From 1936 Dr. Gustav Victor Lachmann concentrated on research with tailless aircraft, starting with the development of the H.P.75 Manx. This was completed in 1939, but Lachmann was interned for the duration of the war, and its development was completed by Godfrey Lee.
The airframe was built by Dart Aircraft of Dunstable, England; the aircraft was finished at Radlett, England. During taxi trials on 12 September 1942, the aircraft flew unintentionally at a height of 12 ft (3.66 m) and was subsequently damaged while landing.
Marked with the ‘Class B’ markings H-0222, the aircraft flew for the first time on 25 June 1943. Handley Page chief test pilot Fit Lt James Talbot flew the small H.P.75 for the first time at the company’s airfield at Radlett in Hertfordshire. Talbot reported that the H.P.75 flew well but had high drag owing to its fixed undercarriage. In 1945 it was designated H.P.75 for the first time.
After modification it flew again, but interest waned and it last flew on April 3, 1946. A total of 31 flights were made till 3 April 1946 (total flight time 17 hr 43 min) when the aircraft was stored and subsequently scrapped in 1952.
Engines: 2 x Gipsy Major Max take-off weight: 1800 kg / 3968 lb Wingspan: 12.2 m / 40 ft 0 in Length: 5.6 m / 18 ft 4 in Wing area: 23 sq.m / 247.57 sq ft Max. speed: 235 km/h / 146 mph
The four engined bombers, the Halifax, Stirling and Lancaster, all originated from a pre war Air Ministry specification. The Handley Page Halifax was first flown on 25 October 1939 from RAF Bicester with four “Merlin X” engines.
Originally designed for two Rolls-Royce Vulture engines, the Halifax eventually flew with four Roll-Royce Merlins.
Prototype with four Merlin 10 engines and no dorsal turret
Entering production in 1939, it was the second British four-engined bomber to enter service in the Second World War, with 35 Squadron on 13 November 1940. The first Halifax raid by the squadron was against le Havre, France, on 10 March 1941. The Halifax was the first to bomb Germany when one took part in a raid on Hamburg on the night of 12-13 March 1941.
The Halifax shared with the Lancaster the major burden of Bomber Command’s night bombing campaign against Nazi Germany but the Halifax was used extensively on other duties including glider-tug, agent dropping transport and general reconnaissance aircraft in Coastal Command.
Halifax B.2 Srs.1A
The Halifax B.2 was powered by Merlin 20 and fitted with a Hudson dorsal turret, and the B.2 Srs.1A with a nose turret.
Halifax B.2 Srs.1A
The B.2 Srs.1A had the nose turret deleted and was fitted with a Defiant dorsal turret.
HP.66 Halifax M.6
The Halifax Mk.6 was powered by Hercules 100 engines, had squared fins, H2S radar and increased span.
However, between 1941 and 1945 the Halifax made 75,532 bombing sorties and dropped 227610 tons (231300 tonnes) of bombs; more than a quarter of all bombs dropped on Germany by the Royal Air Force.
Handley Page Halifax II(III)
The Halifax I and II aircraft were powered by Rolls-Royce Merlin engines and the Halifax III was powered by Bristol Hercules engines. Apart from the role as a heavy bomber, the Halifax III and later versions also served in Coastal Command and in paratrooping and glider towing roles with the Airborne Forces.
Halifax II
Due to mounting losses on Bomber Command operations over Germany Halifax bombers were restricted to less hazardous targets from September 1943.
The Halifax was in the process of being replaced as a front line bomber in 1945 but it continued in service with Coastal and Transport Commands after the war. The last operational flight was made by a Coastal Command Halifax in March 1952 while operating from Gibraltar.
Halifax production totalled 6,178, including 4751 bombers.
During 1946-48 more than 90 Halifax were converted to civil transport Halton variants. The HP.70 Halton were derived from the Halifax C.8 for BOAC immediately after WW2.
