161-608: Boulton Paul Aircraft Ltd was a British aircraft manufacturer that was incorporated in 1934, although its origins in aircraft manufacturing began earlier in 1914 and lasted until 1961. The company mainly built and modified aircraft under contract to other manufacturers, but had a few notable designs of its own, such as the Defiant fighter and the Balliol trainer. The company's origins date back to an ironmonger's shop founded in 1797 in Norwich . By
322-695: A de Havilland Mosquito and a Bristol Beaufighter fighter intercepting Heinkel He 111 bombers flying from Dutch airbases and carrying out airborne launches of the V-1 flying bomb . The FIU operators on the Wellington would search for the He 111 aircraft climbing to launch altitude, then direct the Beaufighter to attack the bomber, while the Mosquito would attempt to intercept the V-1 if it
483-401: A 24-inch search light in the 'dustbin' turret of a DWI Wellington testing it from January 1941. This prototype substituted batteries for the engine and generator setup to reduce weight and this carried forward into production Leigh light-equipped Wellingtons Together with accurate radar altimeters, Wellingtons could fly safely down to 50 ft, illuminating the target submarine at around half
644-603: A Bf 109, which set their Defiant on fire; they managed to shoot down the German fighter before making a forced landing. For this, they were awarded a bar to the Distinguished Flying Medal . The squadron lost a further five aircraft (to JG 26 ) on 28 August, with nine crew killed, and effectively ended operations, withdrawing to RAF Duxford the following day. With these losses, the Defiant—which had been intended from
805-586: A British bombing raid. A "Special Duties Flight" was set up in May 1942 to use the new countermeasures equipment, with "Moonshine" being used for its first live test on 6 August 1942. Subsequently, it was used operationally as part of "Circuses" against coastal targets and on 19 August in support of the Dieppe Raid. The Flight became No. 515 Squadron RAF on 1 October 1942, operations with "Moonshine" continuing until November 1942. 515 Squadron continued operations with
966-439: A German Messerschmitt Bf 110 night-fighter attacked a Wellington returning from an attack on Münster , causing a fire at the rear of the starboard engine. The second pilot, Sergeant James Allen Ward ( RNZAF ) climbed out of the fuselage, kicked holes in the doped fabric of the wing for foot and hand holds to reach the starboard engine and smothered the burning upper wing covering. He and the aircraft returned home safely and Ward
1127-425: A circle, they claimed six German fighters for the loss of three Defiants. The Defiant was initially successful against enemy aircraft and its best day was 29 May, when No. 264 Squadron claimed 37 kills in two sorties: 19 Ju 87 Stuka s, mostly picked off as they came out of their dives, nine Messerschmitt Bf 110 twin-engined heavy fighters, eight Bf 109s, and a Ju 88. One Defiant gunner was lost after he bailed out but
1288-565: A counterpoint, aviation author John Taylor noted that during the Blitz on London of 1940–41, the four Defiant-equipped squadrons were responsible for shooting down more enemy aircraft than any other type in the theatre. The improved Defiant Mk II model was fitted with the AI Mk. IV radar and a Merlin XX engine, increasing the aircraft's performance, particularly at night time. In September 1941, 264 Squadron became
1449-406: A crank-operated mechanical backup. Small bombs could be housed in recesses in the outer wing. Some of the development work from the company's earlier B.1/35 tender was carried over into the P.82. In 1936, Boulton Paul commenced assembly on the first P.82 prototype, K8310 , at their new Wolverhampton facility ; an order for a second prototype, K8620 , was received by the following year. In 1937,
1610-574: A cruising speed of 125 knots carrying 1,500 lb of bombs or depth charges. It was used for anti-submarine operations; on 6 July 1942, a Wellington sank its first enemy vessel. In 1944, Wellingtons of Coastal Command were sent to Greece and performed various support duties during the British intervention in the Greek Civil War . A few Wellingtons were operated by the Hellenic Air Force . While
1771-547: A design study, led by Chief Designer Rex Pierson . Early on, Vickers' chief structures designer Barnes Wallis proposed the use of a geodetic airframe , inspired by his previous work on airships and the single-engined Wellesley light bomber . During structural testing performed at the Royal Aircraft Establishment , Farnborough , the proposed structure demonstrated not only the required strength factor of six, but reached 11 without any sign of failure, proving
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#17328520119631932-516: A directive by the Air Staff to replace them. At the same time a development contract was placed with Nash & Thompson for a turret that could be used for both front and rear positions. The resulting FN.5 was also used on Short Stirling and Avro Manchester Due to the specialised nature of increasingly advanced turrets, these were treated as ancillary equipment, being designed and supplied independently and replacing Vickers' own turrets developed for
2093-551: A flight of Bf 109Es. The escorting Spitfires were unable to prevent five of the six Defiants from being shot down by a frontal attack. During the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk , the squadron was based at RAF Manston , as one of the 16 squadrons that No. 11 Group had for the evacuation. On 27 May 264 Squadron claimed three He 111 and two damaged. On 28 May, shortly after take-off, 10 Defiants were attacked by about 30 Bf 109s – forming
2254-482: A flight of six Defiants flew with six Spitfires of 66 Squadron over the English Channel to the coastline in the vicinity of The Hague , Netherlands ; during this flight, a single Ju 88, which had been in the process of attacking a destroyer , was shot down. The following day, in a patrol that was a repetition of the first, Defiants claimed four Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers, but were subsequently attacked by
2415-488: A formation of Wellingtons to penetrate strongly defended hostile airspace was validated. On 14 December 1939, 12 Wellingtons of No. 99 Squadron conducted a low-level raid upon German shipping at the Schillig Roads and Wilhelmshaven . Encountering enemy fire from warships, flak , and Luftwaffe aircraft, the Wellington formation lost five aircraft, along with another that crashed near its base, while only one enemy fighter
2576-412: A forward base. On 24 August, nine Defiants of 264 scrambled from Manston to engage an incoming German force; in the ensuing engagement, three Ju 88s and a single Bf 109E were shot down for the loss of two Defiants. Later that same day, another cluster of bombers appeared and were engaged by seven Defiants that had been in the process of refuelling; three Ju 88s and two Bf 109Es were downed while one Defiant
2737-514: A further 280 were ordered under a rearranged manufacturing plan issued in mid-1940. However, the performance of the Defiant had been determined to be inadequate by this point, which led to manufacturing being sustained principally for economic reasons. A total of 713 Defiant Mk I aircraft were completed. In response to a service request which sought greater performance, the Defiant Mk II , powered by
2898-406: A great weakness in daylight combat with fighters. It was withdrawn from daytime operations for use as a night fighter and found success in combination with the use of aircraft interception radar (A.I.) to locate the enemy. It eventually equipped thirteen squadrons in this role, compared to just two squadrons as a day-fighter, though this was mainly due to slow initial production. In mid-1942 it
3059-507: A greater quantity produced than any other British bomber. On 13 October 1945, the last Wellington to be produced rolled out. The Wellington Mk I was quickly superseded by improved variants. Improvements to the turrets and the strengthening of the undercarriage quickly resulted in the Wellington Mk IA . The Mk IA was specified to be based on the Merlin X engined Wellington Mk II design and
3220-491: A key feature of the aircraft is its geodetic airframe fuselage structure, which was principally designed by Barnes Wallis . Development had been started in response to Air Ministry Specification B.9/32, issued in the middle of 1932, for a bomber for the Royal Air Force. This specification called for a twin-engined day bomber capable of delivering higher performance than any previous design. Other aircraft developed to
3381-519: A little like a wetsuit of today. The chute fitted around this, and then the dinghy and the outer clothing. There was inner webbing and pockets that literally fell apart (I presume) when one bailed out". In October 1939, No. 264 (Madras Presidency) Squadron was reformed at RAF Sutton Bridge to operate the Defiant. Initial training, formal squadron acceptance, and development of tactics began with other aircraft as it received its first Defiants only in early December at Martlesham Heath. In February 1940,
