Bristol Beaufighter Mk.IF/VIF 'No.68 Sq. RAF'

The Bristol Beaufighter was a British heavy fighter, whose first prototype flew in July 1939. The Mk.IF was a high performance fighter and efficient night-fighter employing the then novel AI radar. It was a two-seat, twin engine, all-metal mid-wing cantilever monoplane, fitted with a retractable undercarriage. It was powered by two Hercules radial engines and the armament consisted of four cannons in the nose, four guns in the starboard wing and another two guns in the port wing. The Beaufighter Mk.VIF, introduced in 1942, was fitted with more powerful engines and its wing mounted guns could be replaced by additional fuel tanks to extend the aircraft's range.

Total production of the Mk.I (both F and C variants) reached 914 aircraft while some 1,840 Mk.VI aircraft were produced. Late series Mk.VIs were fitted with a dihedral tailplane with increased span. From late 1943, a new AI Mk.VIII radar was installed in a "thimble-nose" radome, enabling all-weather and night attacks.

Beaufighters were taken on charge by No.68 Sq. RAF in May 1941 and from the next July, the unit always had a strong element of Czechoslovak pilots in exile with up to eight flying crews consisting entirely of Czechoslovak personnel.
The Czech crews of No.68 Squadron were credited with 24 aerial victories (of which 3 were probable), seven damaged planes and three destroyed V-1 flying bombs.