Beaufort
Fitting torpedo to Beaufort at Luqa airfield.
| The Beaufort was used to attack shipping with
torpedoes. Initially based in Egypt they did operate from Malta. Missions
were mounted to attack axis convoys attempting to re-supply Rommel's Afrika
Korp which were trying to capture Egypt & the Suez along with the
vast oil fields in the east. Early attacks were not as successful as the allies would have liked. These early aircraft were Mk 1's which were quite slow. Tactics changed & more axis shipping was successfully torpedoed. The later tactics of using the Beaufighters to carry bombs & attack with cannon in a synchronised attack to split the enemies fire proved effective. The Mk II was first delivered to LG 87 (a code used for a landing strip in Egypt). This was flown from England via Malta. It had better rate of climb, was faster & handled more smoothly than the Mk I. The Taurus engines in the Mk 1 were replaced by American Pratt & Witneys which were more powerful & had the advantage of having a high boost which could be used for short periods. This would prove useful in encounters with axis fighters. Usually escorted by Beaufighters which were used to break up enemy fighter attacks. This aircraft was up against the more manoeverable Me 109 & Macchi 202. 217 Sqn was specially flown into Malta from England for Operation Harpoon in 1942. This was supposed to be a one off mission as they were supposed to fly onto Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) but stayed on after the operation. The main purpose of putting this Sqn on Malta was to strengthen the Beaufort presense & try to deter the Italian Fleet from attacking the convoy. |
Fitting a torpedo to a Beaufort.
|
LG Codes LG 05 - East
of Sidi Barrani, just south of the coastal road & 300 miles west
of LG 87. |