Bristol Blenheim Mk. I

During the first year of the war the coasts of India were patrolled by the Royal Air  Force. Their No. 27 Squadron supplied two flights of Wapitis—“Y” Flight at St. Thomas Mount and “V” Flight at Juhu—while No. 60 Squadron provided “W” Flight at Karachi and “Z” Flight at Calcutta, each with two Blenheims.

In mid-December 1941, No. 3 Coast Defence Flight was re-equipped with four ex-R.A.F. Blenheim Is, obtaining a fifth later, preparatory to its move to Bassein in Burma from its base at Calcutta.

Though obsolescent, the Blenheims were a definite improvement on the Wapitis and Audaxes thus far operated by No. 4 C.D.F. on general reconnaissance from Moulmein. From 28th January till the end of February 1942, the Blenheims of 3 C.D.F. almost singly carried on the task of conveying troop ships and supply vessels in and out of Rangoon. The meagre numbers were further divided, two of the Blenheims operating from Zayat-kwin, a landing strip cut out of a paddy field, for reconnaissance over Japanese-occupied territory while the other two Blenheims remained on detail for sea reconnaissance over the Gulf of Martaban.

With each sortie of 3 hours duration, twice a day, No. 3 C.D.F. ran high the risk of fighter interception but their Blenheims were faster than the Japanese Type 97 fighters then operating from Tavoy. The Blenheims also avoided heavy flak by hedge-hopping at very low heights. One Blenheim was, however, destroyed during a Jap bombing raid on Bassein, the remaining aircraft being flown to Mingaladon, two returning to Dum Dum on 24th February, the last remaining behind to carry on low level reconnaissance for the army during the battle for Rangoon till two days before the city fell.

Notes :

A military development of the six-passenger Bristol Type 142, the Blenheim light bomber created a sensation in 1937 not only by being nearly 100 m.p.h. (160 km/hr) faster than the Harts it superceded but by outpacing the contemporary R.A.F. biplane fighters as well. Of all-metal stressed-skin construction, the Blenheim I was powered by two 840 h.p. Bristol Mercury VIII radial engines and a total of 1,552 numbers of this version were built. The Blenheim Mk. I was followed by the Mks. II, III and relatively different Mks. IV, IVL and V which saw widespread service with the R.A.F. during the war in Europe, the Mediterranean and Western Desert.

(Image is from internet: A Bristol Blenheim Mk I in flight)