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#17328520119633542-516: A mile away just as the air-to-surface-vessel (ASV) radar lost the target among returns from the water's surface. In late 1944, a radar-equipped Wellington XIV from 407 Sqn. RCAF was modified for use by the RAF's Fighter Interception Unit as what would now be described as an airborne early warning and control aircraft. It operated at an altitude of 4,000 ft (1,200 m) over the North Sea to control
3703-465: A mixture of Wellington Mk I and Mk IA aircraft. On 4 September 1939, less than 24 hours after the commencement of hostilities, a total of 14 Wellingtons of No. 9 and No. 149 Squadrons, alongside a number of Bristol Blenheim aircraft, performed the first RAF bombing raid of the war, against German shipping at Brunsbüttel . The bombing of the harbour had not been permitted by Chamberlain's War Cabinet for fear of injuring civilians. The effectiveness of
3864-422: A new command organisation within the RAF, Bomber Command , was formed that year to deliver upon this requirement. In early 1936, an initial prototype, K4049 , which was originally designated as a Type 271 , was assembled. The prototype could accommodate a payload of nine 250 lb or 500 lb bombs, and both nose and tail gun positions were fitted with hand-operated turrets with a gun in each; provision for
4025-643: A reshaped elevator and deepened fuselage which accommodated a larger bombload and the increased crew from four to five members. Other changes made included the adoption of a retractable tailwheel and constant-speed propellers ; the Air Ministry also requested the adoption of a Nash & Thompson -design ventral turret in place of the Vickers design. On 23 December 1937, the first production Wellington Mk I , L4212 , conducted its first flight, followed by an intensive flight programme. Flight trials with L4212 confirmed
4186-611: A response to the commencement of heavy attacks upon London by the Luftwaffe , known as the Blitz , B Flight of No. 141 moved to RAF Biggin Hill , Bromley , while A Flight relocated to Gatwick Airport , West Sussex in October prior to moving to RAF Gravesend , Kent. Successful claimed interceptions took place, such as two He 111s being claimed on 15/16 September; the first confirmed kill by Defiant of
4347-557: A revolutionary but flawed concept specified by the Air Ministry ;– a "fast" fighter with no fixed forward armament but a powerful four-gun dorsal turret at a time when most interceptors had only two machine guns. Turret fighters were expected to be able to work together to engage undefended enemy bombers from any aspect, concentrating their fire. In practice, once Germany defeated France in 1940 their high performance but short range fighters were able to escort bombers. The same concept
4508-421: A second on 13 January. In the latter the aircraft flew below the safe 35 ft altitude and was caught in the explosive blast though remained flyable. The hoop was an aluminium coil in an aerodynamic balsa case; turrets were faired over and unnecessary equipment removed to reduce weight. The first mine detonation unit No. 1 GRU at RAF Manston was joined by a second (No. 2 GRU) at RAF Bircham Newton . To protect
4669-482: A shoulder-mounted wing for greater pilot visibility during formation flight and improved aerodynamic performance, as well as a substantially increased overall weight of the aircraft. Design studies were also conducted on behalf of the Air Ministry into the adoption of the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. In spite of a traditional preference of the establishment to strictly adhere to the restrictive tare weight for
4830-458: A special all-in-one garment, a 'parasuit', nicknamed the "rhino suit". Frederick "Gus" Platts, an air gunner who served in 230, 282 and 208 squadrons, stated: "The Rhino suit we had to wear on Defiants was a bear but I couldn't come up with an alternative, even though it killed dozens of us. I forget the details of it but we could not have sat on our chute or even keep it nearby as in other turrets, so you wore – all in one – an inner layer that fitted
4991-465: A third retractable gun in a dorsal position was made. It had provision for a crew of four, along with a fifth position for special duties. On 5 June 1936, the name "Crecy" was chosen for the type, and it was publicly displayed as such. On 15 August 1936, the aircraft was accepted for production. On 8 September 1936, the service name Wellington was adopted for the type; it fitted with Air Ministry nomenclature of naming bombers after towns and followed
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5152-532: A year ahead of the rival Hotspur but still without the turret. Official acceptance trials did not commence until nine months later. On 30 July 1939, the second prototype, K8620 , equipped with a Merlin II engine and a full turret, conducted its first flight. K8620 had received various modifications over the first prototype, such as telescopic radio masts and revisions to the canopy and to the undercarriage fairing plates; implementing these improvements had incurred delays to
5313-580: Is owned by Brooklands Museum at Brooklands , Surrey. Built at Brooklands and first flown in November 1939, this aircraft took part in the RAF's daylight bombing raids on Germany early in the Second World War but later lost power during a training flight on 31 December 1940 and ditched in Loch Ness . All the occupants survived except the rear gunner, who was killed when his parachute failed to open. The aircraft
5474-600: The Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) in September that year. Apart from some detail changes, the production Defiant Mk I looked similar to the two Defiant prototypes. It was powered by the Rolls-Royce Merlin III engine, which was capable of generating 1,030 hp/768 kW or 1,160 hp/865 kW. By January 1940, over half of the original production batch had been completed. Beyond
5635-663: The Boulton Paul Overstrand bomber, and had devised a four-gun power-operated turret, the concept and development work of which would later be a core part of the Defiant design. Boulton Paul had acquired a four-gun powered turret from the French SAMM company in 1935. In April 1935, the Air Ministry released Specification F.9/35 , which required a two-seater day and night "turret fighter" capable of 290 miles per hour (470 km/h) at 15,000 feet (4,600 m). The aircraft
5796-575: The Bristol Hercules and the Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. Recognisable characteristics of the Wellington include the high aspect ratio of its tapered wing , the depth of its fuselage and the use of a tall single fin on its tail unit, which reportedly aided in recognition of the type. The Wellington typically had a crew of five, the bomb-aimer being located in the aircraft's nose. The Wellington could be fitted with dual flight controls, and specialised dual-control conversion sets were developed for
5957-508: The British Army , it was determined that Defiant production would continue in order to satisfy a pressing requirement for high speed gunnery targets. A dedicated version of the aircraft, the Defiant TT Mk I , was developed for this purpose; modifications included the removal of the turret, the installation of target-towing equipment, including a target stowage box and a wind-driven winch, and
6118-660: The Kent Battle of Britain Museum in the colours of 264 Squadron ( L7005 ). Data from War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Two Fighters , The Boulton Paul Defiant Vickers Wellington The Vickers Wellington is a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber . It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey . Led by Vickers-Armstrongs ' chief designer Rex Pierson ,
6279-679: The Leigh light was deployed through the mounting for the absent FN9 ventral turret . The Gloster and AWA contracts were transferred to Shadow factories in the north-west. In the late 1930s, Vickers built Wellingtons at a rate of one per day at Weybridge and 50 a month at Broughton in North Wales . Many of the employees on the production lines were only semi-skilled and new to aircraft construction. Peak wartime production in 1942 saw monthly rates of 70 at Weybridge, 130 at Broughton and 102 at Blackpool . Shadow factories were set up to produce parts for
6440-623: The Rolls-Royce Goshawk I inline. The Pegasus was selected as the engine for air-cooled versions of the bomber, while the Goshawk engine was chosen for the liquid-cooled engine variant. On 28 February 1933, two versions of the aircraft, one with each of the selected powerplants, were submitted to the tender. In September 1933, the Air Ministry issued a pilot contract for the Goshawk-powered version. In August 1934, Vickers proposed to use either
