Beaufighter - The Whispering Death! (Updated)
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- Learn all about this iconic British heavy fighter / nightfighter / fighter-bomber / torpedo-bomber from WWII! Join this channel to get access to perks: / @worldofwarbirds
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When I left the UK for Tasmania Australia in 1968, one of my neighbours in Tasmania was a former RAAF aircraft fitter ground crew. We became great friends, me being RAF was a common factor. At one stage in the early 70’s he gave me a B & W print of the entire squadron sitting on and in front of a Beaufighter, written on the face of the photograph in fountain pen, the words Beaufighter Boys Port Moresby 1943. I misplaced the photograph but found it many years later,I had it copied, enlarged and framed, which I gave to him on his 100th birthday. There were tears in his eyes when he looked at me, he treasured that framed image and his expression I will never forget. I asked his daughter to take it to the Tasmanian Museum if and when they had to part with it. I still have the original print, which I treasure, John G Butler was his name, one of nature’s gentlemen, another unsung hero.
Thanks for sharing! Lovely memories!
❤ You've made me cry. Stop that!
He sounds like a lovely bloke who led a fantastic life. It is a blessing to have shared the time with him.
Totally awesome. So cool thank you for sharing. One of those prints with me I’ll frame it myself even. 😊
My instructor was a Beaufighter pilot.
My father flew the Beaufighter as well as Mossies in the UK with the RAAF. He told me that the Beaufighter was known as: "Two large engines followed closely by a small aircraft."
I had friend who shot down two German aircraft and shot another up he caught bobbing on the sea,a float plane. He flew low to allow the crew to escape before destroying it. After the war the German pilot contacted him and thanked him for saving his life.
RIp. Ken gatwoodDFC🎉
Haha! Spot on.👍
As a Brit I love the Beau! It looks like it wants to send a message and f**k up your entire life.
Not elegant like the Mossie. The Mossie was a thorough bred whereas the Beau was a bar room hooligan.
Brilliant kite! 👍👍
Too right! And if we want to see a real "Soccer Hooligan", maybe we'll see a video of the Hawker Typhoon, a cross between a thoroughbred and a massive draft horse!
The only reason the Mosquito replaced the Baufighter was because German bombers were getting faster, and the Baufighter wasn't able to intercept them as quickly.
Excellent description. I always refurred to it as a 'Flying 'Bulldog''.
@@Cliffjumper24 The Mosquito was also cheaper and easier to build.
Bludy brilliant aircraft, 2nd only to the Mossies. My Uncle was a Mossie Nav.
A couple of paragraphs from Guy Gibson's "Enemy Coast Ahead":
"Meanwhile, the Beau wasn't behaving itself. Although I never had any trouble with the Beaufighter myself, it had been a bit troublesome with other pilots. Don Parker, one of our fellows, himself an ex-bomber boy, had to bale out when an engine caught fire. Another time the C.O. was flying around above Northampton when suddenly one engine started banging at about 8,000 feet. He immediately throttled it back, then the other went. He started pulling taps and juggling petrol cocks, but was unable to do very much about it, and so gave the order to bale out. The observer, sitting in the back, was a bit slow, and caught his feet in the rear escape hatch. When Widdows looked round to see that he had gone safely, he was astonished to find him lying on the floor doing his best to free himself. During this time the aircraft had lost some 5,000 feet in height. Old Charles then put up a very good show. He climbed back into his seat and although he didn't have time even to put his feet on the rudder bar, managed to pull off a good landing in a field with the aid of his landing lamp, missing some high-tension wires by a few feet. By his quick action not only did he save the life of his observer, but also brought the Beau down in more or less one piece, and thus enabled the experts to solve the mystery, which turned out to be some trouble with the blower.
But despite the small trouble we had had, other squadrons had begun to look upon it as a suicide ship. There is a story that one particular squadron in the north had got to the stage where they almost refused to fly it. They said that it stalled too quickly and that it was unmanageable in tight turns. They were sitting about one foggy day on their aerodrome when there was no flying possible, and were discussing the subject heatedly, when suddenly a Beau whistled over their heads at about 100 feet, pulled up in a stall turn, dropped its wheels and flaps and pulled off a perfect landing on the runway. Naturally this attracted a lot of attention. They all thought this pilot must have been one of the crack test pilots who had come to show them how. As it taxied up to the watch office, they all crowded round to get the gen. However, a lot of faces dropped to the ground when from underneath the Beau crawled a figure in a white flying suit, capped by blonde floating hair; it was one of the A.T.A. girls. I am told that this squadron had no trouble from Beaus from that day on."
Brilliant story about the A.T.A pilot showing how its done. These pilots, to call them "girls" i find a bit disingenuous, probably had more flying time in type, and many other types, than some of the combat pilots. What these young ladies would have been capable of in operational missions I am sure would have rewritten history. And bravo for the lads pulling their socks up and applying some grey matter to their supposed handling problems.
Great story. 😂
@@mac4boys541 C.O.D. pilots have more traps than most fighter jocks. And up until recently a good many were female. During run in to port, the C.O.D. pilots do as many as necessary, every day. Like, 6 or 7.
I am from Uruguay, 84. When I was a kid I used to play with a toy Beaufighter, not bigger than my (then) small hand, I still remember the livery painted on it. I also had a Mosquito replica. I think they were made in the UK by Dinky Toys, the popular little toy car producer.
