Halifax Parts

Thanks hindenburg, that completes in a bit of detail not made clear on the diagram.

RG475 Chemnitz March 1945

the loss of this a/c exemplifies the great debt of gratitude we all owe to the RCAF .

on this particular operation (to CHEMNITZ) take-off time from the RCAF bases in E Yorks coincided with very inclement freezing conditions and nine HALIFAX a/c crashed soon after leaving their airfields (Tholthorpe and Linton) – literally falling out of the sky .

as richard koval wryly comments on his website www.6grouprcaf.com/March45 ‘There was severe icing over England and this was a factor in most of the crashes. ‘

the attack , by 760 a/c (including 256 Halifaxes) , was a continuation of OPERATION THUNDERCLAP , implementing promises made at YALTA to support the Russians on the Eastern Front .

Can anyone help identify the Halifax parts in these pictures please?
The part in the single photo is 35cm x 19cm, with the words ‘Engaged’ at the top of the slot on the left hand side, and ‘Free’ at the bottom.
The other two photos are of both sides of the same piece (25cm x 25cm).

Last two pictures are missing two fuse boxes if that helps.

This is the best I can do at the moment. Hope they show OK. They were taken in 1966 before the excavation and appear in a local history book about the area during the war – not quite the same as the Hendon Hurricane book, now long out of print.
A little off topic, but on the subject of that Hurricane, last year the BBMF conducted a 70th anniversary commemorative flypast over the crash site. It was videod and ended up on Youtube. For those interested, see

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JipqFSRiMk

Alternatively, type ‘Walton Flypast’ into youtube and go from there. The vehicle flying the flag is the ex RAF Scammell recovery vehicle that pulled the Hurricane from the mud in 1973 – now a working museum piece in its own right.

Any pics taken during the first recovery? The book on the recovery of the RAF Museum Hurricane wreck also mentions this Halifax as well as the recovery.

Cees

Excellent! Glad I could be of help!

Linrey, you were quite right about the other panel – left hand side of gunner, I have just seen a diagram of the internals of the Boulton Paul Type A turret. Many thanks for your input. Job done.

Rather than ‘over the years’, 308 Sqdn ATC conducted a specific excavation in 1973. The aircraft had been ‘salvaged’ in 1945 but large heavy items such as the engines, prop blades & u/c legs were left buried on site, along with an array of smaller fragments such as those in the pictures. A couple of the u/c legs went to Hendon, the engines were very badly corroded and, I believe, were eventually scrapped. Three of the prop blades were made into a memorial erected by the local church, where they still remain.

RG475

RG475 was a Halifax VII flying with 432 Squadron out of EAST MOOR . It was shot down by friendly fire from a coastal battery sited near Walton on the Naze 5-6 March 1945 (Ops Chemnitz) with total loss of life for the 8 man aircrew .
Chorley’s 1945 ‘Losses’ indicates that 308 Squadron ATC had salvaged parts from this Halifax ‘over the years’ .
I wonder if the aircraft parts depicted here were part of this salvage ?
Are there any more photographs of the remains ?

Thanks Linrey, that looks spot on for the first plate. The aircraft was RG475 so that fits for the Mk as well.
Regarding the other plate and looking at the middle photo, I don’t know which is the correct way ‘up’ for the panel, but at top right in the photo is what looks to me like the base of a dimmer switch. Beneath that, and lying to the right of the plate, is a brass lamp holder (with bayonet fitting for a bulb). To the left of the dimmer switch is what could be an on/off switch. Your second suggestion is looking a distinct possibility.

Also, if someone can conjure up some more interior pics of this type turret, I think you will find your electrical panel may have been by the gunner’s left waist… I have a small diagram in a book that suggests ‘Panel Lamp & Switch’.

Actually, looks more like the panel in this photo:

Boulton Paul Type A turret from a Boulton Paul Defiant.

If so, this would make your piece from a Boulton Paul Type A. Mid-Upper Turret (4 gun variety) from a Halifax Mk.II or later.

My guess is turret, possibly rear turret.

The diamond shape in the first pic looks like the hole that the control column would extend through, and the next pics look like it could be a small electrical panel for a turret…

Many thanks. I had been wondering if the switch second in from the right on the first photo might be a feathering switch.

Johnnie

Top left on the 1st picture looks like part of the anti vibration mount for the Blind flying panel and i would say that 2nd from the right on the top row, 2nd picture is part of the signal pistol hand grip.