Avro Lancaster Long Range Saddle Tanks

As it was expected that the Avro Lancaster was going to be the main bomber of the Tiger Air Force, the Commonwealth air unit destined to take part in the Operation Downfall, the Allied invasion of Japan in late 1945. The Lancasters destined to this unit were painted in white with black undersides and outfitted with additional radio units and navigational aids, in order to adapt them to the Pacific Theatre.
As the average ranges in the Pacific were much longer than in Europe, one Lancaster Mk.I was modified with the addition of external long range saddle fuel tanks on the upper central fuselage and was tested in Australia and India during November 1944, but as they proved to be really vulnerable when attacked, they were discontinued.

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

Avro Lancaster Mk.I (FE)

The Avro Lancaster Mk.I (FE) was a tropicalized variant of the late batch of the Lancaster Mk.I. It was designed exclusively for the Tiger Air Force and their operations in the Far East against Japanese homeland.
This variant had modified radio, radar, navaids and a 400gal (1818L) installed in the bomb-bay. Most of them were painted with upper-surface in white to reduce internal temperatures under the tropical sun. Undersides were painted black with low demarcation between colours and omitting completely any red colours, except for the circle of the roundel.
There were many bomber squadrons in the Tiger Air Force, but we're covering three of them in this post:

• No.7 Squadron: This squadron received the Mk.I (FE) just after the war in Europe ended, in summer 1945, but due to the surrender of Japan, they weren't needed, so they held the Mk.I (FE) until they were replaced by the Avro Lincoln in 1946.
• No.115 Squadron: After the war, they were rebased back to the United Kingdom and trained to be part of the Tiger Air Force, however they weren't needed as Japan surrendered. Their Mk.I (FE) were replaced by the regular Lancaster in 1946.
• No.214 Squadron: Just like the previous squadrons, this one was going to serve, and started their training after the war in Europe was over, with the Tiger Air Force. However when the Tiger Air Force was disbanded, they switched back to the regular Avro Lancaster.

Sources:

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

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

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._115_Squadron_RAF

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._214_Squadron_RAF

5. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 52 - Lancaster in Action

Avro Lancaster Pr.I

The Avro Lancaster Pr.I was a regular Lancaster Mk.I modified for photographic reconnaissance. Armament and turrets were removed and the nose was reconfigured together with the bomb bay where a camera was placed.
The type was a conversion of a regular Mk.I. A total of approximately twenty of them were converted in 1946. It served with the next squadrons:

•  No.541 Squadron: It served from February to October 1946 when the squadron was disbanded. The Lancaster Pr.I replaced the Gloster Meteor F.3 as this squadron transitioned from the pure fighter role to the reconnaissance squadron.
• No.82 Squadron: In October 1946 they received the Pr.I and served together with the Supermarine Spitfire Pr.19 that was also a reconnaissance variant of the Spitfire. They performed various aerial surveys of Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia operating from RAF Benson, in Oxfordshire. They were rebased to Kenya in October 1947 and, in 1952 they were rebased back to the United Kingdom to transition to the English Electric Canberra Pr.3. The last Lancaster serving with this squadron was written-off in December 1953.
• No.683 Squadron: The Lancaster Pr.I was assigned to this squadron, together with the Vickers Valetta C.1 on 1st November 1950 when they were re-formed at RAF Fayid, in Egypt. They were committed to survey and mapping the Arabian and East African region. In 1952 they were rebased to RAF Khormaksar, in Aden to cover both Aden and Somaliland. A detachment operated from RAF Habbaniya, in Iraq where they mapped the Persian Gulf area. With their mission complete, they were disbanded at RAF Habbaniya on 30th November 1953.

