Beaufighter Nightfighter Sqns in 1944

[Larry]

A quick question - which British & Commonwealth and other Allied units operated Beaufighters in September 1944 in NW Europe at the time of the Battle of Arnhem?

I have seen reports that Beaufighters were to be sent to an airstrip that would have been built near Arnhem by the US Airborne Engineers if the battle had gone to plan.

[mhuxt]

USAAF 417th NFS?

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Hi Larry.
If my memory is correct, 125 Squadron ( RAF ) flew the Beaufighter until early 1945. I do not know if this is the Squadron you are looking for however.
Yours
Adriano

[Larry]

Thanks for your replies.

As far as I know it was to be an RAF Nightfighter Sqn as it was to be supported by RAF personnel. I think the US army involvement was purely to build the airstrip as they had bulldozers & plant that was small enough to be carried in gliders.

Still I will check out both units.

[Atcham Tower]

This ties up with a story related to me by an ex-RAF glider pilot that PSP was (or at least was planned) to be flown into Arnhem by glider. I seem to remember that he mentioned that it was for a night fighter strip. I always thought this tale was somewhat unlikely, bearing in mind the weight of PSP and the quantity required. Maybe the much lighter Square Mesh Tracking would have been used. Anyway, at last some corroboration of this story!

[hrossm]

According to Beaufighter Squadrons in Focus the following RAF squadrons had Beaufighters in September 1944:-

143, 144, 236, 254, 404, 455 and 489 in Coastal Command

39, 252, 255, 600 and 603 in the Med

22, 27, 47, 89, 177 and 211 in the Far East

285, 287 and 288 for target towing

125 seems to have given up its Beaufighters in March 1944. 406 seems to have been the last nightfighter squadron, having some Beaufighters left in August 1944 despite starting conversion to the Mosquito in April. 68 was another late user of nightfighters, until July 1944.

[Larry]

Actham Tower,

PSP or SMT (I do not no which but probably rolls of SMT) were certainly to be flown in to Arnhem as the RAF sent two portable AMES Type 6 Light Warning sets with Nos 6080 and 6341 LWU (Light Warning Unit) on the second day of the battle. The kit for two Ground Control Interception radar sets was split in to parts (a separate transmitter or receiver in each of the four Horsas). Sadly one glider was shot down and a tug of another was shot down, releasing the glider too early - so a complete set never reached the LZ.

As for Beaufighters some times stories are retold so much that it is hard to establish the truth or know which unit to research. I always thought it was Beaufighters NFs as they might have been better suited to rough landing strips but I am sure Mosquitos would have done so. Whatever they were to be it was proposed to base Nightfighters there as it was thought that it the Airborne Forces had been successful and caputered the town & the bridge that the Luftwaffe bomber force would have atttacked by night.

Sadly the LWUs should have gone on the first lift but General Browning pinched some 40 gliders to fly his HQ to Nijmegen (some say he jeopardized the op by doing so) so the LWUs faced all the flak and failed to set up. Who can say what use these units would have played but one thing is for sure- as a Ground Control Interception Radar station they would have had the ability to speak to Allied aircraft without the same problems that the Army had.