My father was a Halifax pilot, having previously flown Wellingtons. Served throughout the war. He said the Mark III was a good plane, much better than the earlier versions due to the Bristol Hercules engine. Easier to bale out of, if required, than the Lancaster. He latterly served with 77 Squadron out of Full Sutton. A staggering 44.4% of all Bomber Command aircrew were killed.

My Uncle Malc was a pilot on an Halifax in Squadron 578, I wished I met him, he died before I was born in the 1950s. He has always been my hero.

Thanks for this ✈️🇳🇿

Thanks for all who fought and defeated the Nazis and for those sharing their stories here not to be forgotten. Visited the war cemetery in Durnbach, Bavaria this year on the occasion of 80th anniversary of the Nuremberg Raid. All these young men fought and died that I could grew up in freedom long after the war. RIP.

My Great-Uncle, Roald Gunderson, was an air gunner in the Handley Halifax MK viii np799 that was shot down on March 5, 1945. He and the entire crew died except for one guy-Willam Denison. Guy was unconscious when the plane fell 22,000 feet. He survived the war. His nickname was “No Chute”

Thank you for this video, great to see these wartime films , 👍🇬🇧

Dart Herald fez sucesso na aviação Brasileira.

came across this video ,and I caught the squadron letters on the side C8 which was a relative of my family who was shot down and killed over Germany in a Halifax C8 S MZ856. The whole crew are buried in Durnbach cemetary . 640 squadron based at Leconfield.

Utmost respect to all Halifax aircrew and ground crew You all did a vital and often unsung job Thankyou

The mark 3 was an outstanding machine apparently with the Hercules radials and increased wing span

My late father and his crew completed a tour of operations as members of 78 Squadron, 4 Group, based at Breighton, Yorks, from October 1944 through to April 1945. He and the crew are always in my thoughts and daily prayers. They loved their Mk III Hallybags and held them as superior to anything in the skies sporting 4 engines. Lest We Forget

My uncle was in 148sq soe in Brindisi sadly jp299 crashed in Albania flt sgt Richard Knee

I hope some day Peter Jackson could do the same for this type of footage as he did for the chaps lost in WWI. Nuff said.

My uncle was a gunner on one of these. His plane crashed in october1944 due to engine failure. He was 23...squadron 76.howbrave these young men were.

My wife’s uncle Jeremy Silva DFC RAAF flew Whitleys. He was shot down in July 1942 over Belgium after a raid on Dusseldorf. He and two of his crew bailed out safely and made it back to England via Gibraltar.

HALIFAX HX186 LOST OVER KOBLENZ. If anyone knows anything about it being in Lake Sylvia, please let me know. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3LLnXmQmdZ8jpY

Did it fall to pieces in the sky like EPA flight 102 did?

Excellent footage. Thank you.

Fantastic

So it’s been 14 years since this was posted, and 13 since the last post…. But I was wondering if we could use this video at @RafSnaithMuseum ?

B😅

Like the American liberator,the Halifax,was much underrated...

My uncle Jimmy Langton was F/E in Halifax bombers,unfortunately lost his life in Germany. The Halifax never seems to get same recognition as Lancaster. My god these were brave men , this footage is very emotional,thank you.

My Dad completed his second tour piloting Halifax's with 432 Squadron. He loved this plane.

sad to know that it was scrapped in 2015

Splendid sound effects, so often neglected in today's video's, well done team! Thank you for this very impressive guide to the Halifax. I already knew a bit about the Halifax in part because I was asked by the only survivor to paint 'The Loss of Halifax DK 170. DK 170 Halifax heavy bomber aircraft was lost on it's first mission being shot down by a German night fighter that had been radar directed to the interception point. My Painting was commissioned by the late Mr. John Loban eye witness, formerly Flight Sergeant and navigator of that aircraft. I built two models, rearched and John provided me with detailed information even down to the number of rounds the attacking Me 110 fired. You can if you wish to, read more about DK 170 on one of my two websites under 'aviation-aircraft/halifax-heavy-bomber ... The DK 170 Halifax wreck was identified in Belgium in 2017 . This year 2022 I've been approached a limited licence to reproduce my painting for a Belgium book about RAF & USAF aircraft that crashed in Belgium. As you say, beside the Lancaster, the Halifax is a bit like the Hurricane beside the Spitfire. Again, thank you for this remarkably informative and engaging programme.

