Avro Lancaster Mk.I British users

Today we start covering the various British users of the Avro Lancaster.

• No.7 Squadron: This squadron replaced their Short Stirling bombers when they transferred to pathfinder force back in May 1943. They flew their first mission on 12th July 1943 and continued in the pathfinder role until the end of the war in Europe. Ironically their last run wasn't to drop bombs but to drop food to starving civilians in the Netherlands in May 1945. They were planned to be part of the Tiger Air Force that was going to be sent to take part in the strategic bombing of Japan, and therefore they were being reequipped with the Lancaster Mk.I (FE) in August 1945. 
• No.49 Squadron: In October 1942 this squadron converted to Avro Lancaster from the Avro Manchester and in that same month, they leaded the way for the No.5 Group raid on Schenider Armament and Locomotive works in Le Creusot. This squadron took part in 1943 in the first shuttle-bombing raid, departing from the United Kingdom, bombing the German northern port of Friedrichshafen and the Italian port of La Spezia, landing in allied bases in the Mediterranean and coming back to the United Kingdom. They took part also in various raids on Peenemunde against V-2 launching facilities. In 1944 they attacked the coastal gun battery at La Pernelle, on the Normandy coast and the V-1 storage sites in the caves at St. Leu d'Esserent on the river Oise, 30 milles (48,28km) north-west of Paris. In December 1944 they took part on a raid against the Baltic German Fleet stationed at Gdynia, in Poland and, in March 1945 they reduced to dust the German defences of Wesel supporting the British Commandos seizing the town. They remained active with the Avro Lancaster Mk.I until November 1949 when they replaced their Lancasters with the more advanced Avro Lincolns.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._7_Squadron_RAF

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._49_Squadron_RAF

Berliner-Joyce P-16

After the Berliner Aircraft Company was adquired by the newly established Berliner-Joyce Aircraft Corporation in February 1929 with the aim of developing a monoplane but, they got involved in the development of a two-seater biplane for the United States Army Air Corps.
The prototype, named XP-16, flew for the first time in October 1929. It featured an all-metal structure with a fabric covering. It was a single-bay biplane of unequal span and the wings forward-staggered. Lower wing was smaller that the upper one that was mounted on the base of the fuselage in a sesquiplane fashion and, unusually, of the reverse-gullwing type. An observer/gunner post was located just behind the pilot armed with 0.30in Browning machine gun mounted on an scarff ring. It was powered by a 600hp (447Kw) Curtiss V-1570 Conqueror supercharged V-12 inline engine.
It was evaluated by the USAAC and two contracts were awarded for a total of 25 pre-production aircrafts named YP-16 with the main difference being that it was powered by a non supercharged version of the Conqueror engine and that it drove a two-bladed propeller instead of a three-bladed one.
During 1931 the USAAC ordered the YP-16, the pre-production version, which was the last biplane to enter service with the USAAC. Furthermore, the P-16 was the only two-seat biplane fighter to be produced for the army after 1918. It was delivered in 1932 to the 94th Pursuit Squadron and, as most of them were of the YP-16 type and weren't powered by the supercharged version of the engine, performance at altittude was greatly reduced, although it had better endurance than contemporary single-seat fighters. Visibility was poor in spite of the gull-wing and due to that it was prone to nose-overs when landing.
All of them were withdrawn from active service in 1934, although some of them remained in second line duties until 1940.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner-Joyce_P-16
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1

And now... for something completely different.
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1 was the first design to achieve production status of an OKB (experimental construction bureau) project directed by Artem I. Mikoyan and Mikhail Y. Gurevich (hence the "MiG" name). It was conceived as a high altittude fighter under the OKB's designation of Kh.
The prototype, that suffered various changes, received the denomination of I-200 and flew for the first time on 5th April 1940 achieving the speed of 403mph (648.5km/h) at 22640ft (6900m) of altittude on the following 24th May. Second and third prototypes flew on 9th May and 6th June 1940 respectively at the Khodynka Aerodrome in Moscow. Meanwhile, state trials were being performed in parallel and so, the prototype was considered as ready to be manufactured on 12th September 1940.
The MiG-1 was powered by a 1350hp Mikulin AM-35A inline engine and was armed with two 7.62mm ShKAS guns. Maneouvrability and handling were considered not adequated and longitudinal stability and control responses were poor. So a programme of peripehal redesign paralleled manufacture of an initial batch of 100 aircraft, the last of which was completed in December 1940. The first eight aircraft didn't have jettisonable canopies, something that was added later as it was changed by jettisonable aft-sliding ones.
On 3rd December 1940 the VVS (Soviet Air Force) ordered that the 41st Fighter Regiment based at the Crimean town of Kacha, was to conduct the operational testing of the I-200 and that they were to be transferred to the 146th Fighter Regiment at Yevpatoria, in Crimea too, in order to perform pilot training and conclude trials. By 22nd February 1941 the fighter had already been issued to various fighter units, notably the 89th Fighter Regiment, based in Kaunas, Lithuania and 41st Fighter Regiment, based in Bialystok, in Poland.
On 1st June 1941 they were spreaded more with 31 assigned to the Baltic Military District, 37 to the Western Special Military District, one to the Kiev Military District and 8 in the Odessa Military District. From a total of 77 aircraft, 55 of them were operational. Additional 8 were assigned to the Soviet Navy but there only four pilots were trained to handle either the MiG-1 or the MiG-3.
They couldn't be used in combat for long as most of them were destroyed or captured when Germany invaded the USSR. However, one of them was still in the inventory of the VVS in 1944 when it was marked as withdrawn that same year.
It's interesting to point that one of the captured MiG-1 was exposed in Berlin in a propaganda exhibition called "Russenparadies" in 1942 where they shown captured Soviet material. The exhibition was bombed, destroying most of the exposed material and the MiG-1, by German communists leaded by the German Communist Bruno Baum.