Mk.II Engines: 4 x RR Merlin XX. Max speed: 282 mph Range: 1030 miles Crew: 7 Armament: 9 x .303 Browning mg Bomb load: 13,000 lb
Handley Page HP 57 Halifax B Mk III Engines: 4 x Bristol Hercules XVI, 1615 hp Length: 70.079 ft / 21.36 m Height: 20.735 ft / 6.32 m Wingspan: 98 ft 10 in , later 104 ft 2 in / 31.75 m Wing area: 1274.996 sq.ft / 118.45 sq.m Max take off weight: 65012.2 lb / 29484.0 kg Weight empty: 38245.7 lb / 17345.0 kg Max. speed: 245 kts / 454 kph Cruising speed: 187 kts / 346 kph Service ceiling: 23999 ft / 7315 m Cruising altitude: 20013 ft / 6100 m Wing loading: 51.05 lb/sq.ft / 249.0 kg/sq.m Range (max. weight): 895 nm / 1658 km Crew: 7 Armament: 9x cal.303 MG (7,7mm), 5897kg Bomb.
Engines: 4 x Bristol Hercules 100, 1325kW Max take-off weight: 24980-30845 kg / 55072 – 68002 lb Empty weight: 17500 kg / 38581 lb Wingspan: 31.8 m / 104 ft 4 in Length: 21.4 m / 70 ft 3 in Height: 6.3 m / 20 ft 8 in Wing area: 118.5 sq.m / 1275.52 sq ft Max. speed: 502 km/h / 312 mph Ceiling: 7310 m / 24000 ft Range w/max.fuel: 3540 km / 2200 miles Range w/max.payload: 2030 km / 1261 miles Armament: 9 x 7.7mm machine-guns, 6550kg of bombs Crew: 7
The Harrow was one of the RAF’s first monoplane bombers, and though never used in combat by Bomber Command it played a significant part in the training of bomber crews. The Harrow was based on the H.P.51 troop transport, and first flew on 10 October 1936 14 months after 100 had been ordered ‘off the drawing board’.
The Harrow bomber was a cantilever high-wing monoplane with a fixed divided-type landing gear and a twin fin and rudder-type tail unit. Enclosed accommodation was provided for a normal flight crew of four, who were also expected to man the nose turret, tail turret and mid-upper gun position.
The 38 Harrow Mk I bombers had the 619-kW (830-hp) Pegasus X radial, and were followed by the 62 Harrow Mk IIs with 689kW Pegasus XX engines and improved defensive armament. Production ended in December 1937, 11 months after the type had begun to enter service with No. 214 Squadron. By the time production ceased another four squadrons (Nos 37, 75, 115 and 215) had equipped with the type, and with some Whitley squadrons these formed Bomber Command’s main strength until well into 1939. At the outbreak of war the type was retired to the transport role and tested as an in-flight refuelling tanker circa 1939.
Engines: 2 x Bristol Pegasus XX, 690kW / 925 hp Wingspan: 26.95 m / 88 ft 5 in Length: 25.04 m / 82 ft 2 in Height: 5.92 m / 19 ft 5 in Wing area: 101.26 sq.m / 1089.95 sq ft Max take-off weight: 10433 kg / 23001 lb Empty weight: 6169 kg / 13600 lb Max. speed: 174 kts / 322 km/h / 200 mph at 10,000ft Cruise speed: 141 kts / 262 km/h / 163 mph Service Ceiling: 6950 m / 22800 ft Range: 1086 nm / 2010 km / 1249 miles Armament: 4 x 7.7mm / 0.303 machine-guns, 1360kg (3,000 lb) bombs Crew: 6
Gustav Lachmann took on the technical development of modern methods of aerodynamics and metal construction. His ideas were also incorporated into the H.P.52 Hampden.
Built initially to Air Ministry Specification B.9/32, the Handley Page HP52 prototype, K4240, made its first flight on June 21, 1936.
Of conventional all-metal stressed-skin construction, the Hampden’s thick-section mid-set monoplane wings tapered both in chord and thickness. Handley Page slots on the leading edge of the wing outer panels, plus trailing-edge flaps, made possible a low landing speed. Accommodation was provided for a crew of four. Accommodation was provided for a crew of four. The fuselage was on 36in wide at its widest point.
Seven weeks after the first flight, the design was put into production, and the first examples entered RAF service in the autumn of 1938, 49 Squadron being the first unit to fully reequip with the type. By September 3, 1939, the RAF possessed a total of 212 Hampdens (ten squadrons, including reserves) which represented almost 25% of Bomber Command’s offensive first-line bomber strength. Hampdens flew on operational sorties from the first day of the war, and during the first few months suffered high casualties in unescorted daylight bombing attacks against naval targets along the German coastline.
