This Day in Aviation History
July 17th, 1939
First flight of the Bristol Beaufighter.
 
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the “Beau”, was a versatile, multi-role aircraft developed during the Second World War, by the Bristol Aeroplane Company in the UK. It was originally conceived as a heavy fighter variant of the Bristol Beaufort bomber: “Beaufighter” is a portmanteau of “Beaufort” and “fighter”. In service, the Beaufighter was used initially as a night fighter and later mainly as a maritime strike/ground attack role. It also replaced the Beaufort as a torpedo bomber.
 
Variants built in Australia by the Department of Aircraft Production (DAP) were sometimes by the name DAP Beaufighter….
 
Source:
Wikipedia, Bristol Beaufighter: http://gstv.us/1LdE5Pm
 
YouTube, Beaufighter – Whispering Death, The Forgotten Warhorse: http://gstv.us/1LdDVY7
 
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Photo from: http://gstv.us/1LdDYTS
 
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