Sources:
1. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-1

Avro Lancaster prototypes

Since the Avro Manchester came out, Roy Chadwick, the designer of the Lancaster, had been working on an improved design that included reforming it so it would be powered by the more reliable Rolls-Royce Merlin engines that were developed for the earlier Bristol Beaufighter Mk.II. Though initially the improved version was going to be named as Manchester Mk.III, it was decided to rename it as Lancaster.
The first prototype, with the registration BT-308, was assembled at Ringway airport, in Manchester, from a Manchester airframe with a modified central section to host the additional engines. On 9th January 1941 it made its maiden flight piloted by test pilot H.A. "Bill" Thorn, at RAF Ringway, in Cheshire.
The test proved to be highly successful than the Manchester and was highly liked. The first prototype had a three-finned tail configuration due to having been adapted from the Manchester. It was quickly revised for the second prototype, with the registration DG-595, and was replaced by the iconic elliptical twin-finned tail that had also been fitted in some late production Manchesters, discarding definitely the central third tail-fin. That removal provided greater stability and a greater field of view and fire to the dorsal gunner. The second prototype was also powered by four Rolls-Royce Merlin XX engines.
After the satisfactory results of the prototype flights, most of the Manchester that were already being manufactured were converted into Lancasters as they shared many common features such as the greenhouse cockpit, turret nose and, on later models of the Manchester, twin tail. The designs were so similar that the entire batch could be completed as the Lancaster Mk.I instead. In fact, the performance was so good that RAF's high command took the decision of reequiping twin-engined squadrons with the Lancasters as quick as possible. The first production Lancaster Mk.I, registered as L7527, flew for the first time in October 1941.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Lancaster
2. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 52 - Lancaster in Action

Aérocentre SNCAC NC.270

After World War II, the French Air Force wanted to update their bomber fleet with domestically built aircrafts in order to not have to rely on foreign-built bombers, mainly American and Britsh ones. On the technological part, it was obvious, for the French High Command, that the age of the propeller-driven bombers was over, so every propeller-driven bomber project was rejected.
In September 1945, the French Air Force's High Command issued a very ambitious programme for the French industry of the time.
The specifications for that bomber were that it should weight 25 to 28 tons at maximum with a payload of, at least, 5 tons of bombs with a maximum range of 3000km (1864milles) with a minimum speed of 900km/h (559mph) at 9000metres (29527ft) of altittude. It should've been powered by two British-built Rolls-Royce Nene engines. All evidence point that it was going to be underpowered.
Two French companies presented their projects in March 1946, the Sociétés Nationales de Constructions Aéronautiques (Aérocentre-SNCAC) and Sud-Ouest (SNCASO) with the N.C.270 and the SO.4000 respectively.
The fuselage was circular with a fuel deposit in the upper part and the bomb compartment that could carry up to 5 tons of bombs in the lower side. The two Rolls-Royce Nene engines were to be installed at the sides of the fuselage.
The cockpit was going to be located at the front and was integrated with the fuselage in order to erase any drag and make it completely aerodynamical. The expected crew of two, one pilot plus one navigator/bomber  would have acceded through a hatch located in the ventral part of the aircraft and it would've had a defensive remotelly-controlled turret with four 20mm guns located at the back, behind the tail. It would've had a trycicle landing gear with a main wheel retracting into the main fuselage and two smaller one retracting into the jet engines.
At the end of 1946, the construction of the N.C.270 prototype was going to be started after having tested with a 1/25 scale model of the aircraft attached to a SNCASE SE.161 Languedoc transport aircraft. At the factory of Boulogne-Billacourt, close to Paris, the engineers that designed the bomber realized that they had overstimated the power of the jet engines and therefore it was obvious that the power of the Rolls-Royce Nene engines was highly insufficient for an aircraft of those characteristics. Furthermore, the price of the project was highly understimated and therefore the project seemed to be a financial failure both for Aérocentre and the French Air Force.
The project was subsequently classified as "not prioritaire" and, in October 1947 the technical direction of Aérocentre abandoned definitely the project of the N.C.270 but retained the scale models in order to perform experimental aerodynamic testings.
According to some sources, Aérocentre continued on to build unofficially the prototype until June 1949 when they went bankrupt and shut down. It seems that the prototype was 60% to 85% complete. Anyway, the company was bought by SNECMA -Safran Aircraft Engines- and Aérocentre's factories were reconfigured to manufacture Renault piston engines.