Great memories my friend your dinky toys are worth a fortune now!
I am 100 years old and flew Mark 1 and Mark 6 Beaus in the war. I also flew many
Mosquitoes but still look upon the Beaufighter as my favourite. Nearly all the above were nightfighters with100 Group RAF
When I used to work at Richmond the old range needed to be dug out and updated. When they started digging they found 8 Beaufighter engines on their stands buried.
Yes contrary to any future needs, the UK & US decide to destroy, buried, burn or scrap hundreds of thousands of warbirds & aero engines, a huge percentage being brand new, to keep the market viable & profitable for the aircraft industry & aircraft engine industry , regardless of the fortunes made during the war. Even so, so much was squandered, plenty went busted in the 50’s, even with juicy Cold War contracts
My father was a radar/radio operator in a Night Beau...told me he flew 50 missions over Germany, he seldom talked of his experiences. This revelation was when I was 30. We were fishing and catching many trout that day, He did often say that the memories of the war were tough...lost too many friends.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for doing the Beaufighter proud.
My late aunt worked in the Beaufort factory in Sydney during WW2
Excellent video. Very interesting about the development of the Bristol Company itself. That’s the first time I’ve seen it explained. Thank you.
My father flew them in New Guinea in 300 squadron RAAF. I have a photo of him walking with other pilots along a row of Beauforts in New Guinea. It was a hard time my father said because of the heat and rain. RIP dad. Thanks this documentary. 😢🇦🇺
Thanks for sharing!
Years ago, I saw a photograph of a Beau in North Africa that had flown so close to the ground while strafing Axis truck convoys that its prop tips had hit the ground. With six bent props, it still got back to base.
When I was a young bloke at high school in the seventies I had a mate who’s dad flew in Beaufighters in the Pacific campaign. He told me that he would be sitting under that perspecs dome and the bullets would be going right through the plane around you just missing you. He also describe how some of his mates died, he was a tough old bugger and didn’t mince his words. His name was Col McKenzie and retired in the early seventies at Amberley Airforce base in Ipswich Queensland.
Cheers for that. There were so many heroes we never get to hear about. I bet they all have written a book about their stories.
My Uncle flew the Beaufort Nightfighter in the Mediterranean out of Corsica and was lost after shooting down a German bomber.
Beaufort night fighter? Gimme a break mate. Beaufort was a BOMBER, from which the Beaufighter was derived. Get ya facts right, typical dumbass modern stupid ignorant human. Thank your uncle for his bravery, however, mate!
Was your father flying in the RAF or in the USAAF. The USAAF flew reverse lend lease Beaufighters in Corsica.
He flew for the USAAF. He wasn’t trained for the Beaufort, but on arriving in Corsica it was all they had for the job.
@@michaelhearne3289 Thank you very much for your reply. I hate to be a knit picker but I think that you mean the Beaufighter rather than the Beaufort. The Beaufort was a different aircraft, being a torpedo bomber by the same company, Bristol Aircraft. Your uncle was a brave man, but they all were back then.
@@airplane1831 could very well be. I only know it was a Night fighter aircraft.
The Beaufighter was the third highest scoring aircraft in the RAF with 965 victories, behind the Spitfire and Hurricane but ahead of the Mosquito which had 835 victories.
I did not know that! Many thanks for the fact.
@@AndrewGivens You've just learned me something I didn't know, I'll remember that fact. Thankyou.
My grandfather flew Beaufighters with 68 Squadron. In June 1944 they were switched to Mosquitos - great though the Mosquito was, he seems to have preferred the handling of the Beaufort.
Thank you for doing a doc on the Beau, I get fed up with people talking about RAF types as if they only flew Hurricanes, Spits, Lancs and Wellingtons...The Beau had an impressive record and deserves far more recognition than it gets - in fact, I bet most people alove today have never heard of the Whispering Death. Great Doc, looking forward to seeing more on other aircraft types that are less well know and under appreciated.
My father was CO of 84 sqd. At Silatar. The big problem with the aircraft was corrosion of the replacement sleeve valves due to poor storage in tropical conditions. The problem was cured by careful inspection of remaining stocks. 84 sqd was the second from last RAFsquadron to operate the plane.
Tremendous illustrations to match great content. Your descriptions of the Bristol company and the aircraft they produced is a really great potted history.
I grew up near Bristol, we used to see all the flights from Filton, epic sounds and sights.
The Australian DAP Mk.21 Beaus were very potent with 4 20mm cannon in the nose and 4 .50 Brownings in the wings instead of the .303 Brownings with the ability to carry 8 HVAR 5" rockets 2 250lb bombs, 2 500lb bombs or a MK13 torpedo. DAP experimented with a 40mm Bofors armed beast as well though it never went into serial production. RAAF flew a number of British built MKs of the Beau earlier in the war. The RAAF Beaus played a role in Japan's first defeat on land at the Battle of Milne Bay.
As a seven year old in 1949 I saw one fly into Coffs Harbour together with a Mosquito, Lincoln & two Australian Mustangs at an air show & THAT got me into 35 year flying career.
