Boulton Paul Defiant, copyright RAF Museum Hendon
This RAF aircraft turned out to be a real lemon. It had a strange configuration. In outline, the aircraft resembled a slightly oversized Hurricane but its feature was a Boulton Paul power operated turret with four Browning machine guns operated by an air gunner and the whole thing situated just behind the pilot. The aircraft had no forward firing armament at all, except for the turret which could be aligned to fire forward over the pilot’s head, an arrangement which was never actually to be used in combat.
In combat the aircraft proved a death trap. It could not hold its own against German fighters. It first saw service over the beaches of Dunkirk during the evacuation of the BEF. It had one initial day of success. This was before German pilots had recognised the aircraft’s features. The rear firing gun came as a surprise. But the Luftwaffe was ready for it the next time it appeared. When its initial element of surprise had worn off concerning its peculiar configuration, it was the equivalent of a dead duck.
It was never a popular machine with Dowding; Fighter Command only had two squadrons equipped with them: 141 and 264. They were withdrawn from frontline service by day early in August, and relegated to a role as night fighters.
Battle of Britain Day by Day 
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August 15, 2010 at 7:19 am
Day 37 – August 15th 1940 « Battle of Britain Day by Day
[…] theme: The Planes They Flew In – Boulton Paul Defiant Follow the Battle Day by […]
November 2, 2011 at 9:38 am
Bob Carswell
One always has to remember that the airplanes of WWII’s early days were designed in the late 1920s or early 30s. The designs often lacked certain advantages but it was through these design errors that the Hurricane, the Spitfire and later aircraft of a much more advanced state were developed. Modern airplanes, like automobiles, would not be what they are today had we not gone through the same developmental processes and design errors that were made leading up to and including WWII. Who ever thought that a jet engine would be flying an airplane in 1942….surely a long way from the old propeller aircraft that started the war.
November 9, 2011 at 4:03 pm
Tony Rudd
Certainly you have a very good point. I suppose it’s a process which still goes on. Thank you very much for your comment. Tony Rudd