The RAF needed an aircraft that would meet the needs of a maritime strike platform which would be able to handle carrying a torpedo in addition to a fairly heavy gun armament. It was also important that it be fairly fast in case it ran into enemy fighters. Bristol decided to try to meet that requirement by using as much of an extant airframe as possible so developed what was to become the Beaufighter by utilizing as much of the Beaufort as was feasible.

A new fuselage that would carry a pilot and rear gunner/observer was developed and the type was fit with newly developed Hercules engines. These engines were a major plus in terms of horsepower and provided the aircraft with the speed that it needed. It was also just what the Australians needed for their war in the southwest Pacific and so it was license built for their needs. A major wartime user of the type was the USAAF, which used them to equip several night fighter units in Europe until the P-61 became available. Postwar, excess airframes found a market in a few overseas air arms.

This edition follows a familiar format with a background history, a look at the different variants, the camouflage schemes worn by the aircraft (which includes a lot of full color profiles), and a set of detail drawings of each different variation on the scheme. There is also a large colors and markings section thanks to the variety of schemes these planes carried. Foreign operators are also covered.

 In addition to this, you have a fairly complete modelers section. There are several pages of kit reviews that is limited to what has been released in the last 10 years so you may well not find your favorites in this section. As usual, we have build articles including the Airfix 1/72 Beaufighter TF.X and the Revell 1/48 TF.X. This makes this one of the lighter editions in terms of build articles. In addition the usual set of drawings showing the changes in the aircraft as time went on. Then there is a detail section which uses both a plethora of period photos and drawings from the technical manuals as well as some from extant airframes. Next are listings for all the different kits along with decals, accessory sets, and books, making for a fairly extensive listing. The last pages of the book are 1/48 plans for several versions in a huge multi-page fold-out. 

Overall, this makes this what is probably the best book for both the enthusiast and modeler to have on the subject. It is a book I'm very glad was released and one that will get a lot of use as the P-47 is a popular subject. I would dare say that if you have no other reference on the Thunderbolt, this is the one to get.  It is a book which I can easily provide my highest recommendation.

May 2026

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