Boulton Paul Defiant in World War II Service

Boulton Paul Defiant in World War II service, Wingleader Photo Archive 45

A picture book from the publisher Wingleader, volume number 45 of the Photo Archive series, 72 pages in a softcover binding, in English, by the authors Andrew Thomas and Simon W Parry. The publisher admits that the Defiant was photographed rarely compared with other frontline RAF aircraft, and so arranges the photographs roughly chronologically, by the roles the machine held in turn. Part of the intention is also to correct the myths that attach to the type.

The Defiant was a single-engine fighter with a Merlin engine whose whole armament was concentrated in a gun turret behind the pilot. The machine had no fixed guns firing forward, and in daylight combat against single-seat fighters that condemned it to heavy losses. It found a second life by night, when the turret suited it for attacking from below, and after that in air-sea rescue, in radar jamming and finally as a target tug until the end of the war. That succession of roles is at the same time the framework of the book.

What the book contains

• period photographs of the Defiant in roughly chronological arrangement
• a framework by role, from day fighter to night fighter
• air-sea rescue, radar jamming and target towing
• a correction of myths and inaccuracies that persist about the type
• 72 pages in a softcover binding

Who the book is for

The volume is for a modeler who is building the Defiant and wants to lean on a photograph rather than on guesswork, especially with the night colors and the later roles. It also suits a reader interested in why the concept of a turret fighter failed by day and yet found a use by night. Because photographs of the type are generally scarce, such a collection is more valuable for a build than it would be for more common aircraft.

Check the extent, the arrangement and the language version on the box.