The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engine heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing. The Halifax was also operated by squadrons of the Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force and Polish Air Force.

The Halifax entered service with No. 35 Squadron RAF at RAF Linton on Ouse in November 1940 and its first operational raid was against Le Havre on the night of March 11th-12th, 1941. In service with RAF Bomber Command, Halifaxes flew 82,773 operations, dropped 224,207 tons of bombs and lost 1,833 aircraft. (Wings Encyclopedia of Aviation, Orbis, 1979) In addition to bombing missions, the Halifax served as a glider tug, electronic warfare aircraft for No. 100 Group RAF and special operations such as parachuting agents and arms into occupied Europe. Halifaxes were also operated by RAF Coastal Command for anti submarine warfare, reconnaissance and meteorological roles.

Total Halifax production was 6,176 with the last aircraft delivered in November 1946. In addition to Handley Page, Halifaxes were built by English Electric, Fairey Aviation, Rootes Motors and the London Aircraft Production Group. Peak production resulted in one Halifax being completed every hour.

Post-WWII, Halifaxes remained in service with the RAF Coastal Command and RAF Transport Command and the Armee de l'Air until early 1952. The Pakistan Air Force which inherited the planes from the RAF continued to use the type until 1961. A transport/cargo version of the Halifax was also produced, the Handley Page Halton.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a RAF Handley Page Halifax GR. II heavy bomber that was attached to No.502 Squadron, Coastal Command, deployed to Stornoway, during October 1944.

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 17-1/4-inches
Length: 12-inches

Release Date: March 2011

Historical Account: "DFC Recipients" - On the night of October 3rd-4th, 1944, Halifax GRII, HR686 of 502 Sqn, based at Stornoway, and piloted by Canadians Flt Lt Patrick McManus and F/O Lawrence Lyttle, set off on its 100th operational sortie, a night anti-shipping patrol in the waters between Denmark and Norway.

German night fighters in the area forced the Halifax to operate at around 200 ft to discourage attacks. On this occasion HR686 encountered heavy anti-aircraft fire and was hit and badly damaged by an armed steamer, the 'Amisia' From the moment the aircraft was hit until it crashed into the sea McManus and Lyttle remained at their posts and managed to ditch in relatively flat attitude so the aircraft stayed afloat long enough for the crew to get out. Pat McManus was outstanding in his efforts, keeping the surviving crew together in the water as the dingy had been destroyed. He tied himself to a floating wheel from the aircraft and then using the straps from their Mae Wests managed to get the other survivors to tie themselves to him. Sadly three of the nine man crew were missing and a 4th was later lost. The surviving crew members were eventually picked up by the ship that shot them down and they became POWs. Both McManus and Lyttle were awarded the DFC for their brave actions.