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 11-12 March 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 Handley Page Halifax B Mk. II heavy bomber that was based at Kinloss, Scotland, in April 1942.

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

Release Date: November 2007

Historical Account: "A Page Out of History" - An apparent reconstruction of Halifax Mk. II series 1, W 1048, was made in the beginning of 1942 by the English Electric Company. On April 27th, 1942, it flew up from the Scottish airfield at Kinloss to its first and at the same time its last operational flight, piloted by P/O D. McIntyre. Together with some other Halifaxes of 35th Squadron, and with airplanes of two other squadrons, it went to attack the German battleship Tirpitz, which was anchored in Foettenfjord near Trondheim in Norway.