Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used in WWII
Image details
Contributor:
Avpics / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
FDC764File size:
46 MB (749.5 KB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
4928 x 3264 px | 41.7 x 27.6 cm | 16.4 x 10.9 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
15 September 2015Location:
Goodwood, West Sussex, UKMore information:
The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter. It was one of the first British aircraft to have all-metal stressed-skin construction, retractable landing gear, flaps, a powered gun turret and variable-pitch propellers. A Canadian-built variant named the Bolingbroke was used as an anti-submarine patrol aircraft and trainer. The Blenheim Mk I outran most biplane fighters in the late 1930s but stood little chance against the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 during daylight operations, though it proved successful as a night fighter. The Mark IV variant was equally unsuccessful in its daylight bombing role, suffering many losses in the early stages of the war. In 1934, Lord Rothermere, owner of the Daily Mail newspaper, challenged the British aviation industry to build a high-speed aircraft capable of carrying six passengers and two crew members. At the time, German firms were producing a variety of record-breaking high-speed designs, such as the single-engined Heinkel He 70, and Rothermere wanted to recapture the title of fastest civilian aircraft in Europe. Bristol had been working on a suitable design as the 'Type 135' since July 1933, and further adapted it to produce the Type 142 to meet Rothermere's requirements. Named 'Britain First', this first flew at Filton on 12 April 1935, and proved to be faster than any fighter in service with the RAF. On the day that war was declared on Germany, a Blenheim piloted by Flying Officer Andrew McPherson was the first British aircraft to cross the German coast and the following morning 15 Blenheims from three squadrons set off on one of the first bombing missions.With the rapid advances in technology which had taken place in the late 1930s, by then the aircraft was already obsolescent.