The Handley Page Halifax is a British
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
(RAF) four-engined
heavy bomber
Heavy bombers are bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually Aerial bomb, bombs) and longest range (aeronautics), range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy ...
of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. It was developed by
Handley Page
Handley Page Limited was a British aerospace manufacturer. Founded by Frederick Handley Page (later Sir Frederick) in 1909, it was the United Kingdom's first publicly traded aircraft manufacturing company. It went into voluntary liquidation a ...
to the same specification as the contemporary twin-engine
Avro Manchester
The Avro 679 Manchester was a British twin-engine heavy bomber developed and manufactured by the Avro aircraft company in the United Kingdom. While not being built in great numbers, it was the forerunner of the more famed and more successful ...
.
The Halifax has its origins in the twin-engine ''H.P.56'' proposal of the late 1930s, produced in response to the British
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force and civil aviation that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the ...
's
Specification P.13/36 for a capable
medium bomber
A medium bomber is a military bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft designed to operate with medium-sized Aerial bomb, bombloads over medium Range (aeronautics), range distances; the name serves to distinguish this type from larger heavy bombe ...
for "world-wide use." The H.P.56 was ordered as a backup to the Avro 679, both aircraft being designed to use the
Rolls-Royce Vulture
The Rolls-Royce Vulture was a British Aircraft engine, aero engine developed shortly before World War II that was designed and built by Rolls-Royce Limited. The Vulture used the unusual "X-24 engine, X-24" configuration, whereby four cylinder ...
engine. The Handley Page design was altered to use four
Rolls-Royce Merlin
The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British Coolant#Liquids, liquid-cooled V12 engine, V-12 Reciprocating engine, piston aero engine of 27-litre (1,650 cu in) Engine displacement, capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited, Rolls-Royce designed the engine an ...
engines while the rival Avro 679 was produced as the twin-engine
Avro Manchester
The Avro 679 Manchester was a British twin-engine heavy bomber developed and manufactured by the Avro aircraft company in the United Kingdom. While not being built in great numbers, it was the forerunner of the more famed and more successful ...
which, while regarded as unsuccessful mainly due to the Vulture engine, was a direct predecessor of the
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster, commonly known as the Lancaster Bomber, is a British World War II, Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to ...
. Both the Lancaster and the Halifax emerged as capable four-engine
strategic bomber
A strategic bomber is a medium- to long-range Penetrator (aircraft), penetration bomber aircraft designed to drop large amounts of air-to-ground weaponry onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating the enemy's capacity to wage war. Unl ...
s, thousands of which were used during the War.
The Halifax performed its first flight on 25 October 1939, and entered service with the RAF on 13 November 1940. It quickly became a major component of
Bomber Command
Bomber Command is an organisational military unit, generally subordinate to the air force of a country. The best known were in Britain and the United States. A Bomber Command is generally used for strategic bombing (although at times, e.g. during t ...
, performing strategic bombing missions against the
Axis Powers
The Axis powers, originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis and also Rome–Berlin–Tokyo Axis, was the military coalition which initiated World War II and fought against the Allies of World War II, Allies. Its principal members were Nazi Ge ...
, primarily at night.
Arthur Harris
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Travers Harris, 1st Baronet, (13 April 1892 – 5 April 1984), commonly known as "Bomber" Harris by the press and often within the RAF as "Butcher" or "Butch" Harris, was Air Officer Commanding, Air O ...
, the
Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief
An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosphere ...
of Bomber Command, described the Halifax as inferior to the rival Lancaster (in part due to its smaller payload) though this opinion was not shared by many of the crews that flew it. Nevertheless, production of the Halifax continued until April 1945. During their service with Bomber Command, Halifaxes flew 82,773 operations and dropped of bombs, while 1,833 aircraft were lost. The Halifax was also flown in large numbers by other
Allied and
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...
nations, such as the
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...
(RCAF),
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...
(RAAF), and
Free French Air Force
The Free French Air Forces (, FAFL) were the air arm of the Free French Forces in the Second World War, created by Charles de Gaulle in 1940. The designation ceased to exist in 1943 when the Free French Forces merged with General Giraud's force ...
.
Various improved versions of the Halifax were introduced, incorporating more powerful engines, a revised
defensive turret layout and increased payload. It remained in service with Bomber Command until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing. Specialised versions of the Halifax were developed for troop transport and
paradrop
A parachute is a device designed to slow an object's descent through an atmosphere by creating drag or aerodynamic lift. It is primarily used to safely support people exiting aircraft at height, but also serves various purposes like slowing c ...
operations. After the Second World War, the RAF quickly retired the Halifax, the type being succeeded as a strategic bomber by the
Avro Lincoln
The Avro Type 694 Lincoln is a British four-engined heavy bomber, which maiden flight, first flew on 9 June 1944. Developed from the Avro Lancaster, the first Lincoln variants were initially known as the Lancaster IV and V; these were renamed L ...
, an advanced derivative of the Lancaster. During the post-war years, the Halifax was operated by the
Royal Egyptian Air Force
The Egyptian Air Force (EAF) () is the Air force, aviation branch of the Egyptian Armed Forces that is responsible for all airborne defence missions and operates all military aircraft, including those used in support of the Egyptian Army, Egypti ...
, the
French Air Force
The French Air and Space Force (, , ) is the air force, air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the ("Aeronautical Service"), a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the Fr ...
and the
Royal Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when requi ...
. The type also entered commercial service for a number of years, used mainly as a
freighter. A dedicated civil transport variant, the Handley Page Halton, was also developed and entered airline service; 41 civil Halifax freighters were used during the
Berlin Airlift
The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, roa ...
. In 1961, the last remaining Halifax bombers were retired from operational use.
Development
Origins
In the 1930s, the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
(RAF) was primarily interested in twin-engine
bombers
A bomber is a military combat aircraft that utilizes
air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles.
There are two major classifications of bomber: strategic and tactical. Strategic bombing is ...
.
These designs put significant demands on engine production and maintenance, both of which were already stretched with the introduction of many new types of aircraft into service. Power limitations were so serious that the British invested heavily in the development of huge engines in the class to improve performance. However, during the late 1930s, none of these engines were ready for production. Meanwhile, the United States, France, Germany and the Soviet Union were developing bombers powered with four engines with favourable results, including excellent range and lifting capacity. Accordingly, in 1936, the RAF decided to investigate the feasibility of a four-engined bomber.
[Norris 1966, p. 3.]
During the mid-1930s, the British
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force and civil aviation that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the ...
released
Specification P.13/36, seeking a twin-engine
heavy-medium bomber suitable for "world-wide use".
[Moyes 1966, p. 3.] Further requirements of the specification included the use of a mid-mounted
cantilever
A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is unsupported at one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cantilev ...
monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
wing and all-metal construction, and encouraged use of the
Rolls-Royce Vulture
The Rolls-Royce Vulture was a British Aircraft engine, aero engine developed shortly before World War II that was designed and built by Rolls-Royce Limited. The Vulture used the unusual "X-24 engine, X-24" configuration, whereby four cylinder ...
engine then in development.