6601-610: The Vickers Warwick , was developed in parallel with the Wellington; the two aircraft shared around 85% of their structural components. Many elements of the Wellington were also re-used in a civil derivative, the Vickers VC.1 Viking . In October 1932, the British Air Ministry invited Vickers to tender for the recently issued Specification B.9/32 , which sought a twin-engine medium daylight bomber. In response, Vickers conducted
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6762-727: The Vickers Wellesley in referring to the Napoleonic War general Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington . On 12 December 1936, a corresponding works order was issued for the Wellington. On 15 June 1936, K4049 conducted its maiden flight from Brooklands. Vickers chief test pilot Joseph Summers flew K4049 on its first flight, accompanied by Wallis and Trevor Westbrook. The aircraft soon came to be widely regarded as being an advanced design for its era and proved to have considerable merit during its flight trials. On 19 April 1937, K4049
6923-536: The 1,260 hp Merlin XX engine, was promptly developed. On 20 July 1940, N1550 , the first production Defiant Mk II performed its initial flight. The Mk II featured a pressurised fuel system, additional fuel, an enlarged rudder , a deeper radiator , a modified engine mounting and elongated cowling . Once sufficient numbers of the Merlin XX engine were available, production of the improved variant commenced; in August 1941,
7084-507: The 1920s and 1930s had resulted in a generation of multi-engined monoplane bombers that were substantially faster than their contemporary single-engined biplane fighters then in service. The RAF came to believe that its new generation of turret-armed bombers, such as the Vickers Wellington , would be capable of readily penetrating enemy airspace and of defending themselves without any accompanying fighter escort, but also recognised that
7245-656: The AI radar were adopted over time, such as the AI Mk VI. The need for both the Defiant (and the Hurricane) in the night fighter role petered out by 1942 as the larger Bristol Beaufighter became the RAF's primary night fighter type, freeing both aircraft for other duties. In the search for alternative uses for the Defiant, which included limited service with the RAF Search and Rescue Force and suitability trials for cooperative operations with
7406-654: The African cost with 26 Squadron SAAF based in Takoradi , Gold Coast (now Ghana ), and the Free French 344 Squadron from Dakar . Specialised "Directional Wireless Installation" (DWI), a cover story for the true purpose of the hoop variants, fitted with a 48 ft (15 m) diameter metal hoop, were used for exploding German magnetic mines by generating a powerful magnetic field as it passed over them. The first successful mine detonation occurred on 8 January 1940 followed by
7567-450: The Air Ministry; by November 1935, figures within the Ministry were interested in the possibility of operating the aircraft at an all-up weight of 30,500 lb (13.8 t), which aviation author C.F. Andrews described as "a very high figure for a medium bomber of those days". During the development phase of the aircraft, as C F Andrews puts it "the political and military climate of Europe
7728-596: The Bellman hangar was relocated and restored until taken off display and moved back into the latter building on 25 July 2017. The aeroplane is the centre-piece of the 'Brooklands Aircraft Factory' exhibition about the aircraft industry at Brooklands, which was formally opened on 13 November 2017. Wellington T.10 serial number MF628 is held by the Royal Air Force Museum . It was delivered to RAF No.18 MU (Maintenance Unit) for storage at RAF Tinwald Downs , Dumfries , as
7889-792: The Boulton Paul Heritage Society. More than 50,000 man hours went into its production and it was unveiled in 2003 marking 60 years since the last Defiant flew out of Pendeford (the World War II training airfield next to the Boulton Paul Factory in Wolverhampton). Due to change of ownership at the Boulton Paul site, the Defiant faced losing its home in Wolverhampton, and in 2015 was relocated to its now permanent home on display at
8050-456: The Brownings. The guns could be depressed for ground attack. By that time, the RAF had sufficient quantities of Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires and did not require a new single-seat fighter. With a calculated top speed of about 360 miles per hour (580 km/h) at 21,700 feet (6,600 m) the P.94 was almost as fast as a contemporary Spitfire although less manoeuvrable. The Defiant
8211-463: The Defiant Mk III, was developed in response to a growing demand for such a type; this model featured considerable modifications for the role, such as lacking the dorsal turret. Many of the surviving Mk I and Mk II Defiants also had their turrets removed when they were converted for the same role. In this final target towing variant, the Defiant ended up with a number of overseas assignments with both
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#17328520119638372-435: The Defiant commenced night fighter training operations; the squadron tested its tactics against British medium bombers – Hampdens and Blenheims – and 264's CO flew against Robert Stanford Tuck in a Spitfire, showing that the Defiant could defend itself by circling and keeping its speed up. It became clear during these trials that the Defiant was suited only to performing its designed for bomber-destroyer duties and
8533-514: The Defiant was found to be effective at destroying bombers, the role it was designed for, but was vulnerable to the Luftwaffe ' s more manoeuvrable, single-seat Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters operating from bases in Northern France. The Defiant had been designed to destroy unescorted bombers by means of beam or ventral attacks and therefore lacked forward-firing armament, which proved to be
8694-476: The Defiant was tested as a high-speed gunnery trainer with the Air Ministry agreeing to continue production. The Defiant was removed from combat duties in 1942 and used for training, target towing, electronic countermeasures and air-sea rescue . Two types of electronic countermeasures equipment were carried by the Defiant, both countering the German Freya early warning radar. The first system to be deployed
8855-569: The Defiants had shot down four Bf 109s. Although 264 Squadron claimed 48 kills in eight days over Dunkirk, the cost was high with 14 Defiants lost. Actual German losses were no more than 12–15 enemy aircraft; the turret's wide angle of fire meant that several Defiants could engage the same target at one time, leading to multiple claims. On 22 August, in response to an urgent demand for aircraft to defend Britain's airspace, 264 Squadron relocated to RAF Hornchurch , Essex , while also using RAF Manston as
9016-549: The French company Société d'Applications des Machines Motrices [ fr ] (SAMM), while Nash & Thompson designs originated from the firm's co-founder, Archibald Frazer-Nash (and were known by FN designations) Boulton Paul's turrets were electro-hydraulic in operation; electric motors located in the turret drove hydraulic pumps that powered hydraulic motors and rams. This was more effective than electric motors alone, and did not require hydraulic power developed by pumps on
9177-481: The Mk IC, such as higher cruising and top speeds, increased all-up weight or alternatively greater range and a raised ceiling. The Vickers Wellington was a twin-engined long-range medium bomber , initially powered by a pair of Bristol Pegasus radial engines, which drove a pair of de Havilland two-pitch propellers. Various engines and propeller combinations were used on variants of the aircraft, which included models of
9338-570: The P.82 was its four-gun turret, based on a design by French aviation company Société d'applications des machines motrices [ fr ] (SAMM), which had been licensed by Boulton Paul for use in the earlier Boulton Paul Sidestrand bomber, eventually installed in the "follow-up" design, the Boulton Paul Overstrand and in the Blackburn Roc naval fighter. The 'Type A' turret was an electro-hydraulically powered "drop-in" unit, with
9499-492: The Pegasus or the sleeve-valve 9-cylinder radial Bristol Perseus engines instead of the evaporative-cooled Goshawk, which promised improvements in speed, climb rate, ceiling, and single-engine flight capabilities without any major increase in all-up weight; the Air Ministry accepted the proposed changes. Other refinements of the design had also been implemented and approved, such as the adoption of variable-pitch propellers , and
9660-770: The RAF and Fleet Air Arm in the Middle East, Africa and India. Further deployments occurred to Canada, where the Defiant was used as a target tug and trainer with the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan . Defiants were also used for "special" work including tactical evaluations with the RAF Gunnery Research Unit and the Air Fighting Development Unit (AFDU) at Farnborough . Two Defiants were issued for ejection seat development work: one to R Malcolm Ltd (later ML Aviation) and
