Spotlight On Odd Bods Aircraft & Squadrons - Part 4

 

Spotlight on Odd Bods Aircraft and Squadrons

Part 4

 Handley Page Halifax

Following on from the100 year anniversary of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 2021, the Friends of the Odd Bods 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 Odd Bods Association hope you enjoy this series dedicated to these men as we “Press On Remembering”.

Part 4– The aircraft we will learn a little about in this part is the Handley Page Halifax and the RAF Squadron 51 where our Odd Bods served. The aircraft also served with the following RAAF Squadrons 460, 463 and 466.

The Halifax Getting Ready For a Mission

What was a Handley Page Halifax Bomber? – It was a four engine heavy bomber of World War II. The Halifax had its origins back to the mid 1930’s and first flew on the 25^th of October 1939.  There were 6176 aircraft manufactured plus two prototypes. The standard aircraft was operated by 7 flight crew. Their positions were;

1)     1.    Pilot;

2)     2.    Flight Engineer;

3)     3.    Navigator;

4)     4.    Wireless Operator;

5)    5.     Bomb aimer;

6)     6.    Mid Upper gunner; and

7)    7.     Rear gunner.

 There were 8 variants of the Halifax made, however there were over 30 sub-variants made. As the numbers suggest, the aircraft went through significant improvements in the development of the bomber. They were manufactured in five locations across the British Isles due to the sizeable production. At the peak, 41 separate factories dispersed components supported by 600 subcontractors and 51,000 employees. This resulted in one Halifax completed every hour. (That’s an amazing statistic !!!)

 What was the big difference between the Halifax and the more well know Avro Lancaster?

Ø  The Lancaster had one large unobstructed bomb bay, enabling it to carry a single 12,000 pound bomb.  Saying this, the Halifax had one important advantage over the Lancaster. What was this?

Ø  In an emergency, the roomier Halifax was easier to abandon which resulted in a superior survival rate of Halifax crews compared to those in Lancasters.

 Specifications of the Halifax B Mk III

What was the aircraft powered by? – Four Bristol Hercules radial engines each producing 1615 horsepower.

 Dimensions – Wing Span – 31.75 m

 Length – 21.82 m

 Height – 6.32m

 Maximum Weight Loaded – 24,675Kg

 Maximum Speed – 454 km/h

 Rate of Climb – 3.80 m/s

 Normal Range – 1860 km

 

What was special about the Halifax? – Nicknamed the ‘Halibag’, the Handley Page Halifax would serve with distinction until the end of the Second World War, and post war would play a role in the Berlin Airlift.

Does the Halifax still fly? – Unfortunately, No. The Halifax spent its last days with the Pakistan Air Force which had inherited a number of bombers from the RAF and last flew in 1961.

Are there any Halifax’s still around? – There are 2, one at Yorkshire Air Museum in the UK, and the other at the Canadian Memorial Museum in Ontario.

(Information Source – Classicwarbirds.Co.Uk, Google Search Wikipedia May 2023)

RAF Squadron 51 – Motto is “Swift and Sure”

 Did our OddBods serve in this Squadron? – Yes.

 When was the Squadron formed originally? – 15 May 1916 and disbanded 1^stApril 1918;

 When was the Squadron reformed? - (1^st Time) – 1^st April till 13^th June 1919; (2^nd Time) – 5^th March 1937 till 30^th October 1950; and (3^rd Time) –21^stAugust 1958 to present.

 Is the Squadron still active? – Yes;

 What type of aircraft did the Squadron fly in WWII? –Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and Handley Page Halifax aircraft.

 What was unique about the Squadron? – 51 Squadron dropped leaflets over Germany on the very first night of the WWII. The squadron carried Para troops and a skilled RAF Flight Sergeant to France. These men carried out a very successful raid on a German radar installation removing parts of a new type and took the items back to Britain.  A brief period saw the Squadron carrying Coastal Command patrol against U-Boats in the Bay of Biscay.

 How many types of Halifax aircraft did 51 Squadron operate in WWII? – The Halifax type II and type III.

 (Information Source – Wikipedia and Google -May 2023)

 

RAAF Squadron 466 – Motto is “ –Brave and True”

 Did our Odd Bods serve in this Squadron – Yes.

 When was the Squadron formed originally? – 10^th of October 1942 till 26^th October 1945

 Is the Squadron still active? – No, disbanded.

 What type of aircraft did the Squadron fly in WWII? – Vickers Wellington, Handley Page Halifax and Consolidated Liberator

 What was unique about the Squadron?  – It was formed as an Australian squadron but was primarily staffed by British Commonwealth air forces only gaining it’s true Australian character by the end of the war.

 Statistics – 466 Squadron flew 3,326 sorties against 269 targets and lost 81 aircraft with 184 RAAF personnel serving with the squadron were killed.

(Information Source – Wikipedia and Wartimememoriesproject.com - May 2023)

 

The last of the 710 Halifax Bombers built by the London Aircraft Production Group PN640 (one of five factories) makes a low pass at Leavesden on April 16^th 1945.

 

Article by Michael Rossiter - May 2023.

COMMENTS:

RE: Spotlight On Odd Bods Aircraft & Squadrons - Part 4 – Here’s a photograph of a real life Halifax (so the youngsters can get a grasp on the size of the beast being flown by their Grandad’s ( all by brute strength, no power steering on this!) - Bryan Wilcockson - 23/5/2023.