80-502: Charles Lovell may refer to: Bernard Lovell (Charles Bernard Lovell, 1913–2012), English physicist Charles C. Lovell (1929–2023), United States federal judge Charles Henry Lovell (1854–1916), farmer, lumber merchant and political figure in Quebec Charles Lovell (trade unionist) (1923–2014), British trade union leader Chuck Lovell (born c. 1973 ), chief of
160-569: A Lancaster's 154. Harris continued to have a poor opinion of the Halifax, despite the fact that later Hercules-engined machines had lower loss rates and higher crew survival rates after abandoning the aircraft than Lancasters, and came very close to the Lancaster's speed and altitude performance. The Halifax was progressively outnumbered in front-line service over occupied Europe as more Lancasters became available from 1943 onwards; many squadrons converted to
240-554: A heavy bomber, wings mounting two pairs of engines required additional testing at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE). A stronger wing also required additional strengthening of the overall aircraft structure, increasing design weight. In February 1937, following consideration of the designs, the Air Ministry selected Avro's submission, with Handley Page's bid chosen as "second string". Accordingly, during April 1937,
320-427: A high priority; these targets were attacked right up until the end of the war. According to Moyes, within the final few months, bomber losses had fallen to all-time lows while raids were frequently regarded as having been highly successful. During the final months of the war the improved Halifax Mk.VI and Mk.VII were introduced. In particular, these models had been 'tropicalised' with an eye towards their potential use in
400-473: A larger D type fin (40% bigger) and modified rudder. The Mk.III Halifax had satisfactory stability in all axes, and in fact were more stable in a dive than a Lancaster. A Lancaster tended to go deeper into a dive whereas a Halifax had to be forced to stay in the dive as the speed increased, i.e. it naturally flew out of a dive. Owing to a shortage of Messier-built landing gear and hydraulics , Dowty -built landing gear were used on some aircraft instead. As it
480-521: A lethal radiation dose because he was head of the Jodrell Bank space telescope when it was also being used as part of an early warning system for Soviet nuclear attacks . He wrote a full account of the incident which, at his determination, was only published after his death. In 1958, Lovell was invited by the BBC to deliver the annual Reith Lectures , a series of six radio broadcasts called The Individual and
560-732: A major component of Bomber Command , performing strategic bombing missions against the Axis Powers , primarily at night. Arthur Harris , the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Bomber Command, described the Halifax as inferior to the rival Lancaster (in part due to its smaller payload) though this opinion was not shared by many of the crews that flew it. Nevertheless, production of the Halifax continued until April 1945. During their service with Bomber Command, Halifaxes flew 82,773 operations and dropped 224,207 long tons (227,805 t) of bombs, while 1,833 aircraft were lost. The Halifax
640-436: A million gallons of petrol was delivered to Brussels in support of the advancing Second Army , then engaged in heavy fighting at Arnhem . During the latter half of 1944, the bombing of German-held oil facilities became a major priority of the offensive. On 27 August, a force of 216 Halifax bombers, alongside smaller numbers of de Havilland Mosquitos and Lancasters and a sizable escort of Supermarine Spitfires , conducted
720-417: A raid on Nuremberg on the night of 30/31 March 1944. Barton continued to fly the Halifax while other crew members bailed out. He was killed in the aircraft's crash-landing, but the remaining crew survived due to his actions. Large numbers of Halifax bombers were also operated by Coastal Command , which used it to conduct anti submarine warfare , reconnaissance and meteorological operations. The Halifax
800-413: A range of 1,860 miles (2,990 km). The defensive armaments included power-assisted gun turrets in various positions located across the aircraft. Different models of the Halifax used different numbers and combinations of turrets, effectively trading speed for firepower and vice versa. The bomb aimer's position was in the extreme nose with the navigator's table located behind it, both roles fulfilled by