In response,
Handley Page
Handley Page Limited was a British aerospace manufacturer. Founded by Frederick Handley Page (later Sir Frederick) in 1909, it was the United Kingdom's first publicly traded aircraft manufacturing company. It went into voluntary liquidation a ...
produced the twin-engine ''H.P.56'' design to meet Specification P.13/36. Handley Page aircraft designer
George Volkert had responsibility for the design.
Other candidates were submitted for the same specification, including the
Avro 679, and designs from
Fairey,
Boulton Paul and
Shorts
Shorts are a garment worn over the pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they ar ...
. All submissions used two engines, using the Rolls-Royce Vulture,
Napier Sabre
The Napier Sabre is a British H engine, H-24-cylinder, coolant, liquid-cooled, sleeve valve, piston aircraft engine, aero engine, designed by Frank Halford, Major Frank Halford and built by D. Napier & Son during World War II. The engine evolv ...
,
Fairey P.24 or
Bristol Hercules
The Bristol Hercules is a 14-cylinder two-row radial aircraft engine designed by Sir Roy Fedden and produced by the Bristol Engine Company starting in 1939. It was the most numerous of their single sleeve valve ( Burt-McCollum, or Argyll, ty ...
engines. All of these engines were under development and while four-engined bomber designs were considered for specification B.12/36 for a heavy bomber, wings mounting two pairs of engines required additional testing at the
Royal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), bef ...
(RAE). A stronger wing also required additional strengthening of the overall aircraft structure, increasing design weight.
In February 1937, following consideration of the designs, the Air Ministry selected Avro's submission, with Handley Page's bid chosen as "second string". Accordingly, during April 1937, the Air Ministry ordered two prototypes of each design.
The introduction of the successful P.13/36 candidates was delayed by orders for
Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley
The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.38 Whitley was a British medium/heavy bomber aircraft of the 1930s. It was one of three twin-engined, front line medium bomber types that were in service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) at the outbreak of the Second ...
and
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington (nicknamed the Wimpy) is a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson, a key feature of t ...
bombers. In mid-1937, it was decided to order both the Avro 679 and H.P.56 designs "off the drawing board" in order to speed up delivery timetables.
During July 1937, Handley Page was instructed to redesign the H.P.56 to use four engines. The Vulture had already been suffering reliability and performance problems.
The rival Avro 679 proceeded into service as the
Avro Manchester
The Avro 679 Manchester was a British twin-engine heavy bomber developed and manufactured by the Avro aircraft company in the United Kingdom. While not being built in great numbers, it was the forerunner of the more famed and more successful ...
powered by a pair of Vulture engines, but was only built in limited quantities after suffering substantially from engine-related difficulties. The four-engine redesign increased its wingspan from to and added of weight.
In September 1937, the Ministry specified the use of four
Rolls-Royce Merlin
The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British Coolant#Liquids, liquid-cooled V12 engine, V-12 Reciprocating engine, piston aero engine of 27-litre (1,650 cu in) Engine displacement, capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited, Rolls-Royce designed the engine an ...
engines; according to aviation author Phillip J. R. Moyes, this redesign to four Merlin engines was done "much against the company's wishes".
Towards the end of the year, a full-size mock-up was assessed and production of a pair of ''H.P.57'' prototypes commenced in March 1938. Further design modifications resulted in the definitive aircraft, now considerably enlarged and powered by four
Rolls-Royce Merlin X engines. Such was the promise of the new model that, in January 1938, the RAF chose to place their first production order for the type, ordering 100 Mk.I Halifaxes "off the drawing board", at which point the serials which had already been assigned to the H.P.56 were switched to the H.P.57.
Prototypes
The first prototype was built at Handley Page's facility in
Cricklewood
Cricklewood is a town in North London, England, in the London Boroughs of Camden, Barnet, and Brent. The Crown pub, now the Clayton Crown Hotel, is a local landmark and lies north-west of Charing Cross.
Cricklewood was a small rural hamlet ...
,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, It was then dismantled and transported by road to
RAF Bicester
Bicester Aerodrome, formerly RAF Bicester, is a private airfield on the outskirts of Bicester, Oxfordshire, England.
The location of the first flight of the prototype Handley Page Halifax in 1939, it was used by the Royal Air Force until 2004. ...
(the nearest non-operational RAF airfield with suitable facilities) for reassembly. The first flight of the first prototype Halifax, serial number ''L7244'', was performed by chief test pilot Jim Cordes with E A 'Ginger' Wright as flight test observer on 25 October 1939. During this flight, the undercarriage was locked down as a safety precaution.
On 17 August 1940, the first flight of the second prototype, ''L7245'', now complete with full armament and operational equipment, was made from
Radlett Aerodrome
Radlett Aerodrome was an airfield and Handley Page aircraft manufacturing plant in Hertfordshire, now owned by Eon Productions. Part of the airfield is now the M25 motorway, M25 between junctions 21 (A405 road, A405) and 22 (A1081 road, A1081).
H ...
.
The H.P.57 was given the service name ''Halifax'' upon acceptance. This name followed the practice of naming heavy bombers after major towns, which in this case was
Halifax in
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
. In September 1941, a production Halifax Mk.I participated in an official naming ceremony of the type, officiated by
Lord Halifax
Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax (16 April 1881 – 23 December 1959), known as the Lord Irwin from 1925 until 1934 and the Viscount Halifax from 1934 until 1944, was a British Conservative politician of the 1930s. He h ...
and Lady Halifax.
Production
Series production of the Halifax began at Handley Page's factory at Cricklewood and at
English Electric
The English Electric Company Limited (EE) was a British industrial manufacturer formed after World War I by amalgamating five businesses which, during the war, made munitions, armaments and aeroplanes.
It initially specialised in industrial el ...
's site in
Samlesbury
Samlesbury ( ''or locally'' ) is a village and civil parish in South Ribble, Lancashire, England. Samlesbury Hall, a historic house, is in the village, as is Samlesbury Aerodrome and a large modern brewery owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. The pop ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
. In order to speed up production, Handley Page implemented several new manufacturing techniques, including two pioneering approaches: photo-
lofting
Lofting is a Technical drawing, drafting technique to generate curved lines. It is used in plans for streamlined objects such as aircraft and boats. The lines may be drawn on wood and the wood then cut for advanced woodworking. The technique can be ...
and split construction. In the latter capacity, each Halifax was built from various sub-assemblies.
Surface panels were flush-
rivet
A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylinder (geometry), cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite the head is called the ''tail''. On installation, the deformed e ...
ed, although the matt black night bomber camouflage negated its benefit.
Handley Page built the assemblies and components at Cricklewood and the aircraft were assembled and flown from
Radlett Aerodrome
Radlett Aerodrome was an airfield and Handley Page aircraft manufacturing plant in Hertfordshire, now owned by Eon Productions. Part of the airfield is now the M25 motorway, M25 between junctions 21 (A405 road, A405) and 22 (A1081 road, A1081).
H ...
. The first production aircraft flew from Radlett on 11 October 1940.
The sizeable production run envisioned required the involvement of several other companies in addition to Handley Page.
