The Blenheim carried a crew of three, pilot, navigator/bombardier and wireless radio operator/turret gunner. The pilot's section on the left side of the nose was so cramped that the control yoke obscured all flight instruments and engine instruments blocked forward view when landing. Most secondary instruments were placed on the left side of the cockpit with basic control items like propeller pitch control were placed behind the pilot where they had to be operated purely by feel. The navigator/bombardier sat alongside the pilot and employed a sliding/folding seat when aiming the bombs. Dual flight controls could be also installed. The wireless radio operator/turret gunner's place was aft of the wing, alongside the aircraft's gun turret.
The Blenheim saw action during the Battle of France. On 10th May 1940 Germany launched an attack against France through the Netherlands and Belgium, where they clashed with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). The BEF was moved to forward positions to keep up with Allied's defensive plans, however, a second German offensive through the ill-defended Ardennes region split up both British and French forces. The BEF was under danger of encirclement and was forced to withdraw, being evacuated through the ports of Calais, Dunkirk and many other mores. Those Blenheims units of the Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF) present in France, No 114 Squadron lost most of its aircraft on the ground when nine Dornier Do.17 belonging to II/KG.2 made a surprise attack on their airfield. No.139 Squadron lost seven of nine aircraft during a bombing run made by Messerschmitt Bf.109E fighters of JG.27.
The five Blenheim units of the main Air Component saw a similar fate, just like most of the Great-Britain-based squadrons committed to the French theatre. No 15 Squadron lost six out of twelve Blenheim on 12th May, No 82 lost eleven of the twelve Blenheims sent to attack German positions at Gembloux, Belgium, on 14th May. On that same day, No 110 Squadron lost twelve aircraft at the German salient in Sedan. It was obvious that the defensive configuration of the Blenheim was highly inadequate and the combined firepower of a complete squadron was not enough to discourage enemy fighter attacks. This added up to the fact that the few fighter squadrons available in France were highly dispersed and, even when providing escort for the bombers, they were, generally overwhelmed by superior enemy numbers. The medium altitudes at which the Blenheims made their bombing runs, also deemed them easy targets for ground anti-air fire, so many were lost to flak.
These factors led to new field modifications aimed to increase the Blenheim's defensive strength, mainly in the form of improving the turret's machine guns by either adding a new one or replacing them. In this context, a new remotely-operated ventral turret was envisioned by Bristol. This, was placed under the nose and could be jettisoned to be used as an escape hatch.
The Blenheim also lacked self-sealing fuel tanks or crew armour protection, both improvements were added in later versions. Another minor improvement was the inclusion of a rear-view mirror placed on the canopy frame above and ahead of the pilot's line of view. This was accompanied with the inclusion of Perspex bulged blisters on side canopy windows.
Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Blenheim
2. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 88 - Bristol Blenheim in Action
3. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 26 - Bristol Blenheim
4.Osprey Publishing - Combat Aircraft 5 - Blenheim Squadrons of World War 2
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