Inside a Halifax Heavy Bomber: Crew, Turrets and Guns [HP Halifax 2/2]
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- Опубликовано: 13 июн 2018
- Step inside a Handley Page Halifax bomber of World War 2. LV907, aka. 'Friday the 13th' is on display at the Yorkshire Air Museum.
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!['Friday the 13th' - Halifax Heavy Bomber [HP Halifax 1/2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/lCnIychO2pE/mqdefault.jpg)
Hope you enjoyed this episode, it was a blast to shoot. There is another exclusive video with reenactors in original kit manning their crew stations! Check it out: ruclips.net/video/NaoudEzQfWg/видео.html
cool
The bit with the turrets got me thinking of The Chieftain, and then you drop the "Oh my god the plane is on fire line." Great work. From the outside you don't realise how much work they have done on the interior.
To be completely honest here, it is positively unbelievable what this channel has become! I already liked your gaming videos, your humor and the great and well-researched insights and explanations you provide us with. But this...this is surpassing the quality of established documentation channels, and i am not talking about the bad ones! Exclusive insights, actually touring a bomber, seeing some of the planes in flight...wow, just wow! This is beyond impressive, and the reason why you are one of my favourite channels. Thanks for all the great content you deliver to us, Bismarck! Thank you very very much!
Was it Andy Swatland's Group? I was the briefing Met Officer for a museum open day they did in May - LV907s first mission to Nuremberg
Military Aviation History brilliant video! Was just wondering, the pale green/blue colour on the inside, was this pained on the aircraft in ww2 and what was it's purpose? Thanks. Can't wait to see your next video!
My Dad flew the “Jane” as a Flight Lt. in the RCAF 427 Sq. One of the minority that survived his full tour. Flight instructed on Lancs afterwards. He described living in quonset huts in 7 man crews. Return from a mission, 7 empty beds. New crew would come in. Another mission, another 7 empty beds. He said it was like Russian roulette, when was it going to be our turn? A great guy, modest, said he just went to do his duty. A very tough generation. Hats off.
your have to wonder if today's generation would be as freely willing to do jobs like this and how much use they'd be in-between selfies 🤔
@@lfcmarkeb7124 todays generation cant even stay away from bars and parties to protect us from COVID 19!! Made from different stuff. But not good stuff
Sir, my sincere and eternal gratitude to your Father and his crew for the peace and freedom I enjoy today.
@@lfcmarkeb7124 well, yes...., I think it pretty fare to say that 90% of 18 to 30 yr olds in this country simply wouldn't be able to hack it, wouldn't get through basic training!!
My grandfather and your dad my have known eachother. My grandfather was an electrical engineer for 427. I doubt you will know his name. It was Douglas Townsend.
Found this super interesting mate, nicely done!
Our liege and holy saviour! I, a simple member of the squidonian army salute you, and am humbled to have the opportunity to attach my carrier pigeon to yours. pretty cool to see you around these parts, anyway salutations from Israel!
Squire Why thank you :) Sadly there was no holster for a Webley fitted inside, otherwise I'd have pointed it out ;)
Yeeeeesssssss!!!
Oh holy teapot, it can't be
oi mate, whens some WT gameplay coming out
Had the pleasure of knowing a guy who was a navigator on the Halifax. When people asked him about how many missions he flew, he would reply with 6 1/2, but we got the important half done. After a few scotches, he would open up about how petrified he was, his bail out and becoming a “guest” of the Third Reich for two years. He was the sole survivor of his crew. RIP George, you’ve joined the rest of your crew now.
We're really pleased to have helped Christoph with this film. Many people ask what the interior of the Halifax is like and he's done a cool job explaining everything. Great work.
shame it is not the real Friday the 13th
Thanks for sharing the inside of the Halifax with us. I knew that there was an unusual interior layout for the crew but seeing it was special.
Philip Eaton the real nose art is at the RAF Museum
Yes, very good of you to provide him access. Is "Direction finder thingy" a technical term?
My step-dad(RIP) was a tail gunner in the Halifax near the end of WW2.
Great tour, thanks. My dad flew his 35 ops in a Halifax as a mid upper gunner as Flight Sgt. He flew in 425,432, and 429 RCAF squadrons.
His log book shows they were hit by flak a few times and once attacked by a ME 210 night fighter. They crash landed once, flying mostly from Tolthorpe England on night raids. His ops tour ended in Sept 1944.
Several times they had spotted P planes , or pilotless planes, the name at the time for the early cruise missiles the Germans fired at England .
He never spoke much about the war, and lots of his friends had been shot down and killed or captured.
Together we visited the RCAF museum in Trenton Ontario Canada, where they have a very well restored Halifax that had been shot down and sunk in a lake in Scandanavia. It will never fly but it’s great to see the work done to restore it.