880-445: A shortage of Merlins with two stage superchargers production of the B Mk.IV was not proceeded with. The definitive version of the Halifax was the B Mk.VI, powered by the 1,800 hp (1,300 kW) Hercules 100. The final bomber version, the Mk.VII, reverted to the less powerful Hercules XVI. However, these variants were produced in relatively small quantities. The remaining variants were
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#1732881341869960-511: A twin-engine heavy-medium bomber suitable for "world-wide use". Further requirements of the specification included the use of a mid-mounted cantilever monoplane wing and all-metal construction, and encouraged use of the Rolls-Royce Vulture engine then in development. In response, Handley Page produced the twin-engine H.P.56 design to meet Specification P.13/36. Handley Page aircraft designer George Volkert had responsibility for
1040-543: A wider wing span with rounded wing tips. With the coming of the MkIII the Halifax's performance finally matched that of the Lancaster though the latter had a larger bomb load and could take larger bombs. The B.VI Halifax's performance improved still further with a cruising speed of 265 mph (426 km/h) and a maximum speed (in 'Full Speed' supercharger mode) of 309 mph (497 km/h) at 19,500 ft (5,900 m). Halifax crews, though admittedly not unbiased, considered
1120-410: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Bernard Lovell Sir Alfred Charles Bernard Lovell OBE FRS ( / ˈ l ʌ v əl / LUV -əl ; 31 August 1913 – 6 August 2012) was an English physicist and radio astronomer. He was the first director of Jodrell Bank Observatory , from 1945 to 1980. Lovell
1200-631: The Atlantic Wall defences along the French coast with a reportedly high degree of accuracy. Other common targets were enemy communications and the launch sites for V-1 flying bombs . Bombing activity became increasingly brazen throughout late 1944 as the Luftwaffe became incapable of putting up effective opposition against allied air forces. The Halifax also found itself being increasingly tasked with transport duties around this time; in one instance, around half
1280-655: The French Air Force and the Royal Pakistan Air Force . The type also entered commercial service for a number of years, used mainly as a freighter . A dedicated civil transport variant, the Handley Page Halton, was also developed and entered airline service; 41 civil Halifax freighters were used during the Berlin Airlift . In 1961, the last remaining Halifax bombers were retired from operational use. In
1360-509: The Frisian Islands of the North Sea . While the type continued to fly operations after this, these were primarily diversions to other operations and sporadic, uncoordinated attacks against targets of opportunity . Upon the end of the conflict, Bomber Command quickly disbanded the majority of its Halifax-equipped squadrons; the aircraft themselves were transferred to Transport Command. During
1440-566: The German battleship Scharnhorst . At the end of 1941, the Halifax was withdrawn from daylight bombing operations after intensifying fighter opposition had increased the casualty rates to unsustainable levels. In the second half of 1942, No. 35 Squadron and four other squadrons were selected to form the Pathfinder Force , later expanded to become No. 8 Group . Pathfinder crews flying the Halifax would mark routes and identify and mark targets for
1520-556: The Pacific War against the Empire of Japan . While some of these Mk.VI and Mk.VII machines were deployed to the theatre, they played little meaningful role as the war ended before larger numbers could be brought to bear against Japanese forces. On 25 April 1945, the Halifax performed its last major operation against the enemy in WWII during an attack upon coastal gun batteries on Wangerooge in
1600-517: The QinetiQ site in Malvern is also named after him, as was the fictional scientist Bernard Quatermass , the hero of several BBC Television science-fiction serials of the 1950s, whose first name was chosen in honour of Lovell. In 1937, Lovell married Mary Joyce Chesterman (d. 1993) and they had two sons and three daughters. In later life Lovell was physically very frail; he lived in quiet retirement in