During operations, the Hampden proved to have serious deficiencies, particularly in its defensive armament, which consisted of five 0.303 inch machine guns. The fixed forward firing gun proved almost useless and the single guns in the nose, dorsal and ventral positions had limited transverse, leaving a number of blind spots. In addition, the cramped conditions led to crew fatigue on long flights, and it was almost impossible for crew members to gain access to each others cockpit in an emergency. Losses during early daylight raids were very heavy.
To improve the defensive armament, the dorsal and ventral positions were each fitted with twin Vickers K machine-guns. In addition, armor plate was installed and flame-damping exhaust pipes were fitted for night flying. Thus modified, the Hampden did useful work in Bomber Command’s night offensive from 1940 to 1942, taking part in the RAF’s first raid on Berlin and in the 1,000-bomber raid on Cologne.
Switching mainly to night bombing by early 1940, Hampdens became the chief exponent of ‘gardening’ sorties-sowing sea mines in enemy waters but continued to participate in Bomber Command’s nightly assault on Germany. In 1940 two Hampden crew members, Flight Lieutenant R A B Learoyd of 49 Squadron, and Sergeant John Harmah of 83 Squadron, were each awarded a Victoria Cross for valour during bombing operations.
No.49 Sqn Hampden
Though obsolescent for its intended role as a medium day bomber, and poorly armed for self defence against more modern enemy fighters, the Hampden continued in first line operational service with RAF Bomber Command until September 1942. In three years of operations as a pure bomber, Hampdens flew a grand total of 16541 individual sorties, dropping almost 10000 tons of bombs on German targets. In the same period, however, 413 Hampdens and their crews were lost in action. On February 1, 1942, a total of eight Hampden squadrons, all in No 5 Group, Bomber Command, were operational, though by the end of the year they had all converted to Avro Manchesters or Avro Lancasters. Retired as a bomber, the Hampden saw a further year’s first line service as a torpedo bomber with Coastal Command, equipping at least four squadrons before finally being withdrawn from operational roles in December 1943.
A total of 1584 Hampdens and its stablemate, the Hereford, was built and delivered to the RAF, equipping a total of 21 squadrons at some period of the war. A further 160 were built in Canada.
Hampdens were produced by The English Electric Co.
Nicknamed variously as ‘Hambone’, ‘Flying Suitcase’ and ‘Ferocious Frying Pan’, the Hampden was nevertheless popular with its pilots, due to its near fighter manoeuvrability and excellent all round vision field from the high forward cockpit. Internally, its very restricted space created no little discomfort for other crew members, while its poor defensive armament, comprising a single hand held machine gun in the nose and single or twin machine guns in ventral and dorsal positions, belied the original description of the design in 1936 as a ‘fighting bomber’. Nevertheless, the Hampden and its contemporaries, the Bristol Blenheim, Vickers Wellington and Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, all outdated for modern warfare by 1940, had to soldier on as Bomber Command’s only weapons during the first three years of the 1939 45 war, until heavier, four engined replacements became available in ample quantities in late 1943.
HP.53 Hereford
The Hereford bomber was a Napier Dagger-engined version of the Hampden, ordered as a back-up at the same time as the first Hampden production contracts. The noisy new inline engines overheated on the ground and cooled too quickly and seized in the air. Even routine maintenance was more complicated than that required for the Hampden’s Pegasus radials. There were no performance advantages from the new engines. Only a very small number of Herefords saw action (in Hampden squadrons). The rest were relegated to training units, soon followed by the marginally better Hampen.
The Hereford was distinguishable from the Hampden by its longer engine cowlings and greater dihedral on the outer wings.
The Hereford and Hampden had a single-pilot cockpit with a sliding canopy, which was sometimes left open in flight for the ‘wind-in-the-hair’ feel.
A total of 1,432 Hampdens were built, 502 of them by Handley Page, 770 by English Electric and 160 in Canada by the Victory Aircraft consortium. Of the 160 built, 84 were shipped by sea to Britain, while the remainder came to Patricia Bay (Victoria Airport) B.C., to set up No.32 OTU (RAF). Due to heavy attrition from accidents, a number of “war weary” Hampdens were later flown from the U.K. to Pat Bay as replacements.
