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58 BRISTOL BEAUFIGHTER M k.X

T

he goal of this feature

is to promote a better

understanding of the

Beaufighter TF.X from

modelling and historical

perspectives. With the latter,

a general overview of the

Beaufighter family’s evolving

role in Coastal Command, and

its technical development

towards that end, puts the

TF.X in perspective against the

background of all other variants

that came before it. The modelling

aspect – essentially the salient

and subtle features that make

a Beaufighter a TF.X and not

any other earlier variant – are

perhaps best described with the

popular maxim ‘a picture is as

good as a thousand words’ via the

photographs, colour profiles and

scale drawings.

A Beau for Cinderella

The origin of a Coastal Command-

optimised version of Bristol’s

Beaufighter can be traced to high-

level discussions in 1940, in which

staff officers of the command had

virtually begged higher authorities

for a more capable and heavily

armed long-range fighter. At the

time the Beaufighter was just

beginning its Fighter Command

career as an interceptor, while

the 'Cinderella Service' (as Coastal

Command was nicknamed, due

to it being overshadowed by the

bigger and better-known Fighter

and Bomber Commands) was

using four ‘borrowed’ Fighter

Command squadrons of Blenheim

Mk.IFs and Mk.IVFs to fulfil its

Reconnaissance Fighter role (the

other two Blenheim squadrons

were on loan from Bomber

Command, and flew General

Reconnaissance missions). The

role, also officially referred to

as Coastal Fighter, involved

either escorting or roving ahead

of coastal convoys and patrol

aircraft, should enemy air assets

be encountered along planned

routes: air superiority, even if

only temporarily in the interest

of safe passage or patrol, was

the desired outcome. The initial

thrust to obtain Beaufighters was

parlayed on paper in 1940. As a

result, the first specialist unit,

252 Squadron, was established at

Bircham Newton in November but,

after it moved to Chivenor, it had

to make do with Blenheims and

trained crews on twin-engined

flying and coastal procedure until

MARITIME MAULER

T

he goal of this feature

is to promote a better

understanding of the

Beaufighter TF.X from

modelling and historical

perspectives. With the latter,

a general overview of the

Beaufighter family’s evolving

role in Coastal Command, and

its technical development

towards that end, puts the

TF.X in perspective against the

any other earlier variant – are

perhaps best described with the

popular maxim ‘a picture is as

good as a thousand words’ via the

photographs, colour profiles and

scale drawings.

A Beau for Cinderella

The origin of a Coastal Command-

optimised version of Bristol’s

Beaufighter can be traced to high-

level discussions in 1940, in which

beginning its Fighter Command

career as an interceptor, while

the 'Cinderella Service' (as Coastal

Command was nicknamed, due

to it being overshadowed by the

bigger and better-known Fighter

and Bomber Commands) was

using four ‘borrowed’ Fighter

Command squadrons of Blenheim

Mk.IFs and Mk.IVFs to fulfil its

Reconnaissance Fighter role (the

other two Blenheim squadrons

either escorting or roving ahead

of coastal convoys and patrol

aircraft, should enemy air assets

be encountered along planned

routes: air superiority, even if

only temporarily in the interest

of safe passage or patrol, was

the desired outcome. The initial

thrust to obtain Beaufighters was

parlayed on paper in 1940. As a

result, the first specialist unit,

252 Squadron, was established at

MARITIME MAULER

Terry Higgins explains the features of

early maritime strike Beaufighter Mk.Xs

This aircraft came from the first production batch of TF.Xs, at which time the Weston-Super-Mare factory was still using the finish and markings scheme it had applied to

Mk.VICs and Mk.XICs built there; the Temperate Sea Scheme of Extra Dark Sea Grey and Dark Slate Grey over Sky. Neither the scheme, nor the under-wing roundels would

remain on TF.Xs destined for Coastal Command. The rear-view mirror was introduced on some very early coastal Beaufighters.

LX803 in factory scheme prior to delivery to a Coastal Reception MU, May 1943

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