The Project
Halifax 57 Rescue (Canada) is dedicated to preserving the Handley Page Halifax bomber aircraft and its international heritage earned during the critical and victorious air combat operations of World War Two.
Not only are we actively raising the financial support, through corporate and public sponsorship, to find and recover RCAF and RAF Halifax LW170 “our holy grail of aircraft” (ditched and intact in deep waters north-west of Donegal, Ireland) but we are also going worldwide to locate, retrieve, and rebuild all Halifax bomber aircraft parts and artifacts.
We are directly affiliated and partners with the BOMBER COMMAND MUSEUM of CANADA in our mission to save and preserve Halifax bombers.
All of these activities of our historic group, in the form of saving of Halifax aircraft, are the ultimate tribute to our bomber crews of the RCAF and RAF who flew, fought, and sacrificed so much, so we could have Freedom and peace.
This photo is of Halifax NA337, a Halifax bomber recovered from Lake Mjosa, Norway in 1995. Karl Kjarsgaard was the project manager for the recovery.
Study and remember this:
Over 60% of the (10,659) RCAF Canadian airmen killed-in-action in bombers were flying in combat in their beloved HALIFAX.
28,000 of the 40,000 bomber combat flights done by the Canadian squadrons of the RCAF, in the British RAF Bomber Command, were flown from the UK on the HALIFAX.
Over 60% of the (1592) RAF British airmen killed-in-action while transferred and flying with the Canadian RCAF bomber squadrons, were flying the HALIFAX.
Over 60% of the (840) “RCAF Americans” killed-in-action, who volunteered to fly for Canada and joined the RCAF, were flying the HALIFAX bomber.
The facts are obvious and the numbers so compelling that to any student of history and person who appreciates their Freedom of today can see that this precious liberty was won for you over 70 years ago by young warriors whose average age 21! And they flew the HALIFAX.
So if we were to select one, just one aircraft of Bomber Command, that symbolizes this great and honourable effort and sacrifice of our bomber crews, that especially ties together the nations of Canada, the USA, and the UK with a common bond of our lost young aircrews then surely it must be the HALIFAX, above all others, that we would seek out and preserve in memory of our bomber boys of our 3 nations.
We hope you will join us in our journey and support us in this world-wide quest to bring all things Halifax and her glorious heritage back to our people as the ultimate tribute for our bomber boys of Canada, the USA, and the UK.