How did a Rolls Royce Failure Create the Best British Heavy Bomber of WW2 ?
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
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It was highly regarded by both the RAF and the Lufftwaffe and took the fight to the Nazi's homeland every single day from 1942 till the end of the war and yet the most succesful RAF bomber of the war might never have come about if it weren't for the resourcefullness of the ARVO designer Roy Chadwick who turned the AVRO Manchester and its woeful Rolls Royce Vulture engines that the crew called a flying disaster in to the success of the lancaster.
This is the story of how the lost of the Manchester was a massive gain for the RAF.
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Written, researched and presented by Paul Shillito
Footage and images : Crown estate, Tom Cooper, From Here To Nowhere
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Abso freakin lootly!
PIA VPN sucks. NordVPN is superior in every way.
Could you not perpetuate that false advertising, that would be nice
If I was a hacker, I would probably target a VPN server because it gives you a whole list of easy targets.
@@robertdragoff6909 99⁹
Curious Droid is by far one of the best channels on this platform.
I hope you get your heart
How can you be "by far" "one of the best." Stop being so noncommittal and say "by far the best"
He got the loss rate of Lancaster crews wrong by a verg wide margin. And he repeats myths as fact (the wingspan limitation which was debunked decades ago).
Word
His shirts are always on fleek too.
Starts humming ‘The Dambusters’ theme uncontrollably
Every time I see a production about the Lancaster I keep asking
“Play the music, play the music”
I thought I was alone in my lunacy, just shows how wrong one can be!😂
This episode's shirt was considered state-of-the art camouflage in the early 20th century.
I love the shirt as well 😳🥺🤯
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dazzle_camouflage
Wow, that was fascinating especially in regards to how the changes to the wings, mid fuselage, engines etc. evolved the design of an existing platform into a more effective aeroplane.
Thank you Paul!
I live in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, where one of the flight-worthy Lancasters is based.
We are treated to a flyover almost every week throughout the summer. I sure love the sound of its engines.
It's been weird watching the Mitchell do all the flyovers alone all year, can't wait until Vera's done maintenance and back in the air again. Hope she gives a proper tour around town to let us know she's back.
I’d love a video on how bombs of wwII actually worked. And the different types and design strategies
Yes and the various loadouts aircraft were bombed up with.
I got to see the Canadian Lancaster both in the air and on the ground back in either 1990 or 1991. More importantly, my father got to see it. He was an RCAF veteran who served with the RAF Coastal Command until the end of the war. He died in 1992, so this was one of the last things we were able to share together. Beautiful plane, beautiful memories.
If you want to see one again there’s one in Alberta in nanton at the bomber museum
My Dad Ray Phillips (101 Sqdrn) conducted most of his tour in Lancaster LL772, which completed 127 missions and survived the war, being broken up in1947. It has only recently been recognized as a 'Ton up' Lanc, (No 36 or possibly 37) thanks in part to a full list of it's missions kept by my Dad's pilot Howie Henn (RCAF) that I came across among Dad's papers. I am very lucky to be here...
OMG, to your Dad thanks. MY Dad was flown back from Italy after serving in 60 Line Section, Royal Signals, in “Operation Dodge” by a Lancaster of 101 Squadron. Brave men.
@@SaturnCanuck Lovely! Ray did 'Manna' around the same time to drop food for the starving Dutch, he thought they'd mostly just made a big Mud Pie in the soaking fields, but many years later got a letter of thanks from Dutch branch of Royal British Legion. My Mum (Marjorie) was a Wireless Operator at 101, both of them were pretty deaf, but never complianed.
That was some achievement to survive 127 missions. He must have had nerves of steel.
A brave man.
@@briancarton1804 Sorry, It was his main Lanc (LL772) that did 127 missions, he did 32 sorties & then headed off to take on Japan. He was very keen not to go back to being a Bank Clerk....
@@205hermanic Very honest of you to correct the record. The man still had to have nevrs of steel.