Sources:
1. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNCAC_NC.270 (translated)
2. http://aerophile.over-blog.com/article-les-projet-secret-de-la-sncac-premiere-partie-104222679.html (translated)

Avro Lancaster - Dambuster special

The Avro Lancaster Mk.III Special were initially known as Type 464 Provisioning. Twenty-three of them were modified to carry the "Upkeep" bouncing bomb for the raids against the dams of the Ruhr valley.
Bomb bay doors were completely removed and Vickers-built struts were fitted to carry the bomb at Woodford Airfield, near Stockport. The bomb was spinned using an hydraulic motor that was driven by a pump that initially was part of the mid-upper turret and lamps were added both in the bomb bay and the nose in order to help the simple height measurement system which enabled the accurate control of low-flying altitude at night. Mid-upper turret was removed in order to save weight and the gunner moved to the front turret so the bomb aimer didn't have to man the turret while reading the maps.
All of them served with famous No.617 Squadron of the Royal Air Force and carried out the famous Operation Chastise when they bombed the heavily defended Ruhr valley dams using the bouncing bombs that, in order to detonate, required a long low altitude run and a timed releasing of the bouncing bomb that normally exploded at the base of the dam.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Lancaster
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._617_Squadron_RAF
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chastise
4. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 52 - Lancaster in Action

Morane Saulnier L - Franco-British users

The Morane-Saulnier L (AKA Morane-Saulnier MS.3) was a French single or double seater parasol scout airplane. It became one of the first successful fighters when it was fitted with a machine gun and the blades were protected by armoured deflector wedges. It was powered by a single Le-Rhône engine that delivered 80hp of power. It was, however, quickly outdated at the beginning of the World War I.
It made history when flying with the French Aéronautique Militaire as in December 1914 the French Aviator Roland Garros, serving with the Escadrille 23, teamed up with Raymond Saulnier to create a gun synchronizer using a Hotchkiss light machine gun. The first synchronizers fluctuated too much to operate properly so it was chosen to install some deflector metal wedges on the rear surfaces of the propeller blades at the points where they could be hit by one of the bullets. Roland Garros took his armed synchronized type L in March 1915 and scored inmediate success as he managed to shot down three German airplanes in April, a true achievement at the time, specially considering the technological superiority of the German aircrafts during that period. However, on 18th April 1915, Roland Garros was shot down behind the frontlines and the Germans captured him and the airplane before he could burn it.
Around 50 Type Ls served with the British Royal Flying Corps, that were used as scout airplanes in 1915 plus further 25 being used by the Royal Naval Air Service. One of them, flown by Flight Sub-Lieutenant Reginal A.J. Warneford serving with the 1 Squadron RNAS, intercepted the German Army's Zeppelin LZ.37 on 7th June 1915 making it the first Zeppelin to be destroyed in the war and granting Warneford with the Victoria Cross for such achievement.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_L
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Thulin D

Today it's the turn for a Swedish version of the Morane-Saulnier L.
The Thulin D was made by the Thulins Aeroplanfabrik, at Landskröna. It was a parasol monoplane with a mast that held the wing in its place with ropes. The first aircraft was manufactured in autumn 1914 and was presented to the public in May 1915 at Stockholm. Later, in 1918, it was tried to replace the two-bladed propeller with a four-bladed one. Only five airplanes were manufactured and the first one was donated to the Swedish Army by the Skane country women association on 20th August 1915. The next year, in 1916 they donated another airplane. All of them were withdrawn from the active service in 1918 as they were deemed obsolete. The other three were employed by the Thulins airline at Ljungbyhed and another one, that belonged to Eric von Rossen, who donated it to Finnish whites to use it in the Finnish Civil War of 1918. In fact, that airplane, is considered to be the first one in the Finnish Army Corps of Aviation. It was delivered in a flight piloted by Nils Kindberg and von Rossen himself as a passenger on 6th March 1918, which is regarded as the founding day of the Finnish Army Corps of Aviation. For that action, Eric von Rossen was charged with violations of the Swedish neutrality act for the World War I and was sentenced for it.
In Finnish hands, still wearing von Rossen's personal emblems, it performed up to 30 missions, mainly for Finnish General Mannerheim's headquarters, mainly scouting and light-bombing. It operated mainly from improvised airfields in Tavastland, but it crashed in Tampere on 16th April 1918 killing the Swedish volunteer Westman who was the pilot and Nylund the mechanic-observer who was in the second seat.
Finland bought a second Thulin D but it was destroyed by a fire when it was storaged at the base of Orivesi on 28th March 1918.
Nowadays a full-sized replica is being hold at the Finnish Air Force's museum

Sources:
1. https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thulin_Typ_D (translated)
2. http://flyingmachines.ru/Site2/Crafts/Craft29888.htm

