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The Hereford bomber was a Napier Dagger-engined version of the
Hampden 'Flying Suitcase', ordered as a back-up at the same time as
the first Hampden production contracts. The noisy new inline engines
overheated on the ground and cooled too quickly and seized in the air. Even
routine maintenance was more complicated than that required for the
Hampden's Pegasus radials. There were no performance advantages from the
new engines. On daylight raids in 1940—41 the Hampdens and Herefords
were shot to bits by faster and better-armed German fighters, so were quickly
relegated to night missions. Only a very small number of Herefords saw
action (in Hampden squadrons). The rest were relegated to training units,
soon followed by their (marginally) better brethren.
 | A three-view drawing (900 x 627) |
| ENGINE | 2 x Napier Dagger VIII, 746kW |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 8070 kg | 17791 lb |
| Empty weight | 5300 kg | 11685 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 21.08 m | 69 ft 2 in |
| Length | 16.33 m | 53 ft 7 in |
| Height | 4.55 m | 14 ft 11 in |
| Wing area | 62.06 m2 | 668.01 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 426 km/h | 265 mph |
| Cruise speed | 277 km/h | 172 mph |
| Ceiling | 5790 m | 19000 ft |
| Range w/max.payload | 1930 km | 1199 miles |
| ARMAMENT | 4 x 7.7mm machine-guns, 1800kg of bombs |
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COMPANY
PROFILE
FACTS AND FIGURES© The Hereford was
distinguishable from the
Hampden by its longer
engine cowlings and greater
dihedral on the outer wings. © The exhaust note of the
Dagger engines was of a
high frequency that proved
irritating to the crews. © The narrow, cramped and
badly heated fuselage made
long missions extremely
uncomfortable and the
crew could not change
positions during flight. © The Hereford and Hampden
had a single-pilot cockpit with
a sliding canopy, which was
sometimes left open in flight
for the 'wind-in-the-hair' feel.
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