{"id":19240278,"date":"2026-09-02T14:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T12:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/?p=19240278"},"modified":"2026-09-04T08:44:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T06:44:19","slug":"bristol-blenheim-bomber-britain-first-first-raf-sortie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/bristol-blenheim-bomber-britain-first-first-raf-sortie\/","title":{"rendered":"Bristol Blenheim: il bombardiere che super\u00f2 in velocit\u00e0 i suoi stessi caccia."},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\n\n<style>\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid #0F1720;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;transition:background .15s,color 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The result was so quick that when the Royal Air Force turned it into a bomber, it could outrun its own fighters. Two years later that same design flew the RAF's very first sortie of the Second World War. And five years after that, it was being slaughtered in the skies over France. The Bristol <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/bristol-blenheim\/\">Blenheim<\/a> lived the whole arc of 1930s air power &mdash; from world-beater to death trap &mdash; in less than a decade.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;padding:20px;border-radius:8px;margin:24px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;font-size:18px\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:20px;line-height:1.8\"><li><strong>Type:<\/strong> Bristol Blenheim, twin-engine light bomber<\/li><li><strong>Origin:<\/strong> the private Type 142 \"Britain First\", first flown 12 April 1935<\/li><li><strong>Claim to fame:<\/strong> in 1937, a bomber faster than the RAF's own fighters<\/li><li><strong>Built:<\/strong> 4,422<\/li><li><strong>First shot:<\/strong> flew the RAF's first operational sortie of WWII, 3 September 1939<\/li><li><strong>Later:<\/strong> obsolescent by 1940, with catastrophic losses in daylight raids<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Born from a challenge<\/h2><p style=\"margin:0 0 18px\">The Blenheim did not begin as a warplane. It began as \"Britain First,\" a sleek twin-engine transport commissioned by press baron Lord Rothermere to shame the Air Ministry into modernising. When it flew in April 1935 it was startling: about 30 mph faster than the Gloster Gauntlet biplane that was then a frontline RAF fighter. The Air Ministry took one look and ordered a bomber version.<\/p><p style=\"margin:0 0 18px\">When the first Blenheim Mk I reached its squadron in March 1937, Bomber Command had something almost unheard of &mdash; a bomber that could show its heels to the fighters meant to catch it. For a couple of years, that made it genuinely modern.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;When the first Blenheim reached No. 114 Squadron in March 1937, Bomber Command had a bomber that could outrun its own fighters.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>RAF historical record<\/strong> &mdash; on the Blenheim's early edge<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/bristol-blenheim-flying.jpg\" alt=\"Bristol Blenheim in flight\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A preserved Blenheim in the air - clean, fast lines that were cutting-edge in the mid-1930s. Photo: Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Cny4J_E7qwI\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 18px\"><em>The bomber that could fly faster than contemporary fighters.<\/em><\/p><h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">First into the war<\/h2><p style=\"margin:0 0 18px\">The Blenheim opened Britain's air war. Just over an hour after the declaration of war on 3 September 1939, a Blenheim of No. 139 Squadron took off from RAF Wyton and flew across the North Sea to photograph the German fleet at Wilhelmshaven &mdash; the RAF's first operational sortie of the Second World War. The next day, Blenheims flew the RAF's first bombing raid of the war against the same target.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;Just 63 minutes after Britain declared war against Germany, a Blenheim of No. 139 Squadron carried out the RAF's first operational sortie of the Second World War.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>RAF Museum<\/strong> &mdash; on the Blenheim's first sortie<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 18px\">It was a fighter, too. Fitted with a gun pack and, crucially, early airborne radar, the Blenheim night-fighter variant scored the first RAF kill made using airborne interception radar in the summer of 1940 &mdash; a quiet milestone on the road to radar-guided air defence.<\/p>\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/bristol-blenheim-finland.jpg\" alt=\"Bristol Blenheim in Finnish service\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The Blenheim served widely, including with Finland. Photo: Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Fast, then not fast enough<\/h2><p style=\"margin:0 0 18px\">The trouble with being cutting-edge in 1935 is that everyone catches up. By 1940 fighters had leapt ahead, and the Blenheim &mdash; lightly armed, thinly armoured &mdash; was suddenly desperately vulnerable. In the collapse of France, the RAF flung its Blenheims at German bridgeheads in daylight, and they were shot down in droves.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;No higher loss, in operations of a similar size, has ever been suffered by the Royal Air Force.