![]() In the early months of the RAF bomber offensive against Germany, the men of Bomber Command suffered heavy losses at the hands of Luftwaffe air and ground defences. The flexibility of the Halifax is certainly a significant contributory factor to put forward in this contentious debate. Obviously, from a loyalty perspective, you will have Lancaster crews describing how their aircraft was much the better and how they would rather take a Lancaster with just three working engines on a mission, than be forced to fly in a Halifax! The truth of the matter is that Bomber Command needed both aircraft (and indeed the earlier Stirling) to effectively conduct their bombing campaign against Germany and as greater numbers of Lancasters became available, the highly adaptable Halifax could be diverted to perform equally essential tasks in other theatres of operation, or perform other important duties to which it was eminently more suitable than the Lancaster. They would also describe how the construction of the Halifax made it easier for crews to get out of the aircraft in the event of an emergency, which was not necessarily the case with the Lancaster. Halifax crews were extremely complimentary about the qualities of their aircraft, describing it as a very rugged and reliable aircraft to take to war, which was light on the flying controls and had a relatively spacious fuselage. I suppose the most valid opinions on this subject must come from the men who actually flew these aircraft operationally, but you will obviously end up with arguments that highlight the loyalties of the aircrew of each aircraft. Internal view of Elvington’s Halifax – looking forward to the bomb aimer’s position The issue was quickly highlighted, but not before a number of aircraft were lost due to what were described as ‘unknown circumstances’ – add to this the relatively low altitudes at which the Halifax was operating and the heavy loss rates associated with this and it is not difficult to see why the Halifax was not initially viewed as a successful aircraft. It was later found that the early rudder design was flawed and in certain circumstances could result in the destruction of the aircraft, as the pilot was unable to control his Halifax. The twin rudder units of the early Halifax bombers had a distinctive pointed (almost triangular) appearance, but although adequate during most flight parameters, they had a tendency to lock if overloaded whilst undertaking violent manoeuvres. Engine output issues also plagued the early service Halifax bombers, but these problems would prove insignificant compared with some control issues that also came to light. ![]() Initially, RAF commanders felt that these heavily armed bombers would be able to easily conduct daytime operations autonomously, without the need for dedicated fighter escort, but this thinking proved to be disastrously optimistic and required an immediate rethink. ![]() ![]() As with many new aircraft designs, the service introduction of the Halifax was not without its teething problems, but as it was entering Squadron service during wartime conditions, the lessons learned proved to be particularly costly for Bomber Command crews. ![]()
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