Sources:

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

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._541_Squadron_RAF

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._82_Squadron_RAF

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._683_Squadron_RAF

5. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 52 - Lancaster in Action

Avro Lancaster Mk.II - Canadian users

The Avro Lancaster Mk.II was a variant of the regular Lancaster Mk.I that was powered by four Bristol Hercules radial engines. It was used in limited numbers by the Royal Air Force where it was replaced before the end of the war, due to its limited performance. It served more widely with the Royal Canadian Air Force during the World War II. The Canadian squadrons covered in this post are:

• No.408 'Goose' Squadron: This squadron received the Avro Lancaster Mk.II in October 1942 replacing their previous Handley Page Halifax when they were based at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, in Yorkshire. Due to the performance of the Lancaster Mk.II they reverted back to the Halifax in summer 1944.
• No.426 'Thunderbird' Squadron: The Lancaster Mk.II replaced the Vickers Wellington for this squadron in June 1943 when based at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, in Yorkshire. With the Lancaster Mk.II they continued with the night bombing raids for the next ten months and, in April 1944 they began to re-equip with the Handley Page Halifax due to the performance of the Mk.II not being as good as expected. 
• No.432 'Leaside' Squadron: When this squadron was based in RAF East Moor, in Yorkshire, this squadron received the Avro Lancaster Mk.II as their first bomber. They were formed in May 1943 and got the Lancasters Mk.II in October 1943, just one month later of being assigned to RAF East Moor. They took the name from the town of Leaside, in Toronto that officially "adopted" this squadron. They served with the Lancaster Mk.II until February 1944 when the Lancasters were replaced with Handley Page Halifaxs.

Sources:

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

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/408_Tactical_Helicopter_Squadron

3. http://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/squadron_408.html

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/426_Transport_Training_Squadron

5. http://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/squadron_426.html

6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._432_Squadron_RCAF

7. http://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/squadron_432.html

8. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 52 - Lancaster in Action

Avro Lancaster Mk.II - British users, part one

The Avro Lancaster Mk.II was a development of the regular Lancaster Mk.I that was powered by four Bristol Hercules engines. It wasn't very widely used, but some squadrons of the Royal Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force used it.
Regarding the ones of the Royal Air Force covered by this post:

• No.115 Squadron RAF: The Lancaster Mk.II replaced the Vickers Wellington in March 1943 and these served with the squadron for just one year, until March 1944, when they were replaced by the Lancaster Mk.I/III as they were reporting better operational results.
• No.514 Squadron RAF: Just when this squadron was formed in September 1943, the received the Lancaster Mk.II at RAF Foulsham, in Norfolk. They began operations one month later, in November 1943 when they were rebased to RAF Waterbrigde, in Cambridgeshire. Their Lancaster Mk.II were gradually being replaced with Lancaster Mk.I/III during the summer of 1944 as they were better.

Sources:

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

2. https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/bombercommandno115squadron.cfm

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._115_Squadron_RAF

4. https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/bombercommandno514squadron.cfm

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._514_Squadron_RAF

6. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 52 - Lancaster in Action

Avro Lancaster Mk.II Prototype

The Avro Lancaster Mk.II was a variant of the Lancaster powered by four Bristol Hercules (VI or XVI) engines rated at 1615hp at take-off or 1750hp at 15000ft (4572m) high. They were designed by Avro, who produced one of them, the prototype, but the production serial was overtaken by Armstrong Whitworth at Coventry.
One difference between the VI or the XVI was that the VI had manual mixture control that required an extra level on the throttle pedestal and some of them were fitted with a ventral turret just below the spinal one. Some of them were fitted also with an enlarged bomb bay that could carry a payload of 8000lb (3629kg) in bombs. As the ventral turret was barely used at first, many of them were removed to save the extra weight, however, when, in late 1943, the Luftwaffe started to use the Schräge Musik gun system to attack the bombers, some unofficial modifications were made like the inclusion of downward observation blisters or 0.5in (12,7mm) machine guns or even 20mm cannons that fired through the ventral holes of the removed turret. However, those guns, interfered with the bombs' aim when the aircraft had bulged doors.
The prototype made the maiden flight at Manchester on 26th November 1943 and its performance convinced Avro to manufacture the variant, however, the production was delegated to Armstrong Whitworth. In November 1943, after 300 of them manufactured, production of the Mk.II version was discontinued and Armstrong Whitworth switched their production of Bristol Hercules engines for the Handley-Page Halifax Mk.III.

