The Bristol Beaufighter nicknamed the Whispering Death. British Multi Role Aircraft | Upscaled video
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- The Bristol Beaufighter was designed and built in England as a development of the Beaufort bomber, and initially saw service as a night fighter. English built aircraft were delivered to the RAAF for service in the Pacific with No. 22, 30, 31 and 93 Squadrons operating this variant.
In Australia the Department of Aircraft Production was in the process of producing the Beaufort bomber and in 1944 the manufacture of the Beaufighter began as a follow on project. Design changes included revised armament and a dihedral tailplane, and between September 1944 and 1946, 365 Australian Beaufighter Mk 21’s were built.
Powerfully armed, fast at low level and very quiet in flight, the Beaufighter earned a grim nickname from the Japanese, who called it “Whispering Death”.
Symbolically, our aircraft was built on the day the Pacific War ended, and saw extensive post war use as a target tug. It was retired in 1956 and given to the Lord Mayor’s Children’s camp at Portsea. In 1962 it became the first aircraft donated to the museum.
The aircraft in our collection is dedicated as a memorial to No 31 Squadron. It is one of only 6 complete examples surviving worldwide, and one of only two complete Australian made examples. As of the end of 2013 it is also the only Beaufighter in the world capable of ground running an engine.
1941 saw the development of the Beaufighter Mk.IC long-range heavy fighter. This new variant entered service in May 1941 with a detachment from No. 252 Squadron operating from Malta. The aircraft proved so effective in the Mediterranean against shipping, aircraft and ground targets that Coastal Command became the major user of the Beaufighter, replacing the now obsolete Beaufort and Blenheim.
Coastal Command began to take delivery of the up-rated Mk.VIC in mid 1942. By the end of 1942 Mk VICs were being equipped with torpedo-carrying gear, enabling them to carry the British 18 in (450 mm) or the US 22.5 in (572 mm) torpedo externally.
The Hercules Mk XVII, developing 1,735 hp (1,294 kW) at 500 ft (150 m), was installed in the Mk VIC airframe to produce the TF Mk.X (Torpedo Fighter), commonly known as the 'Torbeau'. The Mk X became the main production mark of the Beaufighter. The strike variant of the 'Torbeau' was designated the Mk.XIC. Beaufighter TF Xs would make precision attacks on shipping at wave-top height with torpedoes or '60lb' RP-3 rockets. Early models of the Mk Xs carried metric-wavelength ASV (air-to-surface vessel) radar with 'herringbone' antennae carried on the nose and outer wings, but this was replaced in late 1943 by the centimetric AI Mark VIII radar housed in a 'thimble-nose' radome, enabling all-weather and night attacks.
The North Coates Strike Wing of Coastal Command, based at RAF North Coates on the Lincolnshire coast, developed tactics which combined large formations of Beaufighters using cannon and rockets to suppress flak while the Torbeaus attacked at low level with torpedoes. These tactics were put into practice in mid 1943, and in a 10-month period, 29,762 tons (27,000 tonnes) of shipping were sunk. Tactics were further adapted when shipping was moved from port during the night. North Coates Strike Wing operated as the largest anti-shipping force of the Second World War, and accounted for over 150,000 tons (136,100 tonnes) of shipping and 117 vessels for a loss of 120 Beaufighters and 241 aircrew killed or missing. This was half the total tonnage sunk by all strike wings between 1942 and 1945.