My first cousin once removed, was one of those who did not return to Elvington. Geoffrey Jandron of the RCAF, was a Sergeant Air Gunner on board Halifax II HR H841 "T", which was lost over Berlin on 29th Jan 1944. 77 Squadron from Elvington had a very rough time, so hats off to all those aircrew who flew in these machines.

Hello @UUPIMAN, We are the Trans Pennine Trail National Office and we're interested in using the sound of the Halifax Aircraft engine start for a soundboard near an airfield where such aircraft used to be based. We'd really appreciate your permission to use the sound from your video. Many Thanks TPT team

Very impressive indeed ! How could you get such film material ?

Every time he says "now", I want to vomit.

I enjoyed the soundtrack. Are they Elvington museum accents I hear? maybe not.

Like so many who have commented my father was a Halifax pilot, flew with 102 Squadron based in Pocklington just a few miles down the road from Elvington. He flew both MkIIIs and ended the war flying the Mark VI Halifax which he was very fond of. It was about 25 knots faster than the Lancaster and mkIII. I took him to a 102 Squadron reunion in 2007 which was quite a trip from his home in Auckland NZ. He went again to the opening of the bomber command memorial is 2012. He was 91 at the time so quite a feat. Great film clip, I am grateful for the opportunity to watch it.

My late Uncle JE Bartram was a mid upper/ flight engineer on a Halifax with 502 Sqn based in Stornoway. In Jan 1945 he went out to dive bomb Prinz Eugen which was shelling Russian troops on the Samland Peninsular in the far South East corner of the Baltic. Dad told me about the MIA telegram after that trip followed by a post card a few days later that that he was safe and sound in Sweden. Dad was sixteen and Uncle John was twenty-one. I think about this a lot and the more I do the harder I find it the more mind boggling I find it that these things really happened just one generation before me. I'm 57.

I seem to recall flying on one of these to jersey, lovely aircraft, never got fully developed (sadly a common story). Ones now at the Museum of Berkshire Aviation at Woodley - great little museum. It speaks volumes that we have enough aviation heritage in one county (it is only Berkshire aviation!) to fill a museum and I've no doubt there are a few other counties that could do the same.

My Father flew 27 ops in a Halifax Mk III. Only really appreciated what he did as I got older. Brave men.

Sparks "Monica off". It was a tail warning radar which was homed in on by German night fighters with Monica detectors, an own goal. German night fighter pilots said it was hard finding Russian bombers at night, they had no radar.

The Whitley flew with that distinctive nose-down look because the wing was designed without flaps. Flaps were later added but the general wing design and fuselage attachment was not changed.

What a beauty - thanks.

"The flying Coffin" - my Great Uncle was a navigator on one, and on 21st October 1943, it sealed his fate as the plane crashed in Purton, Gloucestershire not long after take off. I have visited the crash site, and met with a witness who lived on the farm (He's now 97) - he had kept the tail wheel for over 70 years, and I now have it.

Just consider the absurdly heavy loads the Lancasters sometimes hauled. I guess that's the reason why in public perception the Lanc overshadows the Halifax so much. Yet, the Halifax heavies were a perfect supplement in the sense that the later 1943 Mk.III used the powerful Bristol Hercules engines so they didn't interfere with Merlin availability. especially important because the Lancaster BII variant with Bristol Hercules engines was not considered a success, only 300 of these being built.

Imagine watching this and seeing your grandad as a young man

Who is the radio man ...Ronald reagan...nor...kennady not in AF hahaha Bon Jovi...I knew it hahahaha

Wow! Thanks so much. My dad, A.F.McArthur, LAC, Halifax "G" for George, 432 Sqd out of EASTMOOR.

Winds can’t gust 15 to 20. 15 to 25!

One of my uncles was in the RAAF but attached to RAF 640 Squadron. I think the aircraft shown here is C8-C my uncles was C8-U which went down over Epernon France 3rd June 1944 with total loss. Thanks for posting this.

A great video and a beautiful aircraft

My grandad was bomb aimer in Halifax 905 with 405 pathfinders RCAF. He's still over there.

Ahhh those were the days. British aero engineering at its finest

I join so many on here celebrating their relatives. My Dad was a Nav/Bomb aimer, Radio op in a Halifax. I have his flight log but I forget the details. Here's to them all!

My father flew Whitleys in Coastal Command in the Hebrides. I am told they couldn’t maintain height on one engine. They lost power on an engine on take off and ditched on the beach. The crew all survived but were badly burned and ran into the sea to “cool off”. Although hospitalised for three months, the salt water was probably the best therapy for their burns.