The Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust: Rolls-Royce and the Halifax

'Rolls-Royce and the Halifax' by David Birch, published 2014 by The Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust\nThis book tells the story of the difficulties encountered by Rolls-Royce with the Merlin engine in the Handley Page Halifax bomber during World War Two. The Halifax was beset with technical issues in its early B.I form suffering, not least, from poor performance in relation to its design intent. The author, David Birch, has spent a considerable amount of time researching The Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust archives for material relating to the efforts to investigate and cure the technical challenges that the Halifax presented. It is not, he is clear to point out, a complete history of the aeroplane, but instead looks at the hurdles faced by the engine manufacturer and the aeroplane manufacturer to try to develop a succesful warplane during wartime and make the best possible combination of engine and airframe. The book reveals some fundamental issues and looks at the solution.