1680-708: The RAF Bomber Command Memorial in London , which was unveiled in 2012. A number of former RAF Halifax C.8s were sold from 1945 and used as freighters by a number of mostly British airlines. In 1948, 41 civilian Halifax freighters were used during the Berlin Air Lift , operating 4,653 sorties carrying freight and 3,509 carrying bulk diesel fuel. Nine aircraft were lost during the airlift. The low-cost airline business pioneer Freddie Laker bought and serviced war-surplus Halifaxes for Bond Air Services operations in
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#17328813418691760-562: The 1930s, the Royal Air Force (RAF) was primarily interested in twin-engine bombers . These designs put significant demands on engine production and maintenance, both of which were already stretched with the introduction of many new types of aircraft into service. Power limitations were so serious that the British invested heavily in the development of huge engines in the 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) class to improve performance. However, during
1840-449: The Air Ministry ordered two prototypes of each design. The introduction of the successful P.13/36 candidates was delayed by orders for Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley and Vickers Wellington bombers. In mid-1937, it was decided to order both the Avro 679 and H.P.56 designs "off the drawing board" in order to speed up delivery timetables. During July 1937, Handley Page was instructed to redesign
1920-577: The British isles. The Halifax was produced in large numbers during the war and over 40%, or 4,046 of the 10,018 heavy bombers produced in Britain between 1940 and 1944 were Halifaxes. In all, 6,178 Halifaxes were built, the last delivered in April 1945. At the peak, 41 separate factories and dispersed units were involved in production, along with 600 subcontractors and 51,000 employees, with one Halifax completed every hour. The first English Electric-built aircraft
2000-550: The H.P.56 to use four engines. The Vulture had already been suffering reliability and performance problems. The rival Avro 679 proceeded into service as the Avro Manchester powered by a pair of Vulture engines, but was only built in limited quantities after suffering substantially from engine-related difficulties. The four-engine redesign increased its wingspan from 88 ft (27 m) to 99 ft (30 m) and added 13,000 pounds (5,900 kg) of weight. In September 1937,
2080-472: The Halifax C Mk.VIII, an unarmed transport that was fitted with an 8,000 lb (3,600 kg) cargo pannier instead of a bomb bay, which could accommodate a maximum of 11 passengers and the Mk A IX paratroop transport, which had space for up to 16 paratroopers and their equipment. A transport/cargo version of the Halifax was also produced, known as the Handley Page Halton . The Handley Page Halifax
2160-457: The Halifax Mk.II Series IA and from the Mk.III onwards, the nose turret was deleted; instead the bomb-aimer occupied a streamlined perspex nose containing a single hand-held machine gun. On later-built aircraft, the two-gun dorsal turret was replaced by a four-gun Boulton Paul turret. The maximum bomb load was 14,500 lb (6,600 kg), which was primarily carried in a bomb bay housed within
2240-424: The Halifax around the same time, and would go on to operate it in each of its 14 squadrons, although it was never solely equipped with the type. At its peak strength, Bomber Command operated a total of 76 Halifax-equipped squadrons. While the early-built models of the Halifax were heavily used by Bomber Command and made valuable contributions to operations, the aircraft's performance was considered unsatisfactory for
2320-511: The Handley Page Halifax entered service with No. 35 Squadron at RAF Linton-on-Ouse . Its operational debut occurred on the night of 10–11 March 1941, when six Halifax bombers flew a bombing raid against Le Havre , targeting the area around the docks and any shipping that might be present. The existence of the Halifax was not officially acknowledged until July 1941, after it was used in a daylight attack on La Pallice , France , against
2400-513: The Hercules-powered Halifax was available in quantity and quickly proved to have superior performance in the face of German fighter defences. Early on, Air Chief Marshal Arthur Harris, head of Bomber Command, was scathing in his criticism of the Halifax's performance in comparison to the new Avro Lancaster , primarily of its bomb-carrying capability: an average Halifax was calculated to drop 100 tons of bombs in its lifetime, compared to
