Miloch
January 7th 20, 03:02 PM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. 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.
The Lancaster has its origins in the twin-engine Avro Manchester which had been
developed during the late 1930s in response to the Air Ministry Specification
P.13/36 for a capable medium bomber for "world-wide use". 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 version, Bristol Hercules engines. It first
saw service with RAF Bomber Command in 1942 and as the strategic bombing
offensive over Europe gathered momentum, it was the main aircraft for the
night-time bombing campaigns that followed. As increasing numbers of the type
were produced, it became the principal heavy bomber used by the RAF, the RCAF
and squadrons from other Commonwealth and European countries serving within the
RAF, overshadowing the Halifax and Stirling.
A long, unobstructed bomb bay meant that the Lancaster could take the largest
bombs used by the RAF, including the 4,000 lb (1,800 kg), 8,000 lb (3,600 kg)
and 12,000 lb (5,400 kg) blockbusters, loads often supplemented with smaller
bombs or incendiaries. The "Lanc", as it was known colloquially, became one of
the most heavily used of the Second World War night bombers, "delivering 608,612
long tons of bombs in 156,000 sorties". The versatility of the Lancaster was
such that it was chosen to equip 617 Squadron and was modified to carry the
Upkeep "Bouncing bomb" designed by Barnes Wallis for Operation Chastise, the
attack on German Ruhr valley dams. 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 12,000 lb (5,400 kg) Tallboy
and then the 22,000 lb (10,000 kg) Grand Slam earthquake bombs (also designed by
Wallis). This was the largest payload of any bomber in the war.
The origins of the Lancaster stem from a twin-engined bomber design that had
been submitted in response to Specification P.13/36, which had been formulated
and released by the British Air Ministry during the mid 1930s. This
specification had sought a new generation of twin-engined medium bombers
suitable for "worldwide use". Further requirements of the specification included
the use of a mid-mounted cantilever monoplane wing, all-metal construction; the
adoption of the in-development Rolls-Royce Vulture engine was also encouraged".
Various candidates were submitted for the specification by such manufacturers as
Fairey, Boulton Paul, Handley Page and Shorts; all submissions were designed
around two-engine configurations, using the Rolls-Royce Vulture, Napier Sabre,
Fairey P.24 or Bristol Hercules engines. The majority of these engines were
under development at this point; while four-engined bomber designs were
considered for specification B.12/36 for a heavy bomber, wings which mounted two
pairs of engines were still in the experimental stage and required testing at
the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), the resulting increase in overall weight
of adopting a stronger wing also necessitated further strengthening of the
overall aircraft structure.
In response, British aviation company Avro decided to submit their own design,
designated the Avro 679, to meet Specification P.13/36. In February 1937,
following consideration of the designs by the Air Ministry, Avro's design
submission was selected along with Handley Page's bid being chosen as "second
string". Accordingly, during April 1937, a pair of prototypes of both designs
were ordered. The resulting aircraft, named the Manchester, entered RAF service
in November 1940. Although considered to be a capable aircraft in most areas,
the Manchester proved to be underpowered and troubled by the unreliability of
the Vulture engine. As a result, only 200 Manchesters were constructed and the
type was quickly withdrawn from service in 1942.
Role
Heavy bomber
National origin
United Kingdom
Manufacturer
Avro
Designer
Roy Chadwick
First flight
9 January 1941
Introduction
February 1942
Status
Retired
Primary users
Royal Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
Number built
7,377
Unit cost
£45–50,000
Developed from
Avro Manchester
Variants
Avro Lancastrian
Developed into
Avro York
Avro Lincoln
RAF Lancasters dropped food into the Holland region of the occupied Netherlands,
with the acquiescence of the occupying German forces, to feed people who were in
danger of starvation. The mission was named 'Operation Manna' after the food
manna which is said to have miraculously appeared for the Israelites in the Book
of Exodus. The aircraft involved were from 1, 3, and 8 Groups, and consisted of
145 Mosquitos and 3,156 Lancasters, flying between them a total of 3,298
sorties. The first of the two RAF Lancasters chosen for the test flight was
nicknamed "Bad Penny" from the old expression: "a bad penny always turns up."
This bomber, with a crew of seven men (five Canadians including pilot Robert
Upcott of Windsor, Ontario), took off in bad weather on the morning of 29 April
1945 without a ceasefire agreement from the German forces, and successfully
dropped its cargo.