Morane Saulnier L - Russian users

The Morane-Saulnier L was also license built in Russia. In 1914 the Joint-Stock Company Dux Y.U. A. Meller (commonly known as Dux) based in Moscow, got the license and later, in 1915 the Aeronautical Joint-Stock Company VA Lebedev (commonly known as Lebedev) got the license to produce it. Later, after the Russian Civil War, Bolsheviks nationalized both companies and Dux was called Moscow Aircraft Factory Number 1 and Lebedev simply was dissolved. A total of approximate 400 Type L were manufactured by Dux and around 30 of them were manufactured by Lebedev.
Of those around 430 Russian built Type L, it's known that most of them served with the Imperial Russian Air Service during the eastern front of the World War I where they served mainly as scouts and improvised bombers specially in the period of 1915-1916. Later when the revolutions sparked in 1917, they served with many sides of the conflict as it saw service with the Siberian White Army in the vastly enormous Siberian-Ural region from 1918-1919, when that army was disbanded as the front collapsed.
The Workers and Peasants' Air Fleet (the name of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic's early air force) also used some of them with the curiosity that at least one of them was damaged in the tail and they got it replaced with another one. It was also up-armoured with two American built M1895 Colt-Browning machine guns, one at the front, synchronized with the propellers and a defensive one at the back in the place of the observer. Their fate is unknown, but they were most probably destroyed during the Russian Civil War or salvaged for spare parts.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_L
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberian_Army
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Air_Forces
4. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Pfalz A.I/A.II - Various users

Because it's been a while since we posted about a German World War I fighter... today we felt like it was the time for it.
The Pfalz A.I was a German parasol single-seat airplane that was a licensed version of the French Morane-Saulnier L.
It was manufactured by Pfalz, that was a Bavarian company founded in 1913. With the outbreak of the World War I, the company received from the Idflieg, the German Empire's bureau for aviation, an order to develop the type L, under the denomination of A.I, as it was the first aircraft of the company.
It was phisically identical to the Type L but it had different celluliod covering on the wings that rendered them sem-transparent, giving that way, much better upwards visibility. It was powered by a single Oberursel U.0 7-cylinder radial engine that delivered 80hp of power that was also similar to that of the Gnome-Rhône as it was another licensed produced version of that engine.
The Pfalz A.II was a developed version of the A.I that featured an improved engine, it was powered by a 9-cylinder Oberursel U.1 delivering 100hp of power, and some of them were armed with machine guns, making them some improvised fighters.
They were used by the Luftstreitkräfte during the early stages of the World War I in observation and reconnaissance roles in the western front, but also in the opening stages of the Alpine front against Italy when this country entered into the war. Apparently at least one of them ended on Swiss soil and was seized by its authorities. Apparently the Ottoman Empire also used them.

sources:
1. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pfalz_A-Typen (translated)
2. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pfalz_A.I (translated)
3. https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=1689
4. Salamander Books - The Complete book of fighters

Avro Lancaster - French users

Fifty-nine Avro Lancasters were overhauled by Avro at Woodford and Langar and were delivered to the French Aéronavale because due to the common defence treaty of the Western European Union, they could have them for training, anti-submarine wars and sea patrol between 1952/1953 (when they were delivered) until 1962. They served in two key locations of French colonies, New Caledonia and French North Africa.
In New Caledonia they served with four squadrons performing search-and-rescue and reconnaissance missions. They were painted white because most of the belonged to the B.Mk.I (FE) variant.
An anti-submarine and patrol squadron was based in Morocco, at the French aeronaval base of Port-Lyautey, in Kenitra. They served until 1960 when they were replaced by the Lockheed P-2 Neptune.
There was also another Lancaster squadron based in Agadir, Morocco, that was also equipped with Lancasters during 1961/1962 when that city suffered a vicious earthquake.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Lancaster
2. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Lancaster (translated)
3. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 52 - Lancaster in Action

Aérocentre SNCAC NC.1071

The Aérocentre SNCAC NC.1071 was a a French jet-engined dive-bomber developed after the end of the World War II.
After the accident of the first prototype of the previous NC.1070, it was decided to re-engine and modify the second prototype, becoming it the first prototype of the NC.1071 on 23rd October 1947.
It was powered by two Rolls-Royce Nene 101 jet engines and flew for the first time on 12th October 1948 on a flight between Toussus-le-noble and Bretigny pilotted also by Fernand Lasne. Trial flights reported that, even if the type had some faults, they could quickly be fixed and that the type had good flying characteristics except for the excessive vibrations at high speed. Later, on 27th July 1949, after a test flight in the Centre d'Essais de Vol (Flight Test Centre), the prototype suffered a small handling accident due to a deflated tire that damaged it. This time, as the project took 100 million of French Francs of the time, it was decided to repair it and to improve the fuselage characteristics. Therefore, new low-pressure tires were installed, the nose was modified in order to get better visibility, the defensive turret at the back was replaced by an observation post and additional fuel tanks were placed at the root of the wings. The pilot who tuned-up the modified prototype was Claude Dellys.
After those modifications, further test flights were performed, but on 8th May 1951 after a 0.7 mach high-speed flight, piloted by Jean Sarrail, the aircraft suffered serious deformations at the junctions of the drifts with the motor spindles. After landing it successfully, due to lack of interest in the type, it was decided to not repair it, and abandon it. It was written-off and sent to Rochefort Mechanics school where it ended its days there.
An all-weather heavy-fighter version, called NC.1072 was also expected, but as we couldn't find any blueprints about how it could've looked like, we haven't drawn it.

