Handley Page Type O - Britain's First "Heavy" Bomber
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Today we take a look at the Handley Page Type O, the first heavy bomber to be used by British air forces.
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Recommended Reading:
Handley Page Aircraft Since 1907 - amzn.to/49rbJ1w
British Bombers of World War I in Action - amzn.to/3UOrxHZ
The British Bomber Since 1914 - amzn.to/3Uwx6dD
F.A.Q Section - Ask your questions here :)
Q: Do you take aircraft requests?
A: I have a list of aircraft I plan to cover, but feel free to add to it with suggestions:)
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A: Supporters over on Patreon now get to vote on upcoming topics such as overviews, special videos, and deep dives.
Q: Why do you use imperial measurements for some videos, and metric for others?
A: I do this based on country of manufacture. Imperial measurements for Britain and the U.S, metric for the rest of the world, but I include text in my videos that convert it for both.
a top speed of 65mph?! surely that's a typo? how can ay heair than air plane fly that slow?
@@matthewfurlani8647 Really, really big wings.
but I'm so glad you're covering more WW1 - Interwar era aircraft! (which was something I've suggested in one of your past videos but I'm not sure if you saw that suggestion)
i noticed you got my request for the He-115, and it got me wondering if it would be a little neat idea to give footage of me using it in war thunder for examples? (thats if the video needs it!)
I really would really really really love if you did one on the XF-84H Thunderscreech, also perhaps more videos on early 50s experimental fighters? I really love your videos either way! Thanks for all the great content!
In the 60's, when I was young, there was a model shop in my town, owned by a Mr Powney. While in the shop browsing Airfix kits one day I noticed a new model, the Handley Page 0/400. As I was gazing at it, Mr Powney said "I flew in those". He had been a forward gunner until he took two bullets in his left arm, and I clearly remember him showing me the scars.
I often feel lucky to have grown up knowing many veterans from both wars and had the opportunity to hear some of their experiences , I still have a RN work knife given to me by an old "Uncle"(my Grandfathers best mate) who had it with him for 9 days in a lifeboat in the North Atlantic, he said the rust pitting on the blade occurred while it was in its sheaf at that time ,a fabulous gift given to a young boy in those pre knife crime days.
@@Evilroco Likewise, I've been lucky to know veterans of both the first and second world wars. Bill Smith was a neighbour when I was young. He kept chickens and goats, making his living from selling the eggs and milk. Bill had a pronounced limp, having had half his backside shot of in WWI, and had spent 3 days in a shell crater in no man's land, unable to move.
Cecil Greenwood was a workmate who served aboard HMS Rodney throughout WWII and took part in the sinking of the Bismarck. He told me a number of light hearted stories about his wartime adventures and a little about sinking Bismarck, but even though he was a tough chap, I think it upset him to think about the German lads who weren't there to tell their story because of what he'd done.
Another was a school friend's dad who had fought in Normandy and was possibly the first British soldier to go into the Falaise pocket after the shooting stopped. The scenes he described were appalling and really brought home to me that war is not how it looks in John Wayne movies.
Lastly, and I wish I'd known him better, there's my wife's dad, who served aboard destroyers and corvettes during WWII. To her he was just "silly old dad" but he fought in the battle of the Atlantic, on the Arctic convoys, and in the Mediterranean, took part in the sinking of 3 (possibly 4) U-Boats, and was mentioned in despatches.
All gone now.
@@Kevin-mx1vi I will have to make the effort of writing down all that I was told or heard from those guys before my memory muddles details and while other family members are still about.
Was going to say Airfix done a kit
@@Evilroco Please do that. Our generation is the last one that knew these people when they were in their prime and had clear memories of the things they saw and did. We heard their first-hand accounts and it's important to preserve them.
For some reason this is one of my favourite older aircraft types :)
Why? It's not a flying boat !!
@@gregdrew874does it have to be?
Drach jumpscare
The 0/400 was my favourite model build back when I was a teenager.
@@jankorosec7
You know that Drach runs the preeminent naval history channel, right? 🤔
It was a joke.