9821-504: The RAF on the outbreak of war and used by 75 Squadron ). In October 1938, the Mk I entered service with 9 Squadron . The Wellington was initially outnumbered by the Handley Page Hampden (also ordered by the Ministry to B.9/32) and the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley (to B.34/3 for a 'night' bomber) but outlasted both rival aircraft in service. The Wellington went on to be built in 16 variants and two post-war training conversions. The number of Wellingtons built totalled 11,462 of all versions,
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#17328520119639982-424: The RAF requirement for day and night fighters that could concentrate their firepower on enemy bombers which were not expected to have fighter escorts due to the distance from Germany to the United Kingdom. The Defiant had all its armament in a dorsal turret offering the ability to fire in most directions. The same principle was used in the Royal Navy 's Blackburn Roc which was also built by Boulton Paul. In combat,
10143-417: The RAF's first long-range bombers operating in the Far East with the arrival of 99 and 215 Squadrons RAF, providing much needed bombing support for the next two years before being withdrawn and replaced by Liberators in the summer of 1944. Wellingtons were also used for maritime patrols over the Indian Ocean by 36 , and later, 203 Squadrons RAF. The Wellington also served in anti-submarine duties off
10304-477: The RAF, and these were only for trial purposes, by the outbreak of the Second World War. Due to delays with the type entering production, there were not enough available Defiants to begin standing patrols in 1940, by which point the introduction of not only more advanced fighters but bombers as well had allegedly undermined the usefulness of the type. On 30 July 1939, the first production Defiant, L6950 , conducted its maiden flight; it commenced official trials with
10465-414: The Sea Balliol deck-landing trainer. In the jet age, Boulton Paul worked on the English Electric Canberra and de Havilland Vampire . It designed and built a couple of delta-wing jet-engined aircraft for research work and continued to tender designs for official requirements . In 1961 the company was acquired by Dowty Group and was renamed Dowty Boulton Paul Ltd and then Dowty Aerospace. Following
10626-413: The Wellington all over the British Isles. In October 1943, as a propaganda and morale-boosting exercise, workers at Broughton gave up their weekend to build Wellington number LN514 rushed by the clock. The bomber was assembled in 23 hours 50 minutes, and took off after 24 hours 48 minutes, beating the record of 48 hours set by a factory in California. Each Wellington was usually built within 60 hours. It
10787-586: The Wellington was its geodetic construction, devised by aircraft designer and inventor Barnes Wallis. The fuselage was built from 1,650 elements, consisting of duralumin W-beams which formed into a metal framework. Wooden battens were screwed to the beams and were covered with Irish linen ; the linen, treated with layers of dope , formed the outer skin of the aircraft. The construction proved to be compatible with significant adaptations and alterations including greater all-up weight, larger bombs, tropicalisation and long-range fuel tanks. The metal lattice gave
10948-449: The Wellington was superseded in the European Theatre as more four engined bombers arrived in service, it remained in operational service for much of the war in the Middle East and still formed a key part of the RAF's Mediterranean forces as the allies moved into Italy , with some still serving in March 1945 carrying out bombing raids and dropping supplies to partisans across Southern Europe. In 1942, Wellingtons based in India became
11109-437: The Wellington's design was influenced by the issuing of Specifications B.3/34 and B.1/35, the latter of which led a larger bomber aircraft, the Vickers Warwick With detail design work on both being done at same time and both aircraft using geodetic-inspired construction there was commonality in components. The production model Wellington was a complete redesign, resulting in a lengthened nose for turret and bomb aimer's position,
11270-432: The ability to engage enemy bombers from a range of quarters, including below the aircraft itself. Specification F.9/35 had followed the earlier Specification F.5/33, which had sought a pusher design combined with a forward-set turret; F.5/33 had been abandoned as the proposals had offered little in terms of performance gains over existing fighters, and the corresponding Armstrong Whitworth AW.34 design which had been ordered
11431-459: The acquisition of Dowty Aerospace by TI Group in 1992, and the subsequent merger of Smiths Industries and the TI group in 2000, to form Smiths Group , the Wolverhampton factory site was sold again in May 2007 to GE Aviation Systems . Yet again in August 2009 the factory was sold to Moog Inc. but was to move to new premises at the nearby I54 business park . The factory also had an on-site Boulton Paul Museum dedicated to Boulton Paul aircraft and
11592-453: The addition of a winch operator under an enclosed canopy. In January 1942, the prototype Defiant TT Mk I, DR863 , conducted its maiden flight; fighter production was phased out shortly thereafter. The last Defiant Mk IIs under construction were completed as TT Mk I aircraft. Dozens of existing Defiant Mk Is would be remanufactured to the similar Defiant TT Mk III standard; roughly 150 of such conversions took place during 1943–1944. So that
11753-484: The advantages of flexible firing in nightfighting but the effect on top speed (for the Beaufighter reduced from 303 mph to 272 mph at altitude) was not acceptable and those conversions were abandoned. Further developments were considered using more powerful engines, but the idea of a Defiant replacement was finally dropped in 1942 After trials in 1940 with the School of Army Co-operation to assess its capabilities in that role,
11914-456: The aerodynamic stability initially encountered by K4049 , but also revealed the aircraft to be nose-heavy during dives, which was attributed to the redesigned elevator. Modifications, including the linking of the flaps and the elevator trim tabs , were tested on L4212 and resolved the problem. In August 1936, an initial order for 180 Wellington Mk I aircraft, powered by a pair of 1,050 hp (780 kW) Bristol Pegasus radial engines ,
12075-479: The air-sea rescue role, the Defiant was the intended replacement for the Westland Lysander in shallow air-sea rescue units. In order for this task to be performed, Defiants in this capacity were equipped with a pair of underwing pods that each contained two M -type dinghies. In March 1942, No. 281 Squadron formed at RAF Ouston , Northumberland , partially operating Defiant Mk Is; four more squadrons received
12236-567: The aircraft established in the tender, both Pierson and Wallis firmly believed that their design should adopt the most powerful engine available. Perhaps in response to pressure from Vickers, the Air Ministry overlooked, if not openly accepted, the removal of the tare weight restriction, as between the submission of the tender in 1933 and the flight of the first prototype in 1936, the tare weight eventually rose from 6,300 lb (2.9 t) to 11,508 lb (5.220 t). The prescribed bomb load and range requirements were routinely revised upwards by
12397-456: The aircraft industry as well. They manufactured equipment such as machine tools and stationary engines . The latter were also available coupled to a dynamo for powering electric lighting circuits, and were sold under the Electolite brand name. In 1934, Boulton & Paul sold their "Aircraft Department" which became Boulton Paul Aircraft Ltd. Over the next couple of years a new factory site
12558-399: The aircraft to possess positive flight characteristics and considerable stability, which was of particular value when using the turret. According to aviation author Michael Bowyer, the usefulness of the Defiant had suffered due to the overly long development time for the type, observing that the Defiant's service entry was delayed to such an extent that only three production aircraft had reached
12719-519: The aircraft's engines system utilized by the Nash & Thompson design. Production was transferred to Joseph Lucas Ltd . Turret models: Related lists Boulton Paul Defiant The Boulton Paul Defiant is a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II . The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a "turret fighter" to meet
12880-482: The aircraft. The Vickers-built ventral turret of the Mk I was replaced by a Nash & Thompson-built FN.25 counterpart as standard. The squadrons were critical of the ventral turrets; when extended they slowed the aircraft by 10 mph, the single narrow window pane limited visibility and sometimes froze in place and had to be jettisoned. The ventral turrets were not fitted after the first batch of Wellington IA A novelty of