At least he would have got his bacon and eggs as a reward.
Excellent. Shame there are currently only 2 airworthy.
A B-17 was lost recently at an air show in Texas due to a midair collision. Beside the tragedy of the lost crew. They just don’t make those things anymore.
I live in Conroe where raiders was based; I’m still in shock and sadness over the loss. I loved that plane ❤
There was also another B17 lost at an airshow about 3 years ago in I believe Connecticut, aside from the obviously more important loss of life as you pointed out they're not making any more of them and everyone lost is one that can't be replaced.
Even in something as heavily regulated as civilian aviation the loss of those aircraft is a reflection of how dangerous military aviation was in those days, many people know the fact that the 8th Air Force that flew out of England during the war lost more men than the entire US Marine Corps did in the entire war, but what many people don't know is that ⅓rd of them were lost due to accidents.
Tragic, truly tragic.
Also I didn't know there was only 2 flying Lancaster's, are there any prospects that you know of that might lead to any more such as any currently under restoration?
@@dukecraig2402 Apparently there is a 3rd Lancaster that will hopefully be made airworthy sometime in the next couple of years, Lancaster NX611 “Just Jane” is currently in taxying condition at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Museum but their hoping to get it to full airworthiness condition over the next couple of years.
@@mrjockt
It'd be nice if they'd get one here in the states so we could see it in an airshow, it'd look real good flying along with some Spitfire's a Hurricane and a Mosquito.
@@dukecraig2402 We could do with a flying Mosquito here in the U.K., I did manage to see the British Aerospace owned one flying at Warton Aerodrome when I worked for British Aerospace many years ago, unfortunately it was destroyed in a crash a couple of years later.
Having the same last name as the bomber, and loving airplanes all of my almost 52 years, I have been a fan of these classic airplanes and have always loved and admired the Lancaster and Mosquito bombers. As an American, and growing up hearing the stories of my grandfather and his friends from WW2 and I remember my great uncle who was in the Army Air Corps back then , speaking about the crews from both planes and their great bravado and skills. He was forever impressed and I was hooked as well. Thank you for such wonderful videos. Much love from Raeford North Carolina, USA 🤙🤙
My great uncle was a Lanc pilot flying with 100 squadron. I have his logbook. Sadly he was KIA in Feb '43.. So you have an excellent surname sir. 👍
Love that bit of British Air Ministry lore - where the bomber specs included that the wings have to fit a standard hanger. Who cares about flying or fighting ability - but it MUST fit our hangers.
My mom thought the same thing. "Nice heavy coat, but will it fit on our hangers?" (But, mom, the winters are 20 below) Hangers?
Really, the Merlin engine saved the world! First Spitfire, then two of them on Mosquito, four of them on Lancaster...
Cross the ocean; P-51D, P-38 and who knows what else... (Packard is based on Merlin, right ? )
Even Junkers Jumo, the first operational jet engines, couldn't change the course of the war.
Spitfire, p51, Mosquitos are such fantastic planes
Check out Greg's airplanes, he goes go over some very interesting details on how UK and US work together to make the Merlin great, and what a sound it made!
Not to mention it was the base for the Meteor which powered most late-war British cruiser tanks, and the Centurion
The Packard is a license built Merlin. What Packard did to it was genius though, they reduced the number of fasteners required to hold it together and standardised them at the same time. The P38 didn't use Packard Merlins or RR Merlins though. It used Allison V-1710s.
@Pacific NWguy sorry my bad. I thought, it was the same engine, since it was most popular and easiest to find around.
My grandad looked after them in Egypt. My dad took me to an aviation museum where they had a cut way merlin engine. We talked about how it worked. Nice to know about its development .
thanks
My Great Uncle was in the 428th Ghost Squadron Canada Navagator / Gunner
I always look at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Lancaster with reverence.
So glad to see this, the Lanc is my favourite plane. My grandfather helped maintain these during the war. I had the pleasure of seeing one run a few years ago, a phenomenal machine.