Victory Aircraft Hampden Engines: Two 1000 hp Bristol Pegasus XVIII engines Maximum speed: 254 mph (409 km/h) Empty weight: 11,780 lb (5,345 kg) Loaded weight: 18,756 lb (8,505 kg) Span: 69 ft 2 in (21.1 m) Length: 53 ft 7 in (16.3 m) Height: 14 ft 11 in (4.5 m) Wing area: 668 sq ft (62.1 sq m)
HP 52 Hampden Engines: 2 x Bristol Pegasus XVII, 746kW / 1000 hp Wingspan: 21.1 m / 69 ft 3 in Length: 17.0 m / 55 ft 9 in Height: 4.6 m / 15 ft 1 in Wing area: 62.0 sq.m / 667.36 sq ft Max take-off weight: 8510 kg / 18761 lb Empty weight: 5340 kg / 11773 lb Max. speed: 408 km/h / 254 mph Cruise speed: 350 km/h / 217 mph Ceiling: 6900 m / 22650 ft Range w/max.fuel: 3200 km / 1988 miles Range w/max.payload: 1400 km / 870 miles Armament: 4 x 7.7mm / 0.303 in machine-guns, 1800kg of bombs Crew: 4
Hampden B.Mk I Span: 21.08 m (69 ft 2 in) Length: 16.33 m (53 ft 7 in) Gross weight: 8508 kg (18760 lb) Maximum speed: 426 km/h (265 mph)
Hampden TB.1
Handley Page HP 53 Hereford Engines: 2 x Napier Dagger VIII, 986 hp / 746kW Length: 53 ft 7 in / 16.33 m Height: 14 ft 11 in / 4.55 m Wing span: 69 ft 2 in / 21.08 m Wing area: 668.014 sq.ft / 62.06 sq.m Max take off weight: 17803.2 lb / 8074.0 kg Weight empty: 11701.9 lb / 5307.0 kg Max. speed : 230 kts / 426 kph / 265 mph Cruising speed: 150 kts / 277 kph / 172 mph Service ceiling : 19,000 ft / 5790 m Wing load : 26.65 lb/sq.ft / 130.0 kg/sq.m Range w/max.payload: 1043 nm / 1931 km Crew : 4 Armament : 6x cal.303 MG (7,7mm), 1814kg Bomb.
Gustav Lachmann took on the technical development of modern methods of aerodynamics and metal construction, and went on to convert the H.P.43 biplane into the H.P.51, with a modern monoplane wing and aircooled engine nacelles. This led to the order for 100 of a production version, the H.P.54 Harrow.
Air Ministry Specification G.4/31 called for a General Purpose aircraft, capable of level bombing, army co-operation, dive bombing, reconnaissance, casualty evacuation and torpedo bombing. The Vickers Type 253 won against the Fairey G.4/31, Westland PV-7, Handley Page HP.47, Armstrong Whitworth AW.19, Blackburn B-7, Hawker PV-4 and the Parnell G.4/31.
Gustav Lachmann took on the technical development of modern methods of aerodynamics and metal construction, resulting in the building and testing of the H.P.47. One prototype was built, first flown on 27 November 1933. No production was undertaken.
Engine: 1 x 660hp Bristol Pegasus III.M3 Max take-off weight: 4197 kg / 9253 lb Empty weight: 2434 kg / 5366 lb Wingspan: 17.68 m / 58 ft 0 in Length: 11.46 m / 37 ft 7 in Wing area: 40.69 sq.m / 437.98 sq ft Max. speed: 259 km/h / 161 mph Ceiling: 6066 m / 19900 ft Range: 886 km / 551 miles Armament: 2 x 7.7mm machine-guns, 2 x 227kg bombs or a torpedo Crew: 2
In 1924, the British Air Ministry issued Specification 23/24 for a three-engined six/seven-passenger charter airliner. Handley Page’s design to meet this requirement, the Hamlet, was a high-wing three-engined monoplane with a conventional landing gear and room for six passengers. The wing was fitted with leading edge slots and flaps to give good landing performance.
The only Hamlet was built at Cricklewood in 1926, and registered G-EBNS. It was first flown on 19 October 1926 powered by three 120 hp (90 kW) Bristol Lucifer IV three-cylinder radial engines. The Lucifer gave rise to excessive vibration, particularly in the centre engine, causing the pilot’s instruments to be unreadable, and after a final flight with Lucifer engines on 25 October 1926, it was modified with a smaller fin and larger rudder and the engines were changed to two 250 hp (187 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Lynx radial engines, with the nose engine replaced by additional baggage space, first flying in this form on 19 May 1927.
