Defiant.

This is coolbert:

WORST?

Thanks to the tip from Davey we have an instance of WORST within the military context.

The British Boulton Paul Defiant combat warplane. Of a design I had not even knew existed.

An interceptor aircraft designed to shoot-down intruding and unescorted enemy bombers.

AERIAL COMBAT DOCTRINE AT THE TIME DID NOT STRESS ESCORTED BOMBER WARPLANES. A FORMATION OF BOMBERS WITH ORGANIC FIREPOWER AND ACTING IN CONCERT THOUGHT BE ADEQUATE TO WARD OFF ANY ATTACK BY ENEMY FIGHTERS.

"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 forward-firing guns"

The Defiant referred to as a "turret fighter". Engage enemy bombers using a rearward firing machine guns [four .303 caliber Browning per turret].

DEFIANT EFFECTIVE WHEN ENGAGING UNESCORTED ENEMY BOMBER FORMATIONS.

Defiant again as an interceptor effective when engaging enemy bomber formations without fighter escort. Flying underneath an enemy bomber with the four machine guns of the turret firing upwards found to be a most potent and deadly aerial maneuver. Identical to the German schrage müsik system as employed by German night-fighters.

Defiant quickly relegated to other mission and duties. Encounters with German day-fighters proving the warplane not an air superiority combat aircraft. But was never intended to be.

coolbert.