Janet Yeoman my dad was with 432 sqn. Flight engineer on the Halifax mark 7. I was part of the original planning team that got the Trenton plane out of the lake. Nice to read your post.
Bruce from Halifax N.S.
First, I doubt it was an Me 210, since they didn't make very many of them. Second, how could anyone possibly tell well enough in the dark if it was an Me 210 or 410, or even 110? You were lucky to be able to make out that there was a plane there, shooting at you, let alone the exact type! US fliers in broad daylight mistook the Ki-61 for a Bf 109 for weeks. The war was full of cases of fighters shooting down their own types in broad daylight, let alone flak accidents, so I have trouble believing tat a bomber crew could have identified their assailant as an Me 210 in the dark.
I live in Trenton, that Halifax is truly a marvel.
Maybe it will fly someday, who knows.
my father in law was a mid upper gunner in 420 snowy's at tolthorpe 32 mission's
My Dad was qualified for radio/nav/bomb and flew in the Halifax from 1942.
The Halifax was considered far more escapable then a Lancaster . Years ago I worked with an ex Halifax pilot who was awarded the DFC for bringing his aircraft home on two engines . One thing that has always stuck in my mind was his comment that radials were far better then liquid cooled engines. A single bullet can disable a Merlin by hitting the cooling fluid tank.
My grandfather was a navigator on the Halifax. Their aircraft took many flak hits attacking a night fighter base at Aachen, Germany. The hydraulics failed so they couldn't close the bomb bay and all four engines eventually failed but they managed to get across the North Sea on two engines before they had to belly land after losing all their altitude and narrowly missing a tree. The radio operator was wounded when the radio equipment exploded and caused a fire during the crash landing but they all survived the crash. A Lancaster probably wouldn't have made it. Sadly the pilot was killed later in the war flying with a different crew.
This was wonderful to see. I had a cousin who was a 20 year old Royal Canadian Air Force pilot of a Halifax in WW II. He went on a mission over the Mediterranean and never came back and it was never known what happened to him. He was one of the greatest generation.
Thank you for the tour; my mother lost her cousin, WO2 Peter Maurice Myers, RCAF while on ops with 138 (Special Duty) Squadron in a Halifax in March 1943. While I do not know what position he had (I believe he was the radio operator) This gives me an even greater appreciation for what they expeirenced on their missions.
Very interesting. A friend of mine was an upper turret gunner in one of these. He was almost my father in law. His RCAF crew completed 6 missions and was shot down in the battle of Berlin in Dec. of 1944. His whole crew got out of the plane and were then captured and he spent the rest of the war in a prisoner camp. Thanks for the detailed tour.
Dad was a Flight Engineer in 420, Snowy Owl, RCAF, and did a complete tour. Was converting to Lancs when the war ended. I am lucky that I live near Trenton, Ontario where they restored a Halifax and have it on display. Did a great job and because dad and I contributed to get it done, we were invited to the grand opening - was great to see dad looking at the plane and I could see it took him back a lot of years.
In france the official version is "a good landing is when you can exit the aircraft withou help from the rescie crew. An excellent landing is when the aircraft can be reused". Lovely work, very informative :)
"If you can walk away from a landing, it’s a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it’s an outstanding landing." It is apparently Chuck Yeager.
I always heard that in flying clubs. Funny how good jokes have no borders :)
that or it's one of those that's as old as aviation itself
No, in France it would be like: "a good landing is when you ran away from the fight, an excellent landing is when you landed on enemy airfield, got out of the plane and surrendered" 😂
@@deeplearning2552 Well, the French Airforce did a pretty good job against the Luftwaffe during the invasion of France. I don't have the figures to hand, but as I recall it was well over one for one. The nationalisation of industry in France pre-war meant they had mostly inferior aircraft and no where near enough of them.
@Paul Compton
I don't doubt that, in fact French did put up some resistance against advancing German forces. I just made another stupid "France surrenders" joke :)
My late father, Ft Lt John C Davies RAFVR, served as navigator in 102 (Ceylon) Squadron at Pocklington. Dad passed away in 2010 but I'm very pleased to say that the YAM very kindly gave Dad a tour of Friday the 13th shortly before his death. My family will be eternally grateful for that honour.
RIP to those who didn't make home. Brave men, everyone. Still owed their Campaign Medal.
@@magna4100 I think Bomber Harris was a bit of a tit, for both sides. He insisted that the best targets were area bombing, and ignored opportunities early on like bombing tactical targets like fuel supplies, etc. Also, earlier on his bombers could have been much more useful in the Battle of the Atlantic. And for the poor Europeans that got area bombed, lots of civilians died that maybe weren't direct threats.
