![]() “Grog’s the Shot,” HM-Z, LM739, was delivered to the 100 Squadron at Grimsby, England, in September 1944. The Avro Lancaster 'Grog's the Shot' featured in Wings of Glory. The two Avro Lancaster bombers featured in the WW2 Wings of Glory Special Packs are the Mk.III “Grog’s the Shot” and Dambuster “Popsie.” The Lancaster BIII, or B Mk.III, were powered by improved Merlins and, along with the B.I, was the standard mount of many Lancaster squadrons. ![]() Several Lancasters were preserved and can be seen at museums, but only two airworthy examples remain, one with the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the second based in Canada. The final airframe was delivered in February 1946, but the plane flew for many years in civilian guise and as a warplane when sold to other nations – Argentina, Australia, Canada, Egypt, France, Poland and Sweden. Apart from its primary bombing tasks, the versatile Lancaster was also used for maritime surveillance, photo reconnaissance missions and, later, as an engine test platform. One of the two airworthy Lancaster preserved, on display at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (CWHM).Īs the war in Europe drew to a close, the Lancaster was readied for service against Japan as part of Bomber Command’s ‘Tiger Force’. The bomber was also employed in sinking the Bismarck-class battleship Tirpitz in a Norwegian fjord, in late 1944, using the incredible 12,000lb 'Tallboy' and 22,000lb 'Grand Slam' bombs. The operation was carried out by 617 Squadron in modified Mk IIIs carrying special drum-shaped bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis (later inspiring the film "The Dam Busters"). The Avro Lancaster was the choice of the United Kingdom's Bomber Command to face the challenge to destroying German dams in the Ruhr Valley, in May 1943, codenamed mission Operation Chastise. Almost half of all units delivered during the war (3,345 out of 7,373) were lost on operations at the expense of over 21,000 crew members. The Lancaster bombers formed 59 Bomber Command flying groups. The new aircraft took part in the bombing raid on Essen, in the night of 10th/11th March 1942. The first Avro Lancaster bombers were delivered by late December 1941, entering service in February 1942, with the No 44 and 97 Squadrons. Early models also had ventral turret with a single. 303 Browning machine guns (two in the nose, two in a mid-upper turret and four in the tail). For defense, the Lancaster was armed with eight. Originally it had a bomb bay intended to carry up to 4,000 pounds of ordnance, but later versions were modified to carry single high explosive bombs of 8,000, 12,000, 14,000 and the massive 22,000 pound ‘Grand Slam’ - the largest carried by any aircraft in the war. The standard operating crew was seven members - pilot, bombardier, navigator, flight engineer, radio-operator, dorsal gunner and rear gunner. The Lancaster Mk.I could reach the maximum speed of 287 mph, with four 1,280 hp Rolls Royce Merlin engines. 'Upkeep' bouncing bomb used in the Operation Chastise, mounted under Lancaster B III. The development was speedy, with test flights throughout the summer, and a production quality version was airborne by the end of October 1941. A second prototype followed in May 1941, with larger tail fins, a new undercarriage and improved Merlin engines. This prototype was basically the revised Manchester, with the key difference of the four 1,145 hp Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, on a larger wing. The failure of the Manchester with only 200 units completed, nearly led the Ministry of Aircraft to switch to Handley Page’s Halifax design, but Avro's Chief Designer, Roy Chadwick, was already working on the development of the Manchester III (which would become Lancaster), by revising the design to include an additional pair of engines (preferably the well-proven Merlin).Ī contract was signed with Avro for two prototype aircraft in September 1940, and the first was ready to fly within four months - on 9 January 1941. The Avro Lancaster was developed from the two-engined Avro Manchester, a capable but underpowered airplane with a troubled Rolls-Royce Vulture engine. 460 Squadron RAAF, now in the collection of the Australian War Memorial.
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