This modification eliminated the vibration, but the twin-engined variant was underpowered. In March 1928 it was re-engined again with three 150 hp (112 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Mongoose five-cylinder radial engines although it flew only once in that configuration on delivery to the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough. The aircraft was scrapped in 1929.
Powerplant: 2 × Armstrong Siddeley Lynx, 220 hp (164 kW) each Wingspan: 52 ft 0 in (15.85 m) Length: 34 ft 10 in (10.62 m) Empty weight: 3,105 lb (1,408 kg) Gross weight: 5,000 lb (2,268 kg) Maximum speed: 114 mph (183 km/h, 99 kn) Crew: two Capacity: six passengers
In 1923, the HP.22/23 motor glider was designed by W.H.Sayers, three were entered for the Lympne light aeroplane competitions of that year. In an attempt to improve the HP.22/23 performance, Harold Boultbee lowered the wing to a shoulder position, increased its incidence, faired the 397cc ABC into the nose, moved the wheels forward, and put a hinged lid over the cockpit. The second machine, No.25, managed to fly nearly three laps of the Lympne course at full throttle on 11 October 1923, piloted by Gordon Olley, but loss of power forced its retirement. On a second attempt on 13 October, No.25 was blown to the ground after take-off and its wing was smashed. The third machine was not ready in time.
In 1923, the HP.22/23 motor glider was designed by W.H.Sayers, three were entered for the Lympne light aeroplane competitions of that year. The first, No.23, was initially powered by a pylon mounted air cooled 397cc ABC flat twin. It failed to fly, even when repowered with a 500 cc Douglas. Attempted catapult launches by four men pulling a rubber cord also failed and No.23 was scratched from the competition.
In 1921 the United States Navy drew up a specification for a single-seat fighter aircraft capable of operating either as a landplane from its aircraft carriers or from the water as a seaplane, seeking designs from both American and European companies. The British aircraft manufacturer Handley Page, which had recently developed the leading edge slot, realised use of slots and flaps could allow a high-speed monoplane to fly at the low speeds needed for carrier operations with a much higher wing loading than a normal biplane, and decided to develop an aircraft to meet this requirement.
The resulting design, given the Handley Page designation Type S (and later retrospectively known as the H.P.21) was a small, low-wing cantilever monoplane, with full-span leading edge slots and full-span slotted flaps. The airframe was a plywood monocoque, with the fuselage capable of being broken into two sections for storage on board ship. It had a tailwheel undercarriage that could be replaced by two floats. Although designed to use engines of up to 400 hp (298 kW), the prototypes were fitted with a much less powerful surplus Bentley BR2 rotary engine.
The US Navy placed an order for three prototypes, designated HPS-1 (Handley Page Scout) in the contemporary US Navy designation system. The first prototype flew on 7 September 1923, but proved to have poor handling, with the rudder proving to be ineffective. The second prototype was built with its wings fitted with six degrees of dihedral, flying in February 1924. It had much improved handling, and showed good speed at low level. However, when undergoing full load trials for the US Navy at Martlesham Heath, it was wrecked when its undercarriage collapsed on landing, and the US Navy cancelled the contract, with the third prototype, intended to be a floatplane, not completed.
Powerplant: 1 × Bentley BR2, 230 hp (170 kW) Propeller 2-bladed fixed-pitch Wingspan: 29 ft 3 in (8.92 m) Wing area: 114.5 sq ft (10.64 m2) Length: 21 ft 5.5 in (6.541 m) Height: 9 ft 7 in (2.92 m) Empty weight: 1,320 lb (599 kg) Max takeoff weight: 2,030 lb (921 kg) Maximum speed: 146.5 mph (235.8 km/h, 127.3 kn) Stall speed: 44 mph (71 km/h, 38 kn) Endurance: 3 hours Service ceiling: 21,000 ft (6,400 m) Rate of climb: 1,800 ft/min (9.1 m/s) Crew: 1 Armament: Provision for 2× .30 in (7.62 mm) Marlin machine guns
All Aero 