13041-461: The bombers of other European air forces, such as the Luftwaffe , would similarly be able to penetrate British airspace with impunity. During 1935, the concept of a turret-armed defensive fighter to counter the bomber threat emerged during a time in which the RAF anticipated having to defend Great Britain against massed formations of unescorted enemy bombers. The RAF did not expect bombers to be escorted by fighters because fighters would not have
13202-449: The bombers, but this proved impractical particularly as the Defiant's radio reception (due to its underslung antenna) was relatively poor. On 1 July, 141 Squadron despatched L6997 on the first Defiant night patrol. In August, the squadron was operating both by day and night; on 15 August, the first possible nighttime success by a Defiant was recorded, and from September onwards, the squadron principally operated at night. In September, as
13363-627: The company to form a design department but none of its resulting aircraft made a significant impact while the war lasted. Boulton Paul's chief aircraft designer was John Dudley North (1893–1968), who joined the company from Austin Motor Company Aircraft Department . After World War I, Boulton & Paul made their mark with the introduction of powered and enclosed defensive machine gun turrets for bombers . Their Sidestrand twin-engined biplane bomber, which could fly at 140 mph (230 km/h), had an exposed nose turret which
13524-556: The completion of the second prototype. Production orders had been prepared for the Hotspur, the initial front-running submission but Boulton Paul's turret design had gained the attention of the Air Ministry. Hawker's progress on the project had been delayed by their commitments on other aircraft programs including the more conventional Hurricane; thus the prototype Hotspur, K8309 , did not conduct its maiden flight until 14 June 1938. On 28 April 1937, an initial production order for 87 aircraft
13685-434: The contemporaneous Gloster F.9/37 (Gloster G9) twin-engine bomber-interceptor – armed with five 20mm cannon at +12° – virtually all losses of Bomber Command aircraft shot down by Luftwaffe night fighters using upward-firing were ascribed to flak until 1944. The gunner operated the turret through a control column with the firing button on the top. The motor could be put in high speed mode for swift changes of direction and
13846-408: The drag of the turret; they were pneumatically powered and automatically raised and lowered into the fuselage so that the turret could rotate freely. The Brownings were electrically fired and insulated cut-off points in the turret ring prevented the guns firing when they were pointing at the propeller disc or tailplane. The gunner could rotate the turret directly forward and transfer firing control of
14007-644: The early 1900s, Boulton & Paul Ltd was a successful general manufacturing firm with a construction engineering division. It began building aircraft under contract during the First World War before moving into designing and building its own aircraft. The aircraft building business was sold off - at a low point in the aviation market - from the main construction business in 1934 and then moved to Wolverhampton under its new name Boulton Paul Aircraft Ltd in 1936 to take advantage of skilled local workforce and local government incentives. By 1961 Boulton Paul Aircraft
14168-426: The end of 1937, Vickers set about simplifying the manufacturing process of the aircraft and announced a target of building one Wellington per day. The geodetic design took longer to build than comparable aircraft using the more conventional monocoque approach, leading to some criticism of the Wellington. In addition it was difficult to cut holes in the fuselage for access or equipment fixtures; to aid manufacturing,
14329-492: The first P.82 prototype, K8310 , was rolled out. Furnished with a 1,030 hp (768 kW) Rolls-Royce Merlin I and initially lacking its turret, the aircraft bore a great resemblance to the contemporary Hawker Hurricane, although it was at least 1,500 pounds (680 kg) heavier. On 11 August 1937, K8310 , which had recently received the name Defiant , conducted its maiden flight . This initial flight, piloted by Boulton Paul's chief test pilot Cecil Feather, occurred nearly
14490-424: The first flight of the type's effective prototype in 1936. On 15 September 2016, after having its outer wings removed the day before, N2980 was towed from the Bellman hangar in which it was restored and where it had been displayed for nearly 30 years. This move was the first time that 'R' for 'Robert' had moved on its undercarriage since its last flight in 1940. The aircraft was exhibited in a temporary building while
14651-477: The first production deliveries of the Defiant Mk II took place. The Defiant Mk II was soon paired with the newly developed AI to become more effective night fighter . While initial AI equipment was too heavy and bulky to be practical for equipping smaller aircraft, the improved AI Mk. IV radar was suitably sized for the Defiant; the first such equipped Defiants were introduced in late 1941. Later versions of
14812-581: The first to receive the Defiant Mk II, bringing them into operational use by mid-September. The principal users of the Mk II night fighter were 96, 151, and 262 Squadrons. As the radar-equipped Defiants began filtering through to operational squadrons, the Luftwaffe' s bombing campaign petered out as German forces had become heavily engaged on the Eastern Front as they embarked upon the Operation Barbarossa
14973-410: The front and rear, the Wellington had no defences against attacks from the beam and above, as it had not been believed that such attacks were possible owing to the high speed of aircraft involved and the deflection shooting required. Unescorted day bombing was abandoned and Bomber Command decided to use the Wellington force to attack German communications and industrial targets instead. The Wellington
15134-523: The geodetic airframe to possess a strength far in excess of normal levels. This strength allowed for the structure design to be further developed to reduce the size of individual members and adopt simplified standard sections of lighter construction. Vickers studied and compared the performance of various air- and liquid-cooled engines to power the bomber, including the Bristol Pegasus IS2 , Pegasus IIS2, and Armstrong Siddeley Tiger radials, and
15295-519: The guns to the pilot, with the guns firing along each side of the cockpit canopy; this was rarely done as the turret's minimum forward elevation was 19° and the pilot did not have a gunsight, possibly because the Defiant was outfitted to perform zero deflection shooting, as were several contemporaneous designs arising from Air Ministry specifications. The zero deflection gunnery technique was practised, among others, by British ace Albert Ball using Lewis guns on Foster mounts – which largely eliminated
15456-440: The incoming bombers near to Heligoland and attacked the formation for much of the way home. Twelve of the bombers were destroyed and a further three were badly damaged. The Wellingtons shot down four aircraft. The action at Heligoland highlighted the Wellington's vulnerability to attacking fighters, possessing neither self-sealing fuel tanks nor sufficient defensive armament. The nose and tail turrets protected against attacks from
15617-600: The initial production order in April 1937, follow-on orders had been issued for the type; in February 1938, an additional 202 Defiant Mk I aircraft were ordered; three months later, another 161 aircraft were ordered. At the same time Boulton Paul were engaged in production of the Blackburn Roc. In December 1939, yet another 150 aircraft were ordered, raising the overall total to 513. In 1940, this rose to 563 Defiant Mk Is on order, while
15778-434: The installation of cabin heating and an astrodome . On 3 March 1939, L4250 , the prototype Mk II, performed its maiden flight; this had been delayed due to production delays of its Merlin X engines. Stability and balance problems were encountered during flight tests of the prototype, resulting in further changes such as the enlargement of the tailplane. By late 1939, the Mk II was capable of delivering superior performance to
15939-535: The invasion of the Soviet Union. Defiant night fighters typically attacked enemy bombers from below, in a similar manoeuvre to the later German Schräge Musik method. Defiants attacked more often from slightly ahead or to one side, rather than from directly under the tail. The turret-fighter concept was not immediately discarded. Four-gun turrets were fitted to Beaufighter (Mk II, in 1941) and Mosquito (Bristol design turret, September 1941) night fighters to test
16100-494: The lower landing speeds required of carrier aircraft. The engine would be either a Bristol Hercules radial or the Merlin. Despite the P.85's higher estimated top speed, the Blackburn Roc was selected. With Blackburn already busy producing other projects, the detail design and production of the Roc was given to Boulton Paul. Ultimately, the only use of the Defiant within the FAA was its adoption of