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>RAF Museum<\/strong> &mdash; on the Blenheim's losses in 1940<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 18px\">The crews knew the odds and flew anyway, buying time in the worst weeks of the war. More than 4,400 Blenheims were built, and they soldiered on across every theatre until better aircraft finally replaced them. Today just one flies.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rhWvscBZHUk\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 18px\"><em>Fast but not fast enough: the full history of the Blenheim.<\/em><\/p><p style=\"margin:0 0 18px\">The Blenheim is a cautionary tale as much as a proud one. It was a brilliant idea that arrived early, served with distinction, and was then asked to keep fighting long after the world had moved past it. That its crews did so, against hopeless odds, is the part worth remembering.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/32sCR1z2W6s\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 18px\"><em>The world's only airworthy Bristol Blenheim.<\/em><\/p><p style=\"margin:0 0 18px\"><em>Sources: Wikipedia (Bristol Blenheim); RAF Museum; Airfix Workbench; Pacific Eagles.<\/em><\/p>\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\n\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\n\n\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What was the Bristol Blenheim?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">A British twin-engine light bomber of the Second World War, developed from a private venture called \"Britain First\" that first flew on 12 April 1935. About 4,422 were built.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Was the Blenheim really faster than RAF fighters?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes, briefly. The prototype was roughly 30 mph faster than the Gloster Gauntlet biplane then in frontline RAF fighter service, and when the first Blenheim Mk I reached No. 114 Squadron in March 1937, Bomber Command had a bomber that could outrun the fighters meant to catch it.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Who commissioned the aircraft the Blenheim came from?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The press baron Lord Rothermere, who commissioned the sleek twin-engine transport \"Britain First\" partly to shame the Air Ministry into modernising. The Ministry took one look and ordered a bomber version.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Did the Blenheim fly the RAF&rsquo;s first sortie of the Second World War?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. Just over an hour after Britain declared war on 3 September 1939, a Blenheim of No. 139 Squadron took off from RAF Wyton to photograph the German fleet at Wilhelmshaven &mdash; the RAF&rsquo;s first operational sortie of the war.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why did the Blenheim become a death trap?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Because fighter development moved faster than bomber development. The speed advantage that made it modern in 1937 had evaporated by 1940, and Blenheims sent on daylight raids over France and the Low Countries suffered catastrophic losses. The type lived the whole arc from world-beater to obsolescence in less than a decade.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was the Bristol Blenheim?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"A British twin-engine light bomber of the Second World War, developed from a private venture called \\\"Britain First\\\" that first flew on 12 April 1935. About 4,422 were built.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Was the Blenheim really faster than RAF fighters?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes, briefly. 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Just over an hour after Britain declared war on 3 September 1939, a Blenheim of No. 139 Squadron took off from RAF Wyton to photograph the German fleet at Wilhelmshaven \u2014 the RAF\u2019s first operational sortie of the war.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why did the Blenheim become a death trap?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Because fighter development moved faster than bomber development. The speed advantage that made it modern in 1937 had evaporated by 1940, and Blenheims sent on daylight raids over France and the Low Countries suffered catastrophic losses. The type lived the whole arc from world-beater to obsolescence in less than a decade.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/handley-page-hampden-flying-suitcase\/\">Handley Page Hampden: The Flying Suitcase<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/handley-page-halifax-forgotten-heavy-bomber\/\">Handley Page Halifax: The Forgotten Heavy Bomber<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Share this story In 1935 a newspaper baron dared British industry to build the fastest civil aircraft in Europe. The result was so quick that when the Royal Air Force turned it into a bomber, it could outrun its own fighters. Two years later that same design flew the RAF&#8217;s very first sortie of the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":19240008,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19240278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Bristol Blenheim: The Bomber That Outran Its Fighters | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Bristol Blenheim was faster than 1930s fighters and flew the RAF&#039;s first WWII sortie \u2014 then suffered catastrophic losses by 1940.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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