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Why were Lancaster bombers so called?
The Lancaster was named after Lancaster, Lancashire; a Lancastrian is an inhabitant of Lancashire. The Lancastrian was basically a modified Lancaster bomber without armour or armament and with the gun turrets replaced by streamlined metal fairings, including a new nose section.
What was the life expectancy of a bomber crew in ww2?
It had a crew of seven from the pilot to the gunners. Everyone had to play their part to stay alive. The Lancaster was one of the most dangerous places to be in the entire war – the life expectancy of a new recruit was just two weeks.
How many Lancaster bombers are still flying today?
17
Of the 7,377 aircraft built, 3,736 were lost during the War (3,249 in action and 487 in ground accidents). Today 17 remain in complete form, two of which are airworthy, and eight of which are in Canada.
How many Lancaster bombers are left flying?
two
The Avro Lancaster is the most famous and successful RAF heavy bomber of World War Two. There are only two airworthy Lancasters left in the world – 7,377 were built. Lancaster PA474 was built at the Vickers Armstrong Broughton factory at Hawarden Airfield, Chester on 31 May 1945, just after VE day.
Where were Lancaster bombers made?
The majority of the aircraft built during the war years were manufactured by Avro at their factory at Chadderton near Oldham, Lancashire. They were then assembled and test flown from Woodford Aerodrome in Cheshire.
How many Lancaster bombers lost in ww2?
3,249
The Lancaster conducted a total of 156,000 sorties and dropped 608,612 long tons (618,378 tonnes) of bombs between 1942 and 1945. Only 35 Lancasters completed more than 100 successful operations each, and 3,249 were lost in action.
How dangerous was the Lancaster bomber in WW2?
The Lancaster is certainly an iconic and most interesting British aircraft. However, as it was built as a weapon of war, it could also be lethal to its own crews. Bomber command crews had a death rate of 44.4\% and 55,573 were killed during the war.
What were the dimensions of the Avro Lancaster bomber?
The Avro Lancaster bomber first came into service in March 1942 and, as the main RAF heavy bomber, soon became as iconic a part of the British air war as the Supermarine Spitfire. What Were The Dimensions Of The Lancaster? The aircraft was 69 feet 4 inches long (21.11 metres), 102 ft wide (31.09 m) and 20 ft 6 in height (6.25 m).
Are there any good resources for learning about the Lancaster Bomber Command?
The excellent website Lancaster Bombers of 49 Squadron contains PDF versions of “Pilot’s Notes for Lancaster II”, “Flight Engineer’s Notes for Lancaster Aircraft”, and “.303 Browning Gun Notes for Students”, highly recommended! There is also the Bomber Command History Forum with a large number of very knowledgeable members and a lot of information.
How many died in Bomber Command in WW2?
Of the 125,000 aircrew who flew with Bomber Command during WW2, more than 55,000 lost their lives. Bomber Command was the most dangerous branch of any of the armed forces to serve in combat operations during the war, with a 44\% mortality rate.