The resulting ''Halifax Group'' was established to oversee the manufacturing programme, comprising English Electric (who had previously built
Handley Page Hampden
The Handley Page HP.52 Hampden is a British twin-engine medium bomber that was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was part of the trio of large twin-engine bombers procured for the RAF, joining the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and Vickers ...
s), various firms within the
London Aircraft Production Group,
Fairey Aviation
The Fairey Aviation Company Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century based in Hayes, Hillingdon, Hayes in Middlesex and Heaton Chapel and RAF Ringway in Cheshire that designed important military aircraft ...
, and
Rootes Motors.
Because of this scheme, Halifaxes were manufactured at sites across the British isles.
The Halifax was produced in large numbers during the war and over 40%, or 4,046 of the 10,018 heavy bombers produced in Britain between 1940 and 1944 were Halifaxes.
In all, 6,178 Halifaxes were built, the last delivered in April 1945.
At the peak, 41 separate factories and dispersed units were involved in production, along with 600
subcontractor
A subcontractor is a person or business which undertakes to perform part or all of the obligations of another's contract, and a subcontract is a contract which assigns part of an existing contract to a subcontractor.
A general contractor, prime ...
s and 51,000 employees, with one Halifax completed every hour.
The first English Electric-built aircraft was flown from Samlesbury on 15 August 1941.
The first production standard Halifax, the Mk.I, had a long bomb bay and six wing bomb cells, and could carry a load. Defensive armament consisted of two
Browning machine guns in a
Boulton Paul Type C
nose turret, with an additional four in a Boulton Paul Type E
tail turret. Some aircraft included two additional
Vickers K machine gun
The Vickers K machine gun, known as the Vickers Gas Operated (Vickers G.O.) or Gun, Machine, Vickers G.O. .303-inch in British service, was a rapid-firing machine gun developed and manufactured for use in aircraft by Vickers-Armstrongs. The hig ...
s in beam (side, or "waist") positions. Subtle modifications distinguished the Mk.I aircraft. Aircraft of the first batch of fifty Mk.I Halifaxes were designated Mk.I Series I.
Improvements
Handley Page were initially disappointed with the performance of the Halifax which was below their predictions, much of this was because they had under-estimated the aircraft's drag. The Mk.III Halifax had a wider span of and had significantly improved performance. Arguably the Merlin engine did not suit the Halifax as much as the Hercules (fitted from the Mk.III on) which suited the Halifax better both aerodynamically and power-wise.
The Halifax Mk.I was quickly followed by 25 of the Mk.I Series II; these featured an increased gross weight from to but with maximum landing weight unchanged at . The Halifax Mk.I Series III featured increased fuel capacity ( and larger oil coolers, the latter of which having been adopted in order to accommodate the Merlin XX engine. A dorsally-mounted two-gun Boulton Paul Type C turret replaced the beam guns.
[Norris 1966, p. 5.]

Introduction of Merlin XX engines and a twin dorsal turret instead of waist guns resulted in the Halifax B Mk.II Series I. The Mk.II Series I (Special) achieved improved performance via the removal of the nose and dorsal turrets. The Halifax Mk.II Series IA was fitted with a moulded
Perspex
Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a synthetic polymer derived from methyl methacrylate. It is a transparent thermoplastic, used as an engineering plastic. PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, as well as by the trade names and bran ...
nose (this nose became standard upon future Halifax variants), a four-gun Boulton Paul Type A dorsal turret similar to that used in the
Boulton Paul Defiant
The Boulton Paul Defiant is a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a "turret fighter" to meet the RAF requirement for day and ...
, and Merlin 22 engines. The rudder overbalance / directional instability with engine(s) out problem was solved on the Mk.III with the fitting of a larger D type fin (40% bigger) and modified rudder. The Mk.III Halifax had satisfactory stability in all axes and was more stable in a dive than a Lancaster. A Lancaster tended to go deeper into a dive whereas a Halifax had to be forced to stay in the dive as the speed increased, i.e. it naturally flew out of a dive.
Owing to a shortage of Messier-built
landing gear
Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for taxiing, takeoff or landing. For aircraft, it is generally needed for all three of these. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, s ...
and
hydraulics
Hydraulics () is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counterpart of pneumatics, which concer ...
,
Dowty-built landing gear were used on some aircraft instead. As it was incompatible with the Messier equipment, this led to these Halifax bombers being given new designations: a Mark II built with Dowty gear was the Mark V.
The use of
casting
Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is usually poured into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or ...
s rather than
forging
Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compression (physics), compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die (manufacturing), die. Forging is often classif ...
s in the Dowty undercarriage had resulted in an increased production rate but had also led to a reduced landing weight of . The Halifax Mark V were manufactured by
Rootes Group
The Rootes Group was a British automobile manufacturer and, separately, a major motor distributors and dealers business. From headquarters in the West End of London, the manufacturer was based in the English Midlands, Midlands and the distribu ...
at
Speke
Speke () is a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is southeast of the city centre. Located near the widest part of the River Mersey, it is bordered by the suburbs of Garston and Hunts Cross, and nearby to Halewood, Hale Village, ...
and
Fairey at
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt, Rivers Goyt and River Tame, Greater Manchester, Tame merge to create the River Mersey he ...
; operationally, these were generally used by
Coastal Command and for training purposes. Some 904 had been built when Mark V production ended at the start of 1944, compared to 1,966 Halifax Mk.IIs.
The most numerous Halifax variant was the much improved B Mk.III of which 2,091 were built. First appearing in 1943, the Mk.III featured the Perspex nose and modified tail of the Mk.II Series IA but replaced the Merlin with the more powerful
Bristol Hercules XVI radial engine
The radial engine is a reciprocating engine, reciprocating type internal combustion engine, internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinder (engine), cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. ...
. Other changes included the adoption of
de Havilland
The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited (pronounced , ) was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of North London. Operations were later moved to ...
Hydromatic propellers and a wider wing span with rounded wing tips.
With the coming of the Mk.III the Halifax's performance finally matched that of the Lancaster though the latter had a larger bomb load and could take larger bombs. The B.VI Halifax's performance improved still further with a cruising speed of and a maximum speed (in 'Full Speed' supercharger mode) of at . Halifax crews, though admittedly not unbiased, considered the Mk.III Halifax to be the equal of any other bomber, including the Lancaster, and further improved versions (with more powerful Hercules engines) to be superior to all. The improvement in the Halifax Mk.III's performance could be measured objectively. In 1943 4 Group's Halifax squadrons flew 11,607 sorties for a loss of 485 aircraft, a loss rate of 4.2%. Halifax Mk.III production started in early Autumn 1943 and for 1944, when the Mk.III constituted an increasing percentage of the Halifax force, 4 Group flew 25,454 sorties for a loss of 402 aircraft, a loss rate of 1.6%.
The Halifax B Mk.IV was a converted B Mk.II non-production design using the Rolls-Royce Merlin 65 engine with a two-stage supercharger and a four-bladed propeller fitted. This resulted in an increase in top speed by to at . Due to a shortage of Merlins with two-stage superchargers production of the B Mk.IV was not proceeded with.
The definitive version of the Halifax was the B Mk.VI, powered by the Hercules 100. The final bomber version, the Mk.VII, reverted to the less powerful Hercules XVI. However, these variants were produced in relatively small quantities.