They seem quite small in person.
I'm lucky enough to live right near the Canadian Warplane Museum in Hamilton, Ontario and I see the Lancaster flying overhead every few weeks
My uncle was a Lancaster pilot flying with 100 squadron. He was KIA in Feb '43 returning from a mission & crashing upon landing. All except the rear gunner were killed. He was only 23. I have his logbook.
All heroes in my opinion.
The first 30 years of aviation has mind blowing progress. 1903 first flight, Lancaster in the 1930s
HaNdley Page please! The Halifax was the other RAF 4-engine heavy bomber that took part in the war and was much loved by the crews for it's durability.
Just pointed out the HANDLEY PAGE error myself but otherwise a worthy offering.
One of my dad's favorite photos from his time as an EWO in the USN was when his crew was at RAF Coningsby and he got to sit in the rear turret of the Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight's Lancaster.
Always a good time to watch Curious Droid's video (: keep up the great work!
Hi Paul. Fabulous videos all - and all so well researched. However, sorry to correct you on the manufacturer for the Hampden. It is Handley Page - NOT Hadley Page.
Regards Mark in the UK
I came to the comments to say this. Didn't want to repeat myself.
I remember as a child going through Red Deer Alberta Canada and there was a gas station alongside the highway that had a Lancaster and a Spitfire on the premises. Both of these aircraft were not in flying shape but in fact were there so youngsters like myself could climb into them and play. My Father always stopped there and I would climb into either aircraft and imagine being a pilot in the Second World War. When the highway was re-routed I don't know what happened to either aircraft as the station was on the old highway that wasn't used as much. There is a Lancaster in Nanton Alberta that was moved from Vulcan and I believe that it just might be the one originally from Red Deer but I cannot be sure. In addition, Nanton also boasts a Halifax bomber and has it on display.
I would have to assume that all of these examples were purchased privately after the war from Fort McLeod airport where many of them were scrapped. My late uncle could remember ferrying bombers to Fort McLeod after the war. Once they landed, crews were waiting with service trucks and as they were towed away the engines were cut free to land on the tarmac while the airframes were taken to a pit where they were broken in half with a bull dozer. Some of these airframes were left intact as they had been purchased privately for a few hundred dollars each. One of the things he related about these flights was how they navigated across the country to get there. Apparently they would take on a fair amount of spirits at the start of the final leg of the flight in Gimli airbase in Manitoba and by the time they were over the prairies they were all fairly drunk and subsequently didn't really know where in the hell they were. They would scan the horizon for grain elevators and fly towards them. Once there, they would come down to a few hundred feet off the deck and get the towns name of the side of the elevators. Having a name to go by, they used a very worn Michelin Road Map to find the place and then it was dead reckoning to Fort McLeod. No one ever got after them about this because they knew most of those crews had survived the war and were just happy to have lived through it so they were given some leeway for their transgressions.
In any event, of the 17 Lancaster airframes still in existence, eight are located in Canada.
Oh good dog! Hearing that description of Lanc murders makes me feel genuine distress!
I am not sure, but I think that Lanc might have been bought to do up in Oz, but they couldn't raise the money, so sold it on. I think to UK? It's been about 20 years since I read the book.
Edit: I can't be sure. Now I think it was bought from the French who flew them around the Pacific, for years and maybe was sold to Canada?
My old brain is scrambled egg, now. I just remember finding that glorious book and the story of a bunch of air crew having a last blast delivering the Lanc.
Just so you know, your dazzle camouflage isn’t working.
Oh, Idk, judging by the comments I've been reading, half the audience can't tell what direction he was heading. That's what dazzle is supposed to do.
Always thoroughly researched and beautifully narrated. The Lancaster was so dominant we forget just how many designs of bomber were in use during the war.
I heard in one documentary, that Germany never developed a long range heavy bomber. And it really hurt them in their conflict with Russia. I wonder why they just didn't pick up a downed Lancaster and say..."Here's the design we need, right here!" It was a marvelous heavy bomber. It "Brought the Pain."
