Page 10 - March 2018

Boulton Paul Defiant Goes on Display the only type to make it into front line use. The
at RAF Museum Cosford Defiant’s role, as originally envisioned, was to take
by Richard Mallory Allnutt on unescorted enemy bombers, with the turret
making it easy to focus fire on the enemy aircraft
as the fighter flew through enemy formations.

However, the type had significant shortcomings
19 x 27” $ coming soon
when facing conventionally-armed enemy fighters.
27 x 39” $ coming soon
Firstly, they were underpowered, much heavier,
and less maneaverable, but perhaps more crucially, 35 x 51” $ coming soon
the pilot lacked his own forward-firing machine
guns. That being said, Defiants enjoyed some Ready to hang – 1.5” Gallery wrap (Calgary pickup only – no shipping)
initial success during the evacuation of Dunkirk in
May, 1940, with unsuspecting German fighter 16 x 24” $ coming soon
Although it arrived from RAF Museum Hendon, London at the end of 2016, it has pilots thinking they were attacking a Hawker 24 x 36” $ coming soon
taken almost a year for the sole surviving Boulton Paul Defiant to go on show as a Hurricane from behind, only to face a wall of lead 32 x 48” $ coming soon
complete aircraft, which the RAF Museum finally announced this December.
(RAF Museum photo) from the rearwards-facing machine guns.
The sole surviving Boulton Paul Defiant, RAF serial However, the turret fighters were usually easy prey Place your order by phone @ 1 403 279-7791 or e-mail: info@avromuseum.com
N1671, is now fully re-assembled and on display at once that ruse was rumbled. Even under the best Hours of operation: 9:30am - 5:00pm, Mon-Fri
RAF Museum Cosford in Shropshire, UK. of circumstances, it was an awkward ballet
The aircraft arrived from RAF Museum Hendon in between the pilot, positioning the aircraft, and the
London late last year in a disassembled gunner, aiming the turret, for a Defiant’s crew to
state. Barring a recent four-year stint for achieve much success in the air, but a handful of
conservation/restoration at the Medway Aircraft crews did become aces.
Preservation Society near Chatham, Kent, the
Defiant had been at Hendon continuously since that
facility’s opening in 1972.

Defiant N1671 as she looked at Cosford in early August, 2017.
Note the silver fuselage of Gloster Gladiator K8042 just beyond the Defiant.
(RAF Museum photo)
The British pioneered the concept of power-operated

gun turrets in bomber aircraft, and adapted the Flight Sergeants E R Thorn (pilot, left) and F J Barker (air gunner) pose with
their Defiant after destroying their 13th Axis aircraft; Thorn and Barker were
concept to fighter aircraft during the 1930s. the most successful Defiant crew of the war. (Imperial War Museum photo via
Wikipedia)
The Boulton Paul Defiant was one of a handful of
Defiant squadrons were virtually annihilated during
‘turret fighter’ designs to make it off the drawing
the Battle of Britain, and the type was withdrawn
board, and other than the Fleet Air Arm’s Blackburn
from daytime use before the end of August, 1940.
Roc, an adaptation of the Skua dive bomber,
The Defiant then moved into the night fighter role,
the type did not serve in any combat role beyond 1942. for which it proved slightly better suited, however,