2480-408: The Lancaster. Production of the Halifax continued, supposedly because it was more efficient to keep building it than to stop its production and convert to building another aircraft. But any new facilities were devoted to the Lancaster. Harris's view of the Halifax changed sometime after spring 1942. On 2 June 1942, in a response to a telegram sent by Frederick Handley Page, congratulating Harris on
Charles Lovell - Misplaced Pages Continue
2560-401: The Lancaster. On average 25% of Halifax and Stirling crews successfully bailed out from a damaged aeroplane, but only 15% did so from Lancasters. The pilot sat on the left side in the cockpit above the wireless operator. The flight engineer filled in as a co-pilot, seated on a folding seat to the right of the pilot, during crucial manoeuvres such as take-off. Aft of the pilot and set lower than
2640-572: The Main Force. Effective marking greatly increased the accuracy and destructive power of Bomber Command. As a Pathfinder and Main Force aircraft, the Halifax was a core part of the bombing offensive against Germany and its Axis allies. By the end of 1943, No. 4 Group had been entirely equipped with the Halifax, and would continue to operate the aircraft until the end of the war. No. 6 Group , formed of Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) squadrons, also adopted
2720-659: The Merlin engine did not suit the Halifax as much as the Hercules (fitted from the Mk.III on) which suited the Halifax better both aerodynamically and power wise. The Halifax Mk.I was quickly followed by 25 of the Mk.I Series II; these featured an increased gross weight from 58,000 lb (26 t) to 60,000 lb (27 t) but with maximum landing weight unchanged at 50,000 lb (23 t). The Halifax Mk.I Series III featured increased fuel capacity (1,882 imp gal (8,560 L; 2,260 US gal), and larger oil coolers,
2800-616: The Ministry specified the use of four Rolls-Royce Merlin engines; according to aviation author Phillip J. R. Moyes, this redesign to four Merlin engines was done "much against the company's wishes". Towards the end of the year, a full size mock-up was assessed and production of a pair of H.P.57 prototypes commenced in March 1938. Further design modifications resulted in the definitive aircraft, now considerably enlarged and powered by four 1,280 hp (950 kW) Rolls-Royce Merlin X engines. Such
2880-419: The Mk.I aircraft. Aircraft of the first batch of fifty Mk.I Halifaxes were designated Mk.I Series I. Handley Page were initially disappointed with the performance of the Halifax which was below their predictions, much of this was because they had under estimated the aircraft's drag. The Mk.III Halifax had a wider span of 103 ft 8 in (31.60 m) and had significantly improved performance. Arguably
2960-543: The MkIII Halifax to be the equal of any other bomber, including the Lancaster, and further improved versions (with more powerful Hercules engines) to be superior to all. The improvement in the Halifax MKIII's performance could be measured objectively. In 1943 4 Group's Halifax squadrons flew 11,607 sorties for a loss of 485 aircraft, a loss rate of 4.2%. Halifax MKIII production started in early Autumn 1943 and for 1944, when
3040-525: The MkIII constituted an increasing percentage of the Halifax force, 4 Group flew 25,454 sorties for a loss of 402 aircraft, a loss rate of 1.6%. The Halifax B Mk.IV was a converted B Mk.II non-production design using the Rolls-Royce Merlin 65 engine with a two-stage supercharger and a four bladed propeller fitted. This resulted in an increase in top speed by 60 mph (97 km/h) to 324 mph (521 km/h) at 19,000 ft (5,800 m). Due to
3120-534: The Portland, Oregon Police Bureau [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charles_Lovell&oldid=1187682277 " Category : Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
3200-575: The RPAF Commanders decided not to enlarge the Halifax fleet too much. These airplanes were later transferred to the newly raised No. 12 Squadron PAF, where they were only used in emergency situations. Gradually, they were transferred to long term storage and were later scrapped. In September 1997 Halifax 57 Rescue of Canada excavated Halifax LW682 from a bog near the River Dender in Belgium . The plane
3280-773: The Universe , in which he examined the history of enquiry into the solar system and the origin of the universe. In 1959, he was invited to deliver the MacMillan Memorial Lecture to the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland . He chose the subject "Radio Astronomy and the Structure of the Universe". In 1965 he was invited to co-deliver the Royal Institution Christmas Lecture on Exploration of