I lived all my chilhood next to the Lancaster KB882 one of the 17 still living to this day, it was always an experience to see it in real life but never realized until later how important that Lancaster was during the war and post war and that it has survived 14 combat mission. It is the one that is currently being restored and should be unveiled at the ontario museum in 2024. I might consider doing the trip to see it again if it will be in working order. Would be awesome to see. Thank you for the history.
How many are airworthy?
@@dukecraig2402 In the world I think there`s only 2 airworthy, but I`m not sure. Canada has one in Ontario and I think Britain has the other one.
@@SoulExter
It'd be nice to hear that there's some being restored.
Thanks!
A long time ago I was told by a British friend that the prelude to the Lancaster was the Manchester, a two engine model. :)
I enjoyed this very much.
Another excellent video!
I finally got to hear not just one but four Merlin's fire up on Remembrance Day in Hamilton, Ontario when they were taking the Lancaster out for a spin. Very exciting.
Beginning to think you’d retired, 😉
great to see new content!
G'day Paul, Thank you so much for this detailed 'heritage' of the mighty Lancaster. I served in the '70s RAAF and have become a military historian. Many Australian aircrew flew in Lancs and I am still deeply saddened by the 55K+ aircrew losses in the Lancs' night time and special opps. I, and many others, still think it is totally shameful that the Bomber Command boys, and their loved ones, had to wait several decades for them to be officially commemorated with a memorial statue; all because of the generally false, adverse reports in the press about a few 'Area Bombing' opps that, at the time, had the written, official approval of Churchill.
Winston simply folded under public and political pressure by writing a letter to the RAF's top brass, effectively throwing AVM 'Bomber' Harris 'under the bus' even though Harris was not, in fact, the original architect of 'Area Bombing'.
Roy Chadwick's revamp of the Manchester into the Lancaster was brilliant, even though; like some other RAF bombers; there were no, all important, 'belly turrets' which was a contributing factor in the type's tragically high aircrew death rate. Small numbers of early Lancasters did have a 'belly turret' but these were swiftly phased out in 1942 for the sake of making room for larger, heavier bomb loads.
Another great video, Paul. All the best to you and your family for the Christmas season and for a successful 2023. Bill H.
The lack of belly turrets not withstanding wasn't the biggest issue about the defensive guns on RAF bombers, it was using .303 caliber guns, when the RAF first started bombing it was in the daylight, the Germans may have been a lot of things but stupid wasn't one of them, it wasn't long that German pilots figured out that 400 yards was the realistic maximum range of their defensive guns, so all they had to do was start their engagement of a bomber at the maximum range of their cannons which was 700 yards and break off before the 400 yard maximum effective range of an RAF bombers defensive guns and they could attack virtually without threat, that was the single biggest factor to them switching over to night bombing.
The upward angled guns of the German night fighter's which meant they attacked from underneath might have meant that the Lancaster could have benefitted from belly guns, but even then it's doubtful because they would have been .303 caliber and they'd have had the same issue with effective range that the rest of the guns had during daylight operations.
But ultimately the success of the RAF bombing raids came down to bravery of the crews, the 55,000+ loss number wasn't something unknown to those crewmembers, yet night after night they kept getting in those things and going right back out there hammering away on Germany, that's why they were a big part of winning the war.
My Dad's Lanc (see my other comment) LL772, was called Strewth and had a picture of a Kangaroo on it, so must've had an Aussie crew earlier in it's history. Up the Aussies!
PS Dad flushed his medals down the toilet because of this, and hardly ever talked about his role, he did live long enough to see things finally put right.
Churchill had to bomb Dresden ot Stalin wouldn't start his attack, when the furore erupted he blamed Harris.
@@205hermanic I wonder if it had come from 460 sqn? Or 466 sqn?
Do you know of the extraordinary luck story of Joe Herman and John Vivash, of 466?
