[mustangdriver]

I want this one so bad, Where can you order it, or is it not out for pre-order yet?

[tank nut]

I can't wait, My first halifax is on the way this week but this is the one that I am waiting for!!!

[Shawn 507]

OK so for those of us not in the know, what is so special about this one???

[Red 2]

Originally Posted by mustangdriver

I want this one so bad, Where can you order it, or is it not out for pre-order yet?

Heavily pre-ordered in the UK (retailers talking about it being one of the hot models in the 2008 relaese schedule) and I know the livery decision will cause a further order mini-surge as people like me who had cancelled our original order when the dual livery was announced will now happily re-order.

FRi 13th is an iconic Halifax livery, a full size replica is in a UK museum and, on an emotional level, it reminds the likes of me of past happy days as a youngster building the Airfix kit......

[mustangdriver]

The restored Halifax is in the markings of this aricraft. It is like the Memphis Belles of the Halifaxes.

[STARMAN 352ND]

This is great news to see Friday the 13th in wartime marking..
I will be getting this one for sure.
JP

[Hornchurch]

Originally Posted by Shawn 507

OK so for those of us not in the know, what is so special about this one???

OK, "Friday The 13th" (airframe No... LV.907 ) is to H.P. Halifax.........

what "Ol' Gappy", "909", "Outhouse-Mouse" "Memphis Belle" is to B.17's

what "Witchcraft" is to B.24's............

what "S' for Sugar" at Hendon, or "Mike-Squared" (the plane that WAS earmarked INSTEAD OF, but was 'accidentally' scrapped).... is to Lancasters.......


What makes her EVEN MORE AMAZING ! is that she flew her 1st mission, TAKING PART IN THE WORST ALLIED AIR RAID OF THE WAR....as far as ALLIED BOMBER casualties go..............

..... 96 bombers "shot-down"/'Lost' on that ONE mission alone.......... & 12 more crash-landed upon return

"The" Nuremburg raid, (on the night of) 30th/31st March 1944

By far, the heaviest casualties suffered by Allied Bomber-crew during the whole war........


"She" went on to complete 128 missions & survived the War.


sickeningly, after being displayed outside the John Lewis dept store in Oxford St, London (alongside a Coastal-Command (strike) Beaufighter) , she was (stupidly) scrapped......... only the nose panels survive.

The "artwork" was applied at a time when RAF bomber crews had a life-expectancy of 6 - 7 weeks.......

The chances of being killed (at that stage) were 65-75 % likelyhood !!!!!!!
a bit like being shoved in a WW.I 'trench' & going "over the top" (NOT good)

In a 'macabre' twist of fate, the young aircrew, considered themselves already 'doomed'........

So, they 'spat' in the face of Fate.............& painted every bad-luck charm they could think of........

INCLUDING the 'nickname'......... "Friday The 13th" (reputedly her delivery-date, but other sources say, 10th)

They even had a Tombstone, with ALL the crew's name on it (but it was 'ordered' painted out, due to Searchlight-attention, being bright white !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, she survived = THE Top-Scoring Halifax of the war............

Hope this gives you, Shawn, an idea, as to why she's considered, special...........

The more so, because of the reasons BEHIND her naming & 'attitude' towards 'bad-luck' !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



(P.S. Ol' Gappy flew a wapping 157 missions...yet is ALWAYS overlooked (I'll explain in a later post)

[Captain Eddie]

Shawn, thanks for asking the question, and Hornchurch, thanks for the history lesson.

[JustPlaneNuttz]

Originally Posted by Captain Eddie

Shawn, thanks for asking the question, and Hornchurch, thanks for the history lesson.

Yeah thanx Hornchurch for that staccato-fire history lesson! I've printed that out for others (wife, non-aviation friends, etc) who ask the same question. Point form = perfect!

[Shawn 507]

Interesting history. I'm not much for RAF bombers but I could be tempted by this one. Thanks for the heads up.