The Lancaster conducted a total of 156,000 sorties and dropped 608,612 long tons
(618,378 tonnes) of bombs between 1942 and 1945. Only 35 Lancasters completed
more than 100 successful operations each, and 3,249 were lost in action. The
most successful survivor completed 139 operations, and was ultimately retired
from service and scrapped in 1947. 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. From its entry into service, the original
model of the Lancaster was operated in almost every major bombing raid of the
European conflict.
Adolf Galland (commander of the Luftwaffe fighters) considered the Lancaster to
be "the best night bomber of the war", as did his adversary, Arthur "Bomber"
Harris, who referred to it as the RAF Bomber Command's "shining sword". 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".
Specifications (Lancaster I)
General characteristics
Crew: 7: pilot, flight engineer, navigator, bomb aimer/nose gunner, wireless
operator, mid-upper and rear gunners
Length: 69 ft 4 in (21.11 m)
Wingspan: 102 ft 0 in (31.09 m)
Height: 20 ft 6 in (6.25 m)
Wing area: 1,297 sq ft (120.5 m²)
Empty weight: 36,900 lb (16,738 kg)
Loaded weight: 55,000 lb (24,948 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 68,000 lb (30,844 kg)
Powerplant: 4 × Rolls-Royce Merlin XX liquid-cooled V12 engines, 1,280 hp (954
kW) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 282 mph (246 knots, 454 km/h) at 63,000 lb (29,000 kg) and 13,000
ft (4,000 m) altitude
Cruise speed: 200 mph (174 knots, 322 km/h)
Range: 2,530 mi (2,200 nmi, 4,073 km)
Service ceiling: 21,400 ft (6,500 m) at 63,000 lb (29,000 kg)
Rate of climb: 720 ft/min (3.7 m/s) at 63,000 lb (29,000 kg) and 9,200 ft (2,800
m) altitude
Armament
Guns: Two 0.303-inch (7.62 mm) Browning Mark II machine guns in nose turret, two
0.303-inch Browning Mark II machine guns in upper turret, and four 0.303-inch
Browning Mark II machine guns in the rear turret.
Bombs: Maximum normal bomb load of 14,000 lb (6,400 kg) of bombs or single
22,000 lb (10,000 kg) Grand Slam (with modifications to bomb bay).
*
The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. 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.
The Lancaster has its origins in the twin-engine Avro Manchester which had been
developed during the late 1930s in response to the Air Ministry Specification
P.13/36 for a capable medium bomber for "world-wide use". 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 version, Bristol Hercules engines. It first
saw service with RAF Bomber Command in 1942 and as the strategic bombing
offensive over Europe gathered momentum, it was the main aircraft for the
night-time bombing campaigns that followed. As increasing numbers of the type
were produced, it became the principal heavy bomber used by the RAF, the RCAF
and squadrons from other Commonwealth and European countries serving within the
RAF, overshadowing the Halifax and Stirling.
A long, unobstructed bomb bay meant that the Lancaster could take the largest
bombs used by the RAF, including the 4,000 lb (1,800 kg), 8,000 lb (3,600 kg)
and 12,000 lb (5,400 kg) blockbusters, loads often supplemented with smaller
bombs or incendiaries. The "Lanc", as it was known colloquially, became one of
the most heavily used of the Second World War night bombers, "delivering 608,612
long tons of bombs in 156,000 sorties". The versatility of the Lancaster was
such that it was chosen to equip 617 Squadron and was modified to carry the
Upkeep "Bouncing bomb" designed by Barnes Wallis for Operation Chastise, the
attack on German Ruhr valley dams. 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 12,000 lb (5,400 kg) Tallboy
and then the 22,000 lb (10,000 kg) Grand Slam earthquake bombs (also designed by
Wallis). This was the largest payload of any bomber in the war.
The origins of the Lancaster stem from a twin-engined bomber design that had
been submitted in response to Specification P.13/36, which had been formulated
and released by the British Air Ministry during the mid 1930s. This
specification had sought a new generation of twin-engined medium bombers
suitable for "worldwide use". Further requirements of the specification included
the use of a mid-mounted cantilever monoplane wing, all-metal construction; the
adoption of the in-development Rolls-Royce Vulture engine was also encouraged".
