FAA Albacores in the desert

The lumbering Fairey Albacores proved to be very important for night air operations over the desert and the enemy ports. The archaic design of the Albacore, with good visibility from the cockpit, gave them an advantage in accurate navigation. The aircrews became experts in navigation over the desert in nighttime. Because of this advantage, they came to be used a pathfinders more than bombers. They carried many flares at the expense of bombs, as that was more useful for their new role. Their flaredropping over targets greatly aided Blenheims flying in night attacks. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.