Hi Brian. Excellent video. Very detailed. My electrical fitter Dad built Beauforts and Beaufighters at Chullora, a suburb in Western Sydney. I am always on the search for photos of the workshops to see if I can catch a glimpse of him back then. He (and others) quoted the description of a Beaufighter in flight as "a pair of engines, followed closely by an airframe". Such a great description. Thanks again for a great video.
The RAAF used them a lot for jungle strafing with great effect. one commentator said the "last place you would want to be is in front of an angry beaufighter"
I met a woman in the 1970's that had delivered these aircraft to airfields. She reckoned that it was tricky to land until you got the knack.
Those ferry girls were some of the best pilots of the lot. They didn't get wasted in combat so they racked up those air miles and just got super-experienced. Massive respect to them.
Excellent presentation on a remarkable and versatile aircraft . The one in the museum outside of " Moorabbin Airport" Victoria is a tremendous example and well worth the effort to get there .
A Beaufighter has been under restoration to flying condition at the IWM Duxford but this has taken 20 or more years and is held up because they cannot find any engines that fit. Thank you for telling the tale of the mission to break up a parade in Paris I never knew anything about that one! All bristol engines are very quiet.
Yes, the problem is that the engines aren't the same ones fitted to Beaufighter, so the mountings are completely different.
I grew up hearing stories about the Beau. My grandfather was in the Australian army(2nd AIF) during the war, and he told me quite a bit. He loved to tell me(over and over 😁) of walking along and feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Then he’d look up a see a Beaufighter above him almost close enough to touch. Maybe that was a touch of “poetic licence”, I don’t know as I wasn’t there.
Don't know about over land but over the seathe pros used to leave a wash on the sea so down to about 10 ft
I recall from Douglas Bader's memoirs that he became friendly with a beaufighter night fighter pilot and considered flying them. He was put off by the idea that he couldn't control the torque of a twin engine aircraft.
It was only after the war when shell gave him a twin engine aircraft he realised that he could.
I love this plane. Everyone says "Mosquito this that and everything". The Beau has always been my favourite heavy.
Same it was a beast and the Germans and Japanese were afraid of them as they were quite
My grandfather was a navigator on a Blenheim in India in WWII. I have a great archive full of his photographs, including the pictures he took from the plan of various Japanese targets.
AS a Yank, the "Beau" somehow flew under my radar (so to speak). I like it! Thanks for the video!
I read a book about RAF, RAAF and RNZAF squadrons that flew beaufighters out of north east Scotland and attacked German ships in the North Sea and in the Norwegian Fjords. Flew very low lost many men. Very brave men.
Saw a Bolingbroke at the air museum in Victoria B.C. was surprised at how small it seemed. They had served with the RCAF at the station at Pst Bay, just about where the museum is today.
Canadian Warplane Heritage was trying to restore a Bolingbroke to flying status. They have given up on that. So, it will be restored as a static display
Pity, I wanted to her fly. Even contributed to the building fund a few times over the years.
Not watched this yet, but the Beau is my 2nd choice behind the Mosquito as my favourite plane of all time.
I have a thing for twin engine, workhorse planes that surprises everyone. Some say its "muscular" looking. I prefer to think of it as a "brawler". That stance in the air, hunched forward with those engines & cannons. A true heavyweight fighter.
As a kid I loved building Airfix kits of WWII aircraft well into my teens. I'm 65 now and the Beaufighter along with the Mosquito have always been my favourite aircraft. I love the Mosquito for its elegance and grace which I've appreciated since my older brother took me to watch 633 Squadron in the 60s, while I've always liked the Bristol Beaufighter for its brutal look, as if it wants to kick the enemy's teeth in good and hard, take a breath then do it again.
Do you still build models? I was reintroduced to the hobby last year by Tanner (I don't know if you've heard her episodes on this channel yet) and it's been so much fun even after a hiatus of decades. The Mossie and the Beau were two of our first joint projects.
I worked at GAF years ago (it was new name for DAP) and i can remember throwing out wooden forms that had been used for moulds used to make parts for Dakota, Beaufort and Beaufighter parts.
Truly terrific video. My Grandfather B A Williams flew (Pilot) in 604 Sqdrn out of many airfields during WW2. Amongst other actions, he and his crew flew air support for D-Day landings. He flew many aircraft but only the Beau in action. His one unfulfilled wish was to fly a Spitfire. He passed away in 1994. We learnt more of his flying record after he passed as he would not talk of it.
Do you have his logbooks? Those can be fascinating.
Sleave valves meant quiet engines. Yes the Bristol Blenheim, Beaufort & Beaufighter, all basically had the same or similar flying surfaces, engine fairings & landing gear. The Beaufort being basically a fuselage/engine upgrade of the Blenheim, while the Beaufighter was a fuselage/engine upgrade of the Beaufort
Even the poppet valve Bristols are quieter than their American counterparts. Possibly due to the use of collector rings rather than open stub exhausts.
@@mothmagic1
G'day,
Yay Team !
Pretty much
ANYTHING was
Quieter than
Stub-Exhausts, like on the
GEAR-Driven
Supercharged British V-12s.
