Beaufighters

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Wed Jul 18, 2007 9:06 am

Something you've never seen from me before! Any details from the Beaufighters experts? I've got more............

sabredriver · **Posted:** Wed Jul 18, 2007 9:14 am

British RAF nightfighter and a good old aussie built ...eveleigh built or cac built unsure ...cac beaufighter over new guinea i bet

Robbie Stuart · **Posted:** Wed Jul 18, 2007 9:44 am

Jack you always got something else up your sleeve. Keep em coming.

Robbie

Steve Nelson · **Posted:** Wed Jul 18, 2007 12:56 pm

What an awsome brute of an airplane! When I saw the NMUSAF's recently unveiled Beau, I just marvalled at the sheer size of the beast.

BTW, Jack..don't mean to critisize, but the first pic appears to reversed.

SN

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Wed Jul 18, 2007 1:28 pm

Quote:

Jack..don't mean to critisize, but the first
pic appears to reversed.

Well ya know the Brits do it all backwards.
Just trying to help them out :wink:

Keith Gaff · **Posted:** Wed Jul 18, 2007 9:43 pm

The second pic is an Australian Beaufighter but it is a British built Mk.1. Australian built Beaufighter Mk 21's differed in detailed respects from their British counterparts. All had dihedral tailplanes and they all had the bulge in front of the windscreen for the Sperry auto pilot that was never actually fitted. All Australian Beaufighters were finished in overall foliage green rather than two colour camouflage and all Aus built machines serial numbers started with A8. British built Beaufighters in Australian service had serials starting with A19 and you can just see this in the photo.

In addition Australian Beaufighters were built by the Department of Aircraft Production which was the amalgamation of the state railway workshops of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Beau's were never built by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation CAC.

Hope this helps

Keith Gaff

Steve Nelson · **Posted:** Wed Jul 18, 2007 9:47 pm

Quote:

ya know the Brits do it all backwards.

Well, what do you expect for people who put the steering wheel on the wrong side.

SN

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Wed Jul 18, 2007 10:13 pm

Keith I hereby appoint you wix Beaufighter expert. :shock:

Here's a couple more..............

USAAF Beaus and P-38s in Italy 1944

skydaddy61 · **Joined:** Wed Jul 11, 2007 8:58 am **Posts:** 208

There's an old book (late 60's I believe) called "Night Fighter" by a retired RAF gent who flew in radar-equipped Beaus, Blenheims, and Mosquitos. (The name escapes me at the moment, and I've misplaced my copy.) He had the misfortune on several occasions to fly with someone braver than he. Excellent war memoir.

Keith Gaff · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2007 12:03 am

Hello Jack

It's rather nice to be appointed the resident expert of anything. I hung around a Beaufighter for about 25 years as the President of the Moorabbin Air Museum in Melbourne which exhibits Beaufighter A8-328 so you get to know a little bit about them. The Mk1 at the USAF Museum is Australian Beaufighter A19-43 which was originally owned by the Moorabbin Air Museum. As President I brockered that deal; although it was originally to go to Canada. How it ended up in America is a very long story.

The two pics in your latest post are interesting. I have never seen so many US Beaufighters in one place before.

For skydaddy 61, the book you refer to was written by a chap named Rawnsley I think. He was the radar operator for the legendary RAF night fighter pilot John "Cat's Eyes" Cunningham. It is a rattling good read.

Firebird · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2007 3:59 am

Keith Gaff wrote:

For skydaddy 61, the book you refer to was written by a chap named Rawnsley I think. He was the radar operator for the legendary RAF night fighter pilot John "Cat's Eyes" Cunningham. It is a rattling good read.

Written by C.F. 'Jimmy' Rawnsley & Robert Wright, first published in 1957, still available, and still a great read.
Remember reading it as a young schoolboy some 30+ years ago, much to the consternation of my English Literature teacher who said I shouldnt be reading such nonsense and instead be reading Shakespere or some such other rubbish......... :wink:

Walrus 7 · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2007 6:32 am

More information on that RAAF Beaufighter.

The pic was taken in the Bulolo Valley PNG on 4 March 1942. The aircraft MK 1C A19-15 "O" of No. 30 Squadron RAAF returning to Moresby after a raid on Lae. The pilot was Flying Officer Brazenor and the navigator was Flight Sergeant Anderson.

Interesting that many pics of 30 Sqn aircraft of this period show the "LY" squadron marking, but they are absent from this one.

Walrus

mustangdriver · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2007 6:44 am

The one in the NMUSAF is painted in the markings of the aircraft flown by one of our volunteers. I think that it was great the the museum honored him in that way. I too was amazed at the size of this thing.

1969read · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2007 6:54 am

It has been said before and yes its over old ground aircaft sould be painted in there real colours, looking out not looking in as they say Jason
Hello Keith its been a while Jason Read
readsigns@bigpond.com

JDK · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2007 6:57 am

Walrus 7 wrote:

The pilot was Flying Officer Brazenor...

And he's done a good job of synchronising the engines, too.

Walrus 7 wrote:

Interesting that many pics of 30 Sqn aircraft of this period show the "LY" squadron marking, but they are absent from this one.

Recent transfer, perhaps? Transferred from another unit? (Wild guesses.)

What's the story of the (I'm presuming) USAAF airman in an RAF Nightfighter with the special secret reversed serial?

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