Halifax VI

[Erich]

Gentlemen can anyone post a pic or two of one of these birds : Halifax VI please ?

I noted in my files from today that a friend in the Czech-Erzgebirge area; he and his team have found the remains of 102 squadron Hali VI RG 502 DY-Q from the Operation over Chemnitz, shot down possibly by a NF from NJG 5 on the evening of March 5/6 1945.

this incidently was the first Hali VI lost-missing from a Bomber Command. 3 of the crew were made POW and 4 others were killed from this aircraft.

many thanks Erich ♪ ♫ ♪

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Here is the only picture that I have of a Halifax MK. VI.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

sorry this's all i got apart from the one adler posted..............

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Nice pic I like the one you have.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

nice to see the eifel tower too........

 

[book1182]

What a good looking bomber. Does anyone know how effective they were in combat?

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Not sure on its combat record but I know that 6176 of them were built and at the peak of its production there was one being built every hour. In addition to being a bomber it was used also to parachute troops and agents, glider tug, an ECM aircraft with the No. 100 Group of the RAF, meteorological, and ASW missions.

Type: Heavy Bomber, later ECM platform, special transport and glider tug, cargo transport and paratroop carrier.
Origin: Handley Page
Models: Halifax I to IX
Crew: Bomber: Seven
First Flight:
Prototype: October 25, 1939
Production Mk. I: October 1, 1940
Production Mk. III: July 1943
Service Delivery: November 23, 1940
Final Delivery From New: November 20, 1946
Final mission: GR. VI on March 1952
Number Produced: 6,176

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Powerplant:
Halifax Mk. I:
Model: Rolls-Royce Merlin X
Type: 12-Cylinder liquid cooled vee
Number: Four Horsepower: 1,280 hp

Halifax Mk. II:
Model: Rolls-Royce Merlin XX
Type: 12-Cylinder liquid cooled vee
Number: Four Horsepower: 1,390 hp

Halifax Mk. II Srs 1A:
Model: Rolls-Royce Merlin XXII
Type: 12-Cylinder liquid cooled vee
Number: Four Horsepower: 1,390 hp

Halifax Mk. III:
Model: Bristol Hercules
Type: 14-Cylinder Two-Row Sleeve-Valve Radial
Number: Four Horsepower: 1,650 hp

Halifax Mk. VI:
Model: Bristol Hercules 100
Type: 14-Cylinder Two-Row Sleeve-Valve Radial
Number: Four Horsepower: 1,800 hp

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dimensions:
Wing span:
Mk. I to Early III: 98 ft. 10 in. (30.12m)
Later III: 104 ft. 2 in. (31.75m)
Length:
Mk. I, II II Srs 1: 70 ft. 1 in. (21.36m)
II Srs 1A onwards: 71 ft. 7 in. (30.12m)
Height: 20 ft. 9 in. (6.32m)
Wing Surface Area: N/A

Weights:
Empty:
Mk. I Srs 1: 33,860 lb. (15,359 kg)
Mk. II Srs 1A: 35,270 lb. (16,000 kg)
Mk. VI: 39,000 lb. (17,690 kg)
Loaded:
Mk. I: 55,000 lb. (24,948 kg)
Mk. I Srs 1: 58,000 lb. (26,308 kg)
Mk. I Srs 2: 60,000 lb. (27,216 kg)
Mk. II: 60,000 lb.
Mk. II Srs 1A: 63,000 lb.
Mk. III: 65,000 lb. (29,484 kg.)
Mk. V: 60,000 lb.
Mk. VI: 68,000 lb.
Mk. VII, VIII, IX: 65,000 lb.

Performance:
Maximum Speed:
Mk. I: 265 mph (426 km/h)
Mk. II: 270 mph (435 km/h)
Mk. III IV: 312 mph (501 km/h)
Mk. V, VII, VIII, IX: 285 mph (460 km/h)
Initial Climb (Typical): 750 ft/min (229m/min)
Service Ceiling:
Merlin engined marks: 22,800 ft. (6950m)
Hercules engined marks: 24,000 ft. (7315m)
Range with maximum load:
Mk. I: 980 miles (1577 km)
Mk. II: 1,100 miles (1770 km)
Mk. III, VI: 1,260 miles (2030 km)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Armament:
Halifax Mk. I:
Two .303 in. Brownings in nose turret.
Four .303 in. Brownings in tail turret.
Two .303 in. Brownings manually aimed from beam positions.

Halifax Mk. II:
Two .303 in. Brownings in nose turret.
Four .303 in. Brownings in tail turret.
Two .303 in. Brownings in Hudson type dorsal turret.

Halifax Mk. II Srs 1 Special:
One .303 in. Vickers K manually in nose.
Four .303 in. Brownings in tail turret.
Four .303 in. Brownings in Defiant type dorsal turret.

Halifax GR.II Srs 1A:
One .50 in. Browning manually in nose.
Four .303 in. Brownings in tail turret.
Four .303 in. Brownings in Defiant type dorsal turret.

Bomb Payload for all versions aproximatly 13,000lb

 

[Glider]

Good info. The only addition I can make is that a number were fitted with a ventral 0.50 gun, sometimes it was a twin, but that was rare.

 

[Gnomey]

Nice info Alder.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

She is a pretty looking plane, better looking than the Lanc.

Just kidding Lanc!

 

[cheddar cheese]

nice to see the eifel tower too........

I thought it was an aerial...wouldnt surpirse me as its inkeeping with the planes ugliness, its short, stubby and fat!

 

[Gnomey]

nice to see the eifel tower too........

I thought it was an aerial...wouldnt surpirse me as its inkeeping with the planes ugliness, its short, stubby and fat!

Nice pic Lanc.

 

[Erich]

thanks for the specs and photos guys ! some interesting things are developing about this craft and it's crew........when data is finally in I will come back and share at some length.

Erich ♫

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

erich there are a couple in the albums here too.......

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Looking foward to the info as usual Erich.

 

[Erich]

T/o 1733 Pocklington. Crashed near Volyne on the Volynka, roughly 6 km SSW of Strakonice in Czechslovakia. those who died are buried at Praha War Cemetary.
3 POW and 4 KIA

more to come on this craft and the Chemnitz raid as I find time and materials. Another Lancaster I was shot down by 1./NJG Staffelkapitän Ernst-Georg Drünkler in his Ju 88G-6 by Schräge Musik. The Lanc crashed at Klasterec nod Ohri. Bohemia. Also a further Lanc I was hit and crashed with it's crew at Kranice, Czechslovakia. I am studying whom may have been responsible for this action....

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Erich while you mentioned Schraege Musik, do you have any info on the number of aircraft that were shot down by this weapon. I have always been trying to figure out its accuracy.

 

[Erich]

No I do not and since many of the claims reports both day and night have been lost from Herbst 44 till wars end we will probably never know, besides the non awarding of victory claims from November 44 on.......

ok the weapon of choice for Ju 88G-6 pilots was the twin 2cm Kanon in the Schrägwaffen position

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I think it would be really interesting to see how it would have turned out had they not stopped awarding victory claims.

 

[Gnomey]

I think it would be really interesting to see how it would have turned out had they not stopped awarding victory claims.

It would be Alder.