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

Avro Lancaster Mk.I - British users part twelve

The Avro Lancaster was regarded by the German ace Adolf Galland (who, at the time the Lancaster entered service, he was the commander of the German fighter command) as the "best night bomber of the war". Same did his adversary, Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris who referred it as the RAF's shining sword. According to some historians, the Lancaster was overpraised, however, in a pardonable fashion.
The squadrons covered today are:

• No.15 Squadron: This squadron received the Avro Lancaster Mk.I, together with the Mk.III in December 1943 at RAF Mildenhall, in Suffolk. In the autumn 1944 this squadron undertook the daylight precision bombing role through the clouds with the aid of the radar known as G-H. Their last raid was on 22nd April 1945 when they attacked Bremen and, before the German surrender, they took part on the Operation Manna, which we have already posted about before. After the war they retained the Avro Lancasters until 1947 when they were replaced by the more advanced Avro Lincoln.
• No.57 Squadron: The Vickers Wellingtons were replaced by the Avro Lancaster in September 1942 and they took part in the famous raid against Schneider works at Le Creusot, in France. In November 1942 they received the honour of being visited by HM King George VI followed early the next year, in 1943 by a Royal Visit both by King and Queen. The took part in many raids between 1942 and 1945, among them the V1 storage sites at St. Leu d'Esserent and the Mondeville steelworks at Caen, both of them in France situated this last one, just 2000 yards (1829 meters) away from the British front lines in Normandy. In December 1944 they took part in the raid against the German Baltic Fleet anchored at Gdynia, in Poland and, in March 1945 they were part of the Bomber Force that destroyed the German defences in Wesel just before the British Commandos crossed the river with just 36 casualties. About this last raid, Field Marshall Montgomery said "The bombing of Wesel was a masterpiece, and was a decisive factor in making possible our entry into the town before midnight". When the war ended they were reformed at RAF Elsham Wolds, in Lincolnshire and were re-numbered as No.103 Squadron.

Sources:

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

2. https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/bombercommandno15squadron.cfm

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._15_Squadron_RAF

4. https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/bombercommandno57squadron.cfm

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._57_Squadron_RAF

6. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 52 - Lancaster in Action

Avro Lancaster Mk.I - British users part eleven

The Avro Lancaster, was at the time of the end of the World War II in Europe, the main bomber of the Royal Air Force. It was such a success that it was planned to create the Tiger Air Force, a very long-range heavy bomber force with the Lancaster as its backbone. They were expected to take part in the Operation Downfall, the allied invasion of Japan in late 1945.
The squadrons covered in this post are:

• No.576 Squadron: This squadron was formed at RAF Elsham Wolds, in Lincolnshire, on 25th November 1943. They were equipped initially with the Avro Lancaster Mk.I and Mk.III and were formed from elements of the 'C' Flight of the No.103 Squadron. As part of the No.1 Group RAF Bomber Command, between the night of 2nd/3rd December 1943 until 25th April 1945, they flew 2788 sorties, with 67 aircraft lost. At the end of the war they took part in Operation Manna, the aforementioned supply drop over the Netherlands to help starving Dutch civilians. When the war ended they repatriated many British POWs back to England from mainland Europe. They were disbanded at RAF Fiskerton, in Lincolnshire, on 13th November 1945.
• No.166 Squadron: The Lancaster replaced their Vickers Wellington medium bombers with the Avro Lancaster in September 1943. They performed both day and night raids against Germany from early 1945 until the end of the war (from September 1943 until early 1945 they were limited to night raids). It was disbanded at RAF Kirmington, in Lincolnshire, on 18th November 1945.

