| Oblique aerial photograph taken during a low-level attack on 2 German trawler-type auxiliaries south of Heligoland, by Bristol Beaufighters of the North Coates Strike Wing. 2 Beaufighters are seen clearing 1 of the vessels after raking it with rocket projectiles and cannon fire. This trawler was left burning fiercely while the other was torpedoed and blew up. Royal Air Force (RAF) Coastal Command Beaufighters were flown aggressively and pressed home their attacks to masthead height. Some idea of the intensity of these attacks can be gained from this photograph with a pair of Beaufighters seen passing low over a Vorpostenboot (“literally outpost boat”). During the 2nd World War the Kriegsmarine requisitioned smaller vessels of all types and impressed them into naval service as “security forces.” These vessels were armed and equipped to perform a variety of roles including minesweeping, anti-submarine warfare, patrol, and convoy escort. They were organized into more than a 120 separate Flotillas and operated anywhere the Kriegsmarine was active. Pictured is 1 of the more numerous Vorpostenboot types, a converted from a fishing trawler. The concept was not a new 1, Germany had utilized Vorpostenboote during the 1st World War and many German fishing trawlers and whalers were designed to be easily converted to military uses. The vessels were equipped with several light anti-aircraft guns, mainly 20 millimeter (78 caliber) and 37 millimeter (1.45-inch) guns of various types. Heavier guns were sometimes mounted in the bows to give the ships some punch against their British Coastal Forces opposition. Depth charges were carried in roll-off racks or K-gun projectors. Minesweeping paravanes were fitted, and some ships had “hammers” to detonate acoustic mines projecting forward of the bow. The designation of the ships often had more to do with the Flotilla assignment than the ship’s characteristics or armament. Many Vorpostenboote featured prominent bandstands for their guns. Note the bandstand forward with the gun on this Nazi German trawler. While these provided good fields of fire for the guns they could have adverse effects on stability. The impressive, powerful and heavily-armed Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter was 1 of The Bristol Aeroplane Company’s most important aircraft contributions to World War II. Originally conceived as the Beaufort bomber, for use during the Munich Crisis following the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, the twin-engined Beaufighter night fighter and maritime strike aircraft was eventually developed as a private venture against Specification F.37/35. It was based on re-using the wings and tail surfaces of the Bristol Type 152 Beaufort so that both aircraft could be produced with the same jigs so that manufacturing could be switched between aircraft types at short notice. Led by Leslie G. Frise (July 2, 1895 – September 26, 1979), the design team determined that 1 of the most notable characteristics of the Beaufighter would be its heavy armament with 24 millimeter Hispano Mark II cannon mounted in the lower nose below the cockpit and 6 .303 (7.7 millimeter) Browning machine guns, 4 in the starboard wing and 2 in the port. Designated as the Bristol Beaufighter in March 1939, 4 prototypes and 7 pre-production aircraft were ordered, followed by production aircraft (Beaufighter Mark I) powered by 2 Bristol Hercules engines. The 1st prototype Beaufighter (R2052) was 1st flown (unarmed) on July 17, 1939, and 2 variants were developed as the Mark IF for Fighter Command and a Mark IC for Coastal Command. The later Beaufighter Mark II was purely a night fighter version and was equipped with much-improved Merlin XX engines. A number of experimental versions were produced during the war, including 2 examples (R2274 and R2306) fitted with a 4-gun turret immediately behind the pilot’s cockpit. In this variant, the 6 wing guns and 2 cannons were removed. he next full production variant was the Beaufighter Mark VI, fitted with the more powerful Hercules VI and XVI engines and used as a maritime strike aircraft carrying either rockets or an 18-inch torpedo. The final variant to achieve large scale production was the Beaufighter TF Mark X, with a further increase in power. The Beaufighter Mark XIC was similar to the Mark X but not equipped for torpedo carriage. Post-war, a number of Beaufighter Mark X aircraft were also converted for target-towing duties (as the TT Mark 10A). It was a Beaufighter TT Mark 10 that flew the type’s final RAF sortie on May 12, 1960. During World War II, the Beaufighter also played a significant role in the Battle of Britain, protecting the skies over the south of England. Flying at night, all-black painted Beaufighters acted as night interceptors in the hands of skilled pilots such as Group Captain John “Cats-Eyes” Cunningham (July 17, 1917 – July 21, 2012). Cunningham’s nickname “Cats Eyes” originated from his success as a Beaufighter pilot, with the highest number of night kills in the aircraft. Rather than reveal that this success was in part due to the aircraft’s secret Airborne Interception Radar, the Air Ministry created a legend around Cunningham to explain his successes – stating that his eyesight was so exceptional, aided by his high consumption of carrots in his diet which improved his night vision, that he could see in the dark with the same visual ability as a domestic cat. UK production was of the Beaufighter was split between the Bristol Aeroplane Company (4,804 manufactured, including those made at the Weston-Super-Mare Shadow Factory), the Fairey Aviation Company at Stockport (500 manufactured) and Rootes at Speke (260 produced). Outside the UK, the Beaufighter Mk.21 was built in Australia at the Government Aircraft Factory, where some 364 aircraft were constructed. The most significant marks were the Beaufighter Mark I (915 built); Mark II (448); Mark VI (1,831) and Mark X (2,205). Including Australian production, the grand total was 5,928 aircraft built. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0687.jpg |
| Image Size | 333.28 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2025 x 1519 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | Air Ministry |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | September 17, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Heligoland |
| State or Province | Schleswig-Holstein |
| Country | Germany |
| Archive | Imperial War Museum |
| Record Number | C 4639 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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