It's one to share! Sadly, I think at least 3 of Joe's crew landed okay, but were lynched, by Germans. Makes Joe's story even more extraordinary.
I remember seeing the British and Canadian Lancasters flying at the Clacton air show a few years ago, what a spectacular sight and the sound of 8 Merlin engines was amazing.
👆>>>
My father was, BA, RO, Nav and secondary pilot in the Halifax from 1942 to being demobbed in 1946 (not all at the same time). Thanks for this.
My great uncle was a Pathfinder Lancaster navigator with Bomber Command. His Lancaster EE121 Crashed, presumed shot down 22nd July 1943 just off the coast of Holland. His remains washed up on the shores of the island of Terschelling 4 days later, where he now rests in peace in the Commonwealth war grave cemetery. Bomber Command lost 57,000 airmen in WW2.
Had one of these pass over my head on my passing out parade when I joined the RAF (passing out of basic training,) it was just out of rebuild I think it was the spirit of Lincoln with it was a spitfire and hurricane 🙂🙂
Congratulations on reaching 1m subs, Paul. Thoroughly deserved.
Another great video.
Any loss of life is tragic! Especially when it’s loss of innocent life.
Coulda spared a couple seconds to mention the Lancastrian and the Shackleton, no?
Interesting: I didn’t realize that some Lancasters used Packard Merlins! Packard did produce quite a lot of them though, with a somewhat higher emphasis on 100% interchangeability of parts than RR, I gather.
Packard produced more than twice as many Merlins than RR even having started later.
RR simply couldn't make enough.
Yes, that`s right, the Packard Merlins will all built to standard spec, whereas the Rolls Royce Merlins were built more individually. It`s one of the reasons why the Rolls Royce Merlins performed better, BUT, they needed more attention if needing repairs, whereas the Packard was a simple parts swap, something which in wartime was beneficial.
That may have been the case in the early days of the British made Merlin but when Ford UK produced the engine they were able to mass produce to tighter tolerances. RR asked Ford if it could match their tolerances and Ford said they could exceed them.
Even Rolls Royce failures end bringing succes, that company is really something
My dream is to fly on the Lancaster out of Hamilton Ontario. A half hour flight isn't cheap but well worth it
I recall watching a film documentary about the Lancaster on a local [US] PBS TV station; it was an older British production film on the steps taken to conduct a night bombing operation in World War II.
One of the lasting impressions from that film was the aspect the Lancaster flew with just a single pilot; no co-pilot. On long-range missions over Germany, it meant flight times of over eight hours. You had to be an iron-man to have piloted a Lancaster back then to endure such a lengthy flight.
Yes, my Dad's tour (101 Sqdrn) sounds ridiculous, the briefing beforehand and debrief on return added hours to the thing, then same thing the following night more often than not. Brown Bombers (speed) maybe helped a bit & strong tea obviously...
@@205hermanic Much appreciated you sharing that with us.
With giving that film documentary some additional thought, I do recall the post-mission debriefing involved the flight crews drinking rum; along with the film also showing empty chairs to indicate the flight crews that didn't return from the bombing mission.
I did some online searches to seek out if that documentary was to be found on UA-cam. No luck!
But for anyone seeking it out: It was an old film production, probably made during the war years; with a runtime of at least 30 minutes, or longer. It was in black & white; with a BBC style announcing narration to it.
Considering that I viewed it 30+ years ago and can still recall that documentary, it speaks well with the quality of the production.
@@bloqk16 It wasn't this one was it? Excellent Doc and in colour.. ua-cam.com/video/xAztJVoBTKE/v-deo.html
@@205hermanic Wow! I'm certain this is the one I was referencing about, albeit the version I saw was a black & white video print of it.
Thanks for the URL link to the video.
The scene of the single pilot, and recalling the serving of rum after the mission, were 2 aspects that immediately came to my recollection.
The part of the empty chairs I wrote about earlier? That was probably from another WW II documentary.