General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 41 ft 4 in (12.60 m)
Wingspan: 57 ft 10 in (17.63 m)
Height: 15 ft 10 in (4.83 m)
Wing area: 503 sq ft (46.7 m2)
Airfoil: root: RAF-28 (18%); RAF-28 (10%)
Empty weight: 15,592 lb (7,072 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 25,400 lb (11,521 kg) with one torpedo
Fuel capacity: 550 imp gal (660 US gal; 2,500 l) normal internal fuel
Maximum fuel capacity: 682 imp gal (819 US gal; 3,100 l) (with optional 2x 29 imp gal (35 US gal; 130 l) external tanks / 1x 24 imp gal (29 US gal; 110 l) tank in lieu of port wing guns / 1x 50 imp gal (60 US gal; 230 l) tank in lieu of stbd. wing guns)
Powerplant: 2 × Bristol Hercules XVII or Bristol Hercules XVIII 14-cylinder air-cooled sleeve-valve radial piston engines, 1,600 hp (1,200 kW) each
Propellers: 3-bladed constant-speed propellers
Performance
Maximum speed: 320 mph (510 km/h, 280 kn) at 10,000 ft (3,000 m)
Range: 1,750 mi (2,820 km, 1,520 nmi)
Service ceiling: 19,000 ft (5,800 m)
Rate of climb: 1,600 ft/min (8.1 m/s)
Armament
Guns:
4 × 20 mm (0.787 in) Hispano Mark II cannon (240 rpg) in nose
6 x .303 (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns in wings four starboard two port (optional, replacing internal long range fuel tanks)
1 × manually operated 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning for observer
Rockets: 8 × RP-3 60 lb (27 kg) rockets
Bombs: 2× 250 lb (110 kg) bombs or 1× British 18 inch (45 cm) torpedo or 1x Mark 13 torpedo
#beaufighter #bristolbeaufighter #wwii
Click the link to watch more aircraft, heroes and their stories, missions: ua-cam.com/play/PLBI4gRjPKfnNx3Mp4xzYTtVARDWEr6nrT.html
ALL the guys from this era on both sides of the pond had balls of steel ! Much admiration and respect , thank you .....
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What a magnificent video. Thank you for sharing it with us. As a Brit, and knowing very little about the war in the Far East it is heartening to see and hear about the gallantry of our Antipodean cousins and their magnificent defence of their homeland flying the Bristol Beaufighter, and the American co-operation was great too. That was an hour and twelve minutes well spent!
Thank you!
The British suffered over 90,000 casualties in the Far East in WW2,although harshly overshadowed by the European theatre of operations,there’s still a massive amount of information out there about the campaign..🤷♂️
Some of the most awe inspiring stories of WWII I've ever heard. Salute.
Yes stories in deed.
@@stephenconnolly3018 True stories indeed, many many footage
What brave men these are. Truly the greatest generation. I’m afraid that as an American we are lacking greatly for men with this character.
they certainly are, but I am also sure there are plenty of them in the USA. Did you watch: "The Gift"? Bob Hoover has some really amazing stories to tell: ua-cam.com/video/wWFOOJv0M4c/v-deo.html
I don't know about that. I just think a small amount of squeaky wheels are getting all the attention.
@@Dronescapes Thanks it took me weeks to get to this Beaufighter doco and you sidetrack me with The Gift. Bob Hoover. A legend. Punished and rewarded for speaking truth to power. An artist. Fearless, genius, loyal and modest. Thanks for that. Reminds of the American Top Gun who qualified through the Australian Airforce. Great autobiography. Similar to the Qantas captain who salvaged the high tech latest commercial aircraft on its maiden flight. All the tech failed mid flight. He was never supported by the company post pulling off a miracle and incurring legitimate PTSD. It's the most terrifying in flight account of a crippled commercial plane ever written.
Which leads to another book. The Black Cats. Aussie Catalina squadron. Settled a few scores with the Japanese Navy post Pearl Harbour while protecting what was left of the American Pacific fleet.
Catalinas hey? Can fly, can land on water, can land on the ground and armed to the teeth is a submariner's nightmare. And in peacetime Jimmy Buffett flew something similar. Grooving out all around the world with guitar, margaritas and surf board. ( Not Apocalypse Now style)
Is it true the letters of the airmen who flew with the Enola Gay are in an American Airforce museum? Because they were sworn to secrecy and didn't know if they would return they wrote letters to wives and loved ones explaining their feelings to the horrific loss of life they were going to inflict and secrecy of their mission. Of course the powers that be allowed the onus to focus on the pilots and planes. Funny that. However, how do I know? My sister's husband's father Tex Burns was flying in one of the other craft. It's his letter on display apparently. True or false?
Houdini was the first person to achieve powered flight in Australia.
True or false?
Those Aussies, dem Yanks and all the countries' pilots that fought in the Battle of Britain - no wonder we won WW2. Respect. I hope Bob Hoover wasn't related to Edgar J. True or false lol?
Fingers crossed for Artemis. Thanks for the stream. Not sure about the 'expert' commentators from another stream though. They spent 5 hours saying they had no idea what was going on and talked over the top of the official NASA announcements lol. Give it a shot yourself next time.
