|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
||
| Navigation Menus |
|
Military Art Index |
Aviation Art Index |
Naval Art Index |
Artists Index |
Aviation History Archive |
Naval History Archive |
|
| HALF PRICE AND FREE PRINT SPECIAL OFFERS | ||||||
|
|
Blenheim P4851 |
|
Type : Blenheim Mark : IV Known Codes : YX-N |
| Known information | |
| 17th May 1940 | Lost. Flying Officer D A Fordham ok, Sergeant F Fearnley killed, Corporal A G Richards DFM killed. |
| Pilots and Aircrew who flew : Blenheim IV P4851 | ||
| A list of all aircrew from our database who are associated with this aircraft. A profile page is available by clicking their name. | ||
| Name | Info | |
| Fearnley, Frank Click the name above to see a profile of Fearnley, Frank
| Fearnley, Frank Killed aged 24 on 17th May 1940 when his Blenheim Mk.IV P4851 YX-N of No.82 Sqn was lost. His name is on the Runnymede Memorial. Son of Frank and Alice Fearnley, of Baildon, Yorkshire. | |
| Fordham, D A Click the name above to see a profile of Fordham, D A | Fordham, D A On 17th May 1940, his Blenheim Mk.IV P4851 YX-N of No.82 Sqn was lost. He was uninjured and returned to service. | |
| Richards, Allen Glyndwr Click the name above to see a profile of Richards, Allen Glyndwr
| Richards, Allen Glyndwr Killed aged 20 on 17th May 1940 when his Blenheim Mk.IV P4851 YX-N of No.82 Sqn was lost. His name is on the Runnymede Memorial. Son of Edward William and Mary Allen Richards, of Caerau, Bridgend, Glamorgan. | |
| Squadrons for : Blenheim IV P4851 | ||
| A list of all squadrons known to have flown Blenheim IV P4851. A profile page is available by clicking the squadron name. | ||
| Squadron | Info | |
No.82 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 7th January 1917 Fate : Disbanded 10th July 1963 United Provinces Super omnia ubique - Over all things everywhere | No.82 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. | |
| Aircraft type : Blenheim | ||
| A profile page including a list of all art prints for the Blenheim is available by clicking the aircraft name. | ||
| Aircraft | Info | |
Blenheim 
Manufacturer : Bristol Production Began : 1935 Retired : 1956 Number Built : 4422 | Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim, the most plentiful aircraft in the RAFs inventory when WWII began, was designed by Frank Barnwell, and when first flown in 1936 was unique with its all metal monoplane design incorporating a retractable undercarriage, wing flaps, metal props, and supercharged engines. A typical bomb load for a Blenheim was 1,000 pounds. In the early stages of the war Blenheims were used on many daylight bombing missions. 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 The Blenheim units operated throughout the battle, often taking heavy casualties, although they were never accorded the publicity of the fighter squadrons. The Blenheim units raided German occupied airfields throughout July to December 1940, both during daylight hours and at night. Although most of these raids were unproductive, there were some successes; on 1 August five out of 12 Blenheims sent to attack Haamstede and Evere (Brussels) were able to bomb, destroying or heavily damaging three Bf 109s of II./JG 27 and apparently killing a Staffelkapitän identified as Hauptmann Albrecht von Ankum-Frank. Two other 109s were claimed by Blenheim gunners. Another successful raid on Haamstede was made by a single Blenheim on 7 August which destroyed one 109 of 4./JG 54, heavily damaged another and caused lighter damage to four more. There were also some missions which produced an almost 100% casualty rate amongst the Blenheims. One such operation was mounted on 13 August 1940 against a Luftwaffe airfield near Aalborg in north-western Denmark by 12 aircraft of 82 Squadron. One Blenheim returned early (the pilot was later charged and due to appear before a court martial, but was killed on another operation); the other 11, which reached Denmark, were shot down, five by flak and six by Bf 109s. Blenheim-equipped units had been formed to carry out long-range strategic reconnaissance missions over Germany and German-occupied territories, as well as bombing operations. In this role, the Blenheims once again proved to be too slow and vulnerable against Luftwaffe fighters and they took constant casualties While great heroism was displayed by the air crews, tremendous losses were sustained during these missions. The Blenhiem was easy pickings at altitude for German Bf-109 fighters who quickly learned to attack from below. To protect the vulnerable bellies of the Blenheims many missions were shifted to low altitude, but this increased the aircrafts exposure to anti-aircraft fire. In the German night-bombing raid on London on 18 June 1940, Blenheims accounted for five German bombers, thus proving that they were better-suited for night fighting. In July, No. 600 Squadron, by then based at RAF Manston, had some of its Mk IFs equipped with AI Mk III radar. With this radar equipment, a Blenheim from the Fighter Interception Unit (FIU) at RAF Ford achieved the first success on the night of 2–3 July 1940, accounting for a Dornier Do 17 bomber. More successes came, and before long the Blenheim proved itself invaluable as a night fighter. One Blenheim pilot, Squadron Leader Arthur Scarf, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for an attack on Singora, Thailand, on 9 December 1941. Another bomber of No. 60 Squadron RAF was credited with shooting down Lt Col Tateo Katō's Nakajima Ki-43 fighter and badly damaging two others in a single engagement on 22 May 1942, over the Bay of Bengal. Katō's death was a severe blow to the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force. | |
Return to Aviation Directory Search Home
|
Contact Details |
Sign Up To Our Newsletter!
This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com |
Died : 17 / 5 / 1940