The remaining variants were the Halifax C Mk.VIII, an unarmed transport that was fitted with an cargo pannier instead of a bomb bay, which could accommodate a maximum of 11 passengers and the Mk A IX
paratroop
A paratrooper or military parachutist is a soldier trained to conduct military operations by parachuting directly into an area of operations, usually as part of a large airborne forces unit. Traditionally paratroopers fight only as light infa ...
transport, which had space for up to 16 paratroopers and their equipment. A transport/cargo version of the Halifax was also produced, known as the Handley Page Halton.
Design
Overview

The Handley Page Halifax was a mostly orthodox design, a mid-wing
monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
with a tail unit featuring twin
fin
A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. F ...
s and
rudder
A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...
s. The Halifax featured all-metal construction with a smooth, stressed skin covering the majority of the exterior surfaces; the
flight control surfaces
Flight control surfaces are aerodynamic devices allowing a pilot to adjust and control the aircraft's flight attitude. The primary function of these is to control the aircraft's movement along the three axes of rotation. Flight control surfaces ...
were an exception, being fabric-covered instead.
The slab-sided fuselage contained a 22-foot
bomb bay
The bomb bay or weapons bay on some military aircraft is a compartment to carry bombs, usually in the aircraft's fuselage, with "bomb bay doors" which open at the bottom. The bomb bay doors are opened and the bombs are dropped when over the ...
, which contained the majority of the Halifax's payload, while the cockpit was flush with the upper fuselage.
The Halifax was powered by four engines, two on each wing.
Early production Halifax bombers were powered by models of the
Rolls-Royce Merlin
The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British Coolant#Liquids, liquid-cooled V12 engine, V-12 Reciprocating engine, piston aero engine of 27-litre (1,650 cu in) Engine displacement, capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited, Rolls-Royce designed the engine an ...
engine; later aircraft were commonly powered by the larger
Bristol Hercules
The Bristol Hercules is a 14-cylinder two-row radial aircraft engine designed by Sir Roy Fedden and produced by the Bristol Engine Company starting in 1939. It was the most numerous of their single sleeve valve ( Burt-McCollum, or Argyll, ty ...
radial engine
The radial engine is a reciprocating engine, reciprocating type internal combustion engine, internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinder (engine), cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. ...
. To contain and attach the engines to the airframe, Handley Page developed their own design for the
power egg instead of using the typical, slimmer Rolls-Royce counterpart; despite generating increased drag, this in-house design was readily adaptable to the alternative Hercules engine on later aircraft.
Each engine drove a
Rotol
Dowty Propellers is a British engineering company based in Brockworth, Gloucestershire that specialises in the manufacture, repair and overhaul of propellers and propeller components for customers around the world. It is owned by GE Aerospace ...
-built compressed wood
constant-speed propeller, enabling the Halifax B.I to attain a maximum speed of at .
[Moyes 1966, pp. 3–4.] With a typical payload of of bombs and of fuel, it had a range of . The defensive armaments included power-assisted gun turrets in various positions located across the aircraft.
[Moyes 1966, p. 4.] Different models of the Halifax used different numbers and combinations of turrets, effectively trading speed for firepower and vice versa.
Crew positions and armament

The bomb aimer's position was in the extreme nose with the navigator's table located behind it, both roles fulfilled by the same crew member. Above the navigator's position was the forward gun turret. The wireless (radio) operator was behind the navigator's position, separated by a half-width partition.
On the floor just behind the front turret (or later the nose) was the escape hatch. This was , the same size as the Stirling, and slightly larger than the for the Lancaster. On average 25% of Halifax and Stirling crews successfully bailed out from a damaged aeroplane, but only 15% did so from Lancasters.
The pilot sat on the left side in the cockpit above the wireless operator. The flight engineer filled in as a co-pilot, seated on a folding seat to the right of the pilot during crucial manoeuvres such as take-off. Aft of the pilot and set lower than the pilot was the
flight engineer
A flight engineer (FE), also sometimes called an air engineer, is a member of an aircraft's flight crew who is responsible for monitoring and operating its complex aircraft systems. In the early era of aviation, the position was sometimes referr ...
's compartment with controls on the bulkhead. Another compartment aft of the flight engineer contained two bunks originally intended for resting crew members, but almost always used for treating and berthing injured crew. This area led to the two-gun dorsal turret. The tail gunner occupied a four-gun turret at the extreme aft end of the aircraft.
[''Flight'' 1942, p. 401.]
Starting with the Halifax Mk.II Series IA and from the Mk.III onwards, the nose turret was deleted; instead the bomb-aimer occupied a streamlined perspex nose containing a single hand-held machine gun. On later-built aircraft, the two-gun dorsal turret was replaced by a four-gun
Boulton Paul turret.
The maximum bomb load was , which was primarily carried in a bomb bay housed within the fuselage, divided into six separate bomb compartments, with three bomb compartments in the inboard sections of each wing; this division of the payload between multiple compartments limited the maximum size of the individual bombs which could be completely enclosed to ; when carrying the
4,000lb and 8,000lb high capacity (HC) bombs the bomb bay doors could not close fully.
Operational service

In November 1940, the Handley Page Halifax entered service with
No. 35 Squadron at
RAF Linton-on-Ouse
Royal Air Force Linton-on-Ouse or more simply RAF Linton-on-Ouse is a former Royal Air Force station at Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire, England, north-west of York. It had satellite stations at RAF Topcliffe and Dishforth Airfield (Brit ...
. Its operational debut occurred on the night of 10–11 March 1941, when six Halifax bombers flew a bombing raid against
Le Havre
Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine, river Seine on the English Channel, Channe ...
, targeting the area around the docks and any shipping that might be present.
[Falconer 1998, p. 232] The existence of the Halifax was not officially acknowledged until July 1941, after it was used in a daylight attack on
La Pallice,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, against the
German battleship ''Scharnhorst''. At the end of 1941, the Halifax was withdrawn from daylight bombing operations after intensifying fighter opposition had increased the casualty rates to unsustainable levels.
In the second half of 1942, No. 35 Squadron and four other squadrons were selected to form the
Pathfinder Force, later expanded to become
No. 8 Group.
Pathfinder crews flying the Halifax would mark routes and identify and mark targets for the Main Force. Effective marking greatly increased the accuracy and destructive power of Bomber Command. As a Pathfinder and Main Force aircraft, the Halifax was a core part of the bombing offensive against Germany and its Axis allies.
[Norris 1966, pp. 4–5.]
By the end of 1943,
No. 4 Group had been entirely equipped with the Halifax, and would continue to operate the aircraft until the end of the war.
No. 6 Group, formed of
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...
(RCAF) squadrons, also adopted the Halifax around the same time, and would go on to operate it in each of its 14 squadrons, although it was never solely equipped with the type. At its peak strength, Bomber Command operated a total of 76 Halifax-equipped squadrons.

While the early-built models of the Halifax were heavily used by Bomber Command and made valuable contributions to operations, the aircraft's performance was considered unsatisfactory for the most part, mainly due to the underpowered Merlin engine, which meant that it could not fly at the higher altitudes needed to avoid enemy fighters, which were becoming increasingly effective throughout 1943.