'Houston we have another problem......again' ( yeah I know)
Meanwhile......Elon is still planning and scheming and scrubbing.
Where's Bob Hoover when you need him unless he's FIP?
Wouldn't have happened in his day. Plus he could have picked up those documents at Mar a Lago on the way....on the quiet.
A decent and honourable man who got things done.
Patriot
Genius
Husband and dad.
Humble
Pretty cool hat selection.
Oh yeah Mt Erebus - Whiteout. Air NZ's first and last crash.
Royal Commission inquiry's findings?
' An orchestrated litany of lies' by the company.
The recovery operation was horrific. It was launched from Wellington.
Just a few ideas
Peace
I fear every Western democracy is suffering from the same malaise.
@@paulkeogh3518 I think the Ukraine will present an example with the battle they are fighting now.
"They will not grow old, as we who are left grow old."
Yes, they did grow old, but not in my eyes. Forever they will be young men in their aircraft, flying peaceful skies, the skies they gave us. Never forget any of them.
The Fallen do not grow old. That is what that line refers to.
Great documentary. Nothing but admiration for the Aussies. Greetings from Canada.
Glad you enjoyed it
Agreed. Back then you knew who your enemy was. Nowadays it is harder and their seem to be worse enemies amongst us, Trudeau etc.
@@stilllearning1160 EVERY UK GOVERNMENT SINCE MAGGIE.
This was engrossing. To hear the stories in the crews own words. And the photos! Superb shots of the old Beau. Living and flying from those strips must have tested the best of them, but they stuck at it in true Aussie spirit. Well done.
My favourite Airfix model by a country mile, this is an amazing video. I didn't know these stories at all. Thanks very much.
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Yep built the same model. It was my favourite, with the P40 just behind. Always thought the Beau was a beautiful looking aircraft, yet menacing.
Ordered the Revell Beau in 1/32 this morning. Will do it as a 30SQN plane.
Good start to another day. That was very good thank you. Looking back 80 years its hard to believe what these guys did and where they did it on land at sea and in the air. WW2 was unbelievable.
Fabulous video of stories I’ve never heard before. An uncle-by -marriage flew Beau’s in Australia during the war, but I never heard any of his stories. Thank you for reminding me of the astonishing skill determined and courage of Theo greatest generation.
home built in Australia -because of a far sighted railway man who built the beaufort and beaufighter in railway workshops
Australia can be rightly proud of these airmen, these Aussie and, New Zealander pilots certainly won the respect and everlasting thanks of the British people for their skills and sacrifice during the battle of Britain and the entirety of WW2, true heroes
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There is no evidence that the Japs called the Beaufighter'Whispering Death'. It is more likely a story pushed by post war historians.
30 Australian pilots out of 2000 plus pilots in the Battle. Hardly a large difference.
@anthonyeaton5153 you're right, much easier to not respect them or thank them and pretend it never happened. Dick.
@anthonyeaton5153 and 130 New Zealanders, second largest foreign contingent behind the poles.
I recommend Warby's War, a book about photo reconnaissance pilot Adrian Warburton. Flew Beaufighters from Malta. The bit where the observer mentions the doors to the pilots cockpit flew open from maneuvering through flak, Warburton wearing his officers cap on top of his flying cap, pyjamas and slippers with cigarette butts flying around while he's humming a song. These guys were amazing characters.
A year since I've seen this and it's still about the best doco yet about Australian WW2 aviators and servicemen. As an Aussie it fills me with pride and I think it should be shown in all our schools. Thank you.
I had the privilege of speaking to a couple of Aussie Air crew who spent some time in Papua New Guinea in WWII. Wow! Great men, humble, self effacing, salt of the earth.
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44 days those P40s battled overwhelming odds like heros. Awesome!
Superb, thank you. Deep respect towards those brave men.
What a great video big respect to those brave men from the uk 🇬🇧
Glad you enjoyed it
Ah, Aussies.
Proper history. Thank you.
What a first class video that fully explains the history and context of the war in that part of the world. It definitely deserves more exposure. Of course using the experiences of those outstanding veterans makes it all the more engaging. I’m going to see if any of those gentleman interviewed wrote memoirs.
The Bristol Beaufighter was a bad ass plane.
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The Beaufighter doesn't get lauded enough, it always seems slightly overshadowed by its replacement the de Havilland Mosquito.
