This Day in Aviation History
April 12th, 1935
First flight of the Bristol Blenheim.
 
The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter. It was one of the first British aircraft to have all-metal stressed-skin construction, retractable landing gear, flaps, a powered gun turret and variable-pitch propellers.
 
A Canadian-built variant named the Bolingbroke was used as an anti-submarine patrol aircraft and trainer. The Blenheim Mk I outran most biplane fighters in the late 1930s but stood little chance against the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 during daylight operations, though it proved successful as a night fighter. The Mark IV variant was equally unsuccessful in its daylight bombing role, suffering many losses in the early stages of the war…..
 
Source:
Wikipedia, Bristol Blenheim: http://gstv.us/1UWETwL
 
YouTube, The forgotten Bomber (1989) documentary: http://gstv.us/1UWFXAY
 
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Photo from: http://gstv.us/1UWFUVN
 
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