@@magna4100 It was politics, and his position as future PM, was getting bleaker, after the leftwing media gave the RAF and all those linked to the ''evil bombing'' of innocent children etc etc, cobbler's, turned it into a shit-storm. Churchill had saved the world; make no mistake, but he was first and foremost, a hard -nosed Politician. BUT, all those who superceded him, since the war, are just as guilty as those who took the political flak , way back then. THERE SHOULD, have been huge reccognition, of what my two half brother's did , for me, family, and country. Only one came back, the other, was killed on the very last RAF punitive mission, over Kiel, May 3rd, 1945. Five days from wars end.
There is not normally much information on the Halifax so this is brilliant. My father flew in them and it is amazing to me how he managed after looking at this. What is more remarkable ,is that I flew with him on passenger aircraft in the eighties and if we flew into turbulence he would get sometimes get airsick. I once asked him why he didn't get sick in the Halifax and he replied that he didn't have time to think about.
FAMILY MEMBER;'S FLEW IN THEM, AND THE GENERAL OPINION WAS, THAT THEY HAD MORE FAITH IN THE HALIFAX, ONCE THE MERLIN ENGINES WERE FITTED , THAN THE LANCASTER.
@@MrDaiseymay I think it was the other way round. The early versions of the Halifax, which had Merlins, were somewhat underpowered and become increasingly so as more countermeasures kit was fitted and the aircraft became heavier. Also the original arrow head fins and rudders caused instability and sometimes locked up resulting in a number of crashes. The later BIII had more powerful Bristol Hercules engines and larger 'barn door' fins and rudders which were retrofitted to earlier marks. These changes improved the type hugely.
The arrangement of dials you mention at 4:48 is known as the "Basic Six", and was common to many British aircraft of the time. Having all your blind-flying instruments arranged in a standardized layout makes retraining on different aircraft easier.
Being a crew member on the B25 "Panchito" I love seeing people gawk at how tight the inside is. I tell people that it's a war machine made to kill and creature comfort was the last thing thought of.
Thanks for making this. More Canadian Airmen flew in the Handley Page Halifax than any other plane because the British Bomber Command gave the British Squadrons the newer Lancaster way before the Canadians so they kept flying Halifax's. Canadian squadron call-signs began with the number 4 and 6 Bomber Group in northern England was where they were stationed. It could take a lot more damage than the Lanc as my father told me. He flew in Lancs as observer/trainer on combat operations with 434 squadron but he won the DFC before that as an Air Bomber were in "Hallys" at 424 Squadron. The sad part is that there are no flying Halifax's in the world. Most were scrapped by 1947 but some remained with the RAF until 1952 helping out in the Berlin Airlift with six crashing during the humanitarian mission. France, Egypt and Pakistan used them in the postwar Air Forces with the PAF using 16 until either 1954 or 1961.
Not quite right, the crews were a mixture of British and commonwealth, and Lancasters were mainly in one group first, who converted from the awful Manchester. Halifax crews in Yorkshire had previously flown Whitleys. Still, all respect to them!
Thank you so much for this video. My Great Uncle Sam Ross was a tail gunner in a Halifax II that was shot down near Tombeek, Belgium (night of August 28, 1942). Buried in Tombeek with his crew mates. He was 5 foot 11, and I see now that it must have been such an uncomfortable position for him.
Nicely done, can't imagine what it would have been like to fly even one mission in this plane. My deepest respect to all of the crews.
Wonderful video and extremely enlightening, one of my uncles was a Sergeant Gunner in WW2 and flew as a tail gunner in a Halifax, on his fourth operation the aircraft was hit by antiaircraft guns and he had to bail out at night, with the Halifax on fire I can now try to imagine what he went through that night, unbelievable. Thanks for a very good video.
"Oh my god, the plane is on fire"
These history/military/aircraft/tanks/firearms groups are so connected, they bounce memes off of each other...
And they will all come together and work on the World War Two channel.
and we'r all die)
I know, but that Stuart light tank Chieftan one, where the hull crew wouldn't really escape was a bit sobering...
"That meme bounced!"
This is exactly the kind of content that has been missing from RUclips! Tanks are well provided by the Chieftain, but there wasn't anything with planes. Thank you very much for this!
Thank you and The Yorkshire air museum for this film. My Wife's Great Uncle was a navigator with the pathfinders during WW2 and was shot down over Holland. He survived, and was a lookout on the Great escape. Many years later, his plane was recovered in Holland, and a documentary film was made about it, in which, he and surviving members of the crew met Prince Rupert.
Insane, I've always wanted a great interior view like this. Fantastic well done.
But this isn't a B-17 or B-24.
SO HAVE I, AT LAST, a clear close-up view of the Wireless operators station.
But they also had the best views outside the plane once they were inside the turrets.