Aussies, tough, professional, resourceful warriers with a properly developed sense of humour. Their service will never be forgotten, in the UK
What a story I've never heard! Truly men from the Great Generation!
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My favourite aircraft from WWII.
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Aussie here, mate if u pick an Ozi you’re gonna find out quick your in a fight. We Never give up.
It's great to see this history has been captured for us to enjoy.
One of my fave Planes on World of Warplanes when i played it.
A superb documentary, thank you 🙏
Many thanks Nick! Glad you liked it
They were a special breed of men , terriers of the sky's . We have a lot to thank them for !
Makes me think I would want to fly something tough rather than Popular. Thanks Boys for all your Efforts. I gather this maybe a decade or 2 old film as I refer other Beaufighter doco's back to this , when it was first posted. Now I have a need to go and see one if there any examples left in Museums
Moorabbin Air Museum has the most complete Australian Beaufighter in existence. Enjoy.
What a brave bunch of blokes.As much as I think that the beaufighter looks great,I sometimes wonder what it would have looked like with a cut down rear fuselage.Roly🇬🇧.
An interesting note that I have to offer is about those prefabricated runways they actually still exist in Tacloban, Leyte in the form of fencing. So many front fences are made of perforated sheet metal, I don't know that the property owner knows the history or value of them
Great vid, lots of great footage and wonderful stories
GRADE AAA
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If your ever gonna fight Aussies, pack a lunch. If they have Kiwis with them, it's probably your last meal.
Excellent comment, the only thing I hate about Kiwis is there's not much of them in Australia.
Canadians deny being there
If you ever are in a gold rush, be the one selling shovels and pickaxes.
Those days are long gone
How very very childish. Go back to your dolly and pram your comment added nothing to the discussion.
My granddad was in the 31st Beaufighter sqd
When I see these interviews I think now how they are virtually all gone. As someone who once helped cater for the 463, 467 Squadron reunions, it is sad to know they are probably all gone now. We will not forget you. Australia has lost a generation of Patriots, a term that seems lost to Australians today. Dad fought at Gona, Milne Bay, Sandananda and Buna.
Something I found interesting is that for air combat in the RAF while no surprise that the Spitfire and Hurricane had the most success, the Beaufighter came 3rd ahead of the Mosquito , P 40, Typhoon, Tempest and P 51.
Great video. Some wonderful men telling stories of great bravery. BYW - the :59 mark is discussing the B-25 Mitchells skip bombing, yet the video is stock footage of B-24 Liberators. A small goof in a fine video.
Hearing their stories you realize what a different breed the men of WW2 were
RIP to all in this video. Hero's every one.
the left wing fell off,and the right wing fell off and he laughs.
What a wonderful video
Glad you enjoyed it Ralph. Thanks for watching and for the kind comment
Contrary to this documentary the Beau fighter was not design in Australia.
Anybody down range of a beaufighter was having a bad day
The Aussies are a tough bunch. The Japanese found out the hard way
I wil never quite understand why an otherwise almost brutishly robust airplane like the Beaufighter had fabric control surfaces, like elevators. Why didn't they go for metal covered control surfaces like the P-47s?
Because fabric control surfaces are much lighter, weight here hits both ways, initial mass and mass of any aids.
@@richardrichard5409 Why would it then work out well with the the P-51 and P-47 ?
Don't gt stuck in front of angry Beau , you could get a nasty dose of lead poisoning Love it 😃
I never had a model of it but my third best friend had it I had many planes some metal some plastic but I doubt I had this one
Gees I’m proud to be Australian 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
Yes. We have alot to live up to mate.
@@stilllearning1160yes we surly have, sadly in Australia no matter what colour government doesn’t see the bravery of all Australians people did ,my uncles fought one being in New Guinea losing his best mate , went as young men and came back old ,kindness regards Rob blandford 👏🇦🇺🇦🇺
german torpedo boats were terrified of these
Yes!
"A dose of lead poisoning" What a man! Lol
The sleeve valve radial engine was the brainchild of Sir Harry Ricardo and Bristols Sir Roy Feddon when Roy Feddon was knighted for his engine discoveries The owners of Bristols sacked Roy Feddon because they said that couldn't have a knight of the realm working as an employee. If Roy Feddon had been allowed to continue with his research the sleeve valve engine would have been a much more powerful aircraft engine. One sleeve valve type airplane made by Napier and developed by Frank Halford called the Napier Sabre produced more power than any other propellor driven aircraft of WW2..
