Handley Page Hampden

The Hampden was the last of the twin-engined medium bombers to go into service during the expansion of Bomber Command in the late 1930s and, together with the Wellington and Whitley, it bore the brunt of the Royal Air Force's attacks against Germany in the early years of the Second World War.

Better manoeuvrability and performance than its two contemporaries led to high expectations, but early war time operations proved the aircraft had serious deficiencies. Two particular problems were identified. The very narrow fuselage provided cramped accommodation for the crew causing fatigue on long missions. Unlike other British medium bombers the Hampden had no multi-gun power-operated turrets. Its fixed forward gun was next to useless and the three flexible gun mountings in the nose and fuselage had a limited traverse which produced a number of blind spots. Modifications were put in hand to provide more guns but the fuselage design remained a problem throughout its service life.

After a disastrous, but mercifully short, daylight campaign Hampdens were switched to night operations until 1942 when a number were converted to carry a torpedo. Eventually 144 aircraft were modified in this way and the type continued in service with Coastal Command as a torpedo bomber until December 1943.

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[scifyjunkie]

if you look at the Hampden from the side it looks like a frying pan.

[auldm]

@scifyjunkie It's nickname was the "Flying suitcase" as skintrade already commented

[adc66]

I have a small section of one of these displayed proudly in my living room. The rest of the wreckage is deep in Paterwolder Meer in the Netherlands. My uncle George Cowell was killed along with 2 other crew on the 18th August 41 after a successful raid. This remaining piece of wreckage was returned home after a chance meeting a few years ago with the Dutch resistance who pulled the bodies from the lake and hid them from the approaching German soldiers.

[panhardrod]

That's a near coincidence,my father's stepbrother ,James Macilwraith, died 6/8/41.He flew in 106 Sqdn. which I think only had Hampdens at the time.His grave is in Gendringen cemetery,The Netherlands with 29 other WW2 casualties.

[inbetweenvideo]

@scifyjunkie see openingsscenes of Memories in Mud on YouTube

[skintrade]

Flying suitcase

[scifyjunkie]

MY GRANDFATHER FLEW HAMPDEN'S, AND WHITLEYS,HE REALLY DIDN'T LIKE EITHER AIRCRAFT VERY MUCH, THE HAMPDEN WAS TOO CRAMPED, AND CARRIED A MEAGER BOMB LOAD, THE WHITLEY HE SAID WAS JUST A FLAKK MAGNET.

[newmedel1]

My father flew in the hampden bomber in ww2, they called it the flying coffin.

[AmbassadorMolari]

The Germans called it the flying barn door because the could hit it so easily.