"Piratical glee" is a term I have not heard of before. Thank you for sharing.
Just the word piratical by itself is awesome to be fair. There's something very vivid on what it brings to mind
Churchill went flying but his wife stopped him getting his licence after a crash.
@@jameshall1300That is because All Good Stories have a Pirate in them 😊
A one airplane rampage. Gotta love it.
Could make a good Tarantino movie...
@@eyo8766 Ok, "Inglorious Bastards-the not killing nazis prequel" with the troops armed with Lewis guns and BARs and colt carbines being the first paratroopers under the cover of a air raid to take over a hilltop that is like a "Guns of Navarone" situation....
I could see him making a movie out of that.
I recall my grandfather, who was an airplane mechanic in WWI, flew one combat mission as a "rear' gunner in a Handley Page. Rear meaning top of the fuselage, half way to to tail. He had only a pistol and a pocket full of bullets. Lucky, he saw no enemy planes, but still recounted the flight as 'being scared out of his mind'.
Incredible to think it was, approximately, 13 years from Kitty Hawk to this . . . . 35 from this to the first flight of the B52 & today, the B52 is 72-odd year old.
To really nail impressive I'd have gone Wright Fligher - Kitty Hawk 1903 - Lockheed's Mach 3 sustaining SR 71 Blackbird - Nevada 1964 ....... *SIXTY ONE YEARS* Its quite incredible.
@@Farweasel my favorite example in the speed of aviation development involves Kelly Johnston and it's insane to think that between the first flight of the P-38 and the A-12 that he worked on both, was only 23 years between them. From breaking 400 mph to cruising at Mach 3 in the same time frame that someone could grown up to age to drink liquor
I wish that they could make cars that they were making that bomber to hold up with the chance of time. They have upgraded it so much I imagine the first crew in the thing would think they about what they saw. That was really a complete plane and the thing looks like a modern one for the last several generations
To be fair the B52 is utterly useless nowadays
@@MaticTheProto Except it can haul cruise missiles half way around the globe and launch them in safety from a well considered distance.
As for the electronic & other defensive warfare devices it carries all that's known in the public domaine is something's there & its probably pretty competent.
I think I have a photo of the Greek one. My Grandfather was RNAS and was stationed in Greece. He worked on props and blimps. A lone 0/100 is in one of his pictures from the time along with Re8 fuselages that they hung under blimps...
The guys who flew in these things were brave beyond belief. The test pilots especially. Can you imagine taking off in the prototype to discover that the plane was barely controllable and was shaking itself to pieces? They still managed to get it down safely. It’s a pity they’re not named in the video. Likewise the crew who flew the O/100 against the Turks.
Didnt notice anything wrong with the quality, Rex, im just happy youre back!
It is so rare to see anything on WW1 heavy bombers. So thanks for doing this. Even if you do they don't include the operational history of the WW1 Heavy Bombers. So this was awesome.
Timely video! I had always wanted the Airfix model as a kid, and just got a heap of old kits from a good friend with the 0/400 being one - 50 years later!
i picked up the old kit at a 2nd hand shop. its still a pretty good kit for its age, and with all the tec used these days on kits.
"... Piratical glee!" That's awesome! Thank you!
When I was in middle school, our science teacher took his entire class on a field trip across town to meet a neighbour of his who had flown bombers...not in World War II, but in World War I. The 0/400 was what Mr Peace (his ironic surname) had flown. Even then I knew we were meeting someone remarkable...
not irony. coincidence
Will you be covering the 117 O/400s built under licence in the US? Some of them took part in Gen Billy Mitchell's demo along with the Martin MB2s. They were also used to patrol the Mexican border. There is movie footage of the first flight of fist licence-built variant. Also, the HP Flying School based at Manston was moved to the RFC Bombing & Navigation School at Stonehenge in 1917. The unit was known briefly as RNAS Stonehenge and was located at the "Old Camp" which today straddles the road from the Stonehenge Visitors' Centre to the monument. The tented camp was on the North side of the road and the dispersal and the flying ground was on the South side. The authorities at Stonehenge are "prehistoric-centric" so do not inform visitors of this. The first crews for the US Naval Air Service's O/400s (destined for the USNAS's Northern Bomber Group) were trained there in 1917/18. Again, the thousands of American visitors to Stonehenge have no means of knowing this aspect of their WW1 history. O/400 training at RFC/RAF Stonehenge is described in "Dairy of a Night Bomber Pilot" (ISBN 978-1-86227-452-5). Well done Rex.