Various candidates were submitted for the specification by such manufacturers as
Fairey, Boulton Paul, Handley Page and Shorts; all submissions were designed
around two-engine configurations, using the Rolls-Royce Vulture, Napier Sabre,
Fairey P.24 or Bristol Hercules engines. The majority of these engines were
under development at this point; while four-engined bomber designs were
considered for specification B.12/36 for a heavy bomber, wings which mounted two
pairs of engines were still in the experimental stage and required testing at
the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), the resulting increase in overall weight
of adopting a stronger wing also necessitated further strengthening of the
overall aircraft structure.
In response, British aviation company Avro decided to submit their own design,
designated the Avro 679, to meet Specification P.13/36. In February 1937,
following consideration of the designs by the Air Ministry, Avro's design
submission was selected along with Handley Page's bid being chosen as "second
string". Accordingly, during April 1937, a pair of prototypes of both designs
were ordered. The resulting aircraft, named the Manchester, entered RAF service
in November 1940. Although considered to be a capable aircraft in most areas,
the Manchester proved to be underpowered and troubled by the unreliability of
the Vulture engine. As a result, only 200 Manchesters were constructed and the
type was quickly withdrawn from service in 1942.
Role
Heavy bomber
National origin
United Kingdom
Manufacturer
Avro
Designer
Roy Chadwick
First flight
9 January 1941
Introduction
February 1942
Status
Retired
Primary users
Royal Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
Number built
7,377
Unit cost
£45–50,000
Developed from
Avro Manchester
Variants
Avro Lancastrian
Developed into
Avro York
Avro Lincoln
RAF Lancasters dropped food into the Holland region of the occupied Netherlands,
with the acquiescence of the occupying German forces, to feed people who were in
danger of starvation. The mission was named 'Operation Manna' after the food
manna which is said to have miraculously appeared for the Israelites in the Book
of Exodus. The aircraft involved were from 1, 3, and 8 Groups, and consisted of
145 Mosquitos and 3,156 Lancasters, flying between them a total of 3,298
sorties. The first of the two RAF Lancasters chosen for the test flight was
nicknamed "Bad Penny" from the old expression: "a bad penny always turns up."
This bomber, with a crew of seven men (five Canadians including pilot Robert
Upcott of Windsor, Ontario), took off in bad weather on the morning of 29 April
1945 without a ceasefire agreement from the German forces, and successfully
dropped its cargo.
The Lancaster conducted a total of 156,000 sorties and dropped 608,612 long tons
(618,378 tonnes) of bombs between 1942 and 1945. Only 35 Lancasters completed
more than 100 successful operations each, and 3,249 were lost in action. The
most successful survivor completed 139 operations, and was ultimately retired
from service and scrapped in 1947. 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. From its entry into service, the original
model of the Lancaster was operated in almost every major bombing raid of the
European conflict.
Adolf Galland (commander of the Luftwaffe fighters) considered the Lancaster to
be "the best night bomber of the war", as did his adversary, Arthur "Bomber"
Harris, who referred to it as the RAF Bomber Command's "shining sword". 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".
Specifications (Lancaster I)
General characteristics
Crew: 7: pilot, flight engineer, navigator, bomb aimer/nose gunner, wireless
operator, mid-upper and rear gunners
Length: 69 ft 4 in (21.11 m)
Wingspan: 102 ft 0 in (31.09 m)
Height: 20 ft 6 in (6.25 m)
Wing area: 1,297 sq ft (120.5 m²)
Empty weight: 36,900 lb (16,738 kg)
Loaded weight: 55,000 lb (24,948 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 68,000 lb (30,844 kg)
Powerplant: 4 × Rolls-Royce Merlin XX liquid-cooled V12 engines, 1,280 hp (954
kW) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 282 mph (246 knots, 454 km/h) at 63,000 lb (29,000 kg) and 13,000
ft (4,000 m) altitude
Cruise speed: 200 mph (174 knots, 322 km/h)
Range: 2,530 mi (2,200 nmi, 4,073 km)
Service ceiling: 21,400 ft (6,500 m) at 63,000 lb (29,000 kg)
Rate of climb: 720 ft/min (3.7 m/s) at 63,000 lb (29,000 kg) and 9,200 ft (2,800
m) altitude
Armament
Guns: Two 0.303-inch (7.62 mm) Browning Mark II machine guns in nose turret, two
0.303-inch Browning Mark II machine guns in upper turret, and four 0.303-inch
Browning Mark II machine guns in the rear turret.
Bombs: Maximum normal bomb load of 14,000 lb (6,400 kg) of bombs or single
22,000 lb (10,000 kg) Grand Slam (with modifications to bomb bay).
*