Sources:
1. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNCAC_NC.1071 (translated)
2. https://www.aviationsmilitaires.net/v2/base/view/Variant/12380.html (translated)
3. https://www.aviationsmilitaires.net/v2/base/view/Variant/12381.html (translated)

Aérocentre SNCAC NC.1070

In 1943, when France was occupied, the Navy launched, clandestinally a programme for a shipborne twin-engined aircraft destined to perform dive-bombing, torpedo-bombing and anti-submarine missions. After the discardment of many studies, the project of SNCAC was chosen in 1944 when most of France had been already liberated.
The NC.1070 was an all-metal twin-engined aircraft that was powered by two Gnome et Rhône 14R-25 engines delivering each of them 1600hp of power. It was armed with two 30mm cannons in the nose, it had provision for an unspecified number of rockets under the wings and could carry either one torpedo, an unsepecified number of depth-charges or a load of bombs. As defensive armament, the prototype was armed with two captured German 20mm MG 151 in a turret at the back.
After the war, the French Navy stimated that they would need at least 105 aircraft of that type and, as the project of the NC.1070 had strongly impress the French Navy, they demanded the finantiation of 15 aircrafts (12 to operate from land bases and 3 embarked). An order was signed on 20th August 1945 for three prototypes but the third one was called off on 25th April 1946. And those two were envisaged to serve on board the projected Clemenceau Aircraft Carrier (PA 28) that was never completed (later the French Navy commisioned a Clemenceau Aircraft Carrier but of another kind).
The NC.1070 flew for the first time on 23rd May 1947 piloted by Fernand Lasne. During various test flights, the good flying characteristics standed out but, also it was pointed the low reliability of the engines. On 9th March 1948 due to a malfunction of the landing gear, the prototype had the make a belly landing at the Toussus-le-Noble airfield. As the prototype was very damaged and Aérocentre's interes were already on jet-powered aircrafts, it was repaired and development moved on to the identical -albeit jet-powered- Aérocentre NC.1071.

Sources:
1. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNCAC_NC.1070
2. http://all-aero.com/index.php/44-planes-a-b-c/191-aerocentre-sncac-nc1070

Avro Lancaster - German users (captured)

Today, we make an act of speculation as there isn't many information of any kind, written nor graphical, about Lancasters captured by the German Luftwaffe.
Apparently at least one Avro Lancaster numbered ND396 with codes BQ-D belonging to No.550 Squadron was damaged by flak fire had to make a forced landing close to Berlin on 30th January 1944.
The German authorities, apparently, moved it to Travemunde to perform small reparations, as the aircraft crashed almost undamaged. From there, it was flown by Hans-Werner Lerche, German test pilot, from Travemunde to Lärz, to take part in an aerial exhibition in the famous Rechlin test centre on 10th June 1944. However it's not known a lot of information and, as we've mentioned earlier, there aren't pics. It's been speculated that, if German authorities banned the taking of photographs on that exact aircraft, was because they had planned a highly secret operation that, as far as we know, it didn't take place.
So the drawing depicted below should be taken as semi-speculative.

Sources:
1. https://ww2aircraft.net/forum/threads/luftwaffe-lancaster.38096/
2. Jane's - Luftwaffe's Test Pilot: Flying Captured Allied Aircraft of World War 2  - Hans-Werner Lerche

Morane-Saulnier L - Various European users

We keep on going with the various users of the Morane-Saulnier Type L and today we cover its European and Turkish users except for French, British and Russian ones which will have their own post.

• Belgium: The Belgian Aviation Militaire adquired some Morane-Saulnier L prior to the World War I together with the Morane-Saulnier Type G. The type L was employed in the scout role during the early days of the World War I and was outdated and quickly replaced. As we couldn't find graphical evidence of the type L in Belgian service, the colours should be considered as speculative.
• Czechoslovakia: Apparently, the Czechoslovak state had at least one Type L in service, however any further information is unknown and the drawing must be considered as speculative.
• Finland: This country had also some Type L that adquired together with the modified licensed Swedish version Thulin D. Apparently it served its role as scout/trainer in the early Finnish Army Corps of Aviation.
• Holland: Apparently at least one airplane served with the Dutch Aviation corps. However, as we couldn't find any further information, the drawing is speculative.
• Poland: Somehow, the early Polish Air Force got a Type L that was probably used as a trainer during its early days. As we couldn't find further info the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• Romania: Prior to World War I the Romanian Army bought a Type L and it served as scout during the war. As there isn't graphical evidence to support the claim, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• Ottoman Empire: The Ottoman Aviation Commission bought a Type L before the war and it was used in the early war. It was widely liked and later they bought the German Pfalz copy.
• West Ukrainian People's Republic (ZUNR): Apparently some ex-Russian built Type L served with the ZUNR during their convoluted existance.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_L

2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Morane-Saulnier L - South American users

