The Lancaster Bomber

During World War II the Lancaster was the most successful bomber used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force. The Lanc had speed, ceiling, and lifting power that no other aircraft of the day could match. Weighing 36,900 pounds empty, the Lancaster was capable of taking off with an additional 33,100 pounds of fuel and bombs; in other words it could almost carry its own weight again. The Lancaster carried 64% of the tonnage dropped by the RAF and RCAF during the war. The "Grand Slam", a 22,000 pound special purpose bomb designed to penetrate concrete and explode below the surface to create an earthquake effect, could only be delivered by the Lancaster and the Lancaster was thus chosen for special operations such as the "Dambusters" raid and the attack which sunk the German Battleship Tirpitz. 

Of the total of 7377 Lancasters built, 3932 were lost in action. During the war Lancasters flew a total of 156,000 sorties and dropped 608,612 tons of bombs. 55,000 aircrew, including 10,000 Canadians, were killed serving in Bomber Command. During much of the war 5% of the bombers which set out each night failed to return making service in bombers the most dangerous field in the allied military.

The Lancaster was  born out of the failure of the twin-engined Avro Manchester. The Manchester was reportedly difficult to fly and underpowered with two Rolls Royce Vulture engines. Avro's chief designer, Roy Chadwick, fit the Manchester with a new wing centre section and four Rolls Royce Merlin engines. The completed prototype, re-named the Lancaster, proved an immediate success and went on to become one of the most famous four-engined bombers ever produced. 

On August 6, 1943 the first Canadian built Lancaster Mark X, KB700, was rolled out of the Malton, Ontario Avro plant. This aircraft had already been painted with Nose-Art when it was christened.  The design was a falling red bomb over which was painted a yellow arrow containing the legend 'Ruhr Express'. The design had been chosen by the Malton workers to show this bomber leaving (like a train) for England, soon to be followed by a regular and constant stream of Canadian built bombers.

A workforce of ten thousand completed 430 Mk X's during the war, most of which were assigned to the squadrons of No. 6 Group, the Canadian component of Bomber Command. With much fanfare the aircraft was flown to England by S/L Reg Lane DSO DFC, who had completed two tours of operations and was one of the war's most decorated Canadians at the time. (Lt. Gen. Lane was guest speaker in 1992 at the official opening of the Nanton Air Museum in Nanton, Alberta.)