25 or so years ago I attended a public meeting held by English Heritage to discuss the proposed A303 replacement (Stonehenge bypass) routing. They were getting all excited about how the roadworks would destroy ancient archeology, however, when I pointed out that the First World War airfield buildings had probably already done that, the Chairman of English Heritage looked at me and said "what airfield?" You are correct, they do tend to be a little too prehistoric centric.
Thanks for your comment. To give EH credit they did run an exhibition some years ago about the airfield but didn't take up the suggestion that WW1 was history as much as the neolithic, and info about its WW1 use would add to the visitor's experience. We also suggested that re-installing the railway siding from the Lark Hill Military Railway that ran from the site of the new visitor centre to the RFC/RAF Stonehenge "New Camp" camp (by the A303) would be a a more authentic means of connecting the centre to the monument than the Land Rover (Kninky-Knonk) land-trains!@@alastairmellor966
Your voice sounds fine to me Rex; another very good video.
I knew the HP was large for its time but it really was BIG!
I love the look of this plane and the fact you travel open to the air at a blissful 70mph approx. It just feels like it would be a great experience with the sound of the engines to each side. There is so much charm in old tech.
I have never felt the need to comment on your videos , but feel it's time to say I think they are always very good and I enjoy all of them. Keep up the good work.
The original HP factory was in Cricklewood in Northwest London. There is a story of the original prototype O100, due to their airfield not being big enough to allow the O100 to be flown from it, the aircraft was "walked" up the Edgware Road (AKA the A5) to Hendon Aerodrome so that it could under go test flights.
This channel will never not be good. I love it.
My favorite Type O is Type O Negative
RIP Peter Steele
He was a really nice guy, believe it or not.
Quite a few Typos in the CC Subtitles😛
Thanks for all the information - a couple of days ago I saw the quite amazing full size reproduction of the front end of the fuselage at Stow Maries Aerodrome, and thanks to this I've now learned a lot about the type's history.
It would be nice to feature another one of the firsts, Sikorsky "Ilya Muromets" 4-engine bomber. Quite a story to tell
To those in-used to real imperial units
112 lbs is one hundredweight (cwt).
20 cwt is one ton. That make the Long Ton 2240 pounds. Metric ton is a mere 2200 pounds.
And a short ton is 2000lbs.
In my great uncle's WW1 photo album, I have pictures of Handley Page's V/1500 bomber- a 4 engine plane with a tail gunner! This was intended as a strategic bomber to attack Germany- the first raid was intended for 11 November 1918, but it was called off at the last minute. One V/1500 flew to India & took part in the 1920 Afgan War but succumbed to termites on its return to India.
Airfix should make a new tooling kit of the 0/400.
Fascinating aircraft and a long time favourite - I believe Cecil Lewis, great war ace and author of "Sagittarius Rising" was part of that small mission to China you mentioned with (at first) Handley Page O/400's to set up and later fly Vickers Vimys in the first regular chinese passenger and mail routes.
Thanks for this Rex. I really didn't know much about the the HP O bomber's history.
Interesting to compare it with the Zeppelin Staaken R.VI and Gotha G.V bombers. The development of the first really large aircraft moved rapidly after the Sikorsky Ilya Muromets.
Thanks. As a plastikmodeler it is allways interessting to See something like this.
Excellent video. I've always been fascinated by this bomber. Talk about a plane that got everything right.
Ah good, a Rex video i have time to watch.
To those not familiar with the real imperial units
112 lbs is one hundredweight (cwt).
