This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Normandy Landings, D-Day. In 1944 to support the landings, over 11,500 allied aircraft flew more than 14,600 sorties to assist them. The aircraft included a full range of RAF and USAAF aircraft from bombers to fighters, even gliders such as the Horsa. At Eastbourne airshow, a special 80th D-Day memorial flight took place which included aircraft that took part such as the Bristol Blenheim (the only airworthy Blenheim of its kind) and two Supermarine Spitfires.

This beautiful example of the Bristol Blenheim Mk.IF L6739 (G-BPIV) is the world’s only flying example out of the 4,400 ever made. The Blenheim was part of a unique RAF historic type and served in every theatre of World War 2 whilst performing a wide variety of roles.

Lord Rothmere, the owner of the Daily Mail, proposed a challenge to the British aircraft manufacturers to design and build a small, high-speed aircraft which could accommodate two crew and six passengers – with the hope of it becoming the world’s fastest civilian aircraft. Frank Barnwell and Roy Fedden of the Bristol Aeroplane Company responded to this challenge with the Type 142 which first flew the following year. It quickly became clear that this eight-seat, twin-engined aeroplane was faster than any fighter in the Royal Air Force inventory at the time – which unsurprisingly caught the attention of the Air Ministry. They quickly ordered an initial batch of 150 of the type, accordingly modified to meet a light bomber specification, the first example of which made its maiden flight from Bristol’s Filton works in June 1936. The Blenheim became the mainstay of the RAF’s bomber force in the early days of war, with Winston Churchill comparing their crews to the ‘Charge of the Light Brigade.’ The type is unique in the RAF’s history, having served in every theatre of WWII whilst performing a wide variety of roles.

The Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until the end of the war.

Deliveries of the new Blenheim to RAF squadrons commenced on 10 March 1937.

The Blenheim was one of the first British aircraft with an all-metal stressed-skin construction, retractable landing gear, flaps, a powered gun turret and variable-pitch propellers. The Mk.I was faster than most of the RAF's biplane fighters in the late 1930s but advances soon left it vulnerable if flown in daylight, though it proved successful as a night fighter. The Blenheim was effective as a bomber but many were shot down. Both Blenheim types were used by foreign operators and examples were licence built in Yugoslavia and Finland, in addition to Canada.

The Bristol Blenheim was used by both Bomber and Fighter Commands. About two hundred Mk I bombers were modified into Mk IF long-range fighters with 600 (Auxiliary Air Force) Squadron, based at Hendon, the first squadron to take delivery in September 1938. By 1939, at least seven squadrons were operating them as fighters, increasing to about 60 squadrons within a few months. The Mk IF proved to be slower and less manoeuvrable than expected, and by June 1940 daylight Blenheim losses caused concern for Fighter Command. The Mk IF was relegated mainly to night fighter duties where No. 23 Squadron RAF, which had already operated them at night, soon relegated them to night intruder operations as they were not effective as night fighters. L6739 has the markings of 23 Squadron.

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