The US
Hairygoplanes,
Because they used
Turbine-Driven Super-Chargers to extract Enerergy (NOISE !) from the Exhaust-Gasflow...;
Were
By definition,
Quieter than
Supercharged
Designs
Having heard, up close and Personal,
Rolls-Royce & Packard Merlins (Spitfire & Mustangs),
The Sound Of Round, from flying in a DC-3 in 1961, listening to CAC Ceres & DH-Beavers as a kid, Crop-Dusting, and having stood beside both a
Sleeve-Valved
Scottish Aviation
Twin Pioneer,
AND a
Grumman
Avenger,
As well as a
Sleeve-Valved
Centaurus
(In a Sea Fury at
Armidale, NSW, in
1994 !).
Both on Startup, Taxi, Take-off, Climbout, &
High-Speed
Flypasts...
And, as a consequence.
My personal
OVERWHELMING
Impression is that
ALL of the manifold
Yarns and
"Just So..." Stories - regarding
Sleeve-Valve Engines being
Somehow
Inherantly
"Quieter" than
Poppet-Valved
Engines..., running at the
Same
Power settings...
It's
ALL of it,
Bullshit..., and
Bulkshit too,
British
Waaauughhh(!)time
PROPAGANDA...(!).
The
ONLY
Writers who
EVER
Asserted that the
lmperial Japanese ever called the
Beaufighter
The
"Whispering Death"...,
Were
AUSTRALIAN
Propagandists,
ALL of them writing from
Melbourne,
Victoria.
On the Southeast corner of the
Continent,
Whereinat
NO
Japanese Combat Elements
EVER
Approached within
1,500
Miles.
(Look it up...)
Such is life,
Have a good one...
Stay safe.
;-p
Ciao !
Hello Brian. HARS, an aircraft preservation group here in Australia is rebuilding an aussie beaufighter for flight. I don,t know how far along they are , but you may be interested in contacting them to see about their progress
The HARS Beau is very long way off. No work has been done on it in years The Canadian one looks very viable and Melbourne Beau is a runner with occasional engine runs
1st class video...thanks for sharing😊
I wish them luck completing it.
I reached out to them to get an update on the restoration.
@@worldofwarbirds Hello . Are you French Canadian ? Your French is very good.
I’m going to have to visit East Fortune. I’ve sat in a Hurricane and have 1400 hours on the Dak. It’s the Beaufighter next and the Halifax in York 🤫
PS. Great video.
@@californiadreamin8423 Hi, no I’m an English Canadian, but live in Quebec. How did you come to have so much time on the Dak? There’s got to be a story there!
I saw a Beaufighter waiting to be restored at the HARS (Historic Aircraft Restoration Society) Aviation Museum at Albion Park airport, NSW, Australia. I only saw the main body of the airframe and was told the restoration was started by enthusiasts, however, they have all died.
Sad. It would be wonderful to see (and hear) one flying.
A version of the Aussie Beaufighter was armed with four .50 Cal BMG instead of the six .303, possibly making it one of the most heavily armed fighters of WW2.
The Australian Beauforts had Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engines because we didn’t manufacture Bristol Taurus engines here. We eventually built Beaufighters here too but I think we sourced the Hercules from the UK.
The Beaufighter was known for being fast and with tremendous firepower. It was used extremely effectively at the Battle of the Bismarck Sea in 1943. As a result of some clever subterfuge, the Japanese mistook them for Beauforts and lined their ships up straight ahead, presenting the Beaufighter pilots with a perfect strafing target. Firing with everything they had, the Beaufighters completely wiped out the bridge of pretty much every ship they attacked, almost totally decapitating the fleet and starting fires everywhere.
The American crews, watching from overhead, could not believe what they were seeing. Australian crews were known for radio discipline but the Americans provided commentary for anyone who could hear, with outbursts like, ‘Look at those Beaufighter sons of b!tches!’
Converted American B-25 Mitchells went in next, using skip bombing from side on and finished off most of the Japanese fleet.
I have sat in a Beaufighter cockpit at the Moorabbin museum in Melbourne. The pilot had a remarkable forward view. They used to run one of the engines occasionally but the aircraft was not airworthy.
FWIW, I think the name ‘Whispering Death’ is something of a myth.
Yes, that video, although my most popular, was one of my earlier ones and there are a few errors and omissions. I should really put together a follow up video on the mythology of the “whispering” and also go over the Bismarck Sea action that you describe that SOMEHOW I completely missed the first time around! Thanks for sharing and the feedback.
At last, a landing light!!! I have asked on many occasions why it had four guns in the port, two starboard
You failed to mention that there were two squadrons of the South African Air Force (SAAF), which flew Beaufighters in WW2, in the Mediterranean/Balkans theatre of operations.
#16 and #19 squadrons, SAAF.
Sorry about that.
The reason that there were no Germans on parade is because some fool in British intelligence hadn't told them that the French had been changed to German time, therefore the aircraft was an hour late.
That is the most interesting accurate and concise description of this aircrafts development and deployment. It is often overlooked by other "sexier" aeroplanes but I have always thought it to have been beautiful, in a thuggish way. Its abilities and performance was superb and its just a huge pity there is not one in the air.
Thuggish! The term works!
Most interesting story. In my youth, I read numerous books about flight and airplane development from WWI and WWII. Some stories were weird but fascinating. Some designs were just too fantastical.
I recommend that you check out my playlist: Doomed Fledglings. It's all about those weird experimental birds that didn't work out...