Charles Lovell - Misplaced Pages Continue
3360-684: The Universe . In 1975 he gave the presidential address ( In the Centre of Immensities ) to the British Association meeting in Guildford. Lovell won numerous awards including: Lovell was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences . Beyond professional recognition, Lovell has a secondary school named after him in Oldland Common , Bristol, which he officially opened. A building on
3440-476: The cockpit was flush with the upper fuselage. The Halifax was powered by four engines, two on each wing. Early production Halifax bombers were powered by models of the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine; later aircraft were commonly powered by the larger Bristol Hercules radial engine . To contain and attach the engines to the airframe, Handley Page developed their own design for the power egg instead of using
3520-587: The countryside, surrounded by music, his books and a vast garden filled with trees he planted many decades before. Lovell died at home in Swettenham , Cheshire on 6 August 2012. Handley Page Halifax The Handley Page Halifax is a British Royal Air Force (RAF) four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War . It was developed by Handley Page to the same specification as the contemporary twin-engine Avro Manchester . The Halifax has its origins in
3600-512: The crash in England of a Halifax bomber on a flight to demonstrate the H2S, Lovell aided in the recovery of the H2S's highly secret (and nearly indestructible) cavity magnetron from the plane's wreckage. All 11 on board were killed, including a number of his colleagues, notably EMI engineer Alan Blumlein . Despite the tragedy, Lovell resumed his work as the government considered the H2S radar critical to
3680-518: The design. Other candidates were submitted for the same specification, including the Avro 679 , and designs from Fairey , Boulton Paul and Shorts . All submissions used two engines, using the Rolls-Royce Vulture, Napier Sabre , Fairey P.24 or Bristol Hercules engines. All of these engines were under development and while four-engined bomber designs were considered for specification B.12/36 for
3760-639: The first major daylight operation by Bomber Command against a target inside Germany that year, attacking the oil refinery at Homberg on the Ruhr . In spite of heavy fire from anti-aircraft defenses , no bombers were downed and the refinery was severely damaged in places. Attacks upon oil production facilities throughout Germany would become commonplace within the remaining months of the war. The only Victoria Cross to be awarded to any Halifax pilot went to Cyril J. Barton of No. 578 Squadron for displaying great gallantry in bringing his heavily damaged aircraft back after
3840-423: The first prototype Halifax, serial number L7244 , was performed by chief test pilot Jim Cordes with E A 'Ginger' Wright as flight test observer on 25 October 1939. During this flight, the undercarriage was locked down as a safety precaution. On 17 August 1940, the first flight of the second prototype, L7245 , now complete with full armament and operational equipment, was made from Radlett Aerodrome . The H.P.57
3920-428: The fuselage, divided into six separate bomb compartments, with three bomb compartments in the inboard sections of each wing; this division of the payload between multiple compartments limited the maximum size of the individual bombs which could be completely enclosed to 2,000 lb (910 kg); when carrying the 4,000lb and 8,000lb high capacity (HC) bombs the bomb bay doors could not close fully. In November 1940,
4000-482: The involvement of several other companies in addition to Handley Page. The resulting Halifax Group was established to oversee the manufacturing programme, comprising English Electric (who had previously built Handley Page Hampdens ), various firms within the London Aircraft Production Group , Fairey Aviation , and Rootes Motors . Because of this scheme, Halifaxes were manufactured at sites across
4080-580: The last military user of the type. In 1947, the RPAF inherited two Halifax bombers from the RAF which were later heavily used during the 1st Kashmir War in 1948. RPAF Halifaxes flew several sorties in support of Pakistani and Kashmiri forces (notably in the Battle of Skardu ) during which they conducted night-time Airdrop missions. After the war, six ex-RAF Halifax-BVIs were purchased in 1949. Due to their high operational costs,
