6B/159 Squadron – The Lancaster – Photo Heavy

[Omegafanman]

Mosquito…Spitfire… and now the Avro Lancaster. Pictures are from a Darren Harbar photography day I joined at East Kirkby Museum at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre. All the superb re-enactors are volunteers and we were hosted by Andrew Panton and his amazing team. I have slipped in a couple of recent shots from Duxford to get some overhead views of the plane (also as her wing tips were off for maintenance).

The Lancaster probably was the best bomber of WW2 made even more famous by the Dambusters raid. I have added a bit more text below just to give the internal shots some context as it is a large aircraft with a seven to eight-man crew - Pilot, navigator/radar, bomb aimer/ front gunner, flight engineer, wireless operator, mid gunner and rear gunner.

It has amazing lift and bomb bay capacity – 21m fuselage with a 31m wingspan. If all four Merlins run on full power without a bomb load it will smack its nose. The 4000 Ib cookie pictured was only part of a single bomb load.

The central wing spars make movement inside the plane tough and there is no internal access to the bomb bay, so no easy bale out route. Parachutes are stowed so the crew need to find them and clip them on. The plexiglass and thin aluminium skin gives no protection to enemy fire. Only the pilot’s headrest (and no dual control) is armoured.

For the internal shots I moved from back to the front (and for the rear gunner position those are just balsa wood doors to stop the draft).

Well, that is my mission complete with three iconic aircraft covered…. Although there might now be a fourth, and if anyone might be interested in a very good value UK based warbird flight this year drop me a PM.

https://omegaforums.net/threads/6b-159-squadron-–-the-spitfire-–-photo-heavy.138126/

https://omegaforums.net/threads/6b-159-squadron-–-the-mosquito-–-photo-heavy.137584/
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Edited: Nov 15, 2021

 

[Foo2rama]

I never noticed the nacelles look like the front end of P-40’s before.

also is that a Vulcan I spot in the background?

 

[Omegafanman]

Foo2rama

I never noticed the nacelles look like the front end of P-40’s before.

also is that a Vulcan I spot in the background?

Good spot on the Avro Vulcan ... only 10 years after the Lancaster and one plane probably had more engine output than two ot three complete Avro Lancaster squardrons (and I dont even want to think about the bomb load potential). I think the P-40 was not so good for the European theatre (high altitude) but still a very good aircraft. It would not suprise me if their was crossover in designs and manufature during the war. Some of the German kit was just too good and complex - their manufacturing could not keep up.
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[noelekal]

Thank you for this thread Omegafanman.

 

[Valisk_61]

Some fantastic photos there! When you actually get inside the aircraft, you're acutely aware of just what a terrifying environment it must have been. Not that these chaps let it bother them...

Foo2rama

also is that a Vulcan I spot in the background?

Sure is! The Brit hangar at Duxford is packed with amazing stuff.


Lest we forget.

 

[noelekal]

Been to an air show at Duxford and enjoyed the contents of that hanger.

I'm a born and bred Texan who relishes and admires British history and loves vintage British militaria and gear. Something about it all really stirs my blood. Have always respected the British fighting man.

 

[Omegafanman]

Yesterday I was at Duxford Imperial War Museum to see a screening of the new Lancaster documentary film and meet some of the team behind it. Like the spitfire documentary by the same team it is an amazing and very emotional film to watch. The aerial shots are stunning and use helicopter and fixed wing platforms (no drone or CGI work). There were shots I have never seen achieved before. They even use a Lancaster exhaust for percussion in the music (a real eye for detail)

https://www.altitude.film/page/lancaster

The real stars are of course the veterans and I was lucky to meet two of them. Both pushing on towards their 100th year but still full of energy and determined to honour their fallen comrades. It was a real privilege to meet them plus a big help for my research, discussing kit, tactics and navigation techniques employed at the time.

They both served with 101 special operations squadron which had the highest casualty rate of any RAF squadron as they attempted to disrupt and distract enemy night fighters to clear the path for other bombers.

Russell "Rusty" Waughman pictured standing was a pilot. He still likes a beer and has a lot of tales to tell (some of them even printable :0)

Norman Gregory (Bomb aimer) was shot down on his 5th operation bailing out and then held as a POW. Likewise he was very happy to share his story which has also been captured for posterity by the International Bomber Command Centre (Lincoln University)

https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/8846

It was a very moving experience to meet them and get to have my first look inside the Lancaster at Duxford.
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Edited: Jun 26, 2022

 

[Turpinr]

This is my dad (3rd left) and crew at RAF Skellingthorpe

 

[Omegafanman]

Turpinr

This is my dad (3rd left) and crew at RAF Skellingthorpe

That is a precious photo. They are all so young. The pilot looks a jolly chap / you can see all their insignia

 

[Turpinr]

Omegafanman

That is a precious photo. They are all so young. The pilot looks a jolly chap / you can see all their insignia

My dad was the oldest at 28.The pilot a New Zealander was 22 and the rest were a similar age.

 

[Humptymarsbar]

Taken at waddington air show around 10 years ago, with a Lancaster in the background.

 

[Omegafanman]

Humptymarsbar

Taken at waddington air show around 10 years ago, with a Lancaster in the background.

it is amazing that there is only 10 years between those planes and terrifying that one Nuclear Vulcan could drop more explosive power than every Lanc dropped in WW2. Despite all the space age differences and the move from a yoke to a fighter stick, you can still see some similarities inside the cockpits - and the Vulcans on operation Black Buck in 1982 still used a version of the H2S radar that was fitted in Lancasters towards the end of WW2. Nice to see both in that photo / great timing.

 

[Omegafanman]

Turpinr

This is my dad (3rd left) and crew at RAF Skellingthorpe

I just read the sad news that this Gentleman (Norman Gregory) has passed away. At 100 he was still cycling around his village. I was lucky to get a chance to meet him earlier this year and talk about his experiences in bomber command, which was a real privilege. He was full of stories about 101 Squadron and his aircraft Queenie. RIP Norman and many thanks for your service and the many years spend tirelessly honouring your fallen comrades.


Norman Gregory (Bomb aimer) was shot down on his 5th operation bailing out and then held as a POW. His story (audio interview) has been captured for posterity by the International Bomber Command Centre (Lincoln University)
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[Turpinr]

The bomb aimer in my dads crew lived till 99 and only died last November.
Did Mr Gregory ever mention how he managed to bail out of the Lancaster ?

Edit

I've just read about his escape from the Lancaster on the IBCC site.
He was very very lucky to get out but the crew in the rear half weren't so lucky.

Edited: Aug 23, 2022

 

[Omegafanman]

Turpinr

The bomb aimer in my dads crew lived till 99 and only died last November.
Did Mr Gregory ever mention how he managed to bail out of the Lancaster ?

