A quick Beaufighter question. Does anyone know if Beau’s ever flew operationally armed with both rockets and a torpedo? I know they usually carried either the torpedo or the rockets,but I’m unsure about both. The pic below shows TF.X NT950 armed with rockets,although it appears also to have the torpedo racks fitted under the belly. I’m building a model kit of NT950 and the kit includes the rockets and the torpedo,and I’m wondering whether to fit both to the model.
We all know which Beaufighter fanatic would be replying to this request if he were with us,and I’ll be thinking of him as the kit comes together.
By: bearoutwest - 29th July 2005 at 13:13
I think everyone else has adequately covered the torpedo/rocket question, but there was another use for the torpedo crutches on the aircraft centreline. If you are making a model of the TF.X, try converting the torpedo into a 200 gallon long-range fuel tank. Attached photo (if it successfully attached) is of NE343 from Chaz Bowyer’s “Beaufighter at War”.
…geoff
By: JDK - 29th July 2005 at 12:58
“It makes me think of the kid building the model who wants to hang EVERYTHING on it ‘because it came in the box’!”
Guilty your honour 😀
It’s easily done. However, a pilot told me you take a very different attitude once you’ve tried an overloaded take off. .. 😉
By: Ant.H - 29th July 2005 at 12:48
Thanks for your replies guys,much appreciated. It confirms what I was thinking already,although I thought I’d better check in case there was some unusual cirumstance where both would be appropriate.
“It makes me think of the kid building the model who wants to hang EVERYTHING on it ‘because it came in the box’!”
Guilty your honour 😀
By: mark_pilkington - 29th July 2005 at 07:57
I am not aware of torpedo and rocket equipped Beau’s in the pacific? certainly only rocket equipped pictures come to mind sitting here away from my books?
I also wonder if the drag/flight characteristics and cruise speed might have rendered a Beau so equipped, to be a sitting duck to enemy fighters or shipboard flak/gunners??
Besides rockets and 4 cannons did a pretty good job on the superstructure and personnel even the hull still floated?? due to the alck of torpedo attack capability???
regards
Mark Pilkington
By: JDK - 29th July 2005 at 03:09
Hi Ant,
I’d agree with Kyrre. I can’t see any reason that you’d want /need to carry both rockets and a torpedo on the same sortie, though I can certainly see that you’d want to arm with either as you required for the next op.
It makes me think of the kid building the model who wants to hang EVERYTHING on it ‘because it came in the box’!
Cheers
By: atckyrre - 29th July 2005 at 01:43
A quick Beaufighter question. Does anyone know if Beau’s ever flew operationally armed with both rockets and a torpedo?
I have seen A LOT of beaufighter pictures and to this day I have not seen one with rockets and torpedos at the same time. I have not read about any such missions either.
It has also something to do with the way the Strike Wings worked. Each squadron would have a specific task for each mission. As for 236 Sqn (MB-T)it worked as a rocket/cannon squadron while 254 Sqn from the same airfield did the torpedoing. The torpedo crutches were retained to my knowledge because there’d be inter-squadron exchanges due to availability, or lack thereof. Also consider it does not make any sense to fly in with a torpedo, drop it and then re-aim the aircraft for shooting off the 8 rockets. Rocket attacks would to my knowledge normally be coming in from a medium height with the rockets fired in a dive.
If 254 Sqn flew sans torpedos they’d normally be working as flak-suppressors with cannons only, while 236’d be flying with 25lb rockets.
HTH
Kyrre
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July 29, 2005 at 1:21 am