Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV

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Hello everyone, and welcome to this new suggestion.

Today, I am presenting an aircraft that played an important role during the early years of the Free French Air Force: the Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV.

Developed by Bristol in the second half of the 1930s, the Blenheim was a twin-engine light bomber designed to provide the Royal Air Force with a fast and versatile aircraft capable of carrying out bombing and reconnaissance missions. More than 4,000 aircraft were eventually produced, making the Blenheim one of the most widely used British bombers of the early war.

Following the French capitulation in 1940, a number of French servicemen chose to continue fighting alongside the Allies rather than serve under the Vichy government. Among them were several pilots who joined what would become the Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres (FAFL). One of the most famous formations created during this period was the Groupe Lorraine, formed in French Equatorial Africa and placed under British command.

Initially equipped with aircraft supplied by the British, the group operated the Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV, one of the most capable variants of the aircraft. Compared with earlier versions, the Mk.IV featured a redesigned nose and improved defensive armament, while retaining the Blenheim’s ability to carry bombs and operate over considerable distances.

The French crews quickly found themselves involved in combat. Operating alongside British forces, the Groupe Lorraine conducted numerous missions across North Africa and the Middle East, including operations over Egypt and Libya. The unit also participated in the fighting in Gabon, providing bombing and reconnaissance support to Allied ground forces.

These operations were far from risk-free. The Blenheim’s relatively modest speed and defensive capabilities made it vulnerable to enemy fighters and anti-aircraft fire. Several French aircraft were lost during these operations, along with many of their crews. Nevertheless, the Groupe Lorraine continued to accumulate combat experience and established itself as one of the most active French formations fighting alongside the Allies.

By 1943, the situation had changed considerably. The unit was transferred to Great Britain, where it was incorporated into the RAF as No. 342 Squadron. The French crews were then equipped with more modern aircraft, initially the Douglas Boston Mk.III, which was much better suited to the low-level bombing missions they were now being assigned over occupied Europe.

This transition marked the end of the Blenheim’s career with the Groupe Lorraine. Although its time in French service was relatively short, the Blenheim Mk.IV was one of the first combat aircraft operated by the Free French Air Force

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Characteristics

Length : 12.98 m

Width : 17.17 m

Height : 3.00 m

Mass :

  • Empty : 4 441 kg
  • Full : 6 532 kg

The aircraft is powered by two Bristol Mercury XV engines, each developing 920 hp, enabling it to reach a top speed of 428 km/h and a service ceiling of 831 m. Its range at a cruising speed of 319 km/h is 2,350 km.

The crew consists of three people: a pilot, a rear gunner, and a front gunner/bombardier.

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Weapons

The aircraft’s armament is very comprehensive, featuring adequate defensive weaponry and a solid offensive payload.

Defensive armament:

  • 1 x twin 7.7mm Browning machine gun (dorsal turret)
  • 1 x twin 7.7mm Browning machine gun (ventral turret)

Offensive armament:

  • 1 x 7.7mm Browning machine gun
  • 4 x 250lb bombs
  • 2 x 500lb bombs

In-game, this aircraft would be a very interesting addition to the French tree, introducing an iconic FAFL aircraft with a capable payload that allows it to engage ground targets and defend itself against enemy aircraft.

Pictures

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Sources
1 Like
2

A nice medium bomber
ayk2i0
Bombs Away +1

1 Like
3

as a skin for the british one, sure.

but not as a unit for the french tech tree.
i really don’t want more ctrl-c + ctrl-v in the french trees

5 Likes
4

Hi, thanks for your reply.

Even though I understand the issue regarding “copy-paste” content, I still think these types of aircraft should be added; even if they aren’t French-made, they represent a part of French military aviation. France went five to ten years without any real domestic aircraft production for obvious reasons, and the French squadrons that flew these foreign aircraft became symbols of the fight against nazism and the subsequent rebuilding of the army

Leaving them out of the game would mean ignoring an important part of France’s military (and, in a way, political) history.

