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Halifax query


pezza123

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Hi all,

Firstly,  Thank you for letting me join and apologies for a long first post

 

I am going to soon begin the 1/72 Revell Halifax, which I am building for a friend who's father was a radio Operator/gunner based at Holme on Spalding Moor in 1945 within 76 sqn.

 

From the records I have found, he was on a number of raids in the following aircraft all labelled as Halifax V1.

RG546 - MP-J  to Heligoland

RG608 - MP-P to Bayreuth

RG597 - MP-M to Wangerooge

 

Sadly I have no pictures of the aircraft he flew in, so purchased the Mk111 along with the following;

AML Morris block radiators & propellers

Armory wheel set

Cockpit Mask set

Kits World red serial numbers & 48" squadron letters

 

Any assistance would be most helpful as I am trying to do this as accurate as I can.

Model will be a Christmas present on a base with a squadron emblem and photo of his father taken in 1945

 

Many thanks

Andrew

 

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47 minutes ago, pezza123 said:

AML Morris block radiators & propellers

Welcome to Britmodeller! This sounds like a good project. Your AML radiators though... these are not relevant to a Halifax III or VI, which does not have radiators, being Hercules air-cooled radial engined. They are for a Merlin-engined I, II or V.  Can I just double-check that you bought the III kit, the recent one? (Image below.) If so it comes with the long-span wings which were fitted to the late III and the VI and is very close to  VI configuration 

 

halifaxbiii_01.jpg

 

I ask this because there is another Revell Halifax (below), a re-boxing of the old Matchbox Merlin powered one, and that's the wrong kit for what you want to achieve.

104255-10849-pristine.jpg

Edited by Work In Progress
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Welcome to the forum, Andrew.

A late friend of mine flew Halifaxes with 76 squadron from Holme. I made the Matchbox issue, and more recently the FM 1/48 monstrosity, both as tribute aircraft. His aircraft, among others, were Mk I Series II W7655 MP C and Mk VI RG618 MP I. The Mk VI was in reality a Mk III with a different radio fit, They were intended for Far East operations.

You will benefit from a copy of 'To See The Dawn Breaking' by W.R. Chorley on 76 sqn Ops.

Have you a name for your friend's father? I can check my copy to see if there is any reference.

Regards

Frank

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The Mk. VI may have had a better radio fit, but the significant feature was the more powerful Hercules 100 engines.  There does not seem to have been any intention to use the Mk. VI or indeed any Halifax bomber squadrons in the Far East because this was well served by the Liberators.  However there may have been intentions for the Airborne variants.  There is a minor adjustment to the position of one of the exhaust pipes but I'll have to look it up - maybe the kit mentions it anyway although I doubt it.  The other faint possibility is that it may have had the twin 0.5 tail turret but this is unlikely.  The externally similar FN turret is available in some Lancaster kits.   The extended wingtips were also seen on late Mk.IIIs.

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Standard glazed nose. As stated the Mk VI was fully tropicalised and earmarked for Tiger Force. They kept the standard tail turret. Some were already radar pickets in SE Asia prior to VJ day.

Source Handley Page Aircraft since 1907 . C H Barnes, published by Putnam.

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Not radar pickets, which is an early warning role, but ferrets tracking down and identifying signal sources.   ECM not AEW.

 

The use of Lancasters in Tiger Force is well documented, including I believe the selected units, and the planned scheme illustrated, together with suggestions for increased range.  Such information on Halifaxes is notable by its absence.  Tropicalised, yes.  Long range no.  A Halifax in such a scheme would make an amusing WIF.

 

The vast majority of Mk.VIs had the standard tail turret, and lacking very specific information to the contrary I would assume that for the ones mentioned.  However the twin 0.5 turret was entering service and intended to replace it.  Note that Tiger Force Lancasters had twin 0.5s in dorsal and tail positions.

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From the same serial range, there's a photo of the Halifax before RG597 here:

 

http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/gallery/466-Halifax/P017816

 

and also in the RG56* range:

 

http://466and462squadrons.com/aircraft/rg565details.html

 

Also, there's a photo of of RG607 in the Profile Publications 'Handley Page Halifax B.III, VI, VII' on page 6.

 

Simon

Edited by Simon
typo
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4 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

The use of Lancasters in Tiger Force is well documented, including I believe the selected units, and the planned scheme illustrated, together with suggestions for increased range.  Such information on Halifaxes is notable by its absence.  Tropicalised, yes.  Long range no.  A Halifax in such a scheme would make an amusing WIF.

It would be an amusing WIF, and also a challenging one if a modeller wanted to provide such a thing with a credible story. One would have to find a WIF way to justify the presence of such an unsuitable aeroplane by somehow greatly enhancing the range potential while still carrying a useful miltary load. The Halifax's carrying capacity was not enough for Tiger Force, being roughly 4,000 lb short of useful load compared to a Lancaster, which combined with the poorer fuel economy is why it was never found to be suitable for Tiger Force. Lancasters were of course allocated, with B-24s also seriously (and reasonably ) considered, and the Lincoln pencilled in for future introduction. 

Edited by Work In Progress
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10 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

The Mk. VI may have had a better radio fit, but the significant feature was the more powerful Hercules 100 engines.  There does not seem to have been any intention to use the Mk. VI or indeed any Halifax bomber squadrons in the Far East because this was well served by the Liberators.  However there may have been intentions for the Airborne variants.  There is a minor adjustment to the position of one of the exhaust pipes but I'll have to look it up - maybe the kit mentions it anyway although I doubt it.  The other faint possibility is that it may have had the twin 0.5 tail turret but this is unlikely.  The externally similar FN turret is available in some Lancaster kits.   The extended wingtips were also seen on late Mk.IIIs.

298 Squadron with Halifax A.VII flew out to India in July 1945 as part of the build up in support of a planned airborne corps in the Far East. It remained there until disbanded in Dec 1946.

 

There was also an ECM flight in India by the end of the war with B.III or B.VI (I’m away from my library so can’t confirm the details at present)

 

Edit: 1341 RCM Flight intended to have 6 Halifax III, but used A.III and A.VII. Crews went out without aircraft and got Halifaxes in India in Feb 1945. Absorbed C flight of 159 sqn with Liberator B.VI in May 1945. After VJ Day took on transport role before disbanding in Oct.

Edited by EwenS
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The main visible difference between a Mk VI and a late Mk III was indeed the repositioning of the exhaust on the starboard outer engine from outer to inner side as alluded to above by Graham.

There was apparently an intention to send MkVIIs to the Far East as glider tugs.

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