Avro Lancaster

Heavy strategic night bomber Avro Lancaster of the Royal Air Force.
History, development, service, specifications, pictures and 3D model.

Avro Lancaster bomber.

Avro Lancaster
Type: British heavy bomber.

The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engine heavy bomber aircraft used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. It is one of the most famous and successful bombers of the war, known for its impressive bombing capability and its role in the strategic bombing raids on Germany.

Overview

1. it was developed by Avro in the late 1930s as an improvement on the earlier Manchester bomber.

2. powered by four Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, which enabled it to carry a heavy bomb load over long distances.

3. the Lancaster had a top speed of 280 mph (454 km/h) and a range of 2,500 miles (4,073 km).

4. it could carry up to 22,000 pounds (10,000 kg) of bombs, including the 5,400 kg ‘Tallboy’ and the 10,000 kg ‘Grand Slam’ bombs.

6. used in famous raids such as the ‘Dambusters’ attack on German dams and the sinking of the German battleship Tirpitz.

7. a total of 7,377 Lancasters were built, more than any other British bomber during the war.

The Avro Lancaster played a crucial role in the Allied victory in the Second World War and remains a symbol of British aviation history.

The Avro Lancaster, undoubtedly one of the most significant bombers of World War II and one of the outstanding military aircraft in aviation history, owes its development to the problems faced by its predecessor, the Avro Manchester.

Whatever one’s view of the British post-offensive on German cities, the ostensible aim of which was to weaken the German arms industry, the Lancaster’s 10 Victoria Cross awards were the highest number of military decorations awarded to any aircraft type in their country (a total of 32 Victoria Crosses were awarded to aircrew or pilots during the Second World War).

History:

Unquestionably one of the leading significance aircraft of WW2, as well as one of the finest planes of aviation history, the Avro Lancaster came to exist as a result of the fiasco of its forerunner.
In September 1936 the Air Staff released requirements P13/36 for a twin-engined bomber of outstanding dimensions as well as capability to be run by a pair of the very strong power plants at this time under construction: the Rolls-Royce Vulture 24-cylinder X power plant had been favored.

Handley Page swapped to 4 Merlin engines for the Halifax bomber, nevertheless Avro followed the big-twin blueprint and the initial Type 679 Avro Manchester flew on July 25, 1939. Totally 209 Manchesters were produced by November 1941, however the aircraft had been suffering from the unreliability and inadequate performance of the power plants. Although it was supplied to 8 Bomber Command squadrons, as well as elements of 2 others along with a flight in Coastal Command, the Manchester had been removed from operation in June 1942 and survivors had been scrapped.
However, the general Manchester had been definitely remarkably great, and in 1940 the choice had been taken up to develop a longer-span model with 4 Merlin power plants.

The initial Lancaster (BT 308) flew as the Manchester III at the start of 1941. So excellent was its capabilities that it entered instant large-scale manufacturing, and Manchesters currently on the line from L7527 onwards had been finished as Lancasters (recognized from afterwards planes by their row of rectangular windows inside rear fuselage).

Operations started at the beginning of 1942 by 44 Sqn at Waddington, and on 17 April 1942 a combined force of 44 and 97 Squadrons launched a somewhat foolhardy daylight raid against the MAN plant at Augsburg, whereupon the fresh bomber’s presence had been discovered.

From this day until the end of WW2 Lancasters fly 156,000 sorties in Europe as well as dropped 608,612 long tons of bombs.
Overall manufacturing, together with 430 built in Canada by Victory Aircraft, had been 7,377 Lancasters. Of these 3.425 had been Mk I and 3,039 the Mk III using US Packard-built power plants.

3d model Avro Lancaster .

The final assembly line at Avro’s Woodford plant in 1943 with Lancaster Mk Is.

Lancaster bomber in action: incendiaries cascade from one of the highly secret Lancaster Mk I of No 101 Sqn, from Ludford Magna, with Airborne Cigar electronic jamming equipment.

Late-war Lancaster bombers in action over a cloud-covered target in daylight, after spring 1944.

Lancasters were also used for tactical duties. This aircraft from No 576 Sqn was lost on 24 September 1944 during an attack on Calais.

Photo-reconaissance picture of Peenemunde, the German rocket development research center, taken before the 17/18 August 1943 attack, which was done by RAF Lancasters, clearly show how effective this raid was.

Photo-reconaissance picture of Peenemunde, the German rocket development research center, taken after the 17/18 August 1943 attack, which was done by RAF Lancasters, clearly show how effective this raid was.

Caught in the glare of the green Aldis light from the runway controller’s van, the pilot released the wheel breaks and opens the throttles of a Lancaster bomber to begin the take-off run.

Lancaster-Bomber winter 1944-45.

A heavy Lancaster bomber lands on a with ‘Fido’ equipped airfield. 15 of the largest air bases in England received this equipment sine 1942, which has saved many aircraft.

This is the aftermath picture from a Lancaster raid on Frankfurt (railway aerial) on 12/13 September 1944. This raid was destinated to be the city’s last major attack of the war.

Users: RAF (British, Canadian and Polish squadrons), Canada, New Zealand (for all variants)

here to Part II: Lancaster Special and Mk II, service performance and video

3D Model Avro Lancaster Bomber Mk I

Specifications for Avro 683 Lancaster Mk I and Mk II

Specifications:

Armament:

Service statistics:

Bomber Commands Order of Battle, April 1945

By April 1945, Bomber Command’s frontline strength was almost entirely dominated by the Avro Lancaster, with three groups fully equipped and another converting.

Bomber Command Order of Battle April 1945:

here to Part II: Lancaster Special and Mk II, service performance and video

References and literature

The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II (Chris Bishop)
Combat Aircraft of World War II (Bill Gunston)
Technik und Einsatz der Kampfflugzeuge vom 1. Weltkrieg bis heute (Ian Parsons)
Das große Buch der Luftkämpfe (Ian Parsons)
Luftkrieg (Piekalkiewicz)
Flugzeuge des 2. Weltkrieges (Andrew Kershaw)
The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force (James J. Halley)
Bomber Command Handbook 1939-1945 (Jonathan Falconer)
Lancaster Squadrons 1942-43 & 1944-45 (Jon Lake)