The Blenheim Story: The Forgotten Bomber Vol. 3 (? Date) DVD
 
The Aircraft which became the prototype for the Blenheim Bomber was built by Bristols in 1935 for Lord Rothermere, proprietor of the Daily Mail. He wanted to prove that given the chance British aircraft manufacturers could produce aeroplanes to equal machines being built overseas. He laid down specifications for a twin engine monoplane that he felt would be the best in the world. 
 
On completion, Lord Rothermere named the aircraft "Britain First," which on its test flight proved to be so fast at over 300 mph, it could out run the RAF's first line fighter of the day by 50 mph. The reaction was obvious, the RAF wanted to test the plane to see if it could be converted into a Bomber/Fighter. Immediately on hearing this, Lord Rothermere presented "Britain First" to the Nation in July 1935.
 
BLENHEIM'S AT WAR
 
On the 3rd September 1939, just after Britain's declaration of war on Germany, a Blenheim, flown by Flying Officer McPherson, took off on a reconnaissance mission looking for German warships in the Welhelmshaven area, this was the RAF's first offensive wartime sortie. The next day, 15 Blenheim's from Wattisham and Wyton took part in the first raid against Germany, attacking shipping in Wilhelmshaven using information gained from McPherson's flight. 
 
During the attack the pocket battleship, Admiral Sheer, was hit several times by bombs which failed to explode. The curiser Emden, was damaged by a Blenheim shot down by flak which crashed on its deck. Five aircraft failed to return from this attack, one third of the Blenheims that took part. Later in the war losses were to be much heavier as the Blenheims attacked German forces invading Norway and later Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg and France in May 1940. Sometimes whole squadrons were wiped out by flak and German Fighters. 
 
After Dunkirk and the fall of France, the Blenheim's role during the Battle of Britain was twofold. They bombed the barges and other German shipping being gathered for the invasion of Great Britain and they also attacked the new Luftwaffer's airfields captured along the European coast, from which the Germans were attacking Southern England. Blenheims also fought with the Desert Army in North Africa and agains the Japanese during their expansion. 
 
Blenheims played a major role in the RAF until eventually they were replaced by faster and better armed aircraft. 
 
The tremendous losses in men and aircraft in those early years of war, indicates the courage of the young men who flew these planes as they fought to defend our country against overwhelming odds. 
 
Blenheims fought in all three main theatres of action during the Second World War, yet their contribution to  the defence of this country is scarcely remembered, hence the title of this documentary, 'The Forgotten Bomber.' It is also story that is still going on today in the 1990s. At Duxford Museum a restoration team, led by Graham Warner, are rebuilding a 2nd Blenheim to an airworthy condition. This will replace the one that took them 12 years to rebuild, which crashed at an airshow in 1987, due to pilot error only one month after the aircraft had been completely restored.