16261-550: The need for either complex gun sights or aiming-off by eye. An elevation of +19° combined with ballistic properties of .303 (7.7mm) Brownings and the Defiant's operational speed made 'line of sight' aiming – as practised by Luftwaffe pilots – a practical proposition. This technique, applied later in the war by Germany as Schräge Musik , seems to have been neither taught nor practised by the RAF. Despite being common knowledge among veteran First World War aircrew, featuring in Air Ministry requirements reflected in fighter designs such as
16422-407: The other to Martin-Baker . On 11 December 1944, Defiant DR944 was delivered to Martin-Baker's facility at Denham ; sometime thereafter, a primitive ejector seat was fitted into the observers position for trial purposes. On 11 May 1945, Martin-Baker used DR944 to test their first ejection seat with dummy launches. Various trials using DR944 took place until May 1948. The other Defiant, AA292 ,
16583-426: The pilot managed to fly the aircraft back to its base and it was subsequently repaired. On 31 May, seven Defiants were lost in one day as Hurricanes and Spitfires failed to come to their aid in a battle with Bf 109s. It was concluded that underslung radio aerials on the Defiants had affected radio communication between the fighter squadrons Luftwaffe fighters suffered losses when "bouncing" flights of Defiants from
16744-465: The principal bombers used by Bomber Command . During 1943, it started to be superseded as a bomber by the larger four-engined " heavies " such as the Avro Lancaster . The Wellington continued to serve throughout the war in other duties, particularly as an anti-submarine aircraft with RAF Coastal Command . The Wellington was the only British bomber that was produced for the duration of the war, and
16905-436: The purpose of performing training upon the type. The cockpit also contained provisions for heating and de-icing equipment, which was introduced on later models of the Wellington. The Wellington Mk I had a maximum offensive bomb load of 4,500 lb (2,000 kg), more than one-fifth of the aircraft's 21,000 lb (9,500 kg) all-up weight. Additional munitions and an expanded bombing capacity were changes in many of
17066-462: The raid was diminished by poor weather and high amounts of anti-aircraft fire. A pair of Wellingtons became the first aircraft to be lost on the Western Front . On 3 December 1939, 24 Wellingtons of No. 38, No. 115 and No. 147 Squadrons attacked the German fleet moored at Heligoland . The bombing commenced from high altitude and, while results of the bombing itself proved negligible, the ability of
17227-536: The range to reach the UK from Germany. In theory, turret-armed fighters would approach an enemy bomber from below or from the side and coordinate their fire. The separation of the tasks of flying the aircraft and firing the guns would allow the pilot to concentrate on putting the fighter into the best position for the gunner to engage the enemy. However, manually-traversed turrets were viewed as increasingly inadequate to effectively respond to ever-faster hostile aircraft, thus there
17388-445: The rear, apparently mistaking them for Hurricanes. The German pilots were unaware of the Defiant's rear-firing armament and encountered concentrated defensive fire. The Luftwaffe changed tactics, to outmanoeuvre the Defiant and attack from below or dead ahead, where the turret guns offered no defence. Defiant losses quickly mounted, particularly among the gunners, who were often unable to leave stricken aircraft. The additional weight of
17549-548: The resemblance to the Hawker fighter. The centre section employed a two- spar arrangement, and the wing itself had removable wingtips. The rear fuselage comprised two metal cones connected by a two-foot transitional section and a flat upper deck. The Defiant employed an all-metal stressed skin monocoque structure. The fuselage was built in sections that were subsequently bolted together, a manufacturing method previously used on other Boulton Paul-designed aircraft which they thought made
17710-406: The riveting process easier. It was a relatively clean design and made use of a simple, weight-saving structure. The primary mission of the Defiant was the destruction of incoming enemy bombers. The principal armament of the aircraft is its powered dorsal turret, equipped with four 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns . The fuselage was fitted with aerodynamic fairings that helped mitigate
17871-601: The same specification include the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and the Handley Page Hampden . During the development process, performance requirements such as for the tare weight changed substantially, and the engine used was not the one originally intended. Despite the original specification, the Wellington was used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War , performing as one of
18032-758: The second countermeasures system, "Mandrel" , a noise jammer which overwhelmed the signals from Freya . Individual Defiants were sent to orbit positions 50 miles (80 km) off the enemy coast. By using nine aircraft a 200-mile (320-km) gap could be made in the Germans' radar coverage. 515 Squadron flew its first mission using Mandrel on the night of 5/6 December 1942, continuing to use its Defiants for jamming operations until early 1943, when it began to receive twin-engined Bristol Beaufighters which had longer range and could carry more electronic equipment. The Defiant flew its last jamming mission on 17 July 1943, with one aircraft being lost out of four sent out that night. In
18193-460: The speed and manoeuvrability necessary to keep up with the new generations of opposing fighter aircraft. The Vickers design put the gunner in a fixed seat behind the guns (a pair of .303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns. ) which were mounted on a pillar with a Nash & Thompson control unit, and fired through a moving slot in the framed canopy. Although roomy, there were problems with malfunctions and poor gunnery and Vickers were given
18354-588: The squadron was made on 22 December, of a single He 111. The Defiant night fighters had initially lacked aircraft interception radar, thus enemy aircraft were spotted and attacked via the eyes of the crew alone, aided by ground-based searchlights intended to illuminate attacking bombers. In the opening months of 1941, as the German night bombing campaign reached its peak, increasing numbers of Defiant night fighter-equipped squadrons became operational and commenced night patrols although, according to Bowyer, there were relatively few claims across many Defiant sorties. As
18515-583: The start as a day and night fighter—was transferred to night operations instead. The type had proven unsuited to the demands of the day fighter when set against the likes of the Bf 109E, and was less capable than other RAF aircraft such as the Hurricane and the Spitfire. By 31 August, over half the delivered Defiants had been shot down by Luftwaffe aircraft, a rate that was deemed to be unacceptable. The Defiant's kill ratio
18676-416: The structure considerable strength, with any stringer able to support a portion of load from the opposite side of the aircraft. Damaged or destroyed beams on one side could still leave the aircraft structure viable; as a result, Wellingtons with huge areas of framework missing were often able to return when other types would not have survived, leading to stories of the aircraft's "invulnerability". The effect
18837-433: The target tug version. The first Defiant prototype had not been fitted with a turret at first and had an impressive top speed. In 1940, Boulton Paul removed the turret from the prototype as a demonstrator for a fixed-gun fighter based on Defiant components. The armament offered was either 12 .303 inches (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns (six per wing) or four 20 millimetres (0.79 in) Hispano cannon in place of eight of
18998-406: The there was a handle for manual rotation of the turret. The gunner's hatch was in the rear of the turret, which had to be rotated to the side for entry and exit. There was not enough room in the turret for the gunner to wear a seat-type or back pack parachute; the parachute was stowed alongside the gunner instead. This made escape from the aircraft so difficult that gunners were later provided with
19159-432: The top three (in decreasing order); Gloster and Bristol were rejected due to their turret designs. The Air Ministry wanted several designs investigated and the production of two prototypes of each. To get this large number of aircraft, HM Treasury had to approve the expenditure above that already allocated. Seven prototypes were ordered - one from Armstrong Whitworth, two each from Fairey, Hawker and Boulton Paul - but only
19320-679: The torpedo carrying aircraft onto their target were dubbed the "Snoopington". 38 Squadron, based in Shallufah, Egypt had a detachment of Wellingtons operating from RAF Luqa in Malta conducting anti-shipping operations with torpedoes during 1942. The Wellington was also adopted by RAF Coastal Command , in which it contributed to the Battle of the Atlantic . The Mark IC in Coastal had a endurance of over ten hours at
