Short Stirling

The Short Stirling was a British four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War and the first four-engined bomber to enter Royal Air Force service during the war. Short Brothers designed it in the late 1930s to Air Ministry Specification B.12/36, after Supermarine, the preferred bidder, had to drop its Type 317. A requirement to limit the wingspan to 100 feet shaped its performance, giving it a low ceiling although crews praised its handling. It entered squadron service in early 1941, was moved to second-line duties from late 1943 as the Halifax and Lancaster took over, and then served as a minelayer, glider tug and supply aircraft before rapid withdrawal after the war.