I had forgotten about the Beufighter, as a kid, and Airfix model maker, i always liked this plane, it was ugly, and goofy, but had a brut charm in its look i liked, but when the Mozie came out, now that was an aircraft!!
like many great aircraft it wasn't designed to be "pretty" it was designed to hunt and kill. like the F4 phantom, the pb2y catalina, the Volkes Fu4 corsiar All ugly all designed to Hunt and Kill.
As the son of a leader of the D.A.P. Experimental Workshops, it is D. A. P. (individual letters) and not "dap". One of the projects that my father lead, was to develop a production method to produce the cover sheets between the wing and the fuselage that was efficient. My father told me, and many others, that he worked out how to produce the cover sheets that resulted in a 98% success rate to meet the necessary specifications instead of the 2% rate of the previous method.
Thanks for letting me know. If it comes up in later episodes, I'll be sure to call it D. A. P.
Very good and interesting piece on the history of the Beaufighter. I would just add that three squadrons of RAF Beaus operated from northern Burma in 1944/45 as part of British South East Asia Command. They flew long range missions (normally with single aircraft) deep behind Japanese lines attacking targets of opportunity such as railway locomotives, truck convoys etc. with rockets. My father was a navigator on one of these squadrons No211 RAF. As a postscript, the Beau crews were very reluctant to convert to the Mosquito in 1945 as they considered it an inferior plane for the mission and there were allegedly cases where these wood and glue built aircraft simply fell apart in the sky in the tropics!
I’ll look forward to researching the differences when I look at the Mossie!
I've read a few accounts of the Mosquito deteriorating rapidly in the humid, hot conditions too. Formed and bonded wooden construction softening & loosening up - it checks out in theory so I have no hard time believing the stories.
I did my Apprenticeship in a Shadow Factory (Elborough), that was previously used, along with its parent Factory (Oldmixon), to build the Beaufighter.
By the end of WW2, the Weston-super-Mare Factories had built 3,335 units between them, making Weston biggest producer of this type.
Love these balanced reviews and histories - from a Brit to a Canadian, thank you - we did design some good stuff - shame we didn't keep it up so much beyond the 1960s!
Thanks! I try to keep very neutral with all the belligerents and just focus on the planes! I’m a huge fan of the British Birds and am actually holding back some favourites for later: Spitfire, Mosquito, Typhoon, etc!
When I was a kid my dad had a book published by the RAF during the war. From what I remember of the planes in it I figure it was 1942 or there about.
I can still remember the comprehensive cutaway diagram of the Beau in it. I always wondered about the odd layout of the .303s. Now I know. Thanks for that.
Enjoyed this video a lot. Thanks.
Hello from Brazil, great video, Beaufighters are my favorites warbirds!!!
Hello 🇧🇷! Welcome aboard!
During WW2, My Mum worked as a machinist, at Bristol, making conrods etc, for the superb Bristol engines.
Bless them all!
@@worldofwarbirds Many of my family went on to build the Concorde. A bit different to the 'Beau's'.😀
A truly Incredible Successful and versatile aircraft . Often overlooked by the Mosquito , but arguably its equal .
When I eventually profile the Mossie, I'll have to look at some comparisons.
It was the preferred aircraft over the Mosquito in the Pacific campaign as the Mossie's wooden construction suffered delamination problems in the heat and humidity. Plus the Beau could take a LOT more punishment, an essential requirement for a low-level attack aircraft.
I love the Beau, man what a cool airplane. I love the asymmetrical configuration of the wing guns.
Yes, that feature was very interesting!
The Beaufort also had an asymmetric nose
For anyone interested in the use of Beaufighters as night fighters in the Uk, find a copy of the book Night Fighter, by Jimmy Rawnsley, who was the radar operator for John Cunningham, a night fighter pilot who finished the war with 20 credited kills.
Cat's Eyes Cunningham? Stuff of legends. Respect.
Yet another truly outstanding video thanks Brian; the research you put into it is magnificent. I know a fair bit about the Beaufighter but never realised there was a Merlin powered mark- and that it was found to be inferior to the marks using Bristol's own powerplants (designed by Roy Fedden). I do hope you'll be able to see the Canadian Beau under restoration at some point- if you do please take a camera and give us a proper look-around of this legendary heavy fighter! Very many thanks, I truly appreciate and love your videos 😀
Early in the Baufighter's production, it was decided that if the Bristol engine factory was bombed, there would be supply shortages in Baufighter production.
Not only was it underpowered, the low-speed yaw problem (which was a problem in all Beaufighters) was exaggerated in the Mk2 Merlin-fitted Beaufighter.
Incidentally, there was a similar engine swap for the same "what if the factory is bombed" fear... leading up to the Avro Lancaster Mk2 which has Bristol Hercules engines!
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Lancaster_B_Mark_II_of_115_Squadron_RAF_1943_IWM_CH_19792.jpg
Really enjoyed this episode. Although I had heard of the Beaufighter I hadn't realised quite how important and widely used it had been. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Remember the radar operator for John Cunningham describing changing the 20 mm ammo canisters in the night fighter as a truly terrible job... dark, constantly bucking aircraft and skinned knuckles....l believe the Beaufighter was also referred to as a ''Ten gun terror'' arm with four 20mm cannons and six .303 machine guns...armed with rockets as well this certainly was a fearsome adversary..