This was answered by the Halifax Mk.III, which was powered by
Bristol Hercules
The Bristol Hercules is a 14-cylinder two-row radial aircraft engine designed by Sir Roy Fedden and produced by the Bristol Engine Company starting in 1939. It was the most numerous of their single sleeve valve ( Burt-McCollum, or Argyll, ty ...
radial engine
The radial engine is a reciprocating engine, reciprocating type internal combustion engine, internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinder (engine), cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. ...
s in place of the Merlins. Introduced into service in November 1943, the Mk.III was first delivered to
No. 433 Squadron and
No. 466 Squadron.
[Norris 1966, pp. 5–6.] By January 1944, the Hercules-powered Halifax was available in quantity and quickly proved to have superior performance in the face of German fighter defences.
Early on, Air Chief Marshal Arthur Harris, head of Bomber Command, was scathing in his criticism of the Halifax's performance in comparison to the new
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster, commonly known as the Lancaster Bomber, is a British World War II, Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to ...
, primarily of its bomb-carrying capability: an average Halifax was calculated to drop 100 tons of bombs in its lifetime, compared to a Lancaster's 154. Harris continued to have a poor opinion of the Halifax, despite the fact that later Hercules-engined machines had lower loss rates and higher crew survival rates after abandoning the aircraft than Lancasters, and came very close to the Lancaster's speed and altitude performance. The Halifax was progressively outnumbered in front-line service over occupied Europe as more Lancasters became available from 1943 onwards; many squadrons converted to the Lancaster.
[ The first "Thousand bomber raid" on Cologne on 30–31 May 1942 included 131 Halifaxes and 73 Lancasters; The attack on Berlin on 28 February 1943 included 252 Halifaxes and 457 Lancasters; The attack on Hamburg on 27–28 July 1943 included 244 Halifaxes, 353 Lancasters, 116 Stirlings and 74 Wellingtons; The attack on Nuremberg on 30–31 March 1944 included 214 Halifaxes and 572 Lancasters; The attack on Dresden on 13–14 February 1945 included 753 Lancasters and no Halifaxes with nine Mosquitoes marking.]
Production of the Halifax continued, supposedly because it was more efficient to keep building it than to stop its production and convert to building another aircraft. But any new facilities were devoted to the Lancaster.

Harris's view of the Halifax changed sometime after spring 1942. On 2 June 1942, in a response to a telegram sent by Frederick Handley Page, congratulating Harris on the success of the
first 1000 bomber Cologne raid, he stated: "My Dear Handley Page. We much appreciate your telegram of congratulation on Saturday night's work, the success of which was very largely due to your support in giving us such a powerful weapon to wield. Between us we will make a job of it."
Following the invasion of Europe in 1944, the Halifax resumed daylight bombing operations, performing semi-tactical strikes upon enemy troop concentrations, gun emplacements, and strongpoints of the
Atlantic Wall
The Atlantic Wall () was an extensive system of coastal defence and fortification, coastal defences and fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe and Scandinavia as a defense (military), d ...
defences along the French coast with a reportedly high degree of accuracy.
[Norris 1966, p. 6.] Other common targets were enemy communications and the launch sites for
V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb ( "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Reich Aviation Ministry () name was Fieseler Fi 103 and its suggestive name was (hellhound). It was also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb or doodlebug a ...
s. Bombing activity became increasingly brazen throughout late 1944 as the ''Luftwaffe'' became incapable of putting up effective opposition against allied air forces.
The Halifax also found itself being increasingly tasked with transport duties around this time; in one instance, around half a million gallons of petrol was delivered to
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
in support of the advancing
Second Army, then engaged in heavy fighting at
Arnhem
Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...
.
During the latter half of 1944, the bombing of German-held oil facilities became a major priority of the offensive.
On 27 August, a force of 216 Halifax bombers, alongside smaller numbers of
de Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the World War II, Second World War. Unusual in that its airframe was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder", or " ...
s and Lancasters and a sizable escort of
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced conti ...
s, conducted the first major daylight operation by Bomber Command against a target inside Germany that year, attacking the oil refinery at
Homberg on the
Ruhr
The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...
. In spite of heavy fire from
anti-aircraft defenses, no bombers were downed and the refinery was severely damaged in places.
[Norris 1966, pp. 6, 8.] Attacks upon oil production facilities throughout Germany would become commonplace within the remaining months of the war.

The only
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
to be awarded to any Halifax pilot went to Cyril J. Barton of
No. 578 Squadron for displaying great gallantry in bringing his heavily damaged aircraft back after a raid on
Nuremberg
Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...
on the night of 30/31 March 1944. Barton continued to fly the Halifax while other crew members bailed out. He was killed in the aircraft's crash-landing, but the remaining crew survived due to his actions.
Large numbers of Halifax bombers were also operated by
Coastal Command, which used it to conduct
anti submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations ar ...
,
reconnaissance
In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...
and
meteorological
Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e. weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. It has applications in the military, aviation, energy production, transport, agriculture ...
operations. The Halifax was heavily used to deploy
mines in the vicinity of enemy-held ports.
[Norris 1966, p. 8.] It served increasingly in other support capacities as the war progressed, being used as a
glider tug, an
electronic warfare aircraft for
No. 100 Group and to conduct special operations, such as
parachuting
Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from a high point in an atmosphere to the ground or ocean surface with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or multiple parachutes.
For hu ...
agents and arms into occupied
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, for the
Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...
(SOE).
[Norris 1966, p. 10.] As a glider tug the Halifax was superior to the Lancaster, the Halifax Mk.III's "tug weight at take off" was higher than a Lancaster Mk.II's .
Throughout early 1945, the Halifax was frequently dispatched against cities within the German homeland, including
Hannover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
,
Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river.
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...
,
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
,
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
,
Münster
Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...
,
Osnabrück
Osnabrück (; ; archaic English: ''Osnaburg'') is a city in Lower Saxony in western Germany. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population of 168 ...
and others.
During these months, infrastructure such as oil facilities and
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
s were given a high priority; these targets were attacked right up until the end of the war. According to Moyes, within the final few months, bomber losses had fallen to all-time lows while raids were frequently regarded as having been highly successful.
During the final months of the war the improved Halifax Mk.VI and Mk.VII were introduced. In particular, these models had been 'tropicalised' with an eye towards their potential use in the
Pacific War
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...
against the
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...
.
While some of these Mk.VI and Mk.VII machines were deployed to the theatre, they played little meaningful role as the
war ended before larger numbers could be brought to bear against Japanese forces.
[Norris 1966, pp. 8, 10.]
On 25 April 1945, the Halifax performed its last major operation against the enemy in WWII during an attack upon coastal gun batteries on
Wangerooge
Wangerooge (; ; Wangerooge Frisian: ) is one of the 32 Frisian Islands in the North Sea off the northwestern coast of Germany. It is a municipality in the district of Friesland (district), Friesland in Lower Saxony in Germany. The island is also l ...
in the
Frisian Islands
The Frisian Islands, also known as the Wadden Islands or the Wadden Sea Islands, form an archipelago at the eastern edge of the North Sea in northwestern Europe, stretching from the northwest of the Netherlands through Germany to the west of Denm ...
of the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
.
[Norris 1966, p. 9.] While the type continued to fly operations after this, these were primarily diversions to other operations and sporadic, uncoordinated attacks against
targets of opportunity. Upon the end of the conflict, Bomber Command quickly disbanded the majority of its Halifax-equipped squadrons; the aircraft themselves were transferred to Transport Command.
