Boulton Paul Defiant
The Boulton Paul Defiant is a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a "turret fighter", without any fixed forward-firing guns, also found in the Blackburn Roc of the Royal Navy.
In combat, the Defiant was found to be reasonably effective at destroying bombers but was vulnerable to the Luftwaffe's more manoeuvrable, single-seat Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters. The lack of forward-firing armament proved to be a great weakness in daylight combat and its potential was realised only when it was converted to a night fighter. It eventually equipped thirteen squadrons in this role, compared to just two squadrons as a day-fighter. In mid-1942 it was replaced by better performing night-fighters, the Bristol Beaufighter and de Havilland Mosquito.
The Defiant continued to find use in gunnery training, target towing, electronic countermeasures and air-sea rescue. Among RAF pilots it had the nickname "Daffy". Wikipedia
CASPIR Aircraft Groups:
Canadian Aircraft Losses (21)Defiant Mk. I AA281
With No. 409 (NF) Squadron, RCAF from 9 July 1941. One of the first 13 aircraft delivered to that unit, all arriving on 9 July 1941. Crashed on 11 October 1941, after pilot lost control. Came down at Wolverton, Norfolk. Pilot Flight Lieutenant F.S. Watson killed, F/S McKinnon bailed out.