We're back with another French aircraft... but this time from the early World War I era and covering the Southern American users of them.
The Morane-Saulnier L was a French parasol one or two-seater that was used as a scout and even as a fighter. In South America it was used by the next countries:

• Argentina: The Morane-Saulnier L nicknamed "Mendoza" made history there as it was the first airplane to cross the Andean mountains by taking off from Neuquen, in Argentina and landing in Cunco, Chile on 13th April 1918. The airplane was part of the flying school of the Argentinean Aviación Militar (Military Aviation) that served from 1915 until 1923.
• Brazil: The Brazilian Army's Serviço de Aviaçao Naval adquired at least one armed Morane-Saulnier L in 1916. However we couldn't find more information about its usage and fate.
• Bolivia: Somehow Bolivian Cuerpo de Aviación got a type L, however as we couldn't find neither graphical nor text evidence of it, the drawing should be considered as speculative. 
• Peru: Peru was another user of the type L. Most probably it was adquired during late World War I when the type L was already outdated and it served with the Peruvian Aviación Militar. However, as we couldn't find graphical or text evidence about it, the drawing should be considered as speculative.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_L

2. https://aerospotter.blogspot.com.es/2014/04/el-morane-saulnier-l-parasol-y-el.html (translated)

3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Avro Lancaster B Mk.I Grand-Slam Special

The Avro Lancaster saw many in field modifications, but there's one of them that it's really worth mention as it carried one of the biggest non-nuclear bombs of the World War 2, the 22000lb (10000kg) Grand Slam bomb.
Thirty-two Lancasters were modified to carry the super-heavy Tallboy (12000lb - 5400kg) bomb first and the Grand-Slam bombs later. Engines were modified by uprating them, with paddle-bladed propellers in order to get more power and gun turrets were removed in order to make it lighter and make it smoother. To carry the Grand-Slam the bomb bay doors were completely removed and the area faired over. For the Grand-Slam raids the middle upper turret was completely removed.
This special version was only used by the No.617 "Dambusters" Squadron of the Royal Air Force.
They received the Avro Lancaster when they were formed on 21st March 1943 and later, in March 1945 they received the modified special Lancaster and performed forty-two Grand-Slam raids all of them between March and April 1945.
After the war, some of the special variants were used as target-tow aircraft.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Lancaster#Variants
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._617_Squadron_RAF
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Slam_(bomb)
4. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action  52 - Lancaster in Action

Avro Lancaster - Soviet Users

During the World War II, many aircrafts were sold to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics by the Allied powers, mainly fighters and bombers, however they were reluctant to sale them four-engined bombers, in fact, the USSR didn't have oficially, any American or British made four-engined bomber.
Aside of the domestically built Petlyakov Pe-8 the Soviet long range aviation group of the Soviet Air Forces (VVS) relied primarily on twin-engined bombers like the Ilyushin Il-4 or the lend leased North American B-25 Mitchell, among others.
The VVS, on its part, focused on providing close air-support to the Red Army troops. Considering the importance of the strategical long-range bombing during the World War II, the VVS leadership asked the Allied for some four-engined bombers, however the Allies didn't want to sale one of their best weapon. In fact the top-secret Norden bombsights were removed from the B-25 Mitchells that were sold.
In spite of the refusal to sale those four-engined bombers, the VVS's pilots managed to get two Avro Lancasters, as in September 1944  British authorities launched the operation Paravane with the objective of sinking the German Battleship Tirpitz, stationed in Northern Norway as the Battleship posed a serious threat for the North Sea convoys. So the British initial plan was to take-off from airfields in Lincolnshire reach the Yagodnik airfield, in Arkhangelsk, the USSR, refuel, resupply and depart again to bomb the Tirpitz. So on 11th September 1944 a force of 10 Avro Lancaster took-off for Yagodnik in an 11-hours flight. In the trip, due to heavy fog and rain, seven of them were forced to land on the Taiga and only three of them landed successfuly in Yagodnik. British and Soviet ground crews managed to repair one of them and the rest of them took off on 15th September to bomb the Tirpitz that was highly protected and only one bomber managed to score a hit, damaging the ship but not destroying it.
After dropping the bombs, the Lancasters returned to Lincolnshire, and, after being inspected by Soviet mechanics, it was decided that two of the six were salvageable and were sent to the workshops of the White Sea Fleet. They were eventually rehabilitated, but, not as long range bombers.
One of them (the one depicted below) was marked with the number 1 was assigned to the 16th Transport Detachment at the end of January 1945 and was used not just as a transport but also as a convoy escort and long-range reconnaissance tasks (specially in remote areas of the White Sea looking for German U-Boats) thanks to its exceptional long range. After the war in Europe ended, this Lancaster was sent to the Pacific but it was stranded on-route when they tried to refuel in Krasnoyark but the fuel there wasn't of the type needed by the Lancaster. When the fuel had arrived, Japan had already surrended and the aircraft was sent to a technical school in Riga and its ultimate fate is unknown.
The second one (that we couldn't find pics of it so, unfortunately, it's not depicted) was numbered with the number 2 and was sent to the 70th transport regiment where it served as a transport. It was badly damaged in a landing accident at Moscow just after the war and it wasn't repaired.
Though they never were engaged in combat, it's worth to point out how the Soviets used absolutely everything they had in their hands to win the war.