I'm afraid you've mis-remembered this story.
John Cunningham was the pilot, and his navigator (and Radar operator) C.F. Rawnsley was the person needing to perform the unenviable task you described.
@@Cliffjumper24 l did not 'mis-remember the story at all... l clearly stated Cunningham's Radar operator changed the magazine drums. The book was Rawnsey's book 'Nightfighter'
@@brianperry Oh I'm sorry I misread your post and missed the "Remember the radar operator for" and mentally exchanged it for "Remember the radar operator John..."
Funny how missing one word ("for") changed a sentence in your mind, huh?!
We're talking about the same person... which I remember after reading the same book! LOL!
That book actually had a big impact on me, because it looking at aircraft, I'd always focused on the machine, but never really thought about the person flying it.
It was also one of the first books referring to combat fatigue, and them feeling ashamed for this while there was a war on and people were still fighting and dying while they were taking a much needed break.
It's a reminder that this Ukrainian war has their govt rotating soldiers in and out of the combat area so they can take a break.
The first thing that I noticed about this beautiful machine, was how beefy it is. Those double struts on not only the main landing gear, but even the tail wheel, caught my eye right off. Having been raised by a structural steel designing father, I appreciate engineering meant to stand up to anything and last. Dad never built anything that fell down and that was a pain in the butt, if you ever had to tear it down at some point. He was a draftsman for Bethlehem Steel for a few decades and designed the steelwork for a plethora of buildings, bridges, etc. At home, we were always building something for ourselves or someone else....from trailers to semi truck frames. He was in a motor pool during WW2 and in a group that experimented with fiberglass, during Korea. He repaired a totaled '54 Corvette in '56/'57. He would have appreciated the design of the Beaufighter. Might have even seen one live, during his time in Europe. Thanks for the video. WW2 planes are my favorites.
My Dad was a draftsman too! At home he would make a drawing for every little thing he would build. My curiosity for how these things work was born of our conversations. Thanks for sharing!
@@worldofwarbirds I know exactly what you mean. When I was about 4, he built a race car for me with a handbrake and throttle controls mounted to the left side of the body. Whdn we cleaned iut the attic of his garage, we found a drawing of the throttle controls tacked to a small drawing board. I plan to mount it on the wall in my new garage, along wth the mold that he built to rebuild the left rear quarter panel of his '54 Corvette. He was my hero and I miss him very much. Have a great day!
Imagine a Schrage Musik installation in a Beaufighter. There looks like there'd be space for it. I was aware that the Beaufighter was derived from the Beaufort, but I didn't realize the Beaufort was derived from the Blenheim.
"Schrage Musik" ??
What's that ?
Animal, veggi, or mineral ?
@@pmullins1495 None of the above. It's the German term for Jazz.
@@pmullins1495It means Jazz music in German and were upward firing cannon fitted to the Me 110. Fired into the underbelly of bombers.
Very good video. Regarding preserved Beaufighters - there is one owned by the Fighter Collection at Duxford, north of London. It's in long-term restoration to flying condition, but so far they have been unable to source the Hercules engines required - something to do with that specific engine's mountings. Lovely to see, but most aviation enthusiasts have given up hope of ever seeing it fly. I think it will eventually be sold. As for the name "Whispering Death" I've read that it originated in an RAF officer's mess in India, after they read a rather exaggerated and hyperbolic newspaper article. It was rather tongue in cheek, but now of course, it is taken as gospel.
I've been informed of another restoration 'down under' and have reached out for an update. It certainly would be great to see one in the air! As for the "whispering death" business, it does seem unlikely. How can unmuffled, twin 14-cylinder radials ever be considered quiet! Lol.
@@worldofwarbirdsI hope this will bear frui6...
@@worldofwarbirds I don't know what's happening with the restoration at the Museum of Flight in East Fortune, but I do know that East Fortune is not in England. It is in East Lothian, Scotland. And well worth a visit.
My father worked at Chullora, a Sydney Australia suburb, during the War and where they made Beaufort Torpedo bombers and Beaufighters.
It was Georges Danton who said "Il nous faut de l'audace, encore de l'audace, toujours de l'audace." It was said in French because Danton was French. It translates into English as "we need boldness, more boldness and always boldness." The boldness in question was that well-trained, motivated and supplied citizen armies could simply out-number and overwhelm the professional, princely armies of the European kings. He was right too, and made heroic efforts to make it happen. They still cut his head off.
Aussie Beaufighters were big players in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea.
Whispering Death they were called.
British built Beaufighters as well.
Surprised it wasn't mentioned, is probably the Beaufighter's most famous victory.
The Baufighter is my favourite aircraft of WW2.
Leslie Frise is reported to have said "You can make the kitchen table fly if you put enough power into it"
As you mentioned, it's one flaw was that it was a challenge to fly, with a tendency to yaw at low speeds such as take-off and landing. Fortunately, it's ruggedness meant that the crewe were highly likely to survive any crashes cause by this.
You refer to the Merlin engine... The low-speed yaw problem was considerably worse with the Mk2 Merlin-fitted Baufighters.
I suspect this has something to do with the position of the engine and how it the weight position was different.
The position of the prop axis is the same with both the Hercules radial, and the Merlin inline... but while the Hercules's weight radiates around this prop axis... the Merlin has all the weight below the prop shaft.
