Remembering the Beaufort Bomber

Remembering the Beaufort Bomber

In March 2022, the Friends of the Beaufort Association held their last reunion at the Shrine of Remembrance. 

The first gathering of former Beaufort crew took place in September 1946 when members of No 7 Squadron gathered together for the first time following the end of the Second World War. Later, members of No 100 Squadron formed the Beaufort Squadrons Association and, as time passed, they were joined by RAAF personnel who had served in Beaufort squadrons.

Watch Tony Clark, convenor of the reunion, Air Vice Marshal Kym Osley AM, CSC, and Shrine curator Neil Sharkey discuss the history and significance of the Beaufort Bomber in Australia.

The Deadliest German Weapon of WW2

Towards the end of May 1940, the Allies found themselves nearly trapped in the Low Countries. The Germans executed a swift advance, which inadvertently left their flanks vulnerable to a counterattack. Seizing the opportunity, the British promptly launched an offensive with 86 tanks. The mighty advance was split into two columns, positioned approximately five kilometers apart, while an additional 60 French tanks bolstered the main force. On the opposite side was General Erwin Rommel and his exceptional 7th Panzer Division. The Allied attack was successful at first. Numerous Germans were taken prisoner, and the British tanks demonstrated immunity to their 3.7-centimeter PaK guns. Overcome with panic, the Germans realized their weapons were ineffective against the enemy armor, prompting General Rommel to muster all available artillery, including a potent weapon: the 8.8-centimeter Flak. The combined firepower ultimately halted the British advance and forced them into a retreat. But notably, the most lethal German weapon of World War 2 was not originally intended to be an anti-tank gun at all.