19481-542: The traditional methods used to manufacture aircraft. The important collection was scheduled to move to Royal Air Force Museum Cosford in Spring 2013. Short video of the move captured April 28,2013. First flight date shown Boulton Paul was one of the two main innovators of gun turret designs for British aircraft, along with Nash & Thompson ; they supplied large numbers of installations for British aircraft. Boulton Paul's designs were largely based on originals licensed from
19642-436: The turret and the second crewman plus the aerodynamic drag gave the Defiant a lower performance than conventional single-seat fighter aircraft. 264 Squadron developed a counter against single-seat aircraft such as the Bf 109. By flying in an ever-descending Lufbery circle , Defiant crews sacrificed the advantage of height but eliminated the possibility of attack from underneath, while giving 360° of defensive fire. This tactic
19803-419: The two Defiant prototypes and one Hawker were completed. Boulton Paul, having been focused on turret-equipped aircraft for some time, made the submission to Specification F.9/35; with the company designation of P.82 . The proposed fighter was similar in size and appearance to the more conventional Hawker Hurricane , differing in weight primarily due to the use of turret-based armaments. The central feature of
19964-411: The type could be used to meet the growing overseas demand for target-towing aircraft, the Defiant was tropicalized, a large portion of which was the installation of large filters underneath the aircraft's nose. The P.85 was Boulton Paul's tender to Specification O.30/35 for the naval turret fighter. A version of the Defiant for Fleet Air Arm (FAA), it had leading edge slats and a deeper fuselage, for
20125-447: The type within the next two months. However, six months following their introduction to the role, the Defiant had proved to be a poor choice for the role, in part due to the aircraft already been worn out by their previous service, which limited the sortie rate; other issues included its high stalling speed and wide turning radius. By the end of 1942, the Defiant had been phased out of the air-sea role. A high-speed target tug variant,
20286-572: The unarmed Wellingtons, Bristol Blenheims of No. 600 Squadron RAF flew escort during the Battle of France . One DWI was detached to the Middle East to act as the pattern for conversion of Wellingtons there. They were used for clearing the Suez Canal Zone and, later during the North Africa campaign , ports along the coast. For the development of what became the Leigh light, squadron leader Leigh fitted
20447-405: The use of Vickers-produced gun turrets in the nose and tail positions. By December 1936, the specification had been revised to include front, rear, and midship wind-protected turret mountings. Other specification changes included modified bomb undershields and the inclusion of spring-loaded bomb bay doors. The proposal had also been developed further, a mid-wing arrangement was adopted instead of
20608-559: The ventral turret gun with two beam machine guns (either .303 Vickers K , or Browning ), was designated Wellington Mk IC and a Type number generated after the fact. In January 1938, design work on what would become the Wellington Mk II formally commenced. The principal change on this model was the adoption of the Merlin engine in place of the Pegasus XVIII; other modifications included hydraulic and oxygen system revisions along with
20769-428: The wartime variants of the Wellington, including the carrying of larger bombs. Defensive armament comprised the forward and tail turret gun positions, along with a retractable revolving ventral turret. Due to the high cruising speeds of the Wellington, it had been realised that fully enclosed turrets, as opposed to semi-enclosed or exposed turrets, would be necessary; the turrets were also power-operated to traverse with
20930-486: Was " Moonshine ", which re-transmitted the radar's signals to simulate large formations of aircraft. As each "Moonshine" transmitter only covered part of the Freya's frequency, a formation of eight Defiants was needed, giving the appearance of over 100 aircraft. As the system required formation flying, it could only be used in daylight, where it could draw German fighters onto British fighters leaving another area relatively free for
21091-538: Was a manufacturer of aircraft equipment rather than aircraft, it merged with the Dowty Group . Boulton & Paul started its construction engineering division in 1905. In 1915, Boulton & Paul began to construct aircraft under contract, including 550 of the Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2b . During the war the company built more Sopwith Camels than any other manufacturer. Success as an aircraft builder led
21252-413: Was a single-engine interceptor aircraft . It used a monoplane structure which was coupled with main landing gear which retracted into a broad mainplane section. The pilot's cockpit and rear turret were faired into a streamlined upper fuselage section. Tankage for up to 104 imp gal (470 L) of fuel was housed within the wing centre section along with a large ventral radiator that completed
21413-593: Was awarded the Victoria Cross . A unique feat for the type occurred on 23 December 1944 when a Me 163 Komet was shot down by rear gunner Gerry Elsyon, who was awarded the DFM. In 1942 the Wellington was adapted to conduct night anti-shipping torpedo attacks against German and Italian shipping in the Mediterranean. The torpedo-carrying Wellington was nicknamed the "Fishington", and the radar equipped Wellingtons that guided
21574-507: Was better than is commonly thought. In 20 days of frontline service in the Battle of Britain in July and August, 141 and 264 Squadron shot down 25 German aircraft for the loss of 17 Defiants. It was concluded that when operating against escorted bombers the Defiant should always be sent into battle with a top cover of Hurricanes or Spitfires so it could concentrate on its designed for role of shooting down
21735-561: Was built up in Wolverhampton . This gave access to a large skilled workforce on top of the 600 or so employees that left Norwich for Wolverhampton. Even so, Boulton Paul would later set up a training centre in Scotland to bring in extra workers. The first "turret" fighter to be built was some of the Hawker Demon . This was followed by Boulton Paul's most famous aircraft, the Defiant , which was
21896-468: Was changing rapidly. The threats of the dictators of Germany and Italy began to exert pressure on the British Government to make a reappraisal of the strength of its armed forces, especially that of the Royal Air Force". By 1936, the need for a high priority to be placed on the creation of a large bomber force, which would form the spearhead of British offensive power, had been recognised; accordingly,
22057-473: Was clearly inadequate. The subsequent Overstrand bomber featured the world's first enclosed, power-operated turret, mounting a single Lewis gun and propelled by compressed air. The company licensed a French design of an electro-hydraulic four-gun turret which became a major feature of their future production. In addition to fitting turrets to bombers, Boulton Paul was to install them in fighters. During this period Boulton & Paul continued to operate outside
22218-516: Was considerable interest in using a power-augmented turret. The earlier Hawker Demon biplane had tested the concept with 59 of the fighters, which had been manufactured by Boulton Paul under a sub-contract, having been equipped with a hydraulically -powered rear turret, while a number of aircraft already built were also converted as such. Boulton Paul and its managing director John Dudley North had gained considerable experience with defensive turrets from producing several earlier aircraft, including
22379-517: Was converted for night operations; on 25 August 1940, the type participated in the first night raid on Berlin . During the First 1,000 bomber raid , on Cologne on 30 May 1942, 599 out of 1,046 RAF aircraft dispatched were Wellingtons; of these, 101 were flown by Polish aircrew. During operations under Bomber Command, Wellingtons flew 47,409 operations, dropped 41,823 tons (37,941 tonnes) of bombs and lost 1,332 aircraft in action. In one incident,
22540-585: Was delivered to R Malcolm Ltd at White Waltham Airfield on 15 April 1945 and the first airborne trial with dummies was held in the following October. The last operational use of Defiants was in India, where they were used as target tugs. The only surviving complete example of the type is a Defiant I, N1671 , on display as a night fighter at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford in Shropshire . It
22701-449: Was destroyed by an accident during a service test flight by Maurice Hare. The cause was the failure of the elevator 's horn balance due to excessive slipstream exposure, leading to the aircraft inverting and rapidly descending into terrain. It was destroyed in the crash, which also resulted in the death of the navigator, Smurthwaite. The horn balances were later deleted from the design and were not on production aircraft. Refinement of