This weight positional difference could throw out the balance of the aircraft.
Here's an interesting fact for you.
In early 1941 John Cunningham, of 604 Squadron RAF, became the first Nightfighter ace..
At this point morale was quite low. Although Britain was holding its own, the North Africa campaign wasn't going too well, and London was suffering bombing raids almost every night, seemingly with inpunity.
Good news was worth reporting... and the Air Ministry wanted to assure the public that attempts were being made to shoot down enemy bombers.
So when a newspaper journalist asked "How can you see the enemy planes at night?", Cunningham was put in a tough situation.
The 'Airbourne Interception' radar was top secret, so Cunningham couldn't say anything about it... so he simply said "I eat lots of carrots, they help you see in the dark!"
This is how he gained the nickname "Cats Eyes Cunningham" (although he didn't like the public adulation).
So the old wives tale that carrots are good for your eyesight, came from a Baufighter pilot maintaining Radar secrecy!!
After which Berman Meir the head of the Luftwaffe insisted all Luftwaffe night fighter crews ate huge amounts of raw Swedes and carrots under orders.
People still quote "that carrots are good for your eye sight!"
Goes to show the power of a bit of decent propaganda. And parents everywhere give thanks for the quote to encourage children to eat their vegetables!
@@markfryer9880 Just goes to show the power of propaganda when what really helps you see in the dark are microwave ovens!
(cavity magnetrons:)
I have always suspected that the carrots/nightvision things was a ruse to throw off the enemy about RADAR! Thanks for sharing!
@@markfryer9880 , and carrots contain carotenes which the body converts to retinol which is good for eyes health, not necessarily for sharper vision though.
A personal favorite of mine. If I was a pilot during the war I'd be delighted if I got to fly this beautiful brute. From what I've read it was one of the best and most durable planes of the war.
I’ve had so many comments from viewers who had dads and grandfathers who flew them. I haven’t heard a disparaging word yet!
The British Syphon Company in Eastbourne used to have a Beaufighter Under carriage leg in the Reception area for years, as they used to build them when the company was originally based in London during the war.
I wonder if people knew what it was? Was there a plaque or anything?
Sam McAughtry a Northern Irish author wrote a book about his wartime experience in the RAF a section of which as a navigator flying Beaufighters out of North Africa. He flew over 30 missions. I remember the line about if he was then in 1985 to be instantly sat in the dome he could seamlessly navigate by the stars.
Thank goodness ! Someone who narrates in real life! Great video mate! All sorts of little snippets I didn’t know about the Beau!.
Much appreciated!
My favourite aircraft of WW2 after the Mosquito. My mom worked on the Beau. It was a secret project for a while and had its eccentricities but could pack a punch with both guns and later rockets. They were very effective against U-Boats they often caught on the surface.
To not let you see the Beaufighter restoration project after providing them with free advertising would be criminal I think.
Packed quite a punch. At least two USAAF B-29 Superfortresses from the Pacific theatre - hopelessly lost, off course and out of comms range - are known to have been downed by RAF Beaufighters in the SE Asia theatre.
Blue on blue, obviously.
Dads RAF squadron (47) flew Beaufighters then transitioned to Mosquitoes, back to Beaufighters during the wing issue then back to Mosquitoes. From his logbooks and his recounting: Dad spoke of seven ferry crossings and that they never got any easier (No 1 Ferry Squadron - Beaufighters). Range from Portreith Cornwall to Rabat Sale in North Africa being on average 6 hours to 6 hours 25 mins (consumption test on each aircraft provided the maximum possible range /revs/hours). He said that over the sea a navigator is only as good as the pilot flying his courses. 25 June 1944 at Shallufa with the description only offering "training - bomb special targets". He recounted that the Captain of a British carrier requested that the squadron that Dad was in "attack" his ship. Whilst the logbook offers nothing more Dads recollection was that the squadron and its Beaufighters were successful and would have sunk the carrier (in an actual attack). Apparently the Captain did not realise the versatility of the Beaufighter. Being Navigator/Observer on a Beaufighter at Shallufa (1 July 1944) that was written off during a landing when one of the brakes locked. November 1944 - Yelahanka - 47 Squadron conversion from Beaufighter to Mosquito however there was a problem with a wing failure during training on the Mosquito that saw a return back to the Beaufighter. This saw the first three months of operations (started on Jan 10 1945 to Feb 22 1945) at KHUMBIRGRAM on Beaufighters. Operation on 22 Feb 1945 with Beaufighter, attacking TOUNGOO AERODROME with rocket projectiles (this was five hours flying time all in enemy territory). Three squadron aircraft (including ours) suffered damaged during the attack.
Thank you so much for sharing this. Those logbooks are precious! A colleague of mine asked me to help him interpret his father’s logbook and photo album: from Tiger Moths in Canada until flying aerobics in Mustangs when the war was over, just to stay current. Priceless!
The Beaufort night fighter was totally epic, and did the business.
Beaufighter.
My Uncle Wilber Dallas Schmidt flew them out of Malta and at one time he guided a flight of 16 from England, around Spain, landing at Gibraltar for fuel, then on to Malta...RCAF
The Beau in Dayton is awesome. I’ve seen it many times. Incredible museum too.
One of the most underrated aircraft in WWII.