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#17328813418694160-617: The late 1930s, none of these engines were ready for production. Meanwhile, the United States, France, Germany and the Soviet Union were developing bombers powered with four engines with favourable results, including excellent range and lifting capacity. Accordingly, in 1936, the RAF decided to investigate the feasibility of a four-engined bomber. During the mid-1930s, the British Air Ministry released Specification P.13/36 , seeking
4240-432: The latter capacity, each Halifax was built from various sub-assemblies. Surface panels were flush- riveted , although the matt black night bomber camouflage negated its benefit. Handley Page built the assemblies and components at Cricklewood and the aircraft were assembled and flown from Radlett Aerodrome . The first production aircraft flew from Radlett on 11 October 1940. The sizeable production run envisioned required
4320-506: The latter of which having been adopted in order to accommodate the Merlin XX engine. A dorsally-mounted two-gun Boulton Paul Type C turret replaced the beam guns. Introduction of 1,390 hp (1,040 kW) Merlin XX engines and a twin .303 in (7.7 mm) dorsal turret instead of waist guns resulted in the Halifax B Mk.II Series I. The Mk.II Series I (Special) achieved improved performance via
4400-572: The most part, mainly due to the underpowered Merlin engine, which meant that it could not fly at the higher altitudes needed to avoid enemy fighters, which were becoming increasingly effective throughout 1943. This was answered by the Halifax Mk.III, which was powered by Bristol Hercules radial engines in place of the Merlins. Introduced into service in November 1943, the Mk.III was first delivered to No. 433 Squadron and No. 466 Squadron . By January 1944,
4480-486: The piano. He had a Methodist upbringing and attended Kingswood Grammar School . Lovell studied physics at the University of Bristol obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in 1934, and a PhD in 1936 for his work on the electrical conductivity of thin films. At this time, he also received lessons in music from Raymond Jones, a teacher at Bath Technical School and later an organist at Bath Abbey . The church organ
4560-400: The pilot was the flight engineer 's compartment with controls on the bulkhead. Another compartment aft of the flight engineer contained two bunks originally intended for resting crew members, but almost always used for treating and berthing injured crew. This area led to the two-gun dorsal turret. The tail gunner occupied a four-gun turret at the extreme aft end of the aircraft. Starting with
4640-473: The removal of the nose and dorsal turrets. The Halifax Mk.II Series IA was fitted with a moulded Perspex nose (this nose became standard upon future Halifax variants), a four-gun Boulton Paul Type A dorsal turret similar to that used in the Boulton Paul Defiant , and Merlin 22 engines. The rudder overbalance / directional instability with engine(s) out problem was solved on the Mk.III with the fitting of
4720-518: The same crew member. Above the navigator's position was the forward gun turret. The wireless (radio) operator was behind the navigator's position, separated by a half-width partition. On the floor just behind the front turret (or later the nose) was the escape hatch. This was 24 in × 26.5 in (61 cm × 67 cm), the same size as the Stirling, and slightly larger than the 22 in × 26.5 in (56 cm × 67 cm) for
4800-498: The start of 1944, compared to 1,966 Halifax Mk.IIs. The most numerous Halifax variant was the much improved B Mk.III of which 2,091 were built. First appearing in 1943, the Mk.III featured the Perspex nose and modified tail of the Mk.II Series IA but replaced the Merlin with the more powerful 1,650 hp (1,230 kW) Bristol Hercules XVI radial engine . Other changes included the adoption of de Havilland Hydromatic propellers and
4880-503: The success of the first 1000 bomber Cologne raid , he stated: "My Dear Handley Page. We much appreciate your telegram of congratulation on Saturday night's work, the success of which was very largely due to your support in giving us such a powerful weapon to wield. Between us we will make a job of it." Following the invasion of Europe in 1944, the Halifax resumed daylight bombing operations, performing semi-tactical strikes upon enemy troop concentrations, gun emplacements, and strongpoints of
