[1][2][3] On 13 July 1940, the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Training Command, was ordered to plan to make the maximum practical number of aircraft available for operations.

While these were to be fitted where possible, RAF instructions made it clear that no aircraft was to be considered unfit for want of such niceties; anything that could fly and drop bombs would suffice.

Against advanced troops without time to establish adequate air defences, slow, highly manoeuvrable aircraft could make accurate ground attacks and escape destruction.

The air bases were widely spread and no swarms of Banquet aircraft would have descended on the landing beaches, the main effort would be by conventional Bomber Command squadrons.

[3] De Havilland put forward plans for converting the Tiger Moth into a bomber by equipping it with eight 20 lb (9 kg) bomb racks beneath the rear cockpit.

Trials were conducted at Hatfield by Major Hereward de Havilland and at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at Boscombe Down and the machines earned a satisfactory report.

[2] Modification of the relatively small number of Miles Magister trainers were also attempted but this proved troublesome and Banquet Light mostly used Tiger Moths.

[3] The Banquet Light strike force would be used for Army co-operation, bombing concentrations of airborne troops or soldiers landing on the beaches.