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Bristol Beaufort Mk I - Special Hobby 1/72 RFI


CedB

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Some time ago Procopius sent me a couple of Bristols as a thank you for driving him around a bit during his trip to the UK. Generous man :)

I've been building my skills for this one and I'm pleased I did when I researched my chosen scheme - N1016 as OAoX of 22 Sqn. Coastal Command, St. Eval, April 1941. The instructions mention the pilot as F/O Kenneth Campbell who attacked battle cruiser Gneisenau over Brest harbour April 6 1941.

His Wiki entry says this:

On 6 April 1941 over Brest Harbour, France, Flying Officer Campbell attacked the German battleship Gneisenau. He flew his Beaufort through the gauntlet of concentrated anti-aircraft fire from about 1000 weapons of all calibres and launched a torpedo at a height of 50 feet (15 m).

The attack had to be made with absolute precision: the Gneisenau was moored only some 500 yards (460 m) away from a mole in Brest's inner harbour. For the attack to be effective, Campbell would have to time the release to drop the torpedo close to the side of the mole. That Campbell managed to launch his torpedo accurately is testament to his courage and determination. The ship was severely damaged below the waterline and was obliged to return to the dock whence she had come only the day before; she was put out of action for six months, lessening the threat to Allied shipping crossing the Atlantic.
Generally, once a torpedo was dropped, an escape was made by low-level jinking at full throttle. Because of rising ground surrounding the harbour, Campbell was forced into a steep banking turn, revealing the Beafort's full silhouette to the gunners. The aircraft met a withering wall of flak and crashed into the harbour. The Germans buried Campbell and his three crew mates, Sergeants J. P. Scott DFM RCAF (navigator), R. W. Hillman (wireless operator) and W. C. Mulliss (air gunner), with full military honours. His valour was only recognised when the French Resistance managed to pass along news of his brave deeds to England.
He was awarded a posthumous VC for this action. I hope I've done him and his crew justice.
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28879830813_4de2e77d7b_n.jpg 29502015595_c7be97fcb8_n.jpgUntitled by Ced Bufton, on Flickr
My longest WiP ever is here (although there's a lot about pies; don't ask)
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Excellent Ced. Glad you finished it. I followed your WIP with all your trials and tribulations. Great finish and a real tribute to the young men who flew in these.

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Very well done, Ced! Superb finish and great detailing!

I'm afraid I missed, once again, your WIP but I'm glad I noticed your RFI.

I think this is a worthy tribute and the presentation is excellent! :goodjob:

Cheers

Jaime

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By jingo, what a cracking show! A truly fine tribute to the men who flew those machines, even if they didn't have pies!!

I must say that I wouldn't have been looking as calm as the navigator at the moment of release, though.

Beautiful work!

DennisTheBear

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Thanks everyone for your kind comments - I'm having trouble posting multiple reply quotes tonight so please excuse me not providing personal replies.

And I'm out of 'likes' for the day. :doh:

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