Later on, these two tanker aircraft were joined by another converted Lancaster; these saw use during the Berlin Airlift, achieving 757 tanker sorties. [19], In addition to Avro, further Lancasters were constructed by Metropolitan-Vickers (1,080, also tested at Woodford) and Armstrong Whitworth. Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre's Lancaster bomber - known as Just Jane - is three years into a 10-year restoration project to get it airborne. Please reload the CAPTCHA. [81] On 12 July, an all-Lancaster force performed the biggest-yet bombing raid on Turin in support of the recently-launched Italian Campaign. [118] During 19471948, No. A strengthened undercarriage and stronger mainwheels, later used by the Avro Lincoln, were fitted. [118] Aircraft allocated to the Tiger Force were painted in white with black undersides and outfitted with additional radio units and navigational aids to facilitate their use in the Pacific theatre. notice.style.display = "block"; In this video, he walks through some of the components of a vintage Second World War Lancaster Bomber. While some groups chose to discard the position entirely, various trials and experiments were performed at RAF Duxford, Cambridgeshire and by individual squadrons. [32], The standard crew for a Lancaster consisted of seven men, stationed in various positions in the fuselage. The famous Bathtub key was afixed to the bench on the right (bit of a . His position allowed a 360 view over the top of the aircraft, with two Browning .303 Mark IIs to protect the aircraft from above and to the side. [120] Goulding and Garbett wrote that: "The achievements of the Lancaster and the men who flew it have been widely acclaimed, and the aircraft has been described as the greatest single factor in winning WWII, an exaggeration but a pardonable one". [20] According to aviation authors Brian Goulding and M. Garbett, the Lancaster B.I altered little during its production life, partially as a result of the sound basic structure and design; of the visible changes, the fuselage side windows were deleted, the Perspex chin of the bomb-aimer was enlarged, and a larger astrodome was provided. It was designed to counteract and evade German defences below and above the waterline, allowing Allied forces to target German hydroelectric dams and floating vessels. [86] Altogether, 8,621 tons of bombs were dropped on Hamburg by the end of the operation. [100] These daylight raids quickly became frequent as, due to a shortage of oil, the Luftwaffe were increasingly incapable of mounting opposition; to further this difficulty for their opponent, Lancasters were directed against numerous oil installations. [27], The Avro Lancaster was a British four-engined strategic bomber that was used as the RAF's principal heavy bomber during the latter half of the Second World War. 106 Squadron flew to Gdynia, armed with newly-developed anti-capital ship bombs, intending to hit the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, as well as the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin, but did not manage to hit any ships due to a persistent haze. They were also produced at the Austin Motor Company works in Longbridge, Birmingham, later in the Second World War and post-war by Vickers-Armstrongs at Chester as well as at the Vickers Armstrong factory, Castle Bromwich, Birmingham. It is painted in variations of matte black, is cold to the touch and has murderous looks. [69], In late October 1942, the first Lancaster bombing missions over Italy were performed; on 22 and 23, the cities of Genoa and Turin were struck at night-time. One of the most important RAF targets was the destruction of the Ruhr dams that supplied important industrial installations with power. She is 69ft 6in long, 19ft 7in high, has a. wingspan of 102ft and was powered by four. 6 x 1,000lb (450kg) short and long delay fused GP/HE bombs, additional 250lb (110kg) GP/HE bombs sometimes added. On all but the earliest examples, this turret was surrounded by a coaming which provided a track for a cam-operated interrupter device which prevented the gunner from shooting the tail of his own aircraft. 6 x 2,000lb (910kg) short-delay fused AP bombs, plus other GP/HE bombs based on local needs or availability. 35 Squadron Lancasters toured the United States and were autographed by various American movie stars, and retained these until their retirements. display: none !important; [105], Throughout the latter half of 1944, a series of high-profile bombing missions were performed by the Lancaster against the German battleshipTirpitz. [97] In May and June, extensive operations were flown against the fortifications of the Atlantic Wall. var notice = document.getElementById("cptch_time_limit_notice_74"); }. The Lancaster in combat carried sevencrew and during WWIIthe oldest crew member, probably the pilot, would have been 21. A high-wing monoplane with a twin tail and tricycle landing gear, it was powered by two 1,700-horsepower Wright radial engines, had a wingspan of 67 feet 7 inches (20.6 metres), was 53 feet 6 inches (16 . [58], On 17 April 1942, 12 Lancasters of No. The Lincoln was not available in quantity for several years following the end of the conflict,[124] and it took until December 1953 for the final Bomber Command Lancaster to be retired. Not all aeroplanes did this, for example, the Halifax tended to get increasingly tail-heavy as speed increased, and thus fly itself out of the dive. Lancaster B.III "Dambusters" The Avro Lancaster was the most famous RAF heavy bomber of the 2nd World War andwent into service in 1942. The Lancaster bomber, as it's ubiquitously known, arguably contributed more than any other plane in taking the war to Germany during the long years