1942 The Lancaster Bomber

1942. During World War II the Lancaster was the most successful bomber used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force.The Lanc had speed, ceiling, and lifting power that no other aircraft of the day could match. Weighing 36900 pounds empty, the Lancaster was capable of taking off with an additional 33100 pounds of fuel and bombs; in other words it could almost carry its own weight again. The Lancaster carried 64% of the tonnage dropped by the RAF and RCAF during the war. The “Grand Slam”, a 22000 pound special purpose bomb designed to penetrate concrete and explode below the surface to create an earthquake effect, could only be delivered by the Lancaster and the Lancaster was thus chosen for special operations such as the “Dambusters” raid and the attack which sunk the German Battleship Tirpitz. Lancasters were built to accomplish their specific purpose and crew comfort and security was clearly a secondary consideration. Generally flying under the cover of darkness, the Lancaster had virtually no defensive armour. The front, mid-upper, and rear gun turrets were hydraulically powered and carried a total of eight .303 calibre machine guns for defence against enemy aircraft. The crew worked in cramped conditions, particularly the air gunners who remained at their posts for the entire flight. Some had to place their flight boots into the turrets before climbing in, and then put their boots on. At night and at 20000 feet the temperature in the turrets frequently …

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    11 Responses to “1942 The Lancaster Bomber”

    1. lockhughes Says:
      January 18th, 2010 at 11:32 pm

      I am in awe. Human endeavour, faced with war. Wish more humans saw climate change more as warfare…
      Gawds Bless You
      l0cK

    2. cobrachoppergirl Says:
      January 19th, 2010 at 12:21 am

      War, what a total waste of human effort

    3. Rico8458 Says:
      January 19th, 2010 at 12:35 am

      sad, but only war brings out the best in people.

    4. Rico8458 Says:
      January 19th, 2010 at 12:37 am

      german production was far more efficient. lol.

    5. zhihao1 Says:
      January 19th, 2010 at 2:34 am

      lol, not to mention that history would be very, very boring without wars

    6. olivenstein Says:
      January 19th, 2010 at 10:04 am

      Where was the Avro factory in Canada?

    7. Wolverine1925 Says:
      January 20th, 2010 at 9:27 pm

      Victory Aircraft at Malton, NW of Toronto. 430 were produced from 1943 to 1945

    8. seftonwallet Says:
      January 24th, 2010 at 8:14 pm

      Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant !!!!

    9. Swanlander Says:
      April 25th, 2010 at 9:34 pm

      I thunk thats an insult that Germam war production was more efficient – it was done with slave labour or for the ordinary German war worker awful punishments if they failed to deliver. one of the biggest losers of the war were the ordinary German people in the Reich – the leadership had no thought for their welfare whatsoever.

    10. BillDFC Says:
      July 22nd, 2010 at 7:59 am

      @Rico8458 I would say it was the opposite.

    11. zenzombie72 Says:
      August 17th, 2010 at 3:43 am

      @Rico8458 If you mean that it turns people who believe it horrendous to drop 8 tons of explosives on others into a consensus that agrees reluctantly that it is necessary, then I agree.

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