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#17328813418694960-691: The then-largest steerable radio telescope in the world, which now bears his name: the Lovell Telescope . Over 50 years later, it remains a productive radio telescope, now operated mostly as part of the MERLIN and European VLBI Network interferometric arrays of radio telescopes. In 2009, Lovell claimed he had been the subject of a Cold War assassination attempt during a 1963 visit to the Soviet Deep-Space Communication Centre ( Eupatoria ). He alleged that his hosts tried to kill him with
5040-405: The twin-engine H.P.56 proposal of the late 1930s, produced in response to the British Air Ministry 's Specification P.13/36 for a capable medium bomber for "world-wide use." The H.P.56 was ordered as a backup to the Avro 679, both aircraft being designed to use the Rolls-Royce Vulture engine. The Handley Page design was altered to use four Rolls-Royce Merlin engines while the rival Avro 679
5120-533: The type's service with Bomber Command, Halifaxes flew 82,773 operations and dropped 224,207 tons of bombs. 1,833 aircraft were lost. By 1947, the majority of Halifax bombers were deemed to be surplus and scrapped. The Halifax remained in widespread service with Coastal Command and RAF Transport Command , Royal Egyptian Air Force and the Armée de l'Air until early 1952. The Royal Pakistan Air Force however continued operating them up till 1961, thus Pakistan became
5200-525: The typical, slimmer Rolls-Royce counterpart; despite generating increased drag, this in-house design was readily adaptable to the alternative Hercules engine on later aircraft. Each engine drove a Rotol -built compressed wood constant-speed propeller , enabling the Halifax B.I to attain a maximum speed of 265 mph (426 km/h) at 17,500 ft (5,300 m). With a typical payload of 5,800 lb (2,600 kg) of bombs and 2,242 imp gal (10,190 L; 2,693 US gal) of fuel, it had
5280-621: The war effort. At the end of the Second World War, Lovell attempted to continue his studies of cosmic rays with an ex-military radar detector unit, but suffered much background interference from the electric trams on Manchester's Oxford Road . He moved his equipment to a more remote location, one which was free from such electrical interference, and where he established the Jodrell Bank Observatory , near Goostrey in Cheshire. It
5360-544: The war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing. Specialised versions of the Halifax were developed for troop transport and paradrop operations. After the Second World War, the RAF quickly retired the Halifax, the type being succeeded as a strategic bomber by the Avro Lincoln , an advanced derivative of the Lancaster. During the post-war years, the Halifax was operated by the Royal Egyptian Air Force ,
5440-424: Was a mostly orthodox design, a mid-wing monoplane with a tail unit featuring twin fins and rudders . The Halifax featured all-metal construction with a smooth, stressed skin covering the majority of the exterior surfaces; the flight control surfaces were an exception, being fabric-covered instead. The slab-sided fuselage contained a 22-foot bomb bay , which contained the majority of the Halifax's payload, while
5520-472: Was also flown in large numbers by other Allied and Commonwealth nations, such as the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), and Free French Air Force . Various improved versions of the Halifax were introduced, incorporating more powerful engines, a revised defensive turret layout and increased payload. It remained in service with Bomber Command until the end of
5600-532: Was an outpost of the university's botany department and had been a searchlight station during the war. In the course of his experiments, he was able to show that radar echoes could be obtained from daytime meteor showers as they entered the Earth's atmosphere and ionised the surrounding air. He was later able to determine the orbits of meteors in annual meteor showers to show they were in solar orbit and not of interstellar origin. With university funding, he constructed
5680-520: Was born at Oldland Common , Bristol , in 1913, the son of local tradesman and Methodist preacher Gilbert Lovell (1881–1956) and Emily Laura, née Adams. Gilbert Lovell was an "authority on the Bible" and, having "studied English literature and grammar", was still "bombarding his son with complaints on points of grammar, punctuation and method of speaking" when Lovell was in his forties. Lovell's childhood hobbies and interests included cricket and music, mainly
