One of the most famous parts of the Lancasters heritage is its role in carrying and releasing the bouncing bomb payload, as glamorized in the 1955 film The Dam Busters. The gunners could have been just 18 or 19. if ( notice ) [123], During the summer of 1946, No. Join me in his detailed tour through a retired Avro Lancaster bomber. 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". By the last full month of war-time operations (April 1945) the dominance of the Lancaster within Bomber Command reached its peak, no fewer than 56 Squadrons being equipped with the type. MOTAT's Lancaster bomber 'The Captain's Fancy'. [55] The first recorded casualties amongst Lancaster crews were recorded on 24 March 1942 with the loss of R5493 to anti-aircraft fire over Lorient. Inside a Lancaster, with a radio operator in the foreground and navigator beyond. In total 364,514 bomber command operational sorties were flown, 1,030,500 tons of bombs were dropped and 8,325 aircraft lost in action. The bomber is expected to pass over . [59] The attack revealed the existence of the Lancaster to both Germany and the British public alike. 94,468. Click on pop up icons to see archival photos, watch videos, hear audio recordings, and uncover the stories behind one of the most famous bombers of . [15], By mid-1940, Avro's chief design engineer, Roy Chadwick, was working on an improved Manchester[13] powered by four of the more reliable but less powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, specifically adopting the "Power-egg" installation developed for the Beaufighter II, and installed on a wing of increased span. In this video, our expert tells us why the Lancaster Bomber played such a crucial role in WW2. [22] A total of 50 Austin-built Lancaster B.Is was constructed to a non-standard configuration, having a Frazer Nash turret installed directly above the bomb bay; however, this modification was largely unpopular due to its obstruction of the internal walkway, hindering crew movements. 6 x 2,000lb (910kg) short-delay fused AP bombs, plus other GP/HE bombs based on local needs or availability. (up to 1942): 5 x 250lb (110kg) short-delay fuse SAP bombs for surfaced. Although the Lancaster was primarily a night bomber, it excelled in many other roles, including daylight precision bombing, for which some Lancasters were adapted to carry the 12,000lb (5,400kg) Tallboy and then the 22,000lb (10,000kg) Grand Slam earthquake bombs (also designed by Wallis). Nos. A crowd of . Belfast-based aircraft firm Short Brothers had also received an order for 200 Lancaster B.Is, but this was cancelled before any aircraft had been completed. The pilot and other crew members could use the panel above the cockpit as an auxiliary emergency exit while the mid-upper gunner was expected to use the rear entrance door to leave the aircraft. On 31 July, 20% of Bomber Command's strength was directed against Dusseldorf, focused on Schiess A.G.'s machine tool manufacturing plant. Lancaster bomber project still four years away from completion. A long, unobstructed bomb bay meant that the Lancaster could take the largest bombs used by the RAF, including the 4,000lb (1,800kg), 8,000lb (3,600kg) and 12,000lb (5,400kg) blockbusters, loads often supplemented with smaller bombs or incendiaries. Weighing 36,900 lb empty (or 16,738 kg), it was able to haul an additional 33,100 lb (or 15,014 kg) in fuel and bombs. [104] Extensive daylight raids were performed during the month; cities such as Cologne, Walcheren, and Bergen were targeted by hundreds of Lancasters. The RAF's elite 617 Squadron, nicknamed the Dambusters, flew 19 Lancaster bombers into Nazi Germany and destroyed two Ruhr valley dams with their revolutionary "bouncing bombs". setTimeout( THE horrors of the World War Two Lancaster bombing raid have been brought to life in an incredible virtual reality recreation. })(120000); With a bomb load of 7,000 pounds, its range was a lengthy 2,530 miles, and a service ceiling of 24, 500 feet. [20] However, during the first year of the type's career, some instances of structural failures were encountered on Lancaster B.Is and a number of aircraft were lost in accidents as a result of the design limitations having been greatly exceeded. [28] It possessed largely favourable flying characteristics, having been described by Goulding and Garbett as being: "a near-perfect flying machine, fast for its size and very smoothsuch a delightfully easy aeroplane to flythere are instances of Lancasters having been looped and barrel-rolled, both intentionally and otherwise". WW 2 Dambusters 75th aniversario Coche Decal/Sticker BBMF 617 * Lancaster Bomber. The wireless operator's radios were mounted on the left-hand end of the chart table, facing the rear of the aircraft. In addition, No. [79], The Ruhr continued to be intensely raided by Bomber Command for months following Operation Chastise with the aim of suppressing the region's industrial output. Cath Clarke. [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. He also used his view through the large transparent perspex nose cupola to assist the navigator with map reading. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirling, all three aircraft being four-engined heavy bombers adopted by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the same wartime era. Accordingly, in 1936, the RAF also decided to investigate the feasibility of the four-engined bomber. The Lancaster weighs 36,900 pounds empty and was capable of flying with an extra 33,100 pounds of fuel and bombs on-board. 1 x 9,250lb (4,200kg), hydrostatic-fused "Upkeep" mine. The crew couldn't even carry parachutes due to the tight spaces- instead they hung up in the fuselage ready to be grabbed when they needed them. [citation needed] To man the Frazer Nash FN5 nose turret, he stood up placing himself in position behind the triggers of the twin .303in (7.7mm) guns. The fact that Mr. Groom built the . [48][49], After the 'Dam Busters' raid 617 Squadron was converted to a high-altitude precision bombing squadron in preparation for the arrival of Barnes Wallis's forthcoming Earthquake bombs for attacking special and hardened targets, and while they were training for this the bouncing bomb variants of B.I Specials had the spars and equipment removed and were then modified to carry the 21ft (6.4m) long 12,000lb (5,400kg) "Tallboy" bomb, a scaled-down version of the upcoming 25.5ft (7.8m) long 22,000lb (10,000kg) "Grand Slam" "earthquake" bombs which were still being built. [79] A total of 19 aircraft were dispatched on the operation, setting off in the evening and flying at very low altitudes most of the way to avoid detection. With its encyclopedic detail and commanding narration by Charles Dance, this feels . World War II British heavy bomber aircraft, Lancaster pilot at the controls, left, flight engineer at right, The flight engineer checks control panel from his seat, Mk.X nose with twin .303 Brownings in turret over bomb-aimer's position, Nose turret from above, and bomber aimer's station, RAF strategic bombing during the Second World War, Certified/factory-built aircraft manufactured in Canada, Radio, radar and countermeasures equipment, This aircraft carries the deepened bomb aimer blister (Mod. Both the United States and the Soviet Union were pursuing the development of bombers powered by arrangements of four smaller engines; the results of these projects proved to possess favourable characteristics such as excellent range and fair lifting capacity. + Interestingly, its success was born from the failure of the Avro Manchester bomber - a twin-engined heavy bomber first flown in July of 1939 and adopted in November of 1940. More than 7,300 of these machines were built for RAF Bomber Command. [123] A pair of Lancasters, PD328 and PB873, performed several long-distance flights, including round-the-world and trans-polar trips. The mid-upper turret was removed and a more bulbous bomb aimer's blister was fitted; this, as "Mod. We takes a look inside an Avro Lancaster to see made it so successful. [citation needed], From 1943 to 1947, the Canadian Government Trans-Atlantic Air Service (CGTAS) provided a trans-Atlantic military passenger and postal delivery service using a modified long-distance transport version of the Lancaster Mark X. The typical aircraft was powered by an arrangement of four wing-mounted Rolls-Royce Merlin piston engines, each of which drove a 13ft (4.0m) diameter de Havilland Hydromatic three-bladed propeller. As a byproduct of its sound design and operational success, various developments and derivatives of the Lancaster were produced for both military and civilian purposes. Aircraft intended to carry the "Grand Slam" required extensive modifications. [131] Repatriation flights returning POWs and ordinary troops continued until November 1945. [84][85] An estimated 18,474 people died on this night alone, despite many of victims being within air raid shelters and cellars, as the widespread fires across the city led to carbon monoxide poisoning. Although a capable aircraft, the Manchester was underpowered and its Vulture engines proved to be unreliable. JASON DORDAY/FAIRFAX NZ. var notice = document.getElementById("cptch_time_limit_notice_74"); Military Wireless Museum. That made for horrendous motion sickness on landing. On 23 August, a major raid on Berlin was conducted, dropping roughly 1,700 tons of bombs on the city; German night fighters responded, causing a 5.4% loss rate amongst Lancasters, while the Halifax and Stirling bombers suffered 8.8% and 12.9% loss rates respectively. 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