His name is fedden, and no they didnt he left for goverment service after the war, he carried on working all through till wars end, ending up one of the top specialist on german aeronautics, like V1's V2's and aircraft that used pulse jet or jet engines then knighted..where do you get this information..
@@wor53lg50 There is no such thing as left or right to intelligent people in the same way that there is no such animal as race. For your particular perusal I indicated that Roy Feddon was sacked by The White Family the owners of Bristol Aviation. It was obvious that Feddon would be diverted into other engine development work when he left Bristols to work with the English aviation Industry .... and the also ran's.. He went to USA and advised their engine development teams on new engine tecnologies they thought he was wonderful.
You might get a book on the career of Feddon from Rolls Royce they sell books.
@@englishpassport6590 Maybe you should read it then and get his bloody name right...
What's a simple vowel to come betwixt us when the world is full of wind blown consonants adrift afloat in a gulf stream..
Was that a Maori Tiki painted on the side of a P40 Kittyhawk?
When I realised this was over an hour I nearly turned off. I'm glad I didn't.
THEY DON'T MAKE-'EM LIKE THIS ANYMORE, MEN OR MACHINE.
I have a lot of love and respect for my Aussie brothers. Very similar to us Americans in many ways. Sad they weren't willing to declare & fight for independence against the Brits way back when we did. And now that they've long handed-over their firearms, they couldn't even if they wanted to😕
Pro tip.. don't ever give up your God-given rights to keep & bear arms.
Haha only in America, goddamn given right to bare arms, i ex Aust army, served a few guard duties on munition dumps around the country, plenty of guns in storage to arm the pop in time of war, til then we dont need them, otherwise we end up like you,massacres every 2nd day,kids murdered in school's,no thank's got a bit more sense than that😅😅😅
Plus we can get guns if we want, just a lot more hoops to jump thru,u wont see a 16yr old here able to buy automatic rifles on his or her birthdays, or given guns or their birthdays, dunno if u can buy one at 16 in America bit wouldnt b surprised if u could, better watch out those Apache's r rebelling😅
@@trevorlewis847 This is the problem with the manipulative, brainwashing (democrat) mainstream media.. lying through their teeth to push their agenda to ban guns. Nobody here can "just buy an automatic weapon". Most people here don't even know what SEMI-automatic means. But it sounds scary so they believe it means machine gun. You have to be very wealthy, spend a shit-ton of money on jumping through hoops, getting special licensing & permits to finally be allowed to buy a full-auto firearm. But 99% of us will never be able afford that. And no, you have to be 18 to buy a rifle here. Unless your parents buy a gun and let you use it under their supervision or something
Just refresh my memory, how many mass shootings in your country this year compared to my country, Australia?
Unlike you, we don't need weapons to be a psychological crutch in our lives, . Take you alleged god given rights to bear arms and stick them where the sun doesn't shine.
There's more guns in Australia now before the buyback so who ever told you that is full of shit there's nearly 4 million registered guns in Australia presently 😂😂😂😂 and we're not like Americans and we don't want to be 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
"At Milne Bay, we stopped the Japanese from getting in to Kokoda ". Yes, with a Little Help from the Yankee Carriers at Coral Sea and the Cracking of Japanese Naval Code Purple.
The Purple Code had almost nothing to do with the Japanese navy or fleet movements. It was used more for diplomatic communications. It was an Australian officer, Eric Nave, in charge of Australian code breakers, who broke the Japanese codes. Get your facts straight before taking credit where credit isn't due.
They speak so highly and often fonfly of the Americans.
I must correct myself and say "fondly"
Whispering death.....I have a hard time believing anything wads ever givin that name by the enemy.....now I'd believe it if the enemy called the bow fighter "ol stumpy nose".....didn't the Japanese also supposedly call the corsair the same whispering death name? How many whispering deaths can there be?......what happened to yelling death.....or screaming death? Who got those names?
I believe the Corsair was called whistling death. Most likely this was a propaganda thing for the home front in both cases
BLOODY commercial breaks! ZERO respect for the war-dead/JEL
As much as i love Australia and the Beau, The name "Whispering Death" was a propaganda story. If anything, that name belongs to the Vought Corsair
The Corsair was Whistling death, also propaganda.