Outstanding! Now. let's go through some more. My dad was a tail gunner in a B29, Korea. He had a small cart on rails that he would lie on and push his way back to the guns. He told me he mostly read newspapers during flight. We had a B36 on static display at Chanute AFB Illinois. The cockpit was as big as a bus and 25ft high,maybe. That would be a great investigation. Come to the USA. Don't forget the virtual tour of the Air Force museum , on U Tube.
Man those poor bastards didn't stand a chance getting out of that. I've met a few RAF Bomber crewman that served during the war, always did wonder why they always had a clinking sound when they walked. Balls of Steel. God Bless'em
Yep, and the Halifax mk 111 had a reputation among RAF bombers as being one of the easiest to get out of! :-o
@@SAHBfan WUT??? Hahaha, the easiest one! Mannnnn, I can't imagine what was the hardest one would look like!
I read somewhere that the Air ministry refused to increase the size of the escape hatches as it would encourage crew to bail too early. Similar attitude to the refusal to give WW1 pilots a parachute
My grandfather was a flight engineer on one of these won the DFC on one he managed to get it back to the uk with big holes in her she crashed in Canterbury LK950 was the serial number. He burned is legs badly but got back into action 3 weeks later this time on Lancaster's amazing my hero
Halifax was easier to escape/more survivable than the Lancaster,
but due to the Lanc's heavier warlord, crew losses per tonne dropped were lower
Fascinating video, and so well done. Thanks for the tour of this amazing aircraft. My dad flew as a turret gunner with RAAF 466 Squadron out of Yorkshire, also on Wellingtons, and this was a great insight into what these brave lads endured.
Good grief those boys in the rear really had a horrendously scary position. One couldn't imagine trying to get yourself out of there, parachute on, and bail out if the aircraft was in a dive or something whilst on fire. My god brave souls indeed
Outstanding work by a thoroughly conversant narrator, on an unsung RAF Bomber Command aircraft.
spoke to a guy who was a tail gunner voluntered to get out of the coal pits at 18, did 34 pathfinder and special missions.
his pilot wrote a book i which he is meantioned as they were flying over the north sea at night the radio op let the wire aerial with porcelane type eggs which he saw dragging in the water he told the pilot who looked out the window to see the props starting to pick up the water, pulling up a tad was called for, he passed about four years ago. he said a flight of halifax bombers in formation could fend off fighters effectivley. brave men or should it be boys
Thank you for putting these videos together! Those of us whose hobby is modeling are just as fascinated by the history of our models as building the kits in unto themselves, maybe even more so. Your videos are awesome! Please keep them coming!!!! I've book marked your page as it will come in most handy.
Thanx again,
Mostlysane
Thank you so much for your work making this, my father was a radio operator on a Halifax in the 624 squadron in Blida Algeria in 1944/45. I can now appreciate how cramped it must have been. Well done!
Fantastic episode. I really enjoy Nick Moran's Inside the tanks series of videos simply because showing how the crews had operate the machine is just much more tangible when you can actually see it. Imagine trying to get out of that turret with the plane spiralling to earth? Not easily would be my guess.. It gives you a lot more respect for the men in there. Planes are my first love so I would be thrilled to see if you could do more videos like this. Anyway great content as ever. Good hunting.
Very good my uncle was a navigator on a Halifax sadly FTR on a mission to Germany in WW2
Sorry for your loss. One of my paternal great uncles was also in the RCAF and also a member of a Halifax bomber crew. His aircraft was also reported as having 'failed to return' (FTR) from a bombing mission over Berlin on January 29, 1944. He was a mid-upper (i.e., dorsal) gunner.
The records I have indicate that his aircraft was blown out of the air over the target site. It was one of 36 that failed to return out of a force of just over 600 bombers.
None of the members of the crew of his aircraft survived and accordingly, they have no known grave.
The pilot of the aircraft was a 19 year-old second lieutenant. It's sad to think that his life had barely begun and it was cut short. All too short.
Lest we forget.
My great grandfather was a flight lieutenant tail gunner in a RCAF Halifax throughout the Second World War, survived all his missions and lived until 2008 to the age of 93. Never spoke of the war. I have his trunk that was issued to him as well as the large compass you saw sitting between the pilot’s legs in the video, both of which sit by my bed, along the medals framed. Will have to do a bit of research to find what squadron he was in.
When you see how awkward it is to move around with the aircraft on the ground, imagine it on fire and spinning earthwards. To put on a parachute and eject must have been almost impossible. No wonder they died in their thousands. Brave young men RIP.
