AVRO LANCASTER AND ITS FATAL FLAW
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- Опубліковано 17 жов 2024
- Avro Lancasters flew more than 150,000 operations but more than 3,000 planes never returned.
7,377 Lancasters were built by six major companies at ten factories on two continents.
Was the 'The Fatal flaw' in the front escape hatch ever remedied in the Avro Lancaster bomber. The Lancaster's design was never improved to enhance crew survivability. The main flaw of the nose escape hatch was that there was no alternative for most of the crew, if they needed to bail out.
It was extremely narrow at 22 inches.
The rear turret of a Lancaster is small, very physically restricted in comparison to the other 6 crew stations. It is too small for a normal sized gunner to wear a parachute and in any case, escape from a damaged turret is virtually impossible if the gunner is wounded or the turret is not aligned with the fuselage, say because of ruptured hydraulics.
Almost half all Lancasters delivered during the war were lost on operations with the loss of over 21,000 crew members. The disadvantage of having such a large bomb bay was that there was no room for a gun turret underneath. This meant that the Lancaster crews were blind from attack from below.
/ @gullperchflyer
The effort You have put into the making of this Excellent, Informative and Sobering, report of the Lancaster and Crews effort in WWII is commendable.
A visit to the RAF VC hall in RAF Hendon museum, and the stories of each recipient, remains unforgettable....
No More Brother War.
Thank you for your kind feedback please consider subscribing. Chris.
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Thank you Chris for another well researched and compiled story. Fascinating interviews. Really appreciate the work you’ve put into this…
Glad you enjoyed it Martin it was interesting putting it all together. Chris.
Hello Chris . A very interesting story of the various persons it took to not just fly the aircraft but the what it took to service and operate from the requisitioned land from the unfortunate farmers . My neighbour , Vic' did 2 tours on Lancasters and Halifax . He told me of one occasion when he was attacked by nightfighters with 3 engines knocked out returning home and was at 20,000 feet + . The remaining engine got the aircraft back home ! Victor calculated that the decent rate was such that he would make it . And he did ! One of my uncles was a pathfinder pilot KIA flying a Lancaster and another uncle survived the war as a navigator on Lancs' . Thanks Chris
My father - who passed away almost 40 years ago - worked with a former Halifax pilot. My dad said he was a very quiet chap, who didn't seem to talk much about the war. My dad always felt the raids he'd been on had affected him deeply, as he would know he'd be killing innocent civilians on the ground. This did become an issue after the war for many ex RAF crews....
Thanks John interesting connections. Chris.
Very sad Brian. Best Regards Chris
Bomber crews were the bravest of the brave. I spoke to an old lady in a French military cemetery once, who related how her father had been the rear gunner in a Lanc and had been the only survivor when his aircraft had exploded without warning, and he had found himself thrown out into the night sky.
Rear gunners did not have their parachute attached , they had to exit the turret attach the chute ,re enter the turret , turn the turret 90 degrees and then finally exit.
Mmmmmmm? Without a Parachute, Rare, but not impossible.
Remarkable men Colin. Chris.
I have read that later gunners were supplied with a parachute to sit on. Chris.
The Lancaster's forerunner, the Manchester was something of a dismal failure, mainly because of it's 2 engines. I think it had two Rolls Royce Vulture engines. However, once Roy Chadwick - the designer - got to work, he added around 15 feet to each wing root, along with *four* of the far better, newer Rolls Royce Merlin engines, plus some modifications to other parts of the airframe along with the twin fin tail-plane. The result was the Lancaster we are familiar with, which could take 10 tons of bombs to Berlin... That radio chat is fascinating. Not a hint of panic or excitement, despite someone attempting to kill them. Just a crew doing their jobs well.....with an interesting mix of regional accents...
Thanks Brian. Chris.
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Chris, this is a really excellent compilation you've put together, with some unusual angles covered. It all helps to illustrate the sheer complexity of RAF operations during that period.
30,000 acres. Those flat fields are a haunted landscape.
Thank you Mark. Chris.
"We'been holed"....."nothing to worry about"! Just as if someone had spilt a bit of tea on the floor! That is courage!
I know Nick when I heard that twang on metal and the casual response these men were full of courage to keep going. Chris.
Indeed. No panic, just 100% cool professionalism.....
Good stuff as always,....!!!
Thank you for your kind feedback. Chris.
brilliant!
Thank you please have a subscribe. Chris.
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I was fortunate enough to see both airworthy Lancs at Biggin Hill some years ago…
The Canadian plane had flown over crossing Greenland, Iceland and refuelling at Prestwick.
Peter Monk at Biggin Hill had arranged an open top bus at the end of the runway, facing them landing and both aircraft parked up on the grass.
The Canadian guys were amazing and welcoming and allowed us into the plane, whereas the BBMF were not as accommodating. Hence nobody bothered with it… but we had a tea urn, sandwiches and cake, which was nice!
I shot some BW pics of both planes cresting the ‘bump’ which are on a hard drive somewhere?
In complete stark contrast, two Typhoons were also present, when decided to take off…
I never ever thought as a cadet there, that fifty odd years later, I’d be seeing Spits, Hurris, Lancasters and Typhoons on the same airfield - up close and personal…
I toured the Canadian Lancaster when it visited Winnipeg several years ago. It was a great experience.
Really appreciate your feedback . Chris.
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Americans went on missions. The British went on operations, usually referred to as opps.
Usually, US bomber crews flew 25 missions, and were then rested. When Guy Gibson toured the US to raise war bonds, the US airmen who met him were astonished to learn he'd been on 170+ missions...
Thanks for your feedback Colin. Best Regards Chris.
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Around about 2010, The UK tax payer finally paid off the debts incurred for its involvement in the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th century. How much do you imagine WW1 & WW2 cost? When will that debt be paid? Who do we owe? What control do they have over our nation because of this debt?
Roy Chadwick didn't regard pilot survivability as a priority with the Lancaster or Vulcan.
Harsh ! You know this to be true ?
Where is the evidence to support this suggestion?
How sad in many ways Ivan. Chris.
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Hmm interesting. Chris.
More reading needed Martin. Chris.
I used to have a lot of pals who were Old Lags, that I used to fly with. One chap, a Nav' Maurice Hemmings from Leominster, was on his third tour when the war ended. Remarkable.....
Interesting many thanks Chris.