20 cwt is one ton. That make the Ton 2240 pounds also called Long Ton. The metric tonne is a mere 2200 pounds.
The American (short) ton is 2000 pounds.
I found a passage in a collection of personal anecdotes about World War One that related a plan to stage Handley Page bombers - in this case, V-1500s - through landing grounds set up in Bohemia (now part of Czechia) to bomb Berlin. The plan was cut short by the Armistice.
I've wondered since if the plan had gone ahead, and Berlin had been bombed, that might have changed the way Germany regarded its surrender.
The V/1500s were suppose to fly from RAF Bircham Newton at the beginning of November but due to weather and mechanical unreliability they didn't go. It was close though a mission was suppose to fly November 9th. Which was cancelled and moved to the 10th which was so cancelled. Finally, moved to the 11th the 3 V/1500s at Bircham Newton were stood down early morning of thr 11th due to the Armistice.
Great video thank you
I'm fascinated with early aircraft as engineers tried to figure out the best designs for these new fangled flying machines. This Type O has an almost Steam Punk feel to it with all of it's odd angles and curious curves
My interest in aviation was long limited to WWII and later. Thanks for filling in the huge gap in my knowledge!
@04:20 the amazing ability to move twice as fast as a horse!
Why the tactical options alone are amazing!
Rex + long videos =happy me!!!!
Really enjoying all these bomber videos lately. It would be worth to take a look at the leading figures behind these aircrafts and their doctrice. Videos on Harris, LeMay, Douhet, Portal and the others would be very interesting!
Great video.
Thank you.
This channel is such a gem!
"...filled Winston with piratical glee"
hahaha!
Excellent, what a great choice of subject.
Great video, my Airfix 0/400 is downstairs waiting to be built.
Feel better soon. I eagerly await your next video.
You have mentioned this thing many times before and I was not really aware of it. Now I know. Best site, ever. Thank you Rex/Chris.
By the end of WW1 Winston Churchill must've been _"Piraticaly Delighted"_ with his foresight.
As a navy project he also had a hand in getting tanks going in a similar manner
Love your channel bruh, I hope your health clears up.
Glad to have you back.
The quality was still superb, many thanks for this!
I love flying thus plane in VR. It's a slow beast.
A video on the D.520 or other pre-WW2 French fighters would be neat!
I have some interesting photos of these from my grandad who was ground crew in WW1
Incredible that the thing was designed in 1914 and served for ten years at a time when aircraft were evolving so quickly. The Vimy looks incredibly like it too. I noticed in one of the pictures in your clip that the HP had German markings and appears to be being inspected by German flyers/mechanics?? Presumably a captured example?
My great grandfather crewed one of these old school beasts as a pilot.
He was shot down but managed to ditch the plane so none of the crew were badly hurt.
In the 1970's I built one Handley Page O scale model by Airfix company. One of my favorites!
Finally a very good documentary about one of my favorites airplanes of WWI. Congratulations for the very good work on doing this video
Thank you for this great and very informative video. It should be very interisting if you could compare the Handley Page Type O with the german heavy bombers like the Gotha or the Zeppelin Staaken. The early days of this kind of planes are very interisting.
Take care of yourself, the video was first rate as always. ❤😊
No need to apologize, this was an interesting and informative video about an important early aircraft. Well done !,
Dear Rex ,excellent video , also congrats on the French bomber program videos , are you planning to do similar videos in regards to the development of doctrine of other countries and airforces?, I can see an opportunity to do one covering the development of the Soviet Air Force between World War One and World War Two, especially giving the lack of knowledge when it comes to the yak1, mig 3 and lagg3 and also why some promising designs were not made.
The quality is absolutely fine. A great video.
Wonderfull lecture👍👍👍
Would love to see a movie of the plane that did the rampage on the ottoman empire. cool story.
Thankyou, this machine features heavily in CS Lewis’s ‘Sagittarius Rising’ if I remember correctly, well worth a read.
Excellent video on a excellent and trailblazing aircraft! Good Show!
Thanks!
From my childhood I remember a movie in which I think 0/400 appeared.
