In conjunction with the 100 year anniversary of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), the Friends of the OddBods Association would like to take a look back at where our fore-fathers served in World War II and why it is so important to ensure that this information is not lost, but preserved and recognised by the coming generations. The Friends of the OddBods Association hope you enjoy this series dedicated to these men as we “Press On Remembering”.
Part 1 – The Handley Page Halifax Mk III and RAAF Squadron 466 and RAF Squadron 51 where our OddBods served.
What was a Handley Page Halifax Mk III Bomber? – It was a four-engine aircraft designed purely during WW II and it’s first flight was on the 25th of October 1939. It was introduced on the 13th of November 1940 and 6178 aircraft were built until April 1945. This was very impressive and at one stage, one Halifax was completed every hour mainly due to the aircraft being built by 5 manufacturers, Handley Page, English Electric, Fairey Aviation, London Aircraft Production Group and Rootes Securities.The version Mk III bomber was the most popular and this was used by 7 countries (including Australia) as military operators.
What was the aircraft powered by? - Four 1650hp Bristol XVI radial piston engines with 3 bladed constant speed propellers.
Maximum Take-Off Weight – 65,000 pounds
Maximum Speed – 282 mph
Maximum Altitude – 24,000 feet
Bomb carriage weight – 13,000 pounds
How many crew were on the Halifax? - Pilot, flight engineer, navigator, wireless operator/gunner, bomb aimer and two gunners (Total of 7).
How many operations did the Halifax carry out? - 82,773 operations dropping 224,207 tons of bombs
How many Halifax were lost in WWII? – 1833 of 6178 built.
What happened to the aircraft after WWII? - The aircraft was retired from operational military use in 1961. The aircraft was also used in 11 countries by civilian operators in the post war era.
Are there any Halifax’s still existing today? – Only three remain complete. They are;
1. Restored Aircraft Serial Number NA337 built by Rootes Motors and delivered to 644 Squadron – It resides in the National Air Force Museum of Canada, Trenton Ontario
2. Restored Aircraft Serial Number HR792 built by Handley Page and delivered to 58 Squadron – It resides at the Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, North Yorkshire;
3. Unrestored Aircraft Serial Number W1048 built by English Electric and delivered to 102 Squadron – It resides in the RAF Museum London, Colindale London.
Other useful information – There is a Canadian organisation called Halifax 57 Rescue which is dedicated to the recovery and restoration of Handley Page Halifaxes. This organisation was founded in 1994 and has recovered two aircraft, one being NA337. This aircraft was recovered from 750 feet underwater in Lake Mjosa, Norway. The second aircraft LW682 was recovered from Geraardsbergen, Belgium. As part of the recovery from the bog, the bodies of three airmen was carried out and enabled them to be given a proper burial. Once recovered, the airframe was melted down and the material was used to construct the RAF Bomber Command Memorial in London which was unveiled in 2012.
(Information Source – Wikipedia Feb 17 2021)
RAAF Squadron 466 – Motto was “Brave and True”
Did our OddBods serve in this Squadron – Yes;
When was this Squadron formed? – 10th October 1942 at RAF Driffield, East Yorkshire, UK
Is the squadron still active? – No, it was disbanded on the 26th of October 1945;
What type of aircraft did the squadron fly? – Vickers Wellington, Handley Page Halifax and Liberators;
How many operations did the Squadron fly? – 3326 sorties against 269 targets;
How many aircraft were lost? – 81 with 184 RAAF personnel also lost;
What was unique about the Squadron? – Even though this was an RAAF unit, the majority of the personnel were British Air Forces. The Squadron was also heavily committed to mine-laying operations throughout 1943;
Citations – Following a mission on the 14th of April 1943, four members of the crew of a 466 Squadron Wellington received Joint Citation after suffering an attack by a fighter aircraft over the Ruhr target in Germany. With the aircraft badly damaged and a deceased rear gunner, the pilot was able to get his aircraft back to an airfield in his country without the further loss of life.
(Information Source – Wikipedia and Various Sources Feb 17 2021)
RAF Squadron 51 – Motto is “Swift and Sure”
Did our OddBods serve in this Squadron? – Yes;
When was the Squadron formed originally? – 15th May 1916 and disbanded 13th June 1919;
When was the Squadron reformed?; - 15th March 1937, at RAF Snaith, East Yorkshire, UK
Is the Squadron still active? – Yes, at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, UK
What type of aircraft did the Squadron fly in WWII? –Vickers Virginia, Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, Avro Anson, Handley Page Halifax, Short Sterling and Avro York
How many operations did the Squadron fly? – 51 Squadron was part of 4 Group Bomber Command who were part of 62,000 sorties during the war;
How many aircraft were lost? – 1441 aircraft did not return from their missions;
What was unique about the Squadron – This unit was based at 6 airfields during WWII from just before the war broke out in 1938 until the war ended in 1945;
Citations / Battle Honours – 15 separate fields of war resulted in this Squadron being awarded Battle Honours. It also needs to be known that there were 16 Australian Distinguished Flying Crosses and 1 Australian Distinguished Flying Medal awarded to our servicemen.
(Information Source – Wikipedia and Various Sources Feb 17 2021)
By Michael Rossiter
Please see various photos of the Halifax below.
No comments:
Post a Comment