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62 BRISTOL BEAUFIGHTER M k.X

the move to Beaufighter TF.Xs

in December 1943. By March the

squadron was fully operational

on the new type in the anti-flak

specialist role. Come D-Day, it was

one of the few Coastal Beaufighter

units proficient in both R/P and

low level bombing. As with 144

Squadron, it ended the war as part

of the Dallachy Strike Wing in the

R/P strike role.

489 Squadron, RNZAF, began

its RAF Coastal Command career

within the milieu of logistics and

supply problems that plagued

the RAF in the early war years.

At first (August 1941) it was to

be a torpedo strike unit with

Beauforts, but before training

was completed, Blenheim IVFs

replaced these in January 1942

and the role reassigned as ‘Coastal

Fighter.’ The new syllabus followed

through to March, by which time

the squadron reverted to the

Torpedo Bomber role and received

Hampden TB.I aircraft; actual

operations commenced in March.

In November 1943, 489 Squadron

converted to Beaufighter TF.Xs,

and resumed operations as a

torpedo strike specialist unit it

occasionally gave up its heavy

‘fish’ for guns-only sorties as

required tactically. In the closing

months of the war it too went

over to the use of armour-piercing

R/P as the main anti-shipping

strike weapon. The pugnacious

Beaufighters were given up for

Mosquitos a few months after VE

Day, but the squadron had very

little time on its new mounts

before disbandment in July, 1945.

Coastal variations and

strike wings

As noted earlier, Coastal Command

first became interested in

acquiring Beaufighters for the

express purpose of replacing the

less-capable Blenheim in the

Coastal Fighter role. This was

accomplished with the Mk.IC, with

397 being built (some sources

reduce this to 378). Differences

between coastal and Fighter

Command-optimised versions were

myriad in detail, but in general

new features centred on range

extension, over-water navigation

capability and survival gear.

The earliest C-models carried

extra fuel in the fuselage (in the

form of a modified Wellington

overload tank), while later

versions featured a system of

This aircraft was often the mount of Wg Cdr Pierce, squadron CO, until lost in early December when flown by another crew. In reference photos, the larger codes that had

been either side of the roundel show through the renewed black and white of the stripe. Before her loss, the upper half of the stripes would be over-painted in EDSG.

NV173/EE-X, 404 Squadron, RCAF,

Banff Strike Wing, November 1944

TF.Xs up from Dallachy for publicity

purposes in mid-February 1945.

Nearest to farthest are NV427/L,

NT916/S, NV177/Z and LZ449/D.

NT916 has been converted with

the modified tailplane that became

a production standard starting at

TF.X RD130. All aircraft show a

patchwork finish of field-overpainted

old markings and Scottish winter

weathering. (author’s collection)

LZ177 was one of the first five TF.Xs delivered to 404 Squadron on August 23, 1943. The photo shows the finish and markings

applied at the MU where, over the course of two weeks since leaving the factory, these aircraft also received the R/P

installation, IFF gear and short-range ‘homing only’ ASV sets. (Ed Lee via author’s collection)

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