I don't remember the title, just a few isolated scenes. I saw the movie sometime in the 70's/80's...
- A bombing flight in such a plane - one of the bombs is only partially released from the launcher, in the cockpit the pilots pass the control to each other "the plane pulls to the right", later during landing, the bomb with its fuse hangs just above the runway.
- Second scene - they observe the suicide attack of a torpedo boat on a German ship from the air. The cutter's crew includes a sailor who is blind or blinded after an accident. The torpedo launcher is damaged.
If anyone remembers what movie it is, I would be grateful if you could remind me of the title.
Mention of the 1700lb bomb was interesting. Toward the end of WW1 a 3,000lb bomb had also been developed. I saw a picture of this in "AEROPLANE" magazine (I think) which had been re-purposed as a fence-post in a large ceremonial wall somewhere in the UK. I've since tried to find that photo on-line and further details about the bomb itself. Does anyone out there have further information and web-links that can shed further light on this development?
Pirategile glee.
Love it.
Another outstanding video Rex. Thankyou
Thanks Rex
Well done. Get better soon
Do you suppose you’d ever make a playlist sorting all of your aircraft overviews chronologically by the planes’ ages?
aw yes. one of the most hilarious planes in Rise of Flight. I love how it looks like it shouldn't be able to fly.
We love your voice anyway 😅
Excellent thank you
Great video, Rex...👍
Gallipoli no. Syrian campaign yes. The pilot Ross Smith was later to pilot the first flight to Australia. He was T E Lawrence's pilot of choice. HE ended the war as Captain Ross Smith MC and bar, DFC and 2 bars and AFC.
Excellent vid on a fascinating plane.
Great Job!!
Thank you.
Terrific.
Nice summary!
The German airship raids weren't just over the south coast of England. They went a long way north and inland.
Hehey, this thing gave us 'flutter'. Just for that alone: Gold medal.
What a handsome aircraft
The author Dornford Yates (real name Cecil William Mercer) wrote about a trip in an [unspecified] Handley Page in his book The Courts of Idleness. Just after the Armistice, the hero cadges a joy-ride for himself and his girlfriend flying out of Abbasiya [Abbassia in Western Cairo]. He ends up crouched on a petrol tin in the front gunner's cockpit [which is what they were then called]. They have to do a forced landing near Mena...I believe that this is autobiographical, as the author's great friend, and best man at his wedding, was RAF bomber pilot Captain Geoffrey St George Steddall.
We need a video about whatever that disaster with the bent landing gear was.
I am imagining Flight-Captain Roger Smith standing at the edge of the airfield...
"Type O! Action!"
And the plane rises from a hidden tunnel under the runway.
I kept hearing "Typo" when you called it by name, so I was hoping that one was named something like "Airplne"
A priest, a minister and a rabbit go into a blood bank; the rabbit says, "I think there's been a typo."
"I think I'm a type O"...
Am I right in thinking that there was a pic of a Vickers V 1500 with its four tractor/pusher engines that somehow got in amongst the images of 0/100 and 0/400's?
Hi Malcolm of the sharp-eyes! I watched it all through without seeing that! Your reply made me look again more closely and I found them at 2 and 7 minutes. That's H-P V/1500 by the way, being developed from the O-400 had an otherwise similar appearance with increased span and added tail gunner, the latter not being seen in the video frames. I suppose the one seen at 7 min might have been a modified O-400 test bed for the engine installation? Or other transitional development type? It had the O-400 rear fuselage - the V/1500 rear fuselage was much deeper.
7:18 Is that an Iron Cross on the fuselage?
I always thought this replaced the Vimy as it looks rather more "modern" ish then the Vimy
When I saw the title of this video, I wondered if it was a description from test pilots of the airplane's landing characteristics.
Video is good, I like 👍
Surprising to see it with a Maltese cross...
My grandfather flew these towards the end of WW1
I seem to recall that there was a bigger brother to the O-400 which was the four-engined O-1500?
V/1500. Not many built; one of the largest aircraft of its time.
Did the Type Os have any useful single-engine performance?