Long, Andrew The Defiant by Day - by Night

The Turreted Fighter Plane and the Men who flew it

At the time of its design, the Defiant was an advanced aircraft. With a crew consisting of a pilot and a gunnerthe latter stationed in a motorized Boulton-Paul turretit served as an exceptionally effective weapons platform. Although it initially suffered from reliability issues, once these teething troubles were resolved, the Defiant proved to be a high-performance, extremely stable, andin the hands of a skilled pilotquite maneuverable aircraft. The concept was based on First World War experience; it was assumed that turret-equipped interceptors like the Defiant would play a key role in combating enemy bomber formations. Following its maiden flight on August 11, 1937, the development of the Defiant and the refinement of crew tactics continued right up to the outbreak of war in 1939 and beyond. No. 264 Squadron recorded the Defiant's first combat successes and losses starting in mid-May 1940, while providing air cover over Dunkirk from the RAF base at Manston. Reports indicate that Defiant crews destroyed no fewer than 37 enemy aircraft in a single dayMay 29, 1940. By the end of the Western Campaign, several Defiant crews had already achieved "ace" status. However, the Battle of Britain lay ahead; by this time, a second Defiant unitNo. 141 Squadronhad been formed and was ready for action. No. 141 Squadron, which had relocated south from Scotland only eight days earlier, encountered the Luftwaffe for the first time on July 19, 1940. The mission ended in disaster: six of the nine Defiants were lost, along with ten crew members. Within 48 hours, No. 141 Squadron was withdrawn from active service and redeployed to Scotland. It was not without reason that the events of that day went down in history as the "Massacre of the Innocents." In light of the mounting losses suffered by No. 264 Squadron and the debacle of July 19, the Defiants role as a day fighter came under critical scrutiny. Even while the Battle of Britain raged, the Defiant was reconfigured for the night-fighter role. The first confirmed night-time kill by a Defiantachieved by a No. 141 Squadron crewoccurred in mid-September 1940. This period also saw the Defiants first night-time harassment raids over France. New squadrons were soon formed; four more were added by the end of 1940, followed by another six by the end of 1941. All of them continued to fly night-fighter missions until March 1942, when it became clear that the Defiant could no longer hold its own against newer German bombers. Nevertheless, during their time as night-fighter crews, Defiant personnel not only shot down 64 enemy aircraft but also made a significant contribution to the development of airborne radar (Airborne Interception, or A.I.). The Defiant continued to play a role in the Allied war effort thereafter. A number of aircraft were deployed with air-sea rescue squadrons, used as trainers at gunnery schools and training units, or even employed as target tugs. Furthermore, with No. 515 Squadronformed in October 1942 and operating the type until December 1943the Defiant was used for electronic warfare missions (jamming enemy radio communications) over Europe. These flights marked the end of the Defiants varied and sometimes controversial careera story explored in detail in this book.