Sources:
1. https://vvsairwar.com/2016/08/12/the-soviet-unions-british-built-avro-lancasters/
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Paravane
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Lancaster
4. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 52 - Lancaster in Action

Amiot 144 - Never produced variants

Today we bring you not one but three never produced aircraft as we post the never-built variants of the Amiot 144.
The Amiot 145 was the designation given to a proposed version of the Amiot 144 that was expected to be powered by two Hispano-Suiza 14AA delivering each of them 1100hp of power in order to improve the poor original performance of the Amiot 144.
The Amiot 146 was the designation given to another proposed version of the Amiot 144 expected to be powered by two Gnome et Rhône 18Lars engines delivering each of them 1100hp of power too. As that engine proved to be unsuccessful due to poor power-to-weight ratio, the project was discarded. Also, as we couldn't find any pic of how a Gnome et Rhône 18Lars looked like on an airplane, we left this variant undrawn.
The last one, the Amiot 147 was the designation given to another proposed version of the Amiot 144 expected to be powered by two Hispano-Suiza 12Ydrs/12Yfrs delivering each of them 880hp of power. This last one chose a less powerful but more reliable engine in order to improve the feeble performance of the Amiot 144.
All of them were discarded as the type was already obviously very obsolete by 1938-1939 and there were already better aircraft to centre the production on.

Sources:
1. http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_amiot_145.html
2. http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_amiot_146.html
3. http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_amiot_147.html
4. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiot_143 (translated)

Breda Ba.27

The Breda Ba.27 was an Italian fighter of the 1930s that was used by the Chinese Nationalist Air Force during the second Sino-Japanese War.
It was a low-wing braced monoplane with a fixed undercarriage. The original design had a steel tube fuselage construction that was skinned with light corrugated alloy metal with wooden wings and tailplane. Two prototypes were made and tested by the Regia Aeronautica in 1933 but it received strongly negative reviews which leaded to a redesign of the aircraft. The fuselage was shaped more rounded and the open cockpit was moved higher and forward in order to improve stability and the corrugated skin was replaced with smooth sheet metal.
One prototype of this revised version was also tested by the Regia Aeronautica, but the review was just a little more positive than the previous version.
In spite of the lack of interest of the Regia Aeronautica, the aircraft was sold to the Republic of China where it was used by the Chinese Nationalist Air Force against the Empire of Japan in the second Sino-Japanese war. Out of eighteen aircraft ordered, only eleven of them were actually delivered in 1935 where they served until 1938 in the 3rd Fighter Squadron.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breda_Ba.27
2. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breda_Ba.27 (translated)
3. Salamander Books - The Complete book of Fighters

Avro Lancaster - Argentinean & Egyptian users

Today we post two users of this excellent British bomber, Argentina and Egypt.
Just after the World War II the Argentinean Air Force began a modernization process mixing some interesting native designs like the FMA IAe 33 Pulqui II, designed by Kurt Tank or some foreign aircrafts like the Gloster Meteor, making it the first South American country to operate jet fighters. Aditionally a number of Avro Lancaster and Avro Lincoln bombers were adquired, making that way a powerful strategical bomber force in the region. Initially the Lancasters were bought as a placeholder for the Avro Lincoln.
They were all delivered in 1948 and unconfirmed sources claim that they were used in the Revolución Libertadora (The Liberating Revolution) of 1955. Apparently some of them were used as a freight transport and they were all either written off or scrapped during the late 1950s or early 1960s. Apparently they served until 1966 with the Argentinean Air Force in the Grupo 4 (Group 4) based at El Plumerillo Air Base, in Mendoza serving together with the Avro Lincoln.
Regarding Egypt, some Lancasters were delivered to Egypt between November 1949 and the first half of 1950 at the Royal Egyptian Air Force at Almaza. However, the shortage of spare parts and the corrosion inflicted by the sand and the inexperience of the Egyptian pilots, made the flights of these bombers very infrequent. By the time of Suez Crisis of 1956 it's believed that Egyptian Lancasters weren't operational. When the crisis scalated, and the Operation Musketeer was launched, they were considered a big threat to ignore them so they were targeted by fighter-bombers of No. 804 and No. 810 Fleet Air Arm Squadron operating from HMS Bulwark. Two Egyptian Lancasters were destroyed and a third one was damaged in that strike. It's unknown what happened to the rest of REAF's Lancasters but apparently six more of them were destroyed during a raid of Fleet Air Arm's Sea Hawks.

