dirkpitt289
Master Sergeant
Brief History
Although a lot of histories have been written about individual combat aviation units, Beaufighters in the Night, by Colonel Braxton Eisel, stands out in a crowd because the subject it covers represents something quite out of the ordinary. For one thing, the unit concerned, the 417th Squadron, was one of the relatively few U.S. Army Air Force night fighter squadrons to see extensive operational service during World War II. In addition, the 417th represented a rare instance of "reverse Lend-Lease" in that it was one of only four USAAF squadrons to fly the British-built Bristol Beaufighter.
British air combat experience showed the USAAF that it was ill-prepared for war in many respects. Not least among those deficiencies was the lack of a suitable night fighter. Although one highly promising design, the Northrop P-61 Black Widow, had been selected for production, it was still in the early stages development and would not become available for operational use until the end of 1944. In the meantime, the USAAF had to settle for the Douglas P-70. An adequate night fighter training platform, the P-70--which had been modified from the A-20 Havoc ground attack plane--lacked the performance required of a frontline fighter. For that reason four USAAF night fighter squadrons--the 414th, 415th, 416th and 417th--left their P-70s behind when they deployed overseas in May 1943 and were reequipped in Britain with Beaufighters.
The Model
The Interior
The interior filled with injector marks and funky shelves for the pilots to sit on.
With the help of this delicate modeling tool
We now have a blank canvas to work with.
Although a lot of histories have been written about individual combat aviation units, Beaufighters in the Night, by Colonel Braxton Eisel, stands out in a crowd because the subject it covers represents something quite out of the ordinary. For one thing, the unit concerned, the 417th Squadron, was one of the relatively few U.S. Army Air Force night fighter squadrons to see extensive operational service during World War II. In addition, the 417th represented a rare instance of "reverse Lend-Lease" in that it was one of only four USAAF squadrons to fly the British-built Bristol Beaufighter.
British air combat experience showed the USAAF that it was ill-prepared for war in many respects. Not least among those deficiencies was the lack of a suitable night fighter. Although one highly promising design, the Northrop P-61 Black Widow, had been selected for production, it was still in the early stages development and would not become available for operational use until the end of 1944. In the meantime, the USAAF had to settle for the Douglas P-70. An adequate night fighter training platform, the P-70--which had been modified from the A-20 Havoc ground attack plane--lacked the performance required of a frontline fighter. For that reason four USAAF night fighter squadrons--the 414th, 415th, 416th and 417th--left their P-70s behind when they deployed overseas in May 1943 and were reequipped in Britain with Beaufighters.
The Model
The Interior
The interior filled with injector marks and funky shelves for the pilots to sit on.
With the help of this delicate modeling tool
We now have a blank canvas to work with.