World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseFirst used in 1942, the Lancaster bombers were four-engined bombers that served as Britain's heavy bombers. The design was actually a Manchester bomber variant, Mk III, but the improvement was so significant that the variant received a totally new name. When the blueprints of chief designer Roy Chadwick for the Lancaster was accepted, most of the original Manchester bombers were rebuilt as Lancaster bombers. Their ability to carry large quantities of bombs was among the reasons British Air Marshal Arthur Harris was given the nicknames "Bomber Harris" and the more accusive "Butcher Harris". With this weapon, Harris was able to drop 2,000 tons of high explosives on Cologne on 30-31 May 1942; in a mere 90-minute window, the Lancaster bombers left 45,000 residents of Cologne homeless. On 14-15 Feb 1945, Lancaster bombers and their American counterparts devastated the German city of Dresden, killing at least 25,000 (some estimates were as high as 60,000). In total, Lancaster bombers flew 156,000 missions and dropped 608,612 tons of bombs. The RAF paid dearly for successfully carrying out the carpet bombing missions with Lancaster bombers, too, losing 3,249 in action, nearly half the 7,377 that it deployed into service.

ww2dbaseSome Lancaster bombers carried advanced communications systems, such as the 1155 receiver and the 1154 transmitter that provided radio direction-finding, voice, and Morse capabilities. Some later models were also equipped with radar systems for navigation or to warn of incoming hostile interceptors.

ww2dbaseJust as how Lancaster bombers were evolved directly from the Manchester design, from Lancaster the Lincoln bomber and the Lancastrian civilian airliner were born after WW2. Some Lancaster bombers that remained in service after WW2 were converted into transports and tankers.

Lancaster Timeline

SPECIFICATIONS

B.I

Machinery	4 Rolls-Royce Merlin XX V12 engines, rated at 1,280 hp each
Armament	8x7.7mm Browning machine guns in three turrets, 10,000kg of bombs
Crew	7
Span	31.09 m
Length	21.11 m
Height	5.97 m
Wing Area	120.50 m²
Weight, Empty	16,705 kg
Weight, Loaded	28,636 kg
Speed, Maximum	448 km/h
Service Ceiling	8,160 m
Range, Normal	4,320 km

Photographs

Videos

Visitor Submitted Comments

Show older comments

1.  Alan Chanter says:
7 Jan 2008 03:21:18 AM

Crew: 7 (Pilot, Navigator, Radio Operator, Flight Engineer, Bomb-Aimer, Mid upper gunner and Tail Gunner)

5.  Alan Chanter says:
20 May 2013 08:31:26 AM

Statistic show that at least 59 Bomber Command Squadrons operated the Avro Lancaster bomber during the war. They flew more than 156,000 sorties and dropped 608,612 tons of High Explosive bombs in addition to more than 51 million incendiaries.