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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 1319.PDF
FLIGHT, June xith, 1041. a IS2ND EDITION : In the Bristol family the Beaufort is type No. 152. v BRISTOL BEAUFORT Details of the R.A.F.'s Latest Versatile G.P. TypeT HE Bristol concern can always be trusted to pro- duce the aeroplane most required at any particular moment. The famous "Brisfit" arrived in the last war just when a two-seater fighter was urgently wanted. Britain First—designed and built as a civil machine—was the forerunner of the Bristol Blenheim and was ready for mass production at home and abroad at a time when the need was desperately urgent. Now comes the high-performance Bristol Beaufort, which is equally at home on general reconnaissance .duties, bomb- ing, torpedo bombing, or as a general-purpose landplane. Many times recently the Beauforts of Coastal Com- mand have been mentioned in Air Ministry communiques and in citations for awards. Enemy supply ships in sSPwegian waters, barge concentrations and other targets in the occupied Channel ports, and the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau at Brest have all felt the weight of the Beau- fort's bombs. The Beaufort's duty in connection with the all-important Battle of the Atlantic is the convoying of merchant ships. As a torpedo carrier its exceptionally high speed enables a quick approach and get-away to be made. Since to drop torpedoes a steady course must be flown within 2,000 yards of the target, and only 50ft. above the water, high speed and manoeuvrability are essentials for successful attacks. The Beaufort has a long list of enemy transports, supply ships, and even some warships to its credit. Like its forerunner, the Blenheim, the Beaufort is an all-Bristol product. The engines, airframe and even the power-operated gun turrets for the rear gunner, come from the drawing-boards and workshops of the Bristol Aeroplane Company. As part of the Empire air scheme the Beaufort is also being manufactured under Government contracts in Australia. The first produc- THREE-QUARTER REAR : This view of the Beaufort shows the numerous hand holds on the fuselage and how the gun turret streamlines the main cabin.
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