service with Coastal Command in late 1939 and by 1940 was the most important version having replaced the Blenheim I in the majority of front-line duties. A number of aircraft were fitted with a four-gun pack mounted beneath the fuselage, designated as Blenheim IVF. V5735 QY-D of No 254 Squadron was based at Aldergrove, Northern Ireland from May to December 1941. This page: The Bristol Blenheim IV final assembly lines at Filton during the height of production. 96 LIGHT BOMBER/FIGHTER BRISTOL BLENHEIM 97

Bristol Blenheim I/IF Type: Medium bomber/fighter Crew: 3 Length: 39ft 9in (12.12m) Wingspan: 56ft 4in (17.17m) Height: 9ft 10in (3.00m) Engine: 2 x Bristol Mercury VIIIs of 840hp each Max Speed: 278mph (447km/h) Max all-up weight: 12,200 lb (5,534kg) Armament: Guns: 1 x 0.303in machine gun in port engine nacelle, 1 x 0.303in in dorsal turret and 4 x 0.303in in underfuselage tray Bombs: Up to 1,000lb (450kg) in bomb-bay • SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE • SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE • SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE • SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE • SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE

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