During the type's service with Bomber Command, Halifaxes flew 82,773 operations and dropped 224,207 tons of bombs. 1,833 aircraft were lost.
[Norris 1966, pp. 9–10.]
By 1947, the majority of Halifax bombers were deemed to be surplus and scrapped.
The Halifax remained in widespread service with Coastal Command and
RAF Transport Command
RAF Transport Command was a Royal Air Force command that controlled all transport aircraft of the RAF. It was established on 25 March 1943 by the renaming of the RAF Ferry Command, and was subsequently renamed RAF Air Support Command in 19 ...
,
Royal Egyptian Air Force
The Egyptian Air Force (EAF) () is the Air force, aviation branch of the Egyptian Armed Forces that is responsible for all airborne defence missions and operates all military aircraft, including those used in support of the Egyptian Army, Egypti ...
and the ''
Armée de l'Air
The French Air and Space Force (, , ) is the air force, air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the ("Aeronautical Service"), a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the Fr ...
'' until early 1952.
The
Royal Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when requi ...
however continued operating them up till 1961, thus
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
became the last military user of the type. In 1947, the RPAF inherited two Halifax bombers from the RAF which were later heavily used during the
1st Kashmir War in 1948. RPAF Halifaxes flew several sorties in support of Pakistani and Kashmiri forces (notably in the
Battle of Skardu) during which they conducted night-time
Airdrop
An airdrop is a type of airlift in which items including weapons, equipment, humanitarian aid or leaflets are delivered by military or civilian aircraft without their landing. Developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible tr ...
missions. After the war, six ex-RAF Halifax-BVIs were purchased in 1949. Due to their high operational costs, the RPAF Commanders decided not to enlarge the Halifax fleet too much. These airplanes were later transferred to the newly raised No. 12 Squadron PAF, where they were only used in emergency situations. Gradually, they were transferred to long term storage and were later scrapped.
In September 1997
Halifax 57 Rescue of Canada excavated Halifax LW682 from a bog near the
River Dender in
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
. The plane was part of RCAF 426 Squadron, and had been shot down near
Geraardsbergen
Geraardsbergen (; ) is a city and municipality located in the Denderstreek and in the Flemish Ardennes, the hilly southern part of the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Geraardsbergen proper and the follo ...
during a raid on
Leuven, Belgium on 12 May 1944. During the excavation, the bodies of three crew members were recovered and later given proper burial. Several items from the plane were used in restoration of NA337, while other items were transferred to museums. The airframe was melted down and used to construct the ceiling of the
RAF Bomber Command Memorial
The Royal Air Force Bomber Command Memorial is a memorial in Green Park, London, commemorating the crews of RAF Bomber Command who embarked on missions during the World War II, Second World War. The memorial, on the south side of Piccadilly, fac ...
in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, which was unveiled in 2012.
Civilian operation

A number of former RAF Halifax C.8s were sold from 1945 and used as freighters by a number of mostly British airlines. In 1948, 41 civilian Halifax freighters were used during the
Berlin Air Lift, operating 4,653 sorties carrying freight and 3,509 carrying bulk diesel fuel. Nine aircraft were lost during the airlift. The
low-cost airline
A low-cost carrier (LCC) or low-cost airline, also called a budget, or discount carrier or airline, is an airline that is operated with an emphasis on minimizing operating costs. It sacrifices certain traditional airline luxuries for cheaper fa ...
business pioneer
Freddie Laker bought and serviced war-surplus Halifaxes for
Bond Air Services operations in the Berlin airlift. With the airfreight market in decline, most of the civilian Halifaxes were scrapped on their return to England. The last civilian-operated Halifaxes were withdrawn from service in late 1952.
Variants
Pre-Halifax designs
;H.P.55
:Proposed twin-engine bomber aircraft, never built.
;H.P.56
:Proposed twin-engine bomber aircraft, fitted with two Rolls-Royce Vulture engines, never built.
H.P.57
;H.P.57
:L7244 – Prototype first flew on The first Halifax prototype with four
Merlin 10 engines and no armament.
:L7245 – Second prototype first flew from Radlett on 17 August 1940 and was more representative of the production configuration including armament.
;;Halifax B.I Series I
::Four-engined long-range heavy-bomber aircraft powered by
Rolls-Royce Merlin
The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British Coolant#Liquids, liquid-cooled V12 engine, V-12 Reciprocating engine, piston aero engine of 27-litre (1,650 cu in) Engine displacement, capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited, Rolls-Royce designed the engine an ...
X engines; the first production version. Armament consisted of nose turret with two guns, tail turret with four guns and two beam guns. Recognizable from large deep radiator intakes containing circular Gallay radiators and oil cooler. 50 produced.
;;Halifax B.I Series II
::Stressed for operating at a higher gross weight. 25 produced.
;;Halifax B.I Series III
::Re-engined with
Merlin XX engines with slimmer coolers, introduced new twin-gun Boulton Paul type C upper turret in place of beam guns, with revised undercarriage and additional centre-section fuel tanks. 9 produced.
H.P.58
;Halifax Mk.II
:Projected variant with revised armament including cannon and no tail turret. Due to problems with the new armament, the project was cancelled and the Mk.II designation given to H.P.59.
H.P.59

;Halifax Mk.II
:New variant with increased takeoff weight, fuel and weapons carriage.
;Halifax B.II Series I
:First series of the bomber variant; from March 1942 onwards, these were fitted with
TR1335 navigation aids.
;Halifax B.II Series I (Special), SOE
:Special version for
Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...
(SOE) used to drop supplies over Europe. Nose armament and dorsal turret removed, the nose being faired over, as well as changes to the fuel vent pipes and exhaust shrouds.
;Halifax B.II Series I (Special)

:Generally similar to the aircraft used by the SOE, these were employed in the bombing role. These aircraft were more varied in appearance, especially concerning the fitting of dorsal armament with some aircraft retaining the standard
Boulton Paul "Type C" turret in different mounts with others mounting a "Type A" turret. There were also examples with no dorsal turret, similar to the SOE-aircraft.
;Halifax B.II Series IA
:Modified with new glazed nose section, Merlin XX or 22 engines, new square Morris radiators and new "D" fin and rudder. The dorsal turret was changed to a four-gun Boulton Paul Type A Mk.VIII, and there were improvements to the bomb bay door sealing. Some aircraft were fitted with the
H2S radar
H2S was the first airborne radar system, airborne, Airborne ground surveillance, ground scanning radar system. It was developed for the Royal Air Force's RAF Bomber Command, Bomber Command during World War II to identify targets on the ground f ...
.
;Halifax B.II Series I, Freighter
:A few Mk.IIs were employed in the transport role in Great Britain (unmodified SOE-aircraft) and in the
Middle East
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq.
The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
(simple modifications to allow carriage of engines or
Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...
fuselages).
;Halifax B.II Series II
:Single aircraft (HR756) modified with three-blade
Rotol
Dowty Propellers is a British engineering company based in Brockworth, Gloucestershire that specialises in the manufacture, repair and overhaul of propellers and propeller components for customers around the world. It is owned by GE Aerospace ...
propellers and Merlin 22 engines. Rejected in favour of Mk.III.