Sources:
1. http://www.lancaster-archive.com/lanc_postwar-argentina.htm
2. http://www.lancaster-archive.com/lanc_postwar-egypt.htm
3. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action  52 - Lancaster in Action

Avro Lancaster Mk.I - Australian Users

Now we start with a new aircraft, the mighty Avro Lancaster strategic bomber.
The Avro Lancaster was a British four-engined World War II heavy bomber that was manufactured by Avro and designed by Roy Chadwick.
In the Royal Australian Air Force, it served with the next squadrons:

• No.460 Squadron: On October 1942 this squadron, based in the United Kingdom, replaced their Handley Page Halifax for the Avro Lancaster. Operating from RAF Binbrook, they took part in the aerial battle of Berlin, some support missions for the Normandy landings and, on ANZAC day, 25th April 1945, they bombed Hitler's mountain retreat of Berchstesgaden. During May 1945 they were part of the airplanes that dropped food on Netherlands, as part of Operation Manna. When the war in Europe ended, they were assigned to Tiger Force, the Commonwealth strategic Air Force to take part in the invasion of Japan, but the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki made that move unnecesary. They retained their Lancasters until October 1945 when they were disbanded.
• No.463 Squadron: This squadron was formed on 25th November 1943 at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire. Their first missions were part of the aerial battle of Berlin where they shot down their first aircraft, a Junkers Ju.88 night fighter. After that campaign, they participated in the bombing campaign against the Ruhr valley, the German industrial heart. During the spring 1944 they attacked many targets in Germany, among them the German coastal positions overlooking Omaha Beach just the eve of the D-Day. They remained in the role of ground support operations combining them with some other type of operations like aerial reconnaissance. It was during this type of mission that Lancasters of this squadron managed to photograph the final attack on the German battleship Tirpitz in Tromso fjord, in Norway in November 1944. During 1945 they took part in raids against Germany and, on ANZAC day, they bombed Tonsberg oil refinery in Norway. Shortly after the war, they performed transport duties taking back allied POWs back to the United Kingdom. They were rebased to RAF Skellingthorpe in July 1945 in order to make it part of the Tiger Force, but as Japan surrended in September 1945, they were disbanded shortly after. 
• No.467 Squadron: This squadron was formed on 7th November 1942 and since the very beginning they operated Avro Lancaster bombers. Their first mission was the deployment of naval mines off the French coast near Furze followed by a bombing run on Essen and various raids on Germany, Norway, France Czechoslovakia and Italy. They performed various notable actions like the bombing of the heavily fortified Dortmund-Ems canal, the bombing of Peenemunde, close to V1 and V2 launching sites and they took part supporting ground troops in Operation Plunder in 1945 as the Allied troops crossed the Rhine. Previously, during 1943 they took part in many shuttle raids where, departing from the United Kingdom, they had to bomb a target in Europe and land in North Africa. A notable raid of that type was when they attacked Friedrichshafen on the first leg, landed in North Africa and, on the return they bombed the Italian Naval Base of La Spezia. Their final mission over Europe was the bombing of the refinery at Vallo in Norway on the night of 25/26 April 1945 (the famous ANZAC day). After the end of the war in Europe they took Allied POWs back to the United Kingdom and were to be assigned to the Tiger Force to be sent to the Pacific Theatre of Operations, expecting to operate from Okinawa and manning B-24 Liberator bombers that they have already started to train with. However, the war ended before they could be deployed there and the squadron was disbanded on 30th September 1945.

Edit: We realized that the original image was blurry, so we have splitted it in two to fix it:

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Lancaster

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._460_Squadron_RAAF

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._463_Squadron_RAAF

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._467_Squadron_RAAF

Amiot 354 - Various users

As these aircrafts went beyond our radar, we have decided to post them now because we felt that it was needed.
Those two users are Vichy France and the Third Reich.
Vichy France, wanting to keep the connections with the French colonies, specially with Djibouti and Madagascar, asked the German authorities for permisson to use Amiot twin-engined airplanes qualified as mail airplanes to carry mail, medicines and supplies. They all served with Air France for that matter and most of them were Amiot 351 that were converted into 354 standard, unarmed in order to keep the aerial link between French metropolitan land and the aforementioned colonies of Madagascar and Djibouti. One of them suffered an accident when landing in Dakar, Senegal and was forced to remain there until after the end of the war, until 1946.
Germany, captured four of them when they entered in Amiot's factory and assigned two of them to the Luftwaffe that served until 1942 with the famous 1./KG 200 special service geschwader and, one of them were used by the high command of the Luftflotte 3.

Sources:
1. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiot_354 (translated)
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiot_354

Amiot 150

The Amiot 150BE was an hydroplane designed to perform bombardment and reconnaissance mission (hence the BE that stands for "Bombardement Exploration"). The prototype, that was an hybrid between an Amiot 142 and 143, it had the nose turret of the 142 as well as the open dorsal turret but it was powered by the same Gnome & Rhône 14K radial engines of the Amiot 143 delivering each of them 740hp of power and it was also armed with the same MAC 1934 machine guns in the  nose, dorsal and two in the ventral posts.
The prototype flew for the first time in Cherbourg on 18th September 1937 with the single tail of the Amiot 143 and the floaters that made it, obviously, a seaplane. Due to the floaters, the maneouvrability was vastly reduced, and, looking for a way to improve it, it was decided to modify the tail and make it double. The modified twin-tailed prototype, flew for the first time on 3rd June 1939 but due to a hard landing it was heavily damaged and any further development was abandoned.

Sources:
1. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiot_143 (translated)
2. http://www.airwar.ru/enc/bww1/a150.html (translated)