Adrian Larkins centrifugal force probably didn't help
What isn't often mentioned in WW2 history documentary's , is that many Allied aircrew, who had parachuted out, or survived a crash, were shot dead, lynched, or beaten to death by Nazi officials ( Gestapo etc.) but mostly by mad angry civilians. Both Goering and Goebbels had made statements over the radio, that such reactions to captured surviving Allied aircrew, was acceptable; despite it being in contradiction to international law. There were many post-War Trials for this crime, with hangings and long-term imprisonment. The worst incident, involved USAAF crew, of 6 survivors, who were all murdered by the 'MOB' . Known as the ''Russelsheim Massacre'' There appears to be no records of similar reaction's of reprisal, by British people, against Luftwaffe Crew. That dosen't prove it didn't happen of course. I have recently been told, that my half-brother, who had crashed in his Halifax 3, one of 5 suvivors, was shot dead as he emerged from the wreckage, near Kiel, North Germany.
and pitch black!
@@MrDaiseymay Targeting cities in order to make as many civilians dead as possible also was against international law, you see. The Allied organized many such bombings, which did not target military targets, and the pilots of the bombers didn't collect much love for that. I guess, though, that parachuting was in itself very risky, I don't think pilots were trained as paratroopers and they easily harmed themselves or killed themselves while falling to the ground (or against a building, a tree, a lamppost etc.).
Awesome vid. It feels entirety different when you can actually see the interior of a ww2 bomber and the tasks of a crew members, as compared to just the exterior.
Really enjoyed the info! I'm very envious because I have visited this Halifax many times, but never been aboard. My interest comes from the fact my Uncle was a Wireless Operator aboard a Halifax III that flew from RAF Pocklington a few miles away from the museum (Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington). He and 5 of his crew were killed, returning from a raid on Stuttgart, 25/7/1944. Your film shows how difficult it was to get around inside the cramped plane, and how difficult it would have been to escape - in the dark, shot up, and spinning or upside down. In my Uncles crew, only the rear gunner got out, by rotating his turret and baling out backwards. The rear gunners report stated he shouted for instructions from the crew when they got shot up, and the only voice he heard was from the bomb aimer who said he was hit. If, as you state, the bomb aimer only had contact with the wireless operator during a mission, then my uncle must have been injured or killed before the RG made the decision to grab his 'chute, spin his turret, and bale out. I hope this was the case as the Halifax crashed in flames soon after. My Father always believed his brother had been burned alive. But I think it more likely he was killed in the air, or died on impact. None could be identified in the wreckage, so all remains were buried in a communal grave in Eure, France.
Thanks again for putting the time in to show the younger generation around the Halifax. Thousands were made, but only two are still around to view. An amazing memorial to the Many who flew her.
RIP the 55,500 of Bomber Command who gave up their lives for Europe's freedom.
They were all intelligent guys too. The RAF only selected the cleverest out of all the volunteers, then put them through two years training. In my Uncles case it was 2 yrs training, and dead within two months on ops. Not many were out of there 20's. My Uncle Bob, who I never got to meet, was just short of his 21st birthday. Over and out. x
Brilliant and sobering seeing where my uncle sat as pilot in 1943 before losing his life on Hamburg bombing raid . Just finished reading bomber command so this was good timing . Thank you
Great video I really enjoyed it !!!! Makes you realise what those bomber crews went through and why so many never returned home !!
My grandfather was an American b25 squadron captain definitely interested in other wwII bomber videos
Thank you! Thank you! I really enjoyed the tour of the Halifax as it was the A/C that my Uncle John flew in during the war. He was a bombardier and had the unfortunate experience of being shot down and spending 18 months in POW camp.
My grandfather was in the Pathfinders....WOP\AG 35 Squadron. This was his office. Thanks for this
My grandmother's cousin, on my father's side, was a pilot during WWII of one of these. During my first trip in France back in 2007 I went to his crew memorial located in Lesquielles-Saint-Germain. He was shot down on the 17th of april 1943, at the age of 22 on his 15th mission. 36 out of 327 planes were lost that night for that mission. Could you imagine 327 of these flying towards the same objective at the same time and their payload? (ok maybe not all of them were Halifax but sill!)
Your video my friend, gave me the chill! It was really awesome! I would have gave it a rate of 100% if you would had seated in the pilot's position with your GoPro! With that, I could have had a little look of ''what it was like'' being in his position back in the days. But nevertheless, +1 sub mate!
I really want more of these, this is one of the best videos i've spend my time on this year. ( also made a halifax model not long ago ).
Upvote for making an aircraft model. This should not be a dying art.
Thanks very much for this video. My father was F/O Navigator (British) with 4 Canadian crew on a 158 squadron Halifax 3 MZ 374. The pilot was F/O C.J.P.Ramsey. Never talked much about the war except for being shot down over Essen. Vey brave men all.
Excellent video, great aircraft...
My stepfather was in the RAF at a Halifax base and after the war they were all being flown off to Wales to be scrapped.
One of the aircraft had a defective engine so they go a brand new engine out of stores, fitted it, made several air tests to make sure it was airworthy then flew it off to Wales to be scrapped.