;Halifax A.II
:According to some sources, a handful of the airborne forces Halifaxes were converted into B.IIs. If this is true they might have been designated A.II or may have retained their bomber designations.
;Halifax GR.II
:
Coastal Command variant of the Halifax B.II.
;Halifax GR.II Series I
:A handful of aircraft converted from Series I or Special to GR.II standard, having differences in dorsal armament. The main difference was the fitting of a ASV.Mk 3 radar in an H2S type fairing. Sometimes, a machine gun was fitted in the faired nose.
;Halifax GR.II Series IA
:Definitive Coastal Command variant of the GR.II with glazed nose mounting machine gun, Merlin XX or 22 engines, B-P A-type dorsal turret and extra long-range fuel tanks in fuselage. A ventral turret with a single machine gun was mounted on most aircraft although some employed the ASV.Mk 3 radar in its place.
;Halifax Met.II
:Some sources suggest that there were a meteorological variant of the B.II, designated Met.II, but this is unlikely.
H.P.61

;Halifax B.III
:Main production variant, fitted with
Bristol Hercules
The Bristol Hercules is a 14-cylinder two-row radial aircraft engine designed by Sir Roy Fedden and produced by the Bristol Engine Company starting in 1939. It was the most numerous of their single sleeve valve ( Burt-McCollum, or Argyll, ty ...
engines. B.III bombers were fitted with transparent nose dome with single machine gun, Boulton Paul dorsal turret with four guns and tail turret with four guns. All but first few had longer wing with rounded wingtips that increased wingspan to 104 ft 2 in (31.75 m). 2,091 produced.
;Halifax A.III
:Halifax B.III bombers converted into glider tug and paratroop transport aircraft.
;Halifax C.III
:Halifax B.III bombers converted into military transport aircraft.
H.P.63
;Halifax B.V
:Four-engined long-range heavy-bomber, powered by four
Rolls-Royce Merlin
The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British Coolant#Liquids, liquid-cooled V12 engine, V-12 Reciprocating engine, piston aero engine of 27-litre (1,650 cu in) Engine displacement, capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited, Rolls-Royce designed the engine an ...
XX engines with square empennage and wingtips. Armament as B.III. 904 produced.
;Halifax B.V Series I (Special)
;Halifax A.V
:Halifax B.V bombers converted into glider tugs and paratroop transport aircraft.
;Halifax GR.V
:Coastal Command variant. Halifax B.V bombers converted into maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
;Halifax B.VI
:Four-engined long-range heavy-bomber, powered by four Bristol Hercules XVI radial engines with
H2S radar
H2S was the first airborne radar system, airborne, Airborne ground surveillance, ground scanning radar system. It was developed for the Royal Air Force's RAF Bomber Command, Bomber Command during World War II to identify targets on the ground f ...
. No dorsal turret. Square empennage, round wing tips. 643 produced.
;Halifax C.VI
:Halifax B.VI bombers converted into military transport aircraft.
;Halifax GR.VI
:Coastal Command variant. Halifax B.VI bombers converted into maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
;Halifax B.VII
:Four-engined long-range heavy-bomber, powered by four Bristol Hercules XVI radial engines. Round wing tips. Armament as B.III
;Halifax A.VII
:Halifax B.VIIs converted into paratroop transport and glider tug aircraft.
;Halifax C.VII
:Halifax B.VIIs bombers converted into military transport aircraft.
H.P.70
;Halifax C.VIII
:Cargo and passenger transport aircraft.
H.P.71
;Halifax A.IX
:Paratroop transport, glider tug aircraft.
H.P.70 Halton
;Halton I
:Interim civil transport version; postwar, a number of Halifax bombers were converted into civilian transport aircraft.
;Halton II
:VIP transport aircraft for the
Maharajah Gaekwar of
Baroda
Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...
.
Operators
Military operators
;
*
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...
**
No. 460 Squadron RAAF
**
No. 462 Squadron RAAF
**
No. 466 Squadron RAAF
;
*
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...
**
No. 405 Squadron RCAF
**
No. 408 Squadron RCAF
**
No. 415 Squadron RCAF
**
No. 419 Squadron RCAF
**
No. 420 Squadron RCAF
**
No. 424 Squadron RCAF
**
No. 425 Squadron RCAF
**
No. 426 Squadron RCAF
**
No. 427 Squadron RCAF
**
No. 428 Squadron RCAF
**
No. 429 Squadron RCAF
**
No. 431 Squadron RCAF
**
No. 432 Squadron RCAF
**
No. 433 Squadron RCAF
**
No. 434 Squadron RCAF
;
*
Royal Egyptian Air Force
The Egyptian Air Force (EAF) () is the Air force, aviation branch of the Egyptian Armed Forces that is responsible for all airborne defence missions and operates all military aircraft, including those used in support of the Egyptian Army, Egypti ...
;
*
Free French Air Forces
The Free French Air Forces (, FAFL) were the air arm of the Free French Forces in the Second World War, created by Charles de Gaulle in 1940. The designation ceased to exist in 1943 when the Free French Forces merged with General Giraud's force ...
**
No. 346 Squadron RAF (GB II/23 Guyenne)
**
No. 347 Squadron RAF (GB I/25 Tunisie)
;
*
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...
**
No. 12 Squadron
;
*
Polish Air Forces in exile in Great Britain
**
No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadron
**C Flight
No. 138 Squadron RAF
No. 138 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force that served in a variety of roles during its career, last disbanded in 1962. It was the first 'V-bomber' squadron of the RAF, flying the Vickers Valiant between 1955 and 1962.
History
...
, later
No. 1586 (Polish Special Duties) Flight before reforming as
301 Squadron Special Duties
**
No. 304 Polish Bomber Squadron RAF
;
*
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
**
No. 10 Squadron RAF
**
No. 35 Squadron RAF
**
No. 47 Squadron RAF
**
No. 51 Squadron RAF
**
No. 58 Squadron RAF
**
No. 76 Squadron RAF
**
No. 77 Squadron RAF
**
No. 78 Squadron RAF
**
No. 96 Squadron RAF
No. 96 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron, formed as a training unit in the latter stages of the First World War. The squadron re-formed and served mainly as night fighter cover during the Second World War. In the aftermath of WWII it took ...
**
No. 102 Squadron RAF
**
No. 103 Squadron RAF
No. 103 Squadron was a Royal Air Force bomber squadron during World War I, World War II and the Cold War, switching to helicopters in the late 1950s until it was disbanded for the last time in 1975.
History
Formation in World War I
No. 103 S ...
**
No. 108 Squadron RAF
**
No. 113 Squadron RAF
**
No. 138 Squadron RAF
No. 138 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force that served in a variety of roles during its career, last disbanded in 1962. It was the first 'V-bomber' squadron of the RAF, flying the Vickers Valiant between 1955 and 1962.
History
...
**
No. 148 Squadron RAF
**
No. 158 Squadron RAF
**
No. 161 Squadron RAF
No. 161 (Special Duties) Squadron was a highly secretive unit of the Royal Air Force, performing missions as part of the Royal Air Force Special Duties Service. It was tasked with missions of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the Secre ...