22862-403: Was enhanced by the fabric skin occasionally burning off leaving the naked frames exposed. A further advantage of the geodetic construction of the wings was its enabling of a unique method for housing the fuel, with each wing containing three fuel tanks within the unobstructed space provided between the front and rear spars outboard of the engines. A disadvantage of the geodetic fuselage structure
23023-558: Was filmed for the Ministry of Information for a newsreel Worker's Week-End , and was broadcast in both Britain and America. It was the first time in aviation history that an aircraft manufacturer anywhere in the world had attempted such a feat with a metal aircraft of this scale. A total of 180 Wellington Mk I aircraft were built; 150 for the RAF and 30 for the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) (which were transferred to
23184-531: Was in theory to be able to be fitted with either Merlins or Pegasus but in practice only radials were fitted. The Mark IA was stressed to the Mark II 28,000 lb and had stronger undercarriage with larger wheels and Frazer-Nash turrets. Due to difficulties with performance of the Vickers turrets on the Mark I that left the Wellington with weaker than intended defences, production of Wellington Mk IB with Frazer Nash armament
23345-502: Was in turn downed along with another damaged. On 26 August 264 Squadron engaged a formation of 12 Dornier Do 17 bombers over north-eastern Kent but was attacked by a large formation of Bf 109s. Three aircraft were lost (two to ace Hpt. Gunther Lutzow of JG 3 ) but six Do 17s and a Bf 109 were shot down. Three of those victories were awarded to one Defiant, crewed by Flight Sergeants E. R. Thorn (pilot) and F. J. Barker (air gunner). They shot down two Do 17s but were then engaged by
23506-614: Was its insufficient lengthwise stiffness: when fitted with attachment for towing cargo gliders, its structure "gave" and stretched slightly. On 3 September 1939, the same day the United Kingdom declared war on Germany in response to the invasion of Poland, No. 3 Group Bomber Command based in East Anglia comprised six front line squadrons ( No. 9 , No. 37 , No. 38 , No. 99 , No. 115 and No. 149 Squadrons ) and two reserve squadrons ( No. 214 and No. 215 squadrons ), all equipped with
23667-659: Was launched. A total number of 11,461 aircraft is most often quoted. There is some question over several aircraft, the total may be a few either side of this figure. In combination, the Wellingtons and 846 Warwicks represent over 75 per cent of the total number of aircraft built by the Vickers-Armstrong company. There are two complete surviving Vickers Wellingtons preserved in the United Kingdom. Some other substantial parts also survive. Wellington IA serial number N2980
23828-604: Was not completed. F.5/35 was issued to British manufacturers in June 1935. Seven responded to the tender: Armstrong Whitworth (twin-engines, based on the AW.34), Boulton and Paul (P.82), Bristol (Type 147), Fairey , Gloster , Hawker, and Supermarine (Type 305). Vickers did start on a design but did not provide it to the Air Ministry In September 1935 the Air Ministry picked Hawker, Boulton Paul and Armstrong Whitworth designs as
23989-522: Was one of four Defiants delivered to No. 307 Polish Night Fighter Squadron at RAF Kirton in Lindsey , Lincolnshire on 17 September 1940 and was passed to No. 153 Squadron at the end of October 1941 and 285 Sqn in 1942. In 1954, it was identified for storage as a historical aircraft and passed to the RAF Museum at Hendon, London in 1971. The aircraft was moved on 20 May 2009 to Rochester Airport , where it
24150-409: Was produced in a greater quantity than any other British-built bomber. The Wellington remained as first-line equipment when the war ended, although it had been increasingly relegated to secondary roles. The Wellington was one of two bombers named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington , the other being the Vickers Wellesley . A larger heavy bomber aircraft designed to Specification B.1/35 ,
24311-566: Was proposed for trials but since the Frazer-Nash turrets were already being accepted for the Mark IA, the Mark IB may not have been built or if built re-designated as Mark IA. Further development of various aspects of the aircraft, using knowledge learned was incorporated into the airframe at Weybridge by executive decision. Redesigned hydraulics and 24 volt electrical systems, along with a replacement of
24472-457: Was received by Boulton Paul for the P.82; as this was prior to the first flight of the prototype, the aircraft had effectively been ordered 'off the drawing board'. The order for the rival Hotspur was cancelled in 1938. Completing its acceptance tests with the turret installed, the Defiant attained a top speed of 302 miles per hour (486 km/h) and subsequently was declared the victor of the turret fighter competition. Flight trials had revealed
24633-524: Was received by Vickers; it had been placed so rapidly that the order occurred prior to the first meeting intended to decide the details of the production aircraft. In October 1937, an order was placed with Gloster Aircraft Company for production of 100 Wellington Mk Is to be followed by 100 Wellington Mk II aircraft with Rolls-Royce Merlin X . Another order was placed for 64 Wellingtons to be produced by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft at Coventry With this flurry of order and production having been assured by
24794-448: Was recovered from the bottom of Loch Ness in September 1985 and restored in the late 1980s and 1990s. A new Wellington exhibition featuring N2980 was officially opened by Robin Holmes (who led the recovery team), Penelope Keith (as trustee of Brooklands Museum), Norman Parker (who worked for Vickers) and Ken Wallis (who flew Wellingtons operationally) on 15 June 2011, the 75th anniversary of
24955-497: Was replaced by better performing night-fighters, the Bristol Beaufighter and de Havilland Mosquito . The Defiant continued to find use in gunnery training, target towing, electronic countermeasures and air-sea rescue . Among RAF pilots it had the nickname "Daffy". During the 1930s, the increasing speed of military aircraft posed a particular challenge to anti-aircraft defences. Advances in aircraft design achieved during
25116-630: Was restored by the Medway Aircraft Preservation Society (MAPS). It was returned to Hendon on 6 December 2012, and was then moved from Hendon to Royal Air Force Museum Cosford in November 2016 for display in the War in the Air hangar. Major parts of at least two other Defiants survive; N1766 and N3378 , both Mk Is. A full-scale replica Defiant was created on site at Boulton Paul in Wolverhampton by ex-Boulton Paul engineer Jack Holmes and team at
25277-575: Was shot down. On 18 December 1939, 24 Wellingtons of No. 9, No. 37 and No. 149 Squadrons participated in the Battle of the Heligoland Bight against the German fleet and naval bases in both the Schillig Roads and Wilhelmshaven. The Wellingtons were unable to drop their bombs as all vessels were in harbour, thus restrictions on endangering civilians prevented their engagement. Having been alerted by radar , Luftwaffe fighter aircraft intercepted
25438-421: Was to feature a clean design, concentrating its armament within a power-operated turret, and the accepted performance was to be only slightly beneath that of other emergent fighter designs of the period, along with a sufficient fuel capacity to allow it to perform standing patrols. In particular, the powered turret was to offer considerable flexibility, possessing both a 360-degree upper hemisphere field of fire and
25599-443: Was used by 264 Squadron, but when the Defiants of 141 Sqn were committed to combat a few months later during the Battle of Britain , it chose to ignore their advice. On 19 July, seven out of nine 141 Squadron Defiants sent to cover a convoy off Folkestone were shot down by Bf 109s of JG 51 , and the remaining two survived, one badly damaged, thanks only to the intervention of Hurricanes of 111 Sqn. The Hurricane pilots reported that
25760-506: Was used for the Defiant's naval equivalent, the Blackburn Roc , which while a design by Blackburn , the detail design was done in BP's drawing office and the aircraft was built wholly by Boulton Paul. Boulton Paul also built the Fairey Barracuda and did conversions of the Vickers Wellington . The only post-war design was the Balliol advanced trainer, of which 229 were built, including 30 as
25921-408: Was vulnerable to fighters. By March 1940, 264 Squadron had two flights operational with Defiants and No. 141 Squadron received its first Defiant. When the Defiant was first introduced to the public, the RAF put out a disinformation campaign, stating that the Defiant had 21 guns: four in the turret, 14 in the wings and three cannon in the nose. On 12 May 1940, the first operational sortie occurred as
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