What a shame they didn't save a few...
Excellent video, sir! One of the surprising things about this exhibit is that it is not original. Out of 6176 Halifaxes produced, not one was preserved, maybe war-starved Britain had other priorities in those very hard early post-war years. This Halifax is a painstaking, meticulous reconstruction, structurally fake and with modern materials, furnished inside with thousands of bits´n´pieces obtained here and there. It was an AMAZING jig-saw construction job, with far more merit than mere preservation of an original survivor. Has one glitch, though, it was not thought to be flown, and could never take to the skies. This "Friday the Thirteenth" (the most famous Halifax which survived the war after an astounding 128 missions to her credit, but did not escape the scrapper´s axe in 1946) will never grace the British skies with her mighty roar. She is basically a 1 : 1 Airfix kit, and an amazingly good one at that. My only doubt is the quasi-Soviet green interior; is it authentic?
Halifax II W1048 was preserved thanks to being at the bottom of a Norwegian fjord, where it belly-landed on the ice during a mission to bomb the Tirpitz. It was raised in 1973, and is preserved in its battle-damaged condition in the RAF Museum at Hendon, North London.
Canada has one at the RCAF museum in Trenton Ontario . It was shot down in Norway , sunk in a lake. Thousands of volunteer hours to repair it for display. A tremendous effort showing great respect for the men that flew them, like my dad. 425 Squadron.
Great vid!
I think a special episode about autopilots used during ww2 could be really interesting!
I have pictures of my Dad, Flt Lt Lenard Raynsford DFC RCAF, and his crew prior to a mission in their gear standing besides the Halifax. His last mission was August 8th, 1944, it was also his birthday. He was 24.
Thank you for the video. Dad was a rear gunner on Halifaxes in 35 squadron Pathfinder Force. He completed 88 operations (on other aircraft too) and was awarded the DFC. It was interesting to see where dad spent so much time going to Germany, Italy and others.
Respect. There is a dedicated Rear Gunner room at the Yorkshire Air Museum which is very illuminating with regards to rear turrets and has some laugh out loud cartoons on the walls.
This has to be one of the most underrated channels on RUclips
Beautiful Aircraft, my Granddad flew these, its nice to see where he would have sat.
Great video! Nice job explaining all the positions. In one word...Brutal
Thanks for a great video. I was so pleased to see the operator radio tx. I was given one by my neighbour who was in the RAF and obviously I did not get it working because it was beyond me to build a 500 watt power supply but it started me on a hobby of visiting ex WD shops until leaving school,happiness it was.
I would love to see a Cheftain style review of aircraft using the "Oh my God, the plane is on fire" test
That Mid Upper Turret looks like a right death trap to try and escape from in an Emergency. It was also a prime target for fighters given the roundel just below.
You are 100% correct there, The designers obviously hadn't even considered a suitable mode of escape and, having Uncles who flew these aircraft, it was always, "It's not gonna happen to us" attitude and they simply pressed on with the job.
Thank you
My dad was the pilot.
When he was 93 he squeezed into the tail turret of a Lancaster!
Christoph, thank you for this exposition of the slightly unloved Halifax, including the insightful detailed description of each of the crew members
roles and position . It was quite clear that trying to exit a burning out of control aircraft would have been horrendous, doubtless the fate of many of those
crews lost on missions. It is a shame their are no flying examples as with the superior Lancaster to help remember their sacrifice.
13:02 "So yeah, we're bombing the Netherlands"
Finally, someone had to
Why? :(
Noah Brinkman They know what they did
Actually there's a pretty cool story about that specific cancelled bombing run and Canadian Rambo but Tougher and Better. Zwole was single-handedly captured by the single baddest motherfucker that ever lived, he was such a badass Nick Fury's original design was based on him. Except, unlike Fury, Leo Major was real and recovering from a broken spine when he did it.
He is bombing the city Zwolle thats close to where i live lol
Noah Brinkman because Germany took over the Netherlands so the British bombed the Germans basically
Awesome video, I love seeing the internals and hearing of other positions that don't get as much love as the pilot and gunners, though I must say that it was probably difficult for the Pilot to see all the instruments with so many bulky things like the throttle in the way.
Poor guy at 16:38 though just wanted to see if you were done. XD
One of my great uncles was in the Royal Canadian Air Force and he was part of a Halifax crew, having been assigned the post of dorsal gunner. He was killed in action as his aircraft was blown out of the sky during a bombing mission over Berlin on the night of January 29, 1944, aged just 32 years. Lest we forget.
Your video gives me a very good sense of the aircraft that he served in.
My uncle was a rear gunner in 1 of these. Sadly he died in 1944, he was in 76 squadron... its amazing to see inside, thankyou
Per a F/E who flew 41 ops, the Flight Engineer was trained to be able to take the star shots with the sextant when the navigator needed one.