5760-578: Was flown from Samlesbury on 15 August 1941. The first production standard Halifax, the Mk.I, had a 22 ft (6.7 m) long bomb bay and six wing bomb cells, and could carry a 13,000 lb (5,900 kg) load. Defensive armament consisted of two .303 in (7.70 mm) Browning machine guns in a Boulton Paul Type C nose turret , with an additional four in a Boulton Paul Type E tail turret . Some aircraft included two additional .303 in (7.70 mm) Vickers K machine guns in beam (side, or "waist") positions. Subtle modifications distinguished
5840-752: Was given the service name Halifax upon acceptance. This name followed the practice of naming heavy bombers after major towns, which in this case was Halifax in Yorkshire . In September 1941, a production Halifax Mk.I participated in an official naming ceremony of the type, officiated by Lord Halifax and Lady Halifax. Series production of the Halifax began at Handley Page's factory at Cricklewood and at English Electric 's site in Samlesbury , Lancashire . In order to speed up production, Handley Page implemented several new manufacturing techniques, including two pioneering approaches: photo- lofting and split construction. In
5920-471: Was heavily used to deploy mines in the vicinity of enemy-held ports. It served increasingly in other support capacities as the war progressed, being used as a glider tug, an electronic warfare aircraft for No. 100 Group and to conduct special operations, such as parachuting agents and arms into occupied Europe , for the Special Operations Executive (SOE). As a glider tug the Halifax
6000-740: Was incompatible with the Messier equipment, this led to these Halifax bombers being given new designations: a Mark II built with Dowty gear was the Mark V. The use of castings rather than forgings in the Dowty undercarriage had resulted in an increased production rate but had also led to a reduced landing weight of 40,000 lb (18,000 kg). The Halifax Mark V were manufactured by Rootes Group at Speke and Fairey at Stockport ; operationally, these were generally used by Coastal Command and for training purposes. Some 904 had been built when Mark V production ended at
6080-549: Was one of the main loves of his life, apart from science. Lovell worked in the cosmic ray research team at the University of Manchester until the outbreak of the Second World War . At the beginning of the war, Lovell published his first book, Science and Civilization . During the war he worked for the Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE) developing radar systems to be installed in aircraft, among them H2S . In June 1942, following
6160-405: Was part of RCAF 426 Squadron, and had been shot down near Geraardsbergen during a raid on Leuven, Belgium on 12 May 1944. During the excavation, the bodies of three crew members were recovered and later given proper burial. Several items from the plane were used in restoration of NA337, while other items were transferred to museums. The airframe was melted down and used to construct the ceiling of
6240-588: Was produced as the twin-engine Avro Manchester which, while regarded as unsuccessful mainly due to the Vulture engine, was a direct predecessor of the Avro Lancaster . Both the Lancaster and the Halifax emerged as capable four-engine strategic bombers , thousands of which were used during the War. The Halifax performed its first flight on 25 October 1939, and entered service with the RAF on 13 November 1940. It quickly became
6320-513: Was superior to the Lancaster, the Halifax Mk.III's 59,400 lb (26,900 kg) "tug weight at take off" was higher than a Lancaster Mk.II's 52,800 lb (23,900 kg). Throughout early 1945, the Halifax was frequently dispatched against cities within the German homeland, including Hannover , Magdeburg , Stuttgart , Cologne , Münster , Osnabrück and others. During these months, infrastructure such as oil facilities and railways were given
6400-636: Was the promise of the new model that, in January 1938, the RAF chose to place their first production order for the type, ordering 100 Mk.I Halifaxes "off the drawing board", at which point the serials which had already been assigned to the H.P.56 were switched to the H.P.57. The first prototype was built at Handley Page's facility in Cricklewood , London , It was then dismantled and transported by road to RAF Bicester (the nearest non-operational RAF airfield with suitable facilities) for reassembly. The first flight of
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