Thanks again for the link to the video. A friend of mine that's a WW II historian will find the video of great interest, too,
@@bloqk16 My Pleasure!
The Canadian Lancaster is stored away in Hamilton Ontario. Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden came by to see it during their last tour at a show in Hamilton a few months ago as he is a pilot and air plane fanatic. I have been right in it's bomb at airshows while on display on the ground and have watched it fly with a beautiful B-17 and B-29 visiting from the U.S.
The Lancaster is absolutely iconic and this was a fantastic video on one the greatest airplanes ever made.
If they ever start doing real air shows again, sometimes they'll let people actually climb through the fuselage to see how tight the space was. If you have a few thousand dollars to spare you can donate to the museum and they'll take you up for a flight. Can't wait until Vera's flying again, summer's just not the same without her roaring overhead once in a while.
I lived close to the lakeshore in Burlington and the Lanc would pass over the house often. What a sight and sound. A huge thank you to the crews, builders and designers.
And Bruce got to actually fly Mikey McBryans DC3 a couple of years ago.
Isn't Dickinson a ratbag hunter?
I'd be happy if he fell...
@@georgielancaster1356 I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "ratbag hunter" and I'm likely gonna regret this, can you further explain?
Fabulous video - only slightly marred by repeating "Hadley Page" rather than "Handley Page" - only a very small point and minor grumble in an otherwise excellent bit of work. I regard myself as somewhat of an aircraft buff, and I learned a lot from this. Thank you for posting and Happy new Year!
So his pronunciation of the Handley Page Hampden wasn’t that… Great? (Sorry.)
@@InAMinMaths It's a tiny point - I'm not here to criticise great work....
@@TheMissendenFlyer I know mate… just a play on words, Great Hampden…
It comes up as Hadley in the subtitles as well.
Wonderful Paul. Thanks. Our Canadian Lancaster, built at Victory Aircraft just a few kms from where I write this now, has gained a “name”. As she bears the squadron codes V-RA, we now call her “Vera”. Oh, and, when has a mated engine EVER worked.
I'm amazed. I actually got hooked and listened to your ad right through. Now THAT'S a compliment!
Really surprising RR turned out a turkey of an engine, quite a rare occurrence given their normal stats
Paul, Thanks for the short history lesson on WW2 UK bombers and the Lancaster.
Great documentary.Really liked the picture showing the Manchester then the Lancaster,and the difference in wing size 👍
Yes, enjoyed the video.
Merry Christmas, Paul!
One small point: it's Handley Page, not Hadley Page (6:30, and as pronounce throughout)
Of all the assets we had and used that shortened the war the Lancaster must be in the top five.
Another good video Paul, glossed over the Wellington a bit though and although designed as a Maritime reconnaissance aircraft, the Shackleton was used as an operational bomber on a few occasions during colonial policing (as they called it back then)
Sorry to be pedantic but the firm that built the Halifax was Handley Page, not Hadley Page. They also built the Victor, one of the three types of strategic nuclear V bombers of the Cold war.
The Manchester was not the failure, the Vulture engine was, as was the Peregrine from which it was derived. Merlin told Arthur he would be be there when Britain needed him and how well he kept his promise.
Must have been a tweet then - it's named after the bird, not the wizard : )
@@loddude5706 I know its named after a raptor, and I don't believe in fairies, but the 11th C book DID say that Merlin would come to our aid when needed and was it needed in 1940
Paul has got a WW1 dazzle camouflage shirt on today, I can't tell which way he's moving!
Quality content as always - well done and thanks!
25 years ago, I saw a Lancaster take off from an air museum in the UK. Don't remember the name, but it's the same place they displayed a Concorde.
The sound of that thing at full power during takeoff, is something I'll remember to the day I park my slippers.
Excellent narration and great video as always. Love the battleship camouflage shirt. Cheers.
Yep, we have one in Australia, G for George apparently flew 90 missions but log book only show 89. It's in the Australian War Memorial!
I hope you do a video on the Halifax........ the forgotten bomber!
