| The first Lancaster bomber, powered by four of the | | | | At night and at 20,000 feet the temperature in the |
| seemingly ubiquitous Rolls-Royce Merlin V-12 engines, | | | | turrets frequently fell to minus forty degrees and |
| took off in January, 1941. Regarded immediately as a | | | | frostbite was not uncommon. Air gunners manned the |
| success, Avro put it into full time production, with | | | | rear and mid-upper gun turrets. A pilot, flight engineer, |
| numerous companies sub-contracting for the parts. | | | | navigator, wireless operator, and bomb aimer/front |
| Consisting of 55,000 separate parts, it has been | | | | gunner completed the crew of seven.The Lanc's |
| estimated that half a million different manufacturing | | | | massive bomb bay stretched for 33 feet and, unlike |
| operations were involved to produce just one aircraft. | | | | other bombers, was one continuous uninterrupted |
| Peak production was achieved when a combined 293 | | | | space. Partly for this reason, the Lanc had the |
| aircraft were produced in Britain and Canada during | | | | versatility to undertake raids with large, specialized |
| the month of August, 1944.In 1940, the Germans | | | | weapons. However, this meant that the main wing |
| controlled the European continent and were bent on | | | | spars became obstacles to movement within the |
| conquering the British Isles. The British army had | | | | aircraft, particularly for airmen wearing heavy clothing |
| retreated from Europe via Dunkirque, German subs | | | | and flight boots.Of the total of 7377 Lancasters built |
| were cutting off supplies from North America, and the | | | | (430 of them in Canada), 3932 were lost in action. |
| Luftwaffe was subjecting England to heavy air | | | | During the war Lancasters flew a total of 156,308 |
| attack.During that summer of 1940, faced with this | | | | sorties and dropped 608,612 tons of bombs, and |
| situation, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill threw | | | | placed over 12,000 mines in enemy waters.Some of |
| his support behind the defensive power of the Royal | | | | the aircraft's finest hours were in "non-offensive" |
| Air Force's Fighter Command and the development of | | | | operations as the war was about to end and shortly |
| the new Bomber Command with the words: "The | | | | after peace finally was in place. The first of these was |
| Navy can lose us the war, but only the Air Force can | | | | during "Operation Manna". Lancaster squadrons |
| win it. Therefore our supreme effort must be to gain | | | | dispatched a total of 3,156 sorties to drop 6,684 tons |
| overwhelming mastery in the air. The Fighters are our | | | | of food supplies to the starving Dutch in May 1945.The |
| salvation, but the Bombers alone provide the means of | | | | second saw many of the Lancaster squadrons tasked |
| victory". With this decision a massive effort was begun | | | | to return Allied Prisoners of War from various locations |
| towards the production of heavy bombers and the | | | | throughout Europe back to England. In a period of 24 |
| training of aircrew to fly them.Lancasters first flew | | | | days a total of 2900 round trips were flown and |
| operationally in March 1942 and were well received by | | | | 74,000 ex-POW's were returned.Even with the end of |
| their aircrew. It was regarded as "a pilot's airplane" | | | | hostilities, the Lancaster was by no means finished in |
| which inspired confidence. Evidence of this is the story | | | | its service. The RAF continued to use the aircraft in |
| of a Lanc flight engineer who, having feathered two | | | | various roles including photographic and maritime duties |
| engines and facing the prospect of flying over several | | | | until October 1956. The Royal Canadian Air Force, who |
| hundred miles of cold, unfriendly ocean, turned to his | | | | flew back many of the surviving Mk X's back to |
| pilot and said, "I suppose this means we shall be bloody | | | | Canada, continued to use the aircraft in photographic |
| late for breakfast!"During World War II the Lancaster | | | | and maritime reconnaissance roles until the early |
| was the most successful bomber used by the Royal | | | | 1960's. The last three RCAF Lancasters were retired |
| Air Force and the Commonwealth air forces. The | | | | at a ceremony on April 1, 1964.What is probably the |
| Lanc had speed, ceiling and lifting power that no other | | | | finest tribute to the aircraft was written by Marshall of |
| aircraft of the day could match. Weighing 36,900 | | | | the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur T. (Bomber) Harris, |
| pounds empty, the Lancaster was capable of taking | | | | wartime chief of Bomber Command:"The finest |
| off with an additional 33,100 pounds of fuel and bombs; | | | | bomber of the war! Its efficiency was almost incredible, |
| in other words it could almost carry its own weight | | | | both in performance and in the way it could be |
| again. The Lancaster carried 64% of the tonnage | | | | saddled with ever-increasing loads without breaking the |
| dropped by the RAF and Commonwealth air forces | | | | camel's back. The Lancaster far surpassed all the |
| during the war.The "Grand Slam", a 22,000 pound | | | | other types of heavy bombers. Not only could it take |
| special purpose bomb designed to penetrate concrete | | | | heavier bomb loads, not only was it easier to handle, |
| and explode below the surface to create an | | | | and not only were there fewer accidents than with |
| earthquake effect, could only be delivered by the | | | | other types, the casualty rate was also consistently |
| Lancaster. This capability is why the Lancaster was | | | | below those of other types.""The Lancaster took the |
| chosen for special operations such as the | | | | major part in winning the war with its attacks on |
| "Dambusters" raid and the attack which sunk the | | | | Germany. On land it forced the Germans to retrieve |
| German Battleship Tirpitz.Lancasters were built to | | | | from their armies half their sorely needed anti-tank |
| accomplish their specific purpose; crew comfort and | | | | guns for use by over a million soldiers who would |
| security was clearly a secondary consideration. | | | | otherwise have been serving in the field. The |
| Generally flying under the cover of darkness, the | | | | Lancaster won the naval war by destroying over |
| Lancaster had virtually no defensive armour. The front, | | | | one-third of the German submarines in their ports, |
| mid-upper, and rear gun turrets were hydraulically | | | | together with hundreds of small naval craft and six of |
| powered and carried a total of eight .303 calibre | | | | their largest warships. Above all, the Lancaster won |
| machine guns for defence against enemy aircraft.The | | | | the air war by taking the major part in forcing |
| crew worked in cramped conditions, particularly the air | | | | Germany to concentrate on building and using fighters |
| gunners who remained at their posts for the entire | | | | to defend the Fatherland, thereby depriving their armies |
| flight. Some had to place their flight boots into the | | | | of essential air and particularly bomber support. |
| turrets before climbing in, and then put their boots on. | | | | |