Excellent. The Hallifax is the forgotten hero of WW2 in the skies. Thanks for re living the memories for us and I hope you didn't get too many bruises, whilst presenting this.
It dropped Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš, who then went on to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich.
As far as I know, the early marks had problems, but this version was significantly better. B-25 and He 111 were medium bombers, Mosquito was a more of a light bomber (in bomber configuration). Also, Mr. Haller isn't comparing which one was better, merely implying it doesn't get the love it probably should (If I understand correctly).
@Thanos Car This is a replica/reproduction of a Halifax Mk111. The earlier marks of Halifax were not very good, but the MK 111 was a major redesign, almost a different aircraft - and much better. John Haller is right that it is one of the forgotten heros - it gets a bad reputation due to the early marks and the Lancaster takes all of the credit, but the MK 111 had a very good performance, including a higher ceiling than the Lancaster. Out of the two aircraft, it had a higher aircrew survival rate not least because the Halifax was much easier to bail out of if shot down.
@@vaclav_fejt the Halifax always played second fiddle to the Lancaster
@@neilcunningham795 And in every string quartet you need the first violin, the second violin, the viola, and the violoncello. (-:
Thank u for that tour!My uncle flew in a Halifax as a radio operator in 35 squadron,the Pathfinders back in 1943.He was on his second tour of duty when he was killed in action on 29th.December 1943.After watching your video I’m thinking I’ll visit the museum myself.Again-many thanks.
Excellent video. It's nice to go inside an aircraft and see it the way the crews did, instead of admiring it from a distance.
Amazing video iron cross for you. Wee need more videos about bombers, it was rely interesting
I really liked this video! The bombers destination, Zwolle in the Netherlands is actually my hometown. I live only a few minutes away from a block of streets called the "Pilotenbuurt". Here all the streets are named after Pilots and aircrew members who have died flying near Zwolle during the second world war.
My great uncle was a rear gunner on a Halifax! I've never seen the inside of one. Thank you!
My pop flew a Halifax in WW2 . I enjoyed this a lot. This was a very successful bomber in the War and widely used. My pop was RCAF and Canadians loved these. There were, I think, 17 RCAF Halifax squadrons.
Great video! I learned so much from this video
Found it very interesting. Thanks! Just for future concideration: It is a bomber, would like to have seen the bomb holding area.
Well done tour and explanation of the different positions. My father was a wireless operator in WW2 for the RAF on Halifax’s. Early Special Air Service, specialized squadron. His plane was equipped with the more powerful Rolls Royce Merlin engines. Very good to see where he would have sat and the radio and Morse code instrumentation. His designation was WAG which means wireless air gunner, so aside from being the radio operator, he also took over on a gun if the operator was no longer able to do so. In training, the plane crashed on a foggy night and the tail gunner broke off and ended up in another field. Must have been an exhilarating ride to say the least, bouncing around in a metal and Perspex ball. The crew went out on a mission one night when dad was in the hospital and didn’t come back. The return rate of crews was pretty poor. The oldest guy on the crew was the pilot at 21. Dad lied about his age and flew at 17.
Great. As a former H.P. apprentice, then flight test observer in Victors, between 1952 & 1960, I really appreciated this. Great training, great flying experiences & luckily I gave it up & moved north to Blackburns where I flew a desk thereafter! I also worked with Ray Funnell who was then at the Royal Airforce Museum at Hendon, to facilitate some of the work to restore this Halifax, which was reassembled from sections from Scotland & elsewhere. Looking at this now, I'm glad I didn't have to fly active missions..........The crews were more than brave.
Excellent video. I've had a tour of the Lancaster that's on display here in West Australia, and I have to say the Halifax's interior is capacious in comparison. I'm about your height and I struggled to navigate myself over all the ancillaries and the wing spar, and that's without the plane's movement in flight. How anyone managed to get out in time in an emergency situation..... The crews were incredible people, flying night after night.
STEVE Knox While crews loved the Lancaster more than the Halifax, the Halifax had a better crew survival rate when the crippled aircraft was being abandoned..
Mark Fryer, absolutely. That was my point.
It was extremely difficult to get out of a crippled bomber...especially if it was in a spin. The g-forces would be enormous and pin you to the fuselage. About two minutes to make your peace before you became just as mangled as the aircraft.
My late uncle was a tail gunner - 1 tour in Wellingtons, a bit of AG training, then part of a tour in Lancs. His plane was shot down in flames and he and the rest of his crew bailed out. All but the bomb aimer (who was a replacement for their "regular") survived and returned to the UK later. He was, as I recall, a shortish man and I believe that shorter men were picked for tail gunner positions because of the issues that the narrator had getting in and out.