@@johnbrewer8954 The Corsair is more believeable. It is 100 mph faster than a beaufighter and in a dive, it is not far behind the speed of sound. I guess in 1943, the Australian government needed something positive to give the people, hence knocked off the nickname and gave it to the Beaufighter which was being produced locally. It was a good heavy fighter and strike aircraft, but it was relatively slow and noisy. Mind you , it could outrun a zero or an oscar.
I agree about the propaganda point. Allegedly the sleeve valve engine along with the collector ring at the front of the engine was supposed to make the engine quite as it approached. I've heard a Beaufighter engine ground run and it was not quite. I've also heard Bristol freighters fly with the same engine and exhaust set up and they were not quite either.
@@doughart2720 Pilots of faster aircraft such as the mossie and corsair often noted in low level operations that they overflew anti aircraft positions before they had a chance to react. It stands to reason tat the closer you are travelling to the speed of count, the less notice an enemy will have to open fire. 340 mph is a little on the slow side in this regard. I never had the good fortune to hear a Hercules engine.
Young kid’s nowadays wouldn’t have the intestinal fortitude that these guy’s had, it’s a shame that generation has past on. These SJWs would shit themselves if they had to put themselves in harms way like these guys did.
Too low, too slow. A lot of my dads mates died in these.
A Lot of people love it
What a load rubbish more fiction than fact,
My Uncle, Dallas W. Schmidt, was a Beau pilot off Malta... He was also involved with a flight of 18 Beaus from England, around the outside of Spain and landed at Gibralter on fumes..
Fantastic English aircraft, both the beaufighter & Sunderland, thanks partly to our empire friends 🇬🇧🇬🇧
As an American, I salute all of these old warriors. They had it tough. My Uncle Mike was Airborne 1945, Op Varsity. Dead when he hit the ground, from Ger Volks army. I like to think he wracked the slide of his Thompson and served up a burst to the SoB who shot him. I see these men of that generation, tip my head a give thanks. Theres' a meme titled,
"Okd Soldier, Young Shadow". Certainly for all of them. Thanks, men!
Superb video , thank you, the Australians ,as well as all our allies were incredible RIP brave men the likes we may never see again.
Stumbled across by chance......what a treasure find. Great collation of actual footage and irreplaceable personal interviews of flight crews, which becomes preserved personal history. Those were men knew what real fear was all about when in close quarter combat of a hundred metres or so.
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I agree. I need to find a good book on this. Any ideas?
Lest we forget 🇦🇺🦘
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Very good compilation.
Marvellous to see the Pilots and Crew relate views of their experiences.
Also to see more on this excellent aeroplane.
For those baffled about what a sleeve valve engine is, I've tried to get to the bottom of it and its something like this, sorry I'm not an engineer! So here goes ...
The cylinder lining is double skinned. The outer lining is fixed to the crankcase but the inner lining, the sleeve, is mobile. It is driven up and down and also rotates, driven by a cam off the crankshaft. It moves at half the speed of the piston. The inner and outer bores have identical holes in them, ports, 3 inlet and 2 exhaust.
Because the sleeve twists and goes up and down it allows the ports in the sleeve and those on the outer bore to line up at the right point in the 4 stroke cycle to suck in fuel/air then expel exhaust gas.
The sleeve moves at half speed compared to the piston. During the compression-power stage the sleeve is as high as it will go inside the barrel, covering all the ports. Then it drops, allowing the exhaust ports to open, then twists thus covering the exhaust ports and uncovering the inlet ports. When the gas has entered to start a new cycle the sleeve is back up to the top ready for the compression stroke.
If there's something not right or missed out, then please comment. Like I say, I'm no expert just a curious person like the rest of us.
But what is the idea there? Why design it that way?
@@michaelbrogan7537 the radial arrangement of cylinders means that some are upside down so how would you circulate oil to the OHCs?
Sleeve valves were more tolerant of prewar petrol so we're also used in in-line engines but didn't operate well above 3000 rpm.
@@michaelbrogan7537 way less friction and much more accurate fuel to the cylinder ..and of course....quieter...