**
No. 171 Squadron RAF
**
No. 178 Squadron RAF
**
No. 187 Squadron RAF
**
No. 190 Squadron RAF
**
No. 192 Squadron RAF
**
No. 199 Squadron RAF
**
No. 202 Squadron RAF
**
No. 224 Squadron RAF
**
No. 246 Squadron RAF
**
No. 295 Squadron RAF
**
No. 296 Squadron RAF
**
No. 297 Squadron RAF
**
No. 298 Squadron RAF
**
No. 502 Squadron RAF
**
No. 517 Squadron RAF
**
No. 518 Squadron RAF
**
No. 519 Squadron RAF
**
No. 520 Squadron RAF
**
No. 521 Squadron RAF
**
No. 578 Squadron RAF
**
No. 614 Squadron RAF
**
No. 620 Squadron RAF
**
No. 624 Squadron RAF
**
No. 640 Squadron RAF
**
No. 644 Squadron RAF
Civil operators
;
*
Aircarrier (Former Wikner aircraft)
*
Geoffrey Wikner (B.III converted with a 15-passenger interior)
;
*
Aero Cargo
*
CTAI
* SANA (''
Societe Anonyme de Navigation Aeriennes'')
;
* Peteair
* Vingtor Airways
;
;
*
Alpha Airways
* LAMS (South Africa)
;
*
Air Globe
;
*
Air Freight
Air cargo is any property carried or to be carried in an aircraft. Air cargo comprises air freight, air express and airmail.
Aircraft types
Different cargo can be transported by passenger, cargo or combi aircraft:
* Passenger aircraft use th ...
*
Airtech
*
Bond Air Services
*
British American Air Services
*
British Overseas Airways Corporation
British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the United Kingdom, British state-owned national airline created in 1939 by the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd. It continued operating overseas services throughout World War II ...
*
Chartair
*
C.L. Air Surveys
*
Eagle Aviation
*
Lancashire Aircraft Corporation
Lancashire Aircraft Corporation was a major British charter airline after World War II. Its founding father was Eric Rylands. It played an important role in the Berlin Blockade#Start of the Berlin Airlift, Berlin Airlift. It also flew scheduled ...
*
London Aero and Motor Services (LAMS)
*
Payloads
*
Skyflight
*
Union Air Services
*
V.I.P. Services
*
Westminster Airways (converted as a bulk fuel carrier for Berlin Airlift)
*
World Air Freight
Halton operators
;
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
*
Maharajah Gaekwar of Baroda
;
*
Louis Breguet
;
*
Alpha Airways
;
* Bond Air Services
*
British American Air Services
*
British Overseas Airways Corporation
British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the United Kingdom, British state-owned national airline created in 1939 by the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd. It continued operating overseas services throughout World War II ...
*
Westminster Airways
*
Worldair Carrier
Surviving aircraft
Of the 6,176 Halifaxes built, three complete examples remain.
Recovery of Halifax wrecks
Halifax NA337 and LW682A have been recovered by a Canadian group, Halifax 57 Rescue. Halifax NA337 was recovered in 1995 from under
Lake Mjøsa, Norway before being restored at the
National Air Force Museum of Canada
The National Air Force Museum of Canada is an aviation museum dedicated to preserving the history of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is located on the west side of CFB Trenton in Trenton, Ontario.
The museum is a permanent archive which c ...
in
Trenton, Ontario
Trenton (2001 population 16,770) is a large community in Central Ontario in the municipality of Quinte West, Ontario, Canada. Located on the Bay of Quinte, it is the starting point for the Trent-Severn Waterway, which continues northwest to Pe ...
. In 1997, LW682 was recovered from a bog near
Geraardsbergen, Belgium. Halifax 57 Rescue was also involved the recovery and subsequent burial of three crew members. Parts were used to restore NA337, and the rest was melted down for the
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
RAF Bomber Command Memorial
The Royal Air Force Bomber Command Memorial is a memorial in Green Park, London, commemorating the crews of RAF Bomber Command who embarked on missions during the World War II, Second World War. The memorial, on the south side of Piccadilly, fac ...
.
In 2023 Halifax 57 Rescue were looking to recover two more aircraft, HR871 near
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
,
and LW170 near Scotland.
Once recovered, the plan is for HR871 to be moved to the
Nanton, Alberta Bomber Command Museum of Canada for restoration.
Specifications (Mk.III)
See also
Notes
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
* Barnes, C. H. ''Handley Page Aircraft since 1907''. London: Putnam, 1987. .
*
* Buttler, Tony. ''British Secret Projects: Fighters & Bombers 1935–1950''. Hinckley: Midland Publishing, 2004. .
* Clarke, R. M., ed. ''Handley Page Halifax Portfolio''. Surrey, UK: Brooklands Books, No year cited. .
* Clayton, Donald C. ''Handley Page: An Aircraft Album''. Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd., 1970. .
* Jones, Geoffrey Patrick. ''Night Flight: Halifax Squadrons at War''. London: William Kimber, 1981. .
* Falconer, Jonathan. ''Bomber Command Handbook 1939–1945''. Stroud, England:Sutton Publishing, 1998. .
*
*
*
* Merrick, Keith A. ''Halifax, an Illustrated History of a Classic World War II Bomber''. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan, 1980. .
* Merrick, Keith A. ''Handley Page Halifax: From Hell to Victory and Beyond''. Hersham, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Publishing, 2009. .
* Merrick, Keith A. ''The Handley Page Halifax''. Bourne Ends, Buckinghamshire, UK: Aston Publications, 1990. .
* Moyes, Philip J.R. ''Handley Page Halifax: Merlin-Engined Variants (Aerodata International No 7)''. Kidlington. Oxfordshire, UK: Vintage Aviation Publications, 1979. .
* Moyes, Philip J.R. ''The Handley Page Halifax B.III, VI, VII''. Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile Publications, 1966.
* Norris, Geoffrey. ''The Short Stirling, Aircraft in Profile Number 142''. Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1966.
* Rapier, Brian J. ''Halifax at War''. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan, 1987. .
*
*
*
*
* Scutts, Jerry. ''Halifax in Action'' (Aircraft in Action series, No. 66). Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1984. .
* Stachiw, Anthony L. and Andrew Tattersall. ''Handley Page Halifax: In Canadian Service'' St. Catharine's, Canada: Vanwell Publishing, 2005. .
*
*
Videography
* ''Halifax at War: The Story of a Bomber (76 min. DVD).'' Toronto: Nightfighters Productions, 2005. .
External links
Photo tour of the Elvington HalifaxHandley Page Halifax II (III) at
Yorkshire Air Museum
One of the ManyThe story of a 76 Squadron Flight Engineer and his Halifax aircraft in World War II
Krentz, Herbert. ''To Hell in a Halifax''(2006) – the true story of RCAF pilot Herbert Krentz, the sole survivor when his Halifax Mk.V was shot down over Germany in early 1944
Halifax at the International Bomber Command Centre Digital Archive University of Lincoln
{{Authority control
1930s British bomber aircraft
Aviation in Lancashire
Halifax
Glider tugs
Four-engined tractor aircraft
Mid-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1939
Four-engined piston aircraft
Twin-tail aircraft
Aircraft with retractable conventional landing gear