Coastal Dawn: Blenheims in Action from the Phoney War through the Battle of Britain

In 1940, the defense of Great Britain rested with a handful of volunteer aircrew, Churchill’s ‘few’. Overshadowed in later folklore by the more famous Spitfire and Hurricane pilots, there were other pilots, observers and air gunners – just as courageous – flying the Bristol Blenheim MKIV-F. The future of the country and arguably that of the free world depended also on their skill, morale and sacrifice.

Remarkably little has been chronicled of these men and their aircraft – the trade protection squadrons formed by Hugh Dowding – allotted to 11 Group in October 1939. The aircraft’s range and endurance made it suitable for defense of coastal shipping against attack on the southern and eastern shores of Britain, and for operations further afield. Indeed during bitter fighting casualties among 235, 236, 248 and 254 Squadron Blenheims were high on operations over Norway, Holland, France, Dunkirk and then the Battle of Britain where the Blenheims were completely outclassed by Messerschmitt 109 and 110 fighters and fell easy victims, scythed from the sky. But the record of the aircraft and their crew was an immensely proud one.

Drawing on contemporary diaries, periodicals, letters, logbooks, memoirs and interviews with survivors, lauded historian Andy Bird reassesses the vital role they played and repositions it in history. In doing so, he justifiably embraces the heroes we have left behind.

REVIEWS

Replete with examples of exceptional bravery and resourcefulness, these naturally dominate coverage. And tragedies also understandably abound – like the fratricidal incident between Blenheims L9456 and L9392 and two French Potez 631s. Personalities figure prominently, too. Characters include, for instance, Flying Officer Reginald Peacock – “in the annals of Royal Air Force Coastal Command the first and only pilot effort to ever achieve ace status in a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV fighter”. Some of the book’s fliers even participated in “The Great Escape”. And here and there, WAAFs appear – “to take ones [sic: one’s] thoughts away from aerial warfare”...I really enjoyed this informative, entertaining effort. Dozens of photos, three appendices, a selected bibliography and an index augment the account. How about those Bristol Aeroplane Company drawings of ventral Blenheim 0.303 Browning gun packs?
So grab some fried bread. Curl up with a hot mug of Horlicks. And follow the brave Blenheim fighter crews of RAF Coastal Command during Britain’s darkest days. The Aldis lamp is green! (Translation: “recommended”!)
Cybermodeler