My hunches...? Smoothness, noise down, lower wear. They get spoken of highly in the context of low height warfare. @@michaelbrogan7537
I've watched this before at some stage but it was just as good the 2nd time. Those old men certainly had an exciting but trying n dangerous time risking it all to protect Australia, thank goodness they were up to the very difficult tasks involved. I don't think folks really understand how hard n dangerous it was or the sacrifices made by all involved. perhaps because the men are so humble and nobody really talked about it except amongst themselves until decades after. I'm grateful and very interested in what they did n went through, they deserve great respect n honor from the rest of us, good on them for being great Aussies.
Great documentary of first-hand accounts of our Aussie contribution to the war. Imagine if the Aussies and Yanks had truly combined their strengths of navigation skills and good equipment/supply respectively, that would have made for a formidable team.
It did.
As a Yank, if I am to be reincarnated, I want to come back as an Aussie!
Great compliment but there are many many heroes in your own country to emulate.
I've aways thought the Bristol Beaufighter looked the most agressive military plane of it's era. A flying BULLDOG.
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Thank you for posting this. I love to hear the first hand accounts of the brave souls that won us all victory against the axis powers in WW2. Their humour (note "What do we do with the Drunken Pilot?") and modesty never cease to impress me. The Aussies, Kiwis, Canadians and the other Commonwealth nations performed brilliantly, as did the yanks, and they have the eternal gratitude of the UK, where I live. This particular video is poignant for me because my father flew, amongst several types, RAF Beaufighters in the night fighter role while my mother worked in ops in the RAF. Neither liked to talk about the war - too many deaths and too much destruction to think about.
Thank you Francis
Yes I agree with you. Sadly they must all be gone now. My dad served in the RAF in the medical branch ( he was a trained nurse went with the first RAF mobile field hospital to France on D+7 no 50 MFH Ending up in Northern Denmark ) he would have been 112 this coming Halloween.
Thanks for your comments. It used to be the case that the youngsters never heard stories from their family who had served in the war.
But i can see now that the servicemen had very good reasons for their silence, and indeed is in keeping with their general selfless attitude.
In my mind, they are magnificent.
31:22
My father was in the RAF ,he was most impressed by the Poles and the Czechs. He said they fought like demons.
10 guns! Including four 20mm cannons, what a beast.
Absolutely wonderful video, was a pleasure to watch, one of my favourite all time aircraft, and some truly heroic gentlemen, with some amazing memories,...just fantastic 😉👌 greetings from 🏴
Respect to those brave Aussies. I will always have respect for diggers - A whingey Pom
Incredibly brave men. Without the assistance of the Australians and our Commonwealth friends we would have lost the war by the end of 1941. Greetings from Britain.
Back in 1991, my dentist, in S London, was a charming old gentleman from Trinidad. He had flown B24 Liberators! I have a PPL, and he fixed my smile after I crashed a hang glider. One time I sat in the chair for an hour, and no dental work got done. But I discovered how to measure drift, at night, whilst flying over an ocean, and heard some amazing tales.
Well think about it. If we had let you get beaten by the Germans, who the hell would we have played cricket against 😀
@@glenchapman3899 Once in a blue moon I read a comment that says everything I care about in a few words. THIS IS THAT COMMENT.
@@neilpemberton5523 Thank you for the kind compliment
Twas t"Empire and our reliance upon, at the time.
But, thank you all the same. 🇬🇧
Amazing stories, amazing pilots, crews and fitters keeping the aircraft flying. Thankyou for the vid.. (Brit, my Dad was in India during all this, collecting crashed aircraft to cannibalise to keep our flyers going in East India, Burma and over the sea. He refused to discuss his war because of what he saw in these crashed planes and soldiers pulled back to be hospitalised).
Excellent accounts , priceless evidence from aircrew who now I guess have passed on. Please get the three Beaufighter restorations in the air by making the engines available.
As a living memorial to these brave men. Often rather unfairly compared to the mosquito, but as usual horses for courses. the mossies timber airframes would not stand up to tropical,conditions so were unable to replace the Beaufighter as intended.
Graham Pitchforks book ‘Beaufighters boys ‘ although mainly European theatre also complements the testimonies from the Ozzie airmen
Interesting indeed the comment about the MK11 with Merlins which was never a good match with the Beaufighter , as with other types, Halifax for example .
I believe the name Whispering Death was dreamt up in jest by some RAF officers in India, responding to propaganda hyperbole in a local or regional newspaper.
More like germans in africa...
Ya reckon?