As a Yank I love hearing the British commentary and their view of British planes !!
Merry Christmas, and thanks for the videos Mr. S
Another great video! As usual on this channel! Thanks Paul.
Hope you’re doing well Bubba!!!!! Hope everyone is, happy holidays to all!
An amazing aircraft, I still remember first seeing one of these as a child at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum. I've driven by the Bomber Command Museum of Canada several times, I'll have to check it out some time soon! A Lancaster is current being restored in Windsor, ON and should be finished in flyable condition in 2024.
As always thank you so very much for the videos,
and best wishes of the winter season.
Thanks, hope all is well with your health
Thank you for your programs. As always this one is very interesting. Would it be possible you describe the Avro Arrow history. This plane was so advanced in time when was constructed... and destroyed. Thanks in advance.
I'm liking the choice of a shirt that resembles dazzle camouflage in a WWII-related video.
44% didn’t come back, it’s unimaginable.
Les we forget
Can you imagine asking a hundred twenty somethings today to give 44 of their number to the reaper?
You’d be laughed out of the building or threatened with violence. How ironic, they’d do violence to someone asking them to do violence in their own defence! How the tables have turned.
Great video, thank you. Have a Happy Christmas and New Year
The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton Ontario has a flying Lancaster. It’s in pristine condition.
She's been grounded for maintenance overhaul for quite a while, can't wait until she's flying again. Summer's not the same without Vera flying by occasionally.
That shirt hurts my brain !!!
There is an amazing air museum in Nanton, Alberta which features a Lancaster.
Thankyou very enjoyable and very informative documentary.
Hi, you mention the name Hadley page a number of times, just wondering if this is a mistake or is there was another aircraft manufacturer beside Handley Page with an "n". I used to live in a caravan on the other side of the road from the Handley Page Radlett field when they were making the Victor V bomber, interesting times.
Love the shirt, it’s like the “dazzle” camouflage used on ships during WW2 😉🤣
5:10 The a/c was the Short STIRLING, named after the Scottish City.
STERLING is what paid for it.
6:40 HANDLEY PAGE
I've had a runway taxi ride in Just Jane, it was an amazing experience highly recommend a visit if your ever in that part of the UK.
Great to see you back!!!
love the WWII aviation videos! thank you for another wonderful video. Merry Christmas!
That was jolly interesting. But how about the last of the type - the Shackleton, with Griffon engines amd contra-rotating props? I flew one of these years ago - there was a lot of sound and fury but not a lot of performance and I was in awe of the crews that flew their predecessors operationally. Especially the dam busters…
I'm afraid that's a myth Paul, the Short Stirling's wingspan was limited to stop the bombers being too big. The hanger size was 112ft in actual fact.
Here we go lads, with got an 'ackshually' guy right here. 😂
Yeah, being "too big" to go in the hangers, as he said! So a 100ft wingspan would fit in with some safety margin... or do you think it would be a good idea to squeeze it in with nothing to spare? Jeez, some people.... 🙄
Another point that's wrong is the one about the Lancaster's starting to be fitted with the 2 stage 2 speed high altitude version of the Merlin, the truth behind that one is they only made 9 of them and for whatever reason they were maintenance nightmares that were constantly plagued with problems so they were removed from service.
Doing so would really have been pointless anyways since they were bombing at night and couldn't use optical sights for bombing and instead used ground scanning radar, which at the altitudes they did bomb at they played hell trying to hit anything, going even higher just would have worsened the problem.
Starting in the fall of 1943 US bombers also started using the same system during their daylight bombing when things like overcast skies prevented them from optically sighting their aiming point especially during the winter months, it was far less accurate than using the Norden bombsight and is the primary reason that hack aviation historians created the myth that the Norden bombsight was inaccurate, most of the supposed authorities on the subject don't even know about the US bombers use of the radar sighting system and the fact that the majority of bombs dropped by them were dropped using radar instead of optical sighting, all they do is take the overall results and pile it all on the back of the Norden bombsight and then claim it wasn't accurate, the fact is if you look only at the results of bombing from when the Norden bombsight was actually used the records show it was incredibly accurate, when it was used.