True! But people seem to really want to know about it, based on the viewing stats of this video!
As a lad in the 70s, I was impressed, with what little book information was available then, with this machine, Its no nonsense looks Its massive firepower. Usually was a picture unleashing on shipping with LOTS of splashes around. Today being able to watch combat footage of these beasts in action with a couple of clicks is just awesome. Of course alot of that available HP was used in getting the crews giant steel balls up into the air. Men of Steel each and every one.
@ 12:18: I think he meant air force instead of aircraft.
Back in the day (when dinosaurs walked the earth) I recall reading a story of a Beaufighter attack in North Africa. I have never been able to find it but its always stuck with me over the decades.
Blenheim was the first radar equipped fighter, used during the London blitz.
Beautiful piece of engineering.
I highly recommend the Armed Rovers by Roy Nesbit which details the Beauforts and Beaufighters in the Mediterranean. Well written and fun too.
Great video thanks! I recognised some of those buildings (could be wrong) where manufacture took place as I worked at the factory.
I’m only three minutes in. I’m not an aeronautical engineer. But those engines appear massive in relation to the fuselage. Looks fun! As longas no one was shooting at you.
The crow that had been hit was given a proper funeral back at Thorney Island.
During the anti shipping component of the New Guinea campaign, the Japanese would get used to being attacked by torpedo armed RAAF Beauforts, and respond by sailing away from the sortieing planes. Unfortunately for the Imperial Japanese Navy, when they confused Beaufighters for the former, their ships ended up getting shot up by cannon and/or rocket fire.
True, and they aimed for the bridge to take out the Captain and helmsman to make them sitting ducks in the water for the rest to attack them and put them out of commission. And then came back the next day and strafed any survivors in life rafts so they couldn't make it to shore to bolster the Northern beaches Garrison and make it harder for the Allies to Attack when it came time to.
Very heavy fire power ,and good bomb or rockets load, equivalent to an A20 or B25 .
I like wackadoodle missions! Nice goin Gatward Fern and the Beaufighter Operation Scrabble! Love to be a fly on a wall to watch them.
The other reason for the whirlwind cancellation was the change of the propeller from the prototype. The production plane suffered from supersonic air pockets on the props which adversely affected performance
My father served in the JU-88. Shot down twice. One time they were shot down, the crew suspected a Beaufighter got them, but acknowledged it may have been friendly fire from a Luftwaffe nightfighter. They were being tracked while climbing in cloud cover. Soon as they cleared the clouds while climbing, they saw the tracers. Immediately dove back into the clouds. Those very few seconds the nightfighter inflicted sufficient damage to force a landing.
The WW II aircraft that most impressed my father were the Mosquito and FW-190, even though his base was first for the operational ME-262. He was scheduled to transition to the Arado; then the war, thankfully, ended.
That’s fascinating! We don’t usually get feedback from the kids of Axis pilots. I do appreciate your sharing!
Great video. You failed to mention the Beaufighter that has been under restoration to flying condition at the Imperial war museum Duxford, an hours drive north from central London. (A great huge aviation museum well worth visiting). This particular aircraft (actually parts from 2 aircraft) has been under restoration at Duxford since 1996. They were recovered from the Australian outback, having been discovered by a telecoms technican in the 1980s. The last I can find about it on the internet, the airframe is practically completed but they are still missing two engines, which they are looking for. They know of two Hercules engines at a University in India but have been unable to get hold of them, presumably because the Indians want too much money, either overtly and/or as back handers. At the museum, you can walk through various active hangars, including the Fighter collection hangar and see it. For years I have visited repeatedly but the Beaufighter was always in several uncomplete sections, but is now all in one complete airframe.
The thing for me about the Beaufighter is that it waws absolutely brilliant at everything that wasn't it's original job of being a long range fighter aircraft.
re Merlins - I grew up in Farnborough (Home of British Aviation - kick started by wild west showman Samuel Franklin Cody) in the UK in the '70's, & the old man being ex RAF meant we were spoon fed aviation.... every other year we had the SBAC air show where the battle of Britain flight always put in an appearance. The great sound of 6 RR Merlins grumbling over the town was brilliant. Some years later - we found out or late Dad's war experience was on the early Merlin powered Halfax'es which were bit hopeless.....
Outstanding Video, we learnt much watching this. Many thanks for uploading.
My father was an astro navigator in a Beaufighter in WW2. They were fitted with rockets and torpedoes and he spent some time based in Malta as well as in other theatres. I am still amased that they could navigate by the stars at night from a moving aircraft and find their way back to that tiny island in the middle of the ocean. He had enlisted with the RAAF, but flew with the RAF.
Thanks for sharing!
I believe the Australian built Beauforts used P&W R1830 radial engines instead of the Bristol Taurus engines as CAC had licences to produce P&W engines in Australia.
This is so good. With so much humor. I re-listen for the humor! How refreshing.Gotta find out what else you do. Stand-up comedy?!
Thank you! Other people have said that I should do comedy too, but right now I have a hard time keeping up with this channel, the podcast and my other channel: Flyin' Bryan! But I'll keep it in mind!
Wow, will see the other two. Thanks!
The Beau in Melbourne at Moorabbin is not too far from being airworthy. It is pretty much complete and has running engines and at lease one spare engine.
That’s great to hear!