How the Oddest British Light Aircraft of WWII Ended Up Armed Like a Heavy Bomber

Experiments in Wartime Aviation

The Second World War pushed aircraft designers to explore unusual ideas. Some planes were built to fly faster or carry heavier bomb loads, while others were created simply to test whether a strange design could work. One of the most unusual efforts came from the Westland Aircraft Company in Britain. Their small liaison and reconnaissance aircraft, the Westland Lysander, became the basis for an experiment that tried to combine a light airplane with the firepower of a much larger bomber.

Introduced in 1938, the Lysander carried a crew of two—a pilot and either a navigator or passenger. It was designed for short reconnaissance flights and for spotting artillery positions. During the war it proved valuable for secret missions. Its sturdy frame and short-takeoff ability allowed it to land on improvised fields to drop off or pick up Allied agents behind German lines. Several versions were armed with Browning machine guns for defense, but its slow speed meant it was never intended for dogfights. Out of 175 aircraft used during the Battle of France, 118 were lost to enemy action, showing the risks faced by its crews.

Turning a Scout into a Gun Platform

The need for better defensive weapons led British engineers to explore new concepts. Some planners imagined a small aircraft with heavy rear protection, borrowing ideas from turret-armed bombers. Other planes, like the Boulton Paul Defiant, carried a power-operated turret in the middle of the fuselage. Westland went further by taking inspiration from the larger Avro Lancaster bomber. That bomber’s wide twin-fin tail allowed a rear turret to fire with fewer obstructions.

Westland’s designers removed the Lysander’s normal tail and replaced it with a twin-fin structure similar to the Lancaster’s. They then installed a power turret with four .303 Browning machine guns, giving the small aircraft a rear armament more like that of a heavy bomber. This heavily modified version received the name P.12 Wendover. It first flew in 1941, and early flights revealed stability problems caused by the added weight. Engineers adjusted the design until the plane handled much like a standard Lysander.

Promise and Practical Limits

Testing showed that the turret improved protection for such a slow aircraft, but it also made the plane even slower. Suggestions to fit a more powerful engine were considered, yet the cost and competing wartime priorities ruled it out. Britain’s air force was calling for more front-line bombers and fighters, and resources were limited. Investing in a light aircraft that remained vulnerable to faster enemy fighters no longer seemed worthwhile.

Despite performing well in trials, the Wendover stayed a prototype. It never entered production and never flew in combat. The sole example was eventually dismantled for parts, its unusual twin tail and heavy turret left as a curious footnote in aviation history. The project showed how far wartime designers were willing to experiment, even if the result was a small plane carrying the weapons of a much larger bomber.