Product Review

On the 9th of February 1945 a force of thirty one Bristol Beaufighter long range fighter bombers took off from their bases in Scotland to attack the German Narvik-class Destroyer Z33 and some escorting ships at anchor in a Norwegian fjord. Unfortunately the attack proved to be a costly one for the Allies. The steep sides of the fjord that the German ships were sheltering in created a very strong defensive position resulting in high amounts of concentrated anti-aircraft fire. The attacking force and its escorts of Mustang fighters was also intercepted by twelve Fw-190s of Jg5. In the resulting dogfight two Beaufighters were downed by the Luftwaffe fighters with a further seven shot down and numerous others damaged by the anti-aircraft fire. Over 50 aircraft were involved making it the largest air battle over Norwegian skies during the Second World War. The raid was a costly failure for the Allies with only a small amount of damage inflicted on the German ships compared to the degree of losses suffered and the raid was nicknamed Black Friday by those who survived it.