Glad I get to play as RAAF 30 Squadron in the "IL-2 1946" campaign.
Roger that Wombat One lol
As a Kid i thought the Beaufighter was the best aircraft ever I still love the look of it.I have to thank all the servicemen and women for there service without them I would not exist as my mother was an army nurse on Morotai, our freedom comes from their sacrifice god bless you all.
👍♥️
Most of the braves who flew the the great beufighters and Sunderland's were English/British, good help from our empire 🇬🇧🇬🇧
What a strong hearted group of men these aussies were thank you all for your service!! U.S. Americans thank you for everything you did!
ABSOLUTELY, AND SO DO US BRITS.. My half brother flew with a AUSSIE SQUADRON IN WW2, THEN SWITCHED TO 199 SQDN OF 100 GROUP AND WAS KILLED ON THE LAST BOMBING RAID OVER KIEL, GERMANY, 3/5/45
I think Australia owes just as much or more to the US for helping us during our time of greatest need. Australia and America have been close friends ever since WW2 and that friendship maybe tested again in the future unless there is a leadership change in China. 🇦🇺+🇺🇸=😂🍻
@@scroungasworkshop4663 I remember during the Apollo missions, the US asked if the could use some Australian facilities. Australia said yes without hesitation and were surprised when the Americans asked how much the rent would be lol
@@glenchapman3899 I certainly hope the reply was “she’ll be right mate” meaning free. 👍👍👍
@@scroungasworkshop4663 Thats exactly what it was. The Australian government was genuinely shocked the Americans would think they owed them anything
In the description text above, the museum referred to is the aircraft museum at the Moorabbin aerodrome, in Melbourne. Their Beaufighter is much more complete than the one at Camden in NSW and indeed their whole collection is quite impressive, and very much worth a visit!
Have an excellent book on the beaufighter whispering death by Neville parnell some great photos
I jumped with some Aussie paratroopers in a joint exercise. Hawaii in the early’90’s. Those guys were insanely good at what they do. I got orders for Australian Jump Wings from the experience. I salute the Australian Para’s and celebrate your service. You’re men amongst men.
Because Australia has a relatively small, all volunteer military, every single one is precious, and extremely well trained. Their basic infantry are trained to the level of other nation's special forces, every fighter pilot to the level of "Top Gun". As for the level of the special forces, like the paratroopers- well, you saw it for yourself. Certainly not to be messed with!
My younger brother has Aussie jump wings as well. He served with the 2nd Of the 75th Rangers out of Ft Lewis, WA, back in the 1990's.
I'm just totally amazed anyone wants to jump from a perfectly good aircraft. Kudos to all the defence force personnel that do this training. (I'm Australian)
Didn’t know Australia had paratroopers.
@@ronasaurus74so doesBritain and Canada and NZ and the US. Volunteers all.
Fantastic doco - thanks to everyones hard work putting this together!
An excellent historical document to a little mentioned hero and the brave men who flew in her. So many stories about the 'Beau' say how battle proof she was and always got them home.
13:50 Is that Clive Caldwell in front?
Thank you for some great Aussie history. I think I even saw my Dad inlaw at Milme Bay.
Along with the Mosquito one of the most versatile aircraft of WW2
When the Japanese met Australians, and Newzelanders they came to a screeching halt. The toughest people on the planet hit very hard.❤😂😂😂.
Every one of the Fighters who served in the Wars were the Heros.There were all great men!I I am afraid the young men we have on either coast Not the same as they were.
Those men were raised with responsibility from a young age. Today's boys are raised with alot of rights.
Having alot of rights is like having a pocket full of IOUs, blank cheques made out to oneself to be cashed against the general account of somebody else. Only problem with this is that unless someone else is fulfilling their responsibilities there is nothing for the people with rights to draw from.
For current demands of 'rights' to be fulfilled when there isn't enough being contributed, governments go to some glorified Mafia, also known as the IMF and agrees to license more of the next generation of Australians' future seeing as though the current generation is already maxed out.
It's not possible to write off the young men of today until they are put in similar situations as the men of WW2. People rise to the occasion when it is least expected of them. Speaking as a 67 yo.
The C.O. reminds me of Squadron Leader Rex from the Piece of Cake series in appearance. Great post and thanks from the old Aussie.
That's a fantastic book, and a series that needs to be remade now that we have enough Hurricanes again.