Nose Art
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BCATP
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Lancaster
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Media
Nose Art
|
BCATP
|
Lancaster
|
Media
Original Halifax Nose Art Collection
Nose Art
Halifax Mk. III (serial LL575) was a hard luck aircraft but she survived to end up in the scrap heap at Rawcliffe. It was assigned to No. 420 Squadron on 14 July 1944 but did not carry out any operations. Then the aircraft was transferred to No. 415 Squadron where it completed 33 operations. On 6 October 1944, F/O W.H. Regimbal and crew took her to Dortmund. On return to base she blew a tire upon landing and received minor damage. On 15 October 44, F/O C.A. Chartier and crew flew her to Wilhelmshaven, where flak damaged the port elevator. On her next operation, Essen, 23/24 October 44 with F/O W. F. Brown, the Halifax was attacked by an FW190 fighter. The mid-upper returned fire and by utilizing the standard corkscrew evasive action lost the German fighter. On 2 November 1944, F/O J.W. Time and crew took off on a raid to Dusseldorf. A port engine began to smoke and a starboard engine overheated. The bomb load was jettisoned and the aircraft returned to base. That was LL575's 42nd and last operation.
The aircraft was then transferred to No. 1666 HCU and later to No. 1664 HCU. While there, LL575 carried out two training flights and both involved accidents. On 7 December 44 she caught fire on engine run up. The port engine and wing were damaged and subsequently repaired. Then on 20 Feb 45, the aircraft taxied into Halifax LL589 from behind while taxiing for take off, causing considerable damage to her nose and starboard engine.