1 Like
5

i know, and i’m not aggainst honoring their history.

but War Thunder is also a game, one that is built in large part on national tech trees, each with their own kit and vehicles.

i do not think that giving France the same bristol blenheim IV that’s already in the UK tree is a good thing, not even as a way to represent or honor french millitary aviation

edit : particularly in this case, where there domestic, interesting and unsung airframes that are of french design and could help fill the same (or similar) roles, maybe the MB.200s or 210s, in this case

1 Like
6

All the nations have planes from other countries, it’s part of their history.; we aren’t going to remove them just because it is already present in another tree. We even have Israel in the game, which is essentially just a copy-paste of aircraft from other countries.

The thing is, if we don’t include the Blenheim, we don’t include the B-25s, B-26s, Bostons, Mosquitos, or Spitfires either… And we end up with no FAFL aircraft at all. In that case, we simply aren’t representing that era at all.

I agree that French aircraft need to be added (as a priority, in fact), but the two must coexist.

7

All the nations have planes from other countries

that’s not necessarily a good thing either, some historical matchups can’t naturally happen, because both sides share a tree and team, some tech trees seem to collect others’ high-end stuff like infinity stones, and some gather more export models than the exporter tech tree has baseline models

i don’t see these as good things for the game at large

The thing is, if we don’t include the Blenheim, we don’t include the B-25s, B-26s, Bostons, Mosquitos, or Spitfires either… And we end up with no FAFL aircraft at all

i’d say that’s a false dichotomy :
getting one doesn’t mean we should also get everything else,
not getting some of them doesn’t mean we shouldn’t get any of them.

the context of what they would actually add, gameplay-wise, matters a lot here.
edit : in this case, i’d very much argue the blenheim isn’t needed.

In that case, we simply aren’t representing that era at all.

we still could, either by skins, by some units too noteworthy to be left out or (gaijin-permitting) with events, we don’t have to give every single operator country, each, a copy of the same vehicle.

I agree that French aircraft need to be added (as a priority, in fact), but the two must coexist.

if gaijin had a more flexible tech-tree or lineup system, or if they plan to make it so, i’d agree.
as it stands, i don’t think they should.

because import-copies will always, by their sheer existence, dillute the character of both the importer and exporter countries.

this is less of a problem in situations were lineups and capabilities that much matter more or when the import isn’t just a visually-altered copy

8

Maybe if allies vs axis MM or West vs East comes back can these plane feel more at home, because currently you would end like:

American, german, British P-47s fighting Russian, French, Chinese and Italian P-47s

9

-1
while this is well written, ill refer to this post here

just replace ‘mosquito’ with blenheim

10

Honestly, I get the anti-C&P argument, but since it was a major part of France’s military history, I’d say there’s a case for adding it. I’ll give this a +1 as a decent Premium option, maybe part of a Free French Pack.

1 Like
11

Yes…but no.

It was an important type in the North African campaign after France had fallen.

However, there are still a number of indigenous French designs and variants that could be shoehorned at BR1.X, for example there are no Amiot planes at all right now.

So maybe not in the next couple of years, but further down the line when decompression five more space (we can hope). Or as a premium.!?!

4 Likes
12

Of all the aircraft I mentioned above, every single one has at least one French counterpart (except for certain variants of the Mosquito and B-26), so by your logic, we shouldn’t receive any of them. I’d find it a shame to miss out on them for that reason alone.Besides, nothing prevents having multiple aircraft with the same role at the same BR in a tree.

I find the idea of ​​assigning skins to a different country a bit silly, I’m sorry. It really forces players to grind other tech trees just to get a specific aircraft—and usually pay for the skin, too.

As for events, I’m not against them; it makes the aircraft a bit more niche, but at least they are represented in that country’s lineup.

In this specific case, I fail to see how it “dilutes” the importing country’s character, given that they actually used the aircraft. I fully understand that argument when a Belgian F-16 is added to the French top tier—since French policy has been based on independence since the 1960s and 70s—but this refers to a time when France (or at least the forces fighting for France) was in need of foreign aircraft and operated them because there was no other choice.

Simply put, in my view, any aircraft operated by a country should be eligible for inclusion—regardless of whether they are “copy-paste” jobs or not; they saw service and have a history linked to that country, so they deserve to be added.