Corbett
This was just excellent Bis, thank you 👍
CheckSix Cheers :)
Thank you very much for this fascinating video. First time I have ever seen inside the Halifax, save for photos from the “Hull, Hell, Halifax” book. Nice to see.
Thank you! My late father was Arthur (MaC) McArthur LAC 432 sqd Eastmoor. His aircraft was "G" for George. Dad and I supported the Halifax Aircraft Association, when they were recovering and restoring the "spy" Halifax in Trenton Ontario. I had always wondered what the interior looked like. Now i know. He told me the Hali was designed for the Merlin engines and after the war, was tested with 4 and it out performed the Lancasters. Thanks Again!!
Really fascinating. My 1st cousin, once removed, Sgt Geoffrey Jandron, was an air gunner in the RCAF, based at Elvington. Sadly, HR841 collided with a night fighter over Berlin, causing the plane and crew to be lost on 29th Jan 1944.
Having just seen that rear gunner position, my already high respect for the bravery of those "Tail End Charlie" guys has increased 10-fold. My dad always told me that was just about the worst job on a bomber,
Excellent video. I always wanted to see inside a Halifax. Thank you very much.
Were it not for your excellent videos, most if not all aviation enthusiasts would never have an opportunity to have such a close up look of this and other iconic aircraft. Thank you
Imagine him in a B-17 ball turret...😂
Seriously though, this video made me better respect the job and conditions bomber crews had to deal with!
Darrius Dias you mean you didn’t respect them already?
Keyword - BETTER. I've read a lot on Bomber Command and the job they had to do but there's only so far reading visualization can take you. Until you can actually see and touch (or watch someone else touch) their history...the experience seems incomplete. Restorations and monuments like these simply add another dimension to what the crews had to deal with lending a better appreciation for it. Hope this clarifies...
It seems like whomever designed the navigator's position had a son who was a navigator or something. "We'll give 'em a chair, because I know he likes to sit, a little lamp, because I know he likes to see, and an escape hatch, because I know he likes to be alive."
Thank you for the very interesting visit ! I am presently reading Jules Roy’s « the happy valley « which describes the life of Halifax crews during WW2, and this is an outstanding complement. Continue the good work 👍
My great grandad was a navigator inside of a Halifax during the war. Absolutely amazing to finally see inside of the aircraft he flew in 👍
Good vid, Bismarck - I had proper claustrophobia in those gun turrets. Navy for me I think based on watching these and those inside the tank ones.
Alfredo Jonstone the navy is the same only banging your head can actually kill you
Love the handley page halifax my great grandma was a bomb rack inspector in a factory where they produced these beauties
Excellent and very informative video Bismark...very nicely done, thankyou.
Excellent video. Very well done. Informative and evocative.
What a brilliant channel.
Great video. Very interesting.
My great uncle Harry was a wireless operator/EW officer on Halifaxes during the war. My father went to a museum with him once and my dad had organised a surprise, that he be allowed to go inside the museum's Halifax to revisit his memories. He steadfastly refused to step inside it and said "I've promised Jean I'll never get inside one of those bloody awful things ever again. I almost died in one on 30 separate occasions and I won't tempt fate". Jean being his wife. Up to that point the family mythos was that Harry was the family war hero; this was their first window into the reality, that the people in the air were terrified, the people on the ground were terrified, that whole thing was just bloody awful. Arthur Harris said in later life "I hope this helps to keep people out of these sorts of riots; they never do anybody any good in the end.". Great video, fantastic insights.
One of my favourite museums I've visited. Great video!
"Direction finder thingy" is now my new personal favorite word for a compass. ;))
oh man, new chieftain here, OH MY GOD THE PLANE IS ON FIRE
Your plane being set on fire is what I call a "significant emotional event".
Oh Bugger! The tank is on fire!
My father-in-law was a radio operator on Halifax.
Thank you for showing his station, I just just imagine him climbing in and out, trust him to have a nice seat.
same, grandfather was the pilot officer/wireless. They took damage over Mannheim on 10/8/42 and couldn't keep up so fell back out of formation. They tried to get home over Wimereux on the coast north of Boulogne but ran into flak batteries shredding the plane. They banked hard to port as the enemy fire was too heavy (they were struggling at lower altitude) and they went down on the rail line, the scorching was evident on the embankments til 1956. None survived. He had been a marine engineer on merchant ships in the Atlantic, was torpedoed 3 times, the last by the Graf Spee. Sick of drifting in lifeboats/rafts for days, he decided to xfer to the RAF where he could be closer to home esp as his wife was expecting. His daughter was born 3 months after they went down. awarded DFC. Thanks for the video, I liked how you went through the layouts and roles. I suspect getting out or even just moving in a burning plane that would be either diving, spinning etc would be a lot harder than at a smooth level.
Fantastic tour of this beautiful plane from the WWII era. Love the history!!