Set out below is a description of what it was like to fly in a Halifax bomber by a Halifax navigator.
WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO FLY IN A HALIFAX BOMBER?
Set out below is a description of what it was like to fly in a Halifax bomber by a
Halifax navigator.
During the second world war, 1939 - 1945, there were 28,000 Australian aircrew who
trained to fly operations against the Axis Powers, of whom Germany was the most
forbidding. 14,000 of those aircrew sent overseas did not return to Australia. Of those
who did return the great majority suffered some physical misfortunes. They were the risks
we undertook when volunteering and they were risks most of us understood right from the
beginning in order to protect our country. It was called LOYALTY.
At the outset none of us knew into which theatre of war we would be sent nor the types
of aircraft we would fly. Even when we were despatched overseas and when we were formed
into crews, ahead was all riddles. Mates with whom we trained were sent off to Lancaster,
Mosquito, Wellington and other aggressive squadrons. My crew went to an all-Austalian
Halifax Bomber Squadron based in Driffield, Yorkshire.
As a navigator/observor, my windowless preserve was about a metre by a metre,
approximately the same size as in a Lancaster but much smaller than in a B-17 Flying
Fortress of the USAAF or in our own Mosquitor bombers. In my small area there was crowded
a G-set and a H2S television-type screen side by side; both an air-speed and a
ground-speed indicator, a compass, a Dead-Reckoner, an oxygen and an intercom plug side by
side, a chart rack and a pencil rack, an overhead fluorescent light located just above my
head plus a formica desk top - all a designer's dream, an experienced mechanic's
nightmare. As much as possible was bolted down because the extreme movements in defence
were violent and unpredictable.
The bomb-aimer lay prone for most of our journeys, his main concern was protecting his
Sperry Bombsight. The Wireless Operator sat unmoving in his seat, watching the many dials
for his radios. The engineers main job was to keep check on our petrol tanks and supplies.
The pilot had his array of dials to check and to ensure our Halibag flew straight and
level, kept to the prescribed course and air-speed, kept in touch with the others in our
1000-bomber raids, could see the exhaust glows of 4000 motors all forcing ahead with him
each at their own allotted heights and airspeeds wihtin a 'box' only 50 feet apart up,
down and side to side. The mid-upper gunner was in his swinging turret, his 4 machine guns
always ready, likewise the tail gunner had to keep watch with his four guns located ready
for aggressive action at all times.
Release of our bombload was affected by the grinding open of the bomb-bay doors at the
instigation of the bomb-aimer. These bombs had been loaded in a special sequence so as to
cause maximum danage on landing. The bombadier's duty was to guide the aircraft along a
track between two hair-lines on his sights right up to the target. These were the most
vulnerable moments of the flight could cause the bombs to be delivered far away from the
target area. We had to photograph our bomb results and every other crew on the raid was
able to see our as well as their own. We took pride in securing the best results possible
because our results went to other squadrons too. There was great competition to have the
best pictures possible and win the monthly award.
We carried lesser bombloads than the 'Lancaster' over shorter distances but into more heavily defended target areas such as industrially-strong Ruhr Valley where the Germans defended their heavy industries with all their might.
HALIFAX - The best long-distance heavy bomber ever made.
Contributed by Mr Lawrens Adair 466 RAAF Squadron.