of Nazi occupation of Europe . [72], Throughout 1942, the Lancaster remained in relatively short supply; consequently, both training and crew conversion courses typically had to be performed by the squadrons themselves; there were no aircraft furnished with dual controls at this time, and pilots would therefore have to perform their first flight without their instructors being capable of directly acting on the controls themselves. function() { Aircraft intended to carry the "Grand Slam" required extensive modifications. With this weapon, Harris was able to drop 2,000 tons of high explosives on Cologne on 30-31 May 1942; in a mere 90-minute window, the Lancaster bombers left 45,000 residents of Cologne homeless. Many crew members from Lancasters were awarded the Victoria Cross for their heroic actions in battle, a notable example being the two awarded after a daring daytime raid on Augsburg, Germany. [73] By the end of the year, a total of 16 operational squadrons had been stood up while around 200 Lancasters were under Bomber Command. 1. : submarine pens); battleship. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. JASON DORDAY/FAIRFAX NZ. You enjoy the only chance in Europe to be inside a Lancaster Bomber with all 4 Merlins running. [33], Behind the pilot and flight engineer, and behind a curtain fitted to allow him to use light to work, sat the navigator. notice.style.display = "block"; Avro Lancaster B Mark I, R5620 'OL-H', of No. The British Avro Lancaster was a heavy bomber that was mainly used as a nighttime bomber during World War II. The Lancaster took on the role of long range anti-submarine patrol aircraft (later supplanted by the Avro Shackleton) and air-sea rescue. .hide-if-no-js { The Avro . [16] Initially, the improved aircraft was designated as the Type 683 Manchester III but was subsequently renamed the Lancaster. [82], During late July and early August 1943, large numbers of Lancasters participated in the devastating round-the-clock raids on the city of Hamburg during Air Chief Marshal Harris's Operation Gomorrah. At the extreme tail-end of the fuselage, the rear gunner sat in his exposed position in the tail turret, which was entered through a small hatch in the rear of the fuselage. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Starting at the nose, the bomb aimer had two positions to man. 1 x 22,000lb (10,000kg) short-delay fused "Grand Slam" bomb. MOTAT's Lancaster is currently been assessed by two aircraft engineers who have concluded itneeds repair work done to the structure attaching the outer starboard wing and a number of other areas. Originally developed as an evolution of the Manchester (which had proved troublesome in service and was retired in 1942), the Lancaster was designed by Roy Chadwick and powered by four Rolls-Royce Merlins and in one of the versions, Bristol Hercules engines. Take a peek inside one of the town's most . This unit was equipped with B.III (Specials), officially designated the "Type 464 (Provisioning)", modified to carry the 9,250lb (4,200kg) "Upkeep" bouncing bomb. display: none !important; [35], The tail turret was the most important defensive position and carried the heaviest armament. It also spearheaded the Allied strategic bombing campaign against Nazi Germany. [5] This was the largest payload of any bomber in the war. Indeed, the bay was so spacious that with a little modification it could house the massive Grand Slam earthquake bomb, a 10,000kg giant that when released would reach near sonic speeds before penetrating deep into the Earth and exploding. The Bomb, Medium Capacity, 22,000 lb (Grand Slam) was a 22,000 lb (10,000 kg) earthquake bomb used by RAF Bomber Command against German targets towards the end of the Second World War.The bomb was originally called Tallboy Large until the term Tallboy got into the press and the code name was replaced by "Grand Slam". She had a top speed of . 3 and 5 Groups were fully equipped with Lancs. The Avro Lancaster is the most famous and successful RAF heavy bomber of World War Two. [111][112] On 13 March 1945, the first operational use of the Grand Slam was performed by a Lancaster of No. In the final months of the war, Lancasters were encountering the newly-developed Messerschmitt Me 262, the first jet-powered fighter aircraft, sometimes flying in formations of up to 40 aircraft. The mid-upper gunner sat on a rectangle of canvas that was slung beneath the turret and would stay in position throughout the flight. On 4 February, 198 Lancasters raided the city of Turin; days later, 466 Lancasters attacked Lorient, and an all-Lancaster force of 142 aircraft attacked Milan on 14 February. Starting at the Entrance Door immediately inside the Fuselage there is a Flare Chute. Only eight bombing missions were conducted during all of December, the most prominent of which being against Duisburg, due to poor prevailing weather conditions. Only 35 Lancasters completed more than 100 successful operations each, and 3,249 were lost in action. This included: a pilot, flight engineer, navigator, bomb aimer, wireless operator, mid-upper and rear gunners. R5620, flown by Pilot Officer J R Farrow and his crew, was the only aircraft to be lost by the Squadron that night. The British Avro Lancaster was a heavy bomber that was mainly used as a nighttime bomber during World War II. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. 