What a cracker of a photo!
I also see a Shorts Stirling, a DH Dragon Rapide, an Anson>? and a York, and far left a Lancaster but what sub type>?
Large numbers of Halifax bombers were also operated by Coastal Command, used it to conduct anti submarine warfare, reconnaissance and meteorological operations.
The Halifax was also used to deploy mines in the vicinity of enemy-held ports.
It served increasingly in other support capacities as the war progressed, being used as a glider tug, an electronic warfare aircraft for No. 100 Group and to conduct special operations, such as parachuting agents and arms into occupied Europe, for the Special Operations Executive (SOE).
As a glider tug the Halifax was superior to the Lancaster.
Throughout early 1945, the Halifax was frequently dispatched against cities within the German homeland, including Hannover, Magdeburg, Stuttgart, Cologne, Münster, Osnabrück and others.
During these months, infrastructure such as oil facilities and railways were given a high priority; these targets were attacked right up until the end of the war. In the final few months, bomber losses had fallen to all-time lows while raids were frequently regarded as having been highly successful.
During the final months of the war the improved Halifax Mk VI and Mk VII were introduced. In particular, these models had been 'tropicalized' with an eye towards their potential use in the Pacific War against the Empire of Japan.
While some of these Mk VI and Mk VII machines were deployed to the theatre, they played only a small little role as the war ended before larger numbers could be brought to bear against Japanese.
On 25 April 1945, the Halifax performed its last major operation against the enemy during an attack upon coastal gun batteries on the Frisian Islands of the North Sea. While the type continued to fly operations after this, these were primarily other operations and sporadic, uncoordinated attacks against targets of opportunity.
Upon the end of the conflict, Bomber Command quickly disbanded the majority of its Halifax-equipped squadrons; the aircraft themselves were transferred to Transport Command.
During the type's service with Bomber Command, Halifax's flew more than 82,000 operations and dropped 224,000 tons of bombs. 1,833 aircraft were lost. Over 6,100 were built.
A number of former RAF Halifax C.8s were sold from 1945 and used as freighters by a number of mostly British airlines. In 1948, 41 civil Halifax freighters were used during the Berlin Air Lift, operating a total of 4,653 sorties carrying freight and 3,509 carrying bulk diesel fuel.
Nine aircraft were lost during the airlift.
The Airline business pioneer Freddie Laker bought and serviced war-surplus Halifax's for Bond Air Services operations in the Berlin airlift.
With the airfreight market in decline, most of the civilian Halifax's were scrapped on their return to England.
The last civilian-operated Halifax's were withdrawn from service in late 1952.