@@sunnyjim1355 he right, the wingspan was limited to 100ft to prevent aircraft becoming too larger for a single pilot to control. The Type C hangar had doors that could open up to 120ft. The myth about wingspan and hangars wasxdebunked decades ago. Hell, the specification (P13/36) call for most maintenance to be carried out outside of the hangars, which makes the myth about hangar doors something that was made up by someone who didn't know what he was talki g about, bit like you.
@@neiloflongbeck5705 shorts wanted to use the Sunderland wing but the aircraft was already on the maximum weight limit for the spec and so the shorter span, bit like the 14,000 lb max load.The bomb bay had 15 mounting points and one group used to fly regularly in an overloaded state with 15,000 lbs on board.
Just a single correction....the Avro factory was not in Newton Heath it was in the neighboring area of Manchester called Chadderton, however the aircraft were made in assemblies which were sent to Woodford near Stockport, by road for final assembly.
The Woodford location is the home of the Avro Museum and the rest of airfield is becoming a housing estate, the Chadderton factory buildings are mostly still there (next to the M60 motorway) but have been subdivided into separate industrial units.
The museum is great, really enjoyed it, but looking a bit fish out of water among all those new houses...
What a terrific story, so interesting that under engineered crankshaft bearings caused the RR Vulture to be discarded.
Beautiful work of art-engineering.
TOPIC REQUEST: Self Sealing Fuel Tanks
When were they first developed? Were there any false starts with the technology? What were the disadvantages?
How do they work? Has the technology evolved since WW2?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-sealing_fuel_tank
It's literally the first thing that comes up when you google it.
@@davidkavanagh189 You don't seem to know what a topic request is. Please google it.
@@timetraveller6643 No need to google that one. The title is self explanatory. But your request is like asking for a bedtime story. All the information you need is yours with a mere ten minutes of reading :)
@@davidkavanagh189 You have skimmed a Wikipedia article and are now firmly convinced there is nothing else to know. Do everyone in earshot of you a favour and Google Dunning-Kruger. Also, bear in mind that the majority of people that bother to respond to you are more intelligent and better educated than you are. You are blocked. Goodbye forever.
@@timetraveller6643 🤣🤣🤣 I literally suggested reading over youtube spoon feeding and you childishly accuse me of being uneducated 🤣🤣🤣 Best laugh I've had all week
I’ve been for a taxy ride in Just Jane. What an experience that was.
Another great story, it is an impressive aircraft. Thank you.
Nice work love the old war birds 👌
There is a Lancaster on display in Auckland at the Museum of Transport and Technology, a ex French maritime machine I believe, great to view.
saw that a few week ago, it's pretty awesome. Had no idea how large they are
I grew up building Revell model kits (the US cousin to Airfix). My absolute favorites were the heavy bombers. Even at 1/48 scale, it was easy to see how much engineering and ingenuity went into their design. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the B-17.
The last member of the Manchester family was the Shackleton, which finally retired around 1990. That is some life for a failure!
Compliments for the great video!
44% losses! That is incredible. Was that typical of bomber aircrew losses generally for the RAF and USAAF during the war? It seems quite high to me. Saddens me even more about what our grandparents went through. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I doubt that ground forces suffered such high losses.
Combat losses for B17's in the ETO was 37%.
B-17 Bomber, an Introduction
ua-cam.com/video/6q-bU-Hiw1A/v-deo.html
Another great video Paul. Keep doing your thing, we love it!
Not just the best British bomber of WW2 but the best bomber of WW2, it was built in fewer numbers than either the B-17 and B-24 but it dropped more tonnes of bombs than either of them plus 51 million incendiary devices.
Surely the Shackleton was last piston engine bomber operated by the RAF
Yes and the last to drop bombs in anger.