82 Squadron received new PR.1 dedicated photo-reconnaissance model derived from the Lancaster B.1 which was painted silver and lacked defensive turrets. .hide-if-no-js { Other developments included the York, a transport with a much larger square section fuselage, and via the Lincoln, the Shackleton maritime patrol aircraft which continued in RAF service in that role until replaced by the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod in the early 1970s, but saw further service as an airborne early warning (AEW) system until finally retired in 1991. [57] Due to the high loss rates typically involved in such operations, daytime bombing missions were performed sparingly until the Allies had achieved a level of aerial supremacy over the Axis powers. 14 SBC, each with 236 x 4lb (1.8kg) Incendiary and Explosive Incendiary bomblets, total 3,304. Nos. [153], In 2017, formally retired after its Cold War service and more than 50 years on display in Edmundston, New Brunswick, Lancaster KB 882 moved to its new home at the National Air Force Museum of Canada in Trenton, Ontario, where it is to be restored and placed alongside the museum's restored RAF Handley Page Halifax heavy bomber. CH18371", "Avro 683 Lancaster: The most iconic heavy bomber of World War II", "RAF BBMF to host Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum Lancaster during visit to England. [25], Early production Lancaster B.Is were outfitted with a ventral gun turret position. function() { [13][17] Based upon its performance, a decision was taken early on to reequip twin-engine bomber squadrons with the Lancaster as quickly as possible. A total of 315 men flew in operations in the Lancaster and 101 were later killed when . The "Lanc", as it was known colloquially,[3] became one of the most heavily used of the Second World War night bombers, "delivering 608,612 long tons (618,378,000kg) of bombs in 156,000 sorties". Lancaster Interior A look inside the Lancaster to give you some idea of the duties and conditions under which the Aircrew work. [24], The Lancaster B.I was never fully superseded in production by a successor model, remaining in production until February 1946. How much of a challenge was it to build Lancasters in the quantities required? The Coningsby-based bomber is one of 7,377 Lancasters that were built. Crew Due to its large size, hefty armament and technical complexity, the Lancaster bomber had a crew of seven. The 'lucky' Lancaster bomber, called EE136, was taken on 109 missions, including 14 raids to Berlin, Germany. Despite eight of the Lancasters being lost during the operation, as well as the lives of 53 crew, a small number of bouncing bombs were released and they caused two dams to be breached, one to be heavily damaged and 1,296 civilians to be killed. Now on display at RAF Hendon, she flew in 137 Second World War raids more than any other aircraft. When the Luftwaffe began using Schrge Musik to make attacks from below in the winter of 1943/1944, modifications were made, including downward observation blisters mounted behind the bomb aimer's blister[40] and official[41] and unofficial mounts for .50in (12.7mm) machine guns or even 20mm (0.79in) cannon, firing through the ventral holes of the removed FN-64. The bomb bay of the Lancaster bomber was used to house two 400-gallon fuel tanks giving the aircraft a more extended range and allowing TCA to deploy the plane on its Montreal to Preswick, Scotland route. On his left was a window, and above him was the astrodome, used for visual signalling and by the navigator for celestial navigation. 09:31 EST 18 May 2008. Lancaster bomber parts. [26], The Lancaster B.III was powered by Packard Merlin engines, which had been built overseas in the United States, but was otherwise identical to contemporary B.Is. Think of the old classic British cars - eg, Jaguars and Bentleys in green - it's that colour. You are interested in: Avro lancaster interior photos. The weight in kilograms of the "Tall Boy" and "Grand Slam" bombs differs according to their source. B-25, also called Mitchell, U.S. medium bomber used during World War II. [45][note 5] The bomb bay doors were removed and the ends of the bomb bay were covered with fairings. From 1942 onwards, the Lancaster became the mainstay of the British heavy bomber fleet; by the end of the war in Europe, there were roughly 50 squadrons equipped with the Lancaster, the majority of these being the Lancaster B.I model. [6], In the 1930s, the Royal Air Force (RAF) was primarily interested in twin-engine bombers. 44 and No. [13] L7527, The first production Lancaster made its first flight in October 1941, powered by Merlin XX engines. I mistakenly painted my first Lancaster (dam buster) in Tamiya British Green along with the correct dark earth and matt black. [102] On 24 August, eight Tallboys were dropped in a daylight attack on the U-boat pens at IJmuiden, two direct hits were recorded. It was 38 years later that I realised a long-held dream and boarded a Lancaster bomber. Some Lancaster B.I bombers were outfitted with bulged bomb bay doors in order to accommodate increased armament payloads. On 17 September, precision strikes were performed on Boulogne only 200 yards from the Allied lines. Busted A selection of bombers became famous after Operation Chastise, a mission to destroy dams in the Ruhr Valley, which inspired The Dam Busters. [90] In October, the widespread bombing of numerous German cities took place, targeting Munich, Kassel, Frankfurt, Offenbach, Ludwigshafen, Stuttgart, Friedrichshafen, and Leipzig, along with other targets. Slam-dunk Lancaster bombers often had their already-large bomb bays modified in order to carry the monumental 10,000 kilogram Grand Slam earthquake bombs. [34], Behind the wireless operator were the two spars of the wing, which created a major obstacle for crew members moving down the fuselage even on the ground. The Avro Lancaster Bomber is one of the most famous heavy bombers of the Second World War. Ammunition for the turret was 1,000 rounds per gun (rpg). 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