Bust Up in the Bristol Bocage

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

I seem to remember that the Rapide was used as a light bomber in the 30's. I had visuallised a re-engined Bristol Fighter after all it hung around til thev early 30's

[fsn]

I think the Handley-Page Heyford is a perfect start for the Bristol Bocage. The wings were put on at the wrong place, has a couple of precarious mg stations and generally looks awkward and liable to break at any time.

[fred.]

Wow! What a plane   

Not seen this before, and from a quick wiki visit, discover it is a lot later than I would have have guessed mid to late 1930s, only just being replaced before WWII.

[Raider4]

I think the Handley-Page Heyford is a perfect start for the Bristol Bocage. The wings were put on at the wrong place, has a couple of precarious mg stations and generally looks awkward and liable to break at any time.

Yeah, don't think I'd like to be the one manning that under-fuselage MG station.

[Steve J]

The Inter-War British bombers are brilliant, but mad! My recently bought old Airfix magazines have a long series of articles on them that are a great read, so I'll will be trawling through them for ideas .

[fred.]

Yeah, don't think I'd like to be the one manning that under-fuselage MG station.

The retractable dustbin - that inspires confidence!

[Last Hussar]

My grandad was the dorsal gunner in a Bristol Bocage. It was originally intended as a counter to the bf110. The 2 375lb bomb points weren't added until 1942.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

My grandad was the dorsal gunner in a Bristol Bocage. It was originally intended as a counter to the bf110. The 2 375lb bomb points weren't added until 1942.

I see yet another Blenhiem/Beaufort varation then.

[steve_holmes_11]

Good idea Steve and could be used as a light or medium bomber too .

If the enemy has only rifles, almost anything can serve as a bomber.

[steve_holmes_11]

Wow! What a plane   

Not seen this before, and from a quick wiki visit, discover it is a lot later than I would have have guessed mid to late 1930s, only just being replaced before WWII.

That Heyford is a keeper - perhaps a little large, but scope to upgrade with underwing rockets or a gun position on the low wing centre-section.
For a proper Heath-Robinson look, convert the engines to pusher propellors, or double up push-pull drive.


We (British) deployed an awful lot of outdated crap to defend the colonies.
Maybe less apparent with the army where rifled didn't change a lot and several battalions of native infantry would be a lot more effective than a platoon in trucks.

It really started to show when a modern enemy (The Japanese in this case) show up with a modern airforce and navy.

[Steve J]

For a proper Heath-Robinson look, convert the engines to pusher propellors, or double up push-pull drive.

Stop it! Far too many good ideas for a poor weak soul such as myself to resist

[sultanbev]

The DeHavilland Rapide was used as a bomber by the Iraqi air force:
http://www.morvalearth.co.uk/Inch_High_Club/Inch_High_Iraq41/Iraq41_Iraqi_Air_Force.htm

armed with "2 fixed forward firing .303" machine guns and another in a dorsal position and bomb racks for 8 x 20 lb bombs"

Mark

[fsn]

That Heyford is a keeper - perhaps a little large, but scope to upgrade with underwing rockets or a gun position on the low wing centre-section.

Underwing rockets! That would not end well. Though with those and pusher engines, it may be able to go in reverse. 

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Also it's cloth covered QED

[sultanbev]

For a slightly more modern look you could go for the Handley Page Harrow, awesome bomber being capable of carrying a single huge 2000lb bomb in 1937:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handley_Page_H.P.54_Harrow

although I allus prefered the Bristol Bombay, as it could also be used as a troop transport, a truly modern dual-purpose plane:  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Bombay

Mark