The second of Britain's four-engined bombers to enter frontline service during World War II (1939-1945), Handley Page's Halifax has forever lived in the shadow of Avro's superb Lancaster. However, it was a Halifax which became the first RAF 'heavy' to drop bombs on Germany when No 35 Sqn raided Hamburg on the night of 12/13 March 1941. Between 1941-45, the Halifax completed some 75,532 sorties [compared with the Lancaster's 156,000] with Bomber Command alone, not to mention its sterling work as both a glider tug and paratroop carrier with the Airborne Forces, maritime patrol mount with Coastal Command and covert intruder with the SOE.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER The "riveting" (National Post) tick-tock account of the largest manmade explosion in history prior to the atomic bomb, and the equally astonishing tales of survival and heroism that emerged from the ashes “Enthralling. ... Gripping. ... A captivating and emotionally investing journey.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette After steaming out of New York City on December 1, 1917, laden with a staggering three thousand tons of TNT and other explosives, the munitions ship Mont-Blanc fought its way up the Atlantic coast, through waters prowled by enemy U-boats. As it approached the lively port city of Halifax, Mont-Blanc's deadly cargo erupted with the force of 2.9 kilotons of TNT—the most powerful explosion ever visited on a human population, save for HIroshima and Nagasaki. Mont-Blanc was vaporized in one fifteenth of a second; a shockwave leveled the surrounding city. Next came a thirty-five-foot tsunami. Most astounding of all, however, were the incredible tales of survival and heroism that soon emerged from the rubble. This is the unforgettable story told in John U. Bacon's The Great Halifax Explosion: a ticktock account of fateful decisions that led to doom, the human faces of the blast's 11,000 casualties, and the equally moving individual stories of those who lived and selflessly threw themselves into urgent rescue work that saved thousands. The shocking scale of the disaster stunned the world, dominating global headlines even amid the calamity of the First World War. Hours after the blast, Boston sent trains and ships filled with doctors, medicine, and money. The explosion would revolutionize pediatric medicine; transform U.S.-Canadian relations; and provide physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who studied the Halifax explosion closely when developing the atomic bomb, with history's only real-world case study demonstrating the lethal power of a weapon of mass destruction. Mesmerizing and inspiring, Bacon's deeply-researched narrative brings to life the tragedy, bravery, and surprising afterlife of one of the most dramatic events of modern times.
On December 6, 1917, two ships collided in Halifax Harbour. One ship was loaded top to bottom with munitions and one held relief supplies, both intended for wartorn Europe. The resulting blast flattened two towns, Halifax and Dartmouth, and killed nearly 2,000 people. As if that wasn't devastating enough, a blizzard hit the next day, dumping more than a foot of snow on the area and paralyzing much-needed relief efforts. Fascinating, edge-of-your-seat storytelling based on original source material conveys this harrowing account of tragedy and recovery. This thoroughly-researched and documented book can be worked into multiple aspects of the common core curriculum.
The Avro Lancaster was a four-engine heavy bomber used by the RAF in 1942 and, together with the Handley Page Halifax, was the main strategic bomber of the RAF and other air forces of the Commonwealth countries. It was mainly used as a night bomber. Around 7,378 were realized Lancaster (excluding prototypes), 430 of them in Canada and they were lost in action 3,932. The Handley Page Halifax was a major British four-engined heavy bombers, remaining in service until the end of the conflict, with numerous tasks in addition to bombing. Halifax's career began in November 1940 and continued until the end of the war. These four engine, however, continued to operate, albeit in minor roles, until 1954-56. In practice, however, the Lancaster showed better performance and as soon as it was available in sufficient numbers, he replaced the Halifax. The Short S.29 Stirling was a British heavy bomber, the first in its class. Along with Lancaster and the Halifax constitute the three main bombers used by Britain in World War II with capacity of bombs from 6,000 kg to 10,000 kg Bomb Grand Slam, one of the heaviest bombs ever built.
The name Handley-Page had been associated with the building of bomber aircraft since World War 1, thus it was no surprise that in 1936 the British Air Staff awarded the company with a development contract for another new aircraft. Four out of every ten heavy bombers built in Great Britain were Halifaxes, and together with the Avro Lancaster they shared the RAF's strategic night bombing offensive from 1941 through to the ultimate crescendo in 1944. Though perhaps not as shapely as the Lancaster, its deeper and more spacious slab-sided fuselage made it more suitable for a much wider variety of roles. The type served with RAF Bomber Command on high and low level attacks over occupied Europe and Germany, as well as undertaking radar counter-measures. It was used for Coastal Command on anti-submarine and shipping attacks, and also on the much overlooked but critical meteorological duties, such as making the historic D-Day weather analysis. During the war years the Halifax flew 75,532 bombing sorties over Germany dropping over 227,610 tons of bombs. In total 6,176 Halifax machines were built, undergoing continuous development and improvement through the years. Post war, it operated on Transport and Coastal Command duties, and served in Europe, the Middle East and India before finally leaving RAF service in 1953. The Halifax was a much-loved aircraft by the crews who flew in it, as it was able to absorb considerable battle damage and still manage to bring airmen safely back home; it had the highest survival rate for aircrew.Within these pages Ken Merrick has written an immense study of the impressive Handley-Page Halifax, setting out to prove that the type, for its time, was a bomber 'second to none'. This detailed work is the fruit of many years of research, including much new information about the development, design and service of the aircraft, and will be essential reading for aviation modellers and historians worldwide.
"[This book is] an ... examination of how we can respond to suffering, live our fullest lives, and remain open to the full spectrum of our human experience"--Amazon.com.
Traces the 1917 disaster in Nova Scotia during which a collided and grounded ship exploded and devastated the city under circumstances that would later be studied for the making of the atomic bomb, in an account that also describes the subsequent relief mission and trial of the ship's captain. Reprint.
In 1939, Halifax quickly became the country's centre of war activity when Canada declared war on Germany. With its vital naval base and its key role in getting supplies to Great Britain, the city was on a wartime footing for seven long years. Blackouts, enemy ships just offshore, and worries about raids and attacks were part of daily life. So were thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen and merchant seamen who passed through on their way to or from Europe. Wartime Halifax is a visual history of this period. William Naftel has found a treasure trove of archival photos showing the bustling shipyards, construction, convoys and cadets, and neverseen-before images of parades, platoons and personnel. The photos show the dramatic impact of the war on city life -- long lineups at movie theatres, crammed dance halls, and crowded restaurants. Visuals and text convey a unique portrait of a wartime city -- not in far-off Europe but on Canada's east coast. This is a book for anyone with an interest in the history of the Canadians who participated in the Second World War. It is a companion to William Naftel's double award-winning book Halifax at Warpublished in fall 2008.
