Bristol Beaufort Mk IA with Pilots and Ground Staff

The Bristol Beaufort torpedo bomber began to arrive at the RAF Coastal Command in late 1939, and the following spring they began to see combat. The aircraft carried out aerial mining of sea harbors, conducted day and night torpedo attacks, and bombed coastal targets. In the course of its operation, the Bristol Beaufort was improved, its armament and equipment changed. The Mk.IA modification received a new machine-gun turret, and ASV radars were installed on the torpedo battleship to search for ships. One of the areas of combat service of this aircraft was the Mediterranean Sea, where the targets were transport convoys and warships of the Axis countries. It should be noted that service on torpedo battleships was extremely difficult and dangerous, and in some periods of the war, losses among their crews were the highest in the entire Royal Air Force. However, despite all the difficulties, torpedo bomber pilots were able to carry out a significant number of successful attacks on enemy ships.