The Transport - Air — Halifax

image-Halifax Bomber photo 1 Second only in importance to the Avro Lancaster in Bomber Command's great night offensive of 1941 - 1945, the four-engined Handley Page Halifax was originally designed around a pair of Vulture engines but, when first flown on 25th October 1939, the choice of four Merlins had been made. The first aircraft arrived on No. 35 Squadron in November 1940 and flew their first raid on 10 - 11 March 1941.

image-Halifax Bomber photo 2 Production was widely sub-contracted and quickly accelerated, the Merlin X-powered Halifax Mk I with two-gun nose turret and no dorsal turret being followed by the Milk IIA Series I with Merlin XX and two-gun dorsal turret. In the Halifax Milk 11 Series I (Special) the nose turret was omitted, and in the Mk 11 Series IA a large transparent fairing improved the whole nose shape, this version also introducing a Defiant-type four-gun dorsal turret. The Halifax Mk III was powered by Bristol Hercules XVI radials, and later examples introduced a wingspan increased from 98 ft 10 in (30.12 m) to 104 ft 2 in (31.75 m).

The Milk V with Dowty landing gear served with Coastal and Bomber Commands; the Mk VI with Hercules 100 engines and Mlk VIll with Hercules XVI joined Bomber Command in 1944. Halifax Mk III, V and VII versions also served in paratrooping and glider-towing roles with the airborne forces (being the only aircraft to tow the big Hamilcar) and were joined by the Mk VIII just before the end of the war.

Production totalled 6,176 Halifaxes, the bomber versions flying a total of 75,532 sorties and dropping 227,610 tons of bombs.

	Accommodation:	Seven-crew (night heavy bomber)
	Power Plant:	Four 1,800-hp (1343-kW) Bristol Hercules 100 radial pistons.
	Dimensions:	Span 104 ft 2 in (31.75 m) Length 71 ft 7 in (21.82 m) Height 20 ft 9 in (6.32 m) Wing area 1,275.0 sq ft (118.45 m)
	Weights:	Empty 39,000 lb (17690 kg) Max take-off 68,000 lb (30845 kg)
	Performance:	Max speed 312 mph (502 km/h) at 22,000 ft (6705 m) Climb to 20,000 ft (6095 m) in 5.0 minutes Ceiling 24,000 ft (7315 m) Range with 13,000 lb (5897 kg) bomb load: 1,260 miles (2028 km)
	Armament:	0.303 in (7.7mm) gun in nose Four 0.303 in (7.7mm) guns in dorsal and tail turrets Max bomb load: 13,000 lb (5897 kg)