Sources:

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

2. https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/bombercommandno576squadron.cfm

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._576_Squadron_RAF

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._166_Squadron_RAF

5. https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/bombercommandno166squadron.cfm

6. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 52 - Lancaster in Action

Avro Lancaster Mk.I - British users part ten

The Avro Lancaster was the main British Bomber of the World War II. As it stood over any other contemporary British bombers, it quickly replaced other four-engined bombers serving in the RAF's bombing squadrons like the Short Stirling or the Handley Page Halifax and also making some two-engined medium bombers equipped squadrons (like the Vickers Wellington or the Armstrong-Whitworth Whitely) to transition to four-engined ones.
The squadrons covered in this post are:

• No.150 Squadron: This squadron, that was previously serving in the Mediterranean Theatre, was reformed at RAF Fiskerton, in Lincolnshire in October 1944 to be equipped with the Avro Lancaster, replacing the Vickers Wellington. After having been re-equipped, they were soon rebased to RAF Hemswell, in Lincolnshire, where they flew a total of 827 sorties, dropping a total of 3.827 tons of bombs losing eight aircraft. At the very end of the war, they took part in Operation Manna, dropping food over starving Dutch civilians. When the war in Europe was over, they repatriated POWs from mainland Europe back to the United Kingdom. They were disbanded soon after the end of the war, on 7th November 1945.
• No.12 Squadron: After being rebased to RAF Wickenby, in Lincolnshire, they were reequipped with the Lancaster replacing the Vickers Wellington medium bomber. They remained performing night raids against Germany until the end of the war in Europe. The Lancasters remained in service until August 1946 when they replaced by the Avro Lincoln.

Sources:

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

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._150_Squadron_RAF

3. https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/bombercommandno150squadron.cfm

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._12_Squadron_RAF

5. https://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/12squadron.cfm

6. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 52 - Lancaster in Action

Avro Lancaster Mk.I - Polish Users

As many of you know, the Polish Air Force continued to fight under the colours of many of the air forces of the world, among them the Royal Air Force. The Polish Air Forces in the Great Britain were organized in various fighter, bomber, support and other roles. One of those was dedicated to strategical bombing and was equipped with the Avro Lancaster Mk.I.

• No.300 (Polish) 'Land of Masovia' Squadron: This squadron received the Avro Lancaster Mk.I on 5th March 1944 based at RAF Faldingworth, in Lincolnshire, replacing that way the Vickers Wellington they had been flying since 1940. Since then they took part in many famous raids against Germany, like the raids against V-weapons sites, operations supporting Operation Overlord, Rhine crossing, the Battle of the Ruhr and the aerial Battle of Berlin. Their last raid was on 8th May 1945 against Hitler's residence in Berchtesgaden. They retained the Avro Lancaster until 2nd January 1947 when the squadron was disbanded. 

Sources:

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

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Air_Forces_in_France_and_Great_Britain

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._300_Polish_Bomber_Squadron

4. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 52 - Lancaster in Action

Avro Lancaster Mk.I - British users part nine

The Avro Lancaster was a four-engined bomber that served through the mid-late World War II with the Royal Air Force and the postwar. The squadrons covered in this post are:

• No.150 Squadron: This squadron was disbanded in October 1944 in Italy, but it was soon reformed and re-equipped with the Avro Lancaster. Between 11th November 1944 and 25th April 1945 they flew more than 800 sorties and dropped more than 3.827 tons of bombs with just 8 aircraft lost. They took part also in the Operation Manna supplying food to the starving Dutch civilians. After the war they transported ex-POWs from Belgium back to England and also from Italy back to England. They were disbanded shortly after the war.
• No.12 Squadron: This historical squadron received the Avro Lancaster in 1942 while based at RAF Wickenby, in Lincolnshire. They took part in many raids until the end of the war when their Lancasters where replaced by Avro Lincolns in 1946.

Sources:

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

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._150_Squadron_RAF

3. https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/bombercommandno150squadron.cfm

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._12_Squadron_RAF

5. https://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/12squadron.cfm

6. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 52 - Lancaster in Action

Avro Lancaster Mk.I - British Users part eight

The Avro Lancaster was the main British bomber of the World War II and was the main night bomber of the war. It was used by various squadrons, among them these two:

• No.97 Squadron: From January 1942 until March 1942 this squadron transitioned to the Avro Lancaster from the Avro Manchester, while being based at RAF Coningsby, in Lincolnshire. They took part in the bombing campaign against fortress Europe that they have been taking part since they flew the Manchester. They took part on the low level day bombing raid, together with No.44 Squadron, at MAN Diesel engine works at Augsburg, they took part in the famous 1000 bomber raid against Cologne, Essen and Bremen and in October 1942 they took part on the famous Scheneider locomotive and armament works raid in Le Creusot, France. In early 1943 they made their first raid against Northern Italy and, in April 1943 they were transferred to No.8 Pathfinder Force after being rebased to RAF Bourn, in Cambridgeshire, becoming that way a "marker" squadron and taking part against the raids against Zeppelin Works in Friedrichshafen and the Italian shipyards in La Spezia. They remained in that role until April 1944 when they returned to RAF Coningsby to help the No.5 Bomber Group to prepare the final raid against Germany in 25/26th April 1945. They retained the Lancasters in the early postwar, until July 1946 when they were replaced by the Avro Lincoln.
• No.35 (Madras Presidency) Squadron: This squadron replaced their De Havilland Mosquitoes with the Avro Lancaster very late in the War, in March 1944. They took part in the Normandy Landings by bombing two coastal batteries, one at Maisy and the other one at Longues. Later, during the liberation of Belgium, they bombed the gun batteries on Walcheren Island which were key to the defence of Antwerp. During the famous battle of the Bulge, they managed to bomb Von Runstedts's communications hubs, disrupting this way German communications. During the final months of the war they took part against industrial targets. After the war, in 1946, they took part in a goodwill tour across the USA, and they returned in RAF Stradishall, in Suffolk because their original base, RAF Graveley, in Lincolnshire, closed. They retained the Avro Lancaster until September 1949 when they were replaced by the Avro Lincoln.

Sources:

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

2. https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/bombercommandno97squadron.cfm

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._97_Squadron_RAF

4. https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/bombercommandno35squadron.cfm

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._35_Squadron_RAF

6. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 52 - Lancaster in Action

Avro Lancaster Mk.I - British Users part seven

The Avro Lancaster was also used as a testbed for the Metropolitan-Vickers F.2 turbojet engine, as well as for the Armstrong Siddeley Mamba, Rolls Royce Dart, Avro Canada Orenda and STAL Dovern turboprop and turbojet engines. It was replaced in the inmediate postwar by the Avro Lincoln which was, basically, a larger version of the Lancaster. The Lancaster also performed a role in anti-submarine war and air-sea rescue, replaced later in that role by the Avro Shackleton. Other secondary roles performed by the Lancaster, specially during the postwar, were aerial photo-reconnaissance and mapping and flying tanker for aerial refuelling. The last Lancaster in active service was retired in 1963, by the Royal Canadian Air Force.
The squadrons covered in the drawings are:

• No.166 Squadron: This aircraft replaced their Vickers Wellington medium bombers with the Avro Lancaster in September 1943. They performed both day and night raids against Germany from early 1945 until the end of the war (from September 1943 until early 1945 they were limited to night raids). It was disbanded at RAF Kirmington, in Lincolnshire, on 18th November 1945.
• No.207 Squadron: This squadron was also equipped with the Vickers Wellington until March 1942, when they were replaced by the Avro Lancaster. They took part in various night raids against Germany until the end of the war. They were based in various airfields all around Northern England as they were based in RAF Langar, in Nottinghamshire, RAF Spilsby in Lincolnshire where they were the first ones to inaugurate the bomber base, and RAF Bottesford, in Leicestershire. When the war in Europe ended, they were going to be part of the Tiger Air Force to keep on the strategic bombing campaign against Japan, but due to the atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki the plans for the Tiger Air Force were dropped and, in November 1945 they were rebased to RAF Methwold, in Norfolk. Their Lancaster served until 1949 when, after being rebased to RAF Mildenhall, in Suffolk, they were replaced by the Avro Lincoln.

Sources:

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

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._166_Squadron_RAF

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._207_Squadron_RAF

4. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 52 - Lancaster in Action

Avro Lancaster Mk.I - British Users part six

The Avro Lancaster had a long unobstructed bomb bay, which allowed it to carry the largest bombs used by the Royal Air Force and oftenly they were supplemented by incendiary bombs. The Lancaster became one of the most famous and successful night bomber of the World War II as the Lancasters alone delivered 608.612 long tons of bombs in a total of 156.000 sorties. It was a versatile aircraft that also took part in some day precission bombing missions like when some of them were adapted to carry the Grand Slam bomb making it the largest payload of the war.
The squadrons covered in this post are:

• No.101 Squadron: This squadron replaced their Vickers Wellington by the Avro Lancaster in 1942. The Lancasters were later equipped with the top-secret radio jamming system Airborne Cigar (ABC) with a crew that could understand German, some of them with German or Jewish background known as "Special Operators" or "Spec Ops". They sat down at the rear of the aircraft, behind a curtained area, located and jammed German fighter aircraft communications, sometimes posing as German operators to spread disinformation. As this squadron had to deliberately break the radio silence procedure, their aircrafts were easy to track and vulnerable too. That made the squadron to have one of the highest casualty ratio of all the war. In October 1945 they were based to RAF Binbrook, in Lincolnshire and their Lancasters were replaced by Avro Lincolns. 
• No.149 (East India) Squadron: This squadron replaced their Short Stirlings by the Avro Lancaster late in the war, in August 1944. They continued their bomb runs until the end of the war and they took part in the Operation Manna dropping food supplies on the Netherlands to help starving civilians. After the war they continued to be part of the RAF Bomber Command with the Avro Lancaster until February 1949 when they were rebased to RAF Mildenhall, in Suffolk and the Lancs were replaced by Avro Lincolns.

Sources:

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

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._101_Squadron_RAF

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._149_Squadron_RAF

Avro Lancaster Mk.I - British Users part five

The Avro Lancaster has its origins in the Avro Manchester that was developed in the late 1930s in response to the Air Ministry's specification P.13/36 for an able long-range medium bomber. It was a development of the Manchester which proved to be not reliable and troublesome. It was designed by Roy Chadwick and saw service with the RAF Bomber Command in 1942 and, during the strategic bombing campaign in Europe, it was the main allied night bomber. It became the main bomber for the RAF, RCAF and some other commonwealth squadrons serving in Europe.
The squadrons covered today are:

• No.9 Squadron: This squadron received the Lancaster in September 1942 and they have been taking part in anti-shipping operations in the North Sea. They specialized on dropping big bombs , among them the famous Tallboy weighing 12.000lb (5440kg) and took part in the raid that sunk the German Battleship Tirpitz, in Norway. They took part also in every main bight-bombing run against Germany and led the main force in the last great raid of the war against Berchtesgaden on 25th April 1945. Just after the war their Lancasters were replaced by the Avro Lincoln.
• No.61 Squadron: This squadron converted to the Lancaster from the Manchester in spring 1942. They had the honous of being the first squadron to host among their files four Lancasters with more than 100 raids. They were loaned briefly to RAF Coastal Command for anti-submarine operations in the Bay of Biscay. Their last operational mission was on 25/26th April 1945 when they bombed a refinery in the Norwegian town of Vallo, in Tonsberg. Just before the end of the war in Europe, on 6th May 1945 they took part on an operation to ferry 336 POWs from mainland Europe. They were re-equipped with Avro Lincolns in May 1946.

Sources:

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

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._9_Squadron_RAF

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._61_Squadron_RAF

Avro Lancaster Mk.I - British Users part four

The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined bomber of the Second World War era. The Mk.I version was powered by four Rolls-Royce Merlin XX delivering each of them 1280hp of power.
We're covering the next two Royal Air Force squadrons in this post:

• No.83 Squadron: This squadron received the Lancaster in May 1942 after a short period serving with the Manchester. After being reequipped with the Lancaster, they were rebased on to RAF Wyton to be part of the No.8 Pathfinder Force. They operated as marker unit for the main bomber command. They returned to RAF Coningsby and were transferred to the No.5 Group where they acted as the pathfinder unit for the independent operations of the group. They retained the Lancaster until May 1946 when they were replaced by the Avro Lincoln.
• No.12 Squadron: After being rebased to RAF Wickenby, in Lincolnshire, they were reequipped with the Lancaster replacing the Vickers Wellington medium bomber. They remained performing night raids against Germany until the end of the war in Europe. The Lancasters remained in service until August 1946 when they replaced by the Avro Lincoln.

Sources:

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

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._83_Squadron_RAF

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._12_Squadron_RAF

Avro Lancaster Mk.I - British Users part three

We keep going with the native users of, probably, the best British bomber of the World War 2:

• No.50 Squadron: This squadron transitioned to the Avro Lancaster from the Avro Manchester. The squadron had wide experience in raids against Germany and, since they were reequipped with the Lancaster in summer 1942, they conducted even more raids against Germany until the end of the war. Their last war raid was on the night of 25/26 April 1945 against an oil refinery in Vallo, Norway. Their Lancasters were replaced with Avro Lincolns one year later, in 1946.
• No.44 (Rhodesia) Squadron: This squadron was the first one to be completely equipped with the Lancaster, as they received the first one, registered BT308, in late 1941 replacing the Handley Page Hampden they had been equipped with. Their first operational raid with the Lancaster Mk.I was on 3rd March 1942 and through the war they conducted many raids against Germany being the third squadron with highest casualties of the RAF Bomber Command. When the war in Europe ended, they were assigned to the Tiger Air Force to join the strategic bombing campaign against Japan and therefore they returned to the United Kingdom in July 1945 and were re-equipped with the Lancaster Mk.I (FE). As the invasion of Japan never took place, there was no need of sending the Tiger Air Force to the Far East, so the Lancasters of this squadron were replaced with Avro Lincolns in 1946.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._44_Squadron_RAF

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._50_Squadron_RAF

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

Avro Lancaster Mk.I - British Users part two

We forgot to wish all our readers and followers a happy Halloween!.
Today we cover another two Royal Air Force's squadrons that used the Lancaster during the World War II:

• No.625 Squadron: This squadron was formed from the 'C' flight of the No.100 Squadron, at RAF Kelstern, in Lincolnshire on 1st October 1943. They were equipped with the Avro Lancaster Mk.I since the very beginning and they were part of the No.1 Group RAF in the bomber command. From 18th October 1944 until 25th April 1945, they carried various night raids against Germany among them a raid against Hannover and, as their operational mission, the bombing of Berchtesgaden. Since 5th April 1945 they operated from RAF Scampton, in Lincolnshire too where they took part in operation Manna, dropping food supplies on starving Dutch citizens. After the war ended in Europe they performed various POW repatriation missions from Belgium and also some soldier repatriation ones for the British troops in Italy. The squadron was disbanded on 7th October 1945.
• No.630 Squadron: This squadron was formed on 15 November 1943 at RAF East Kirkby, in Lincolnshire, from 'B' Flight elements of the No. 57 Squadron. They were equipped with the Avro Lancaster Mk.I since the beginning and were part of the No.5 Group RAF of the Bomber Command. Their first operation was on the night of 18-19th November 1943 when 9 Lancasters of the squadron bombed Berlin. They were re-equipped with the Avro Lancaster Mk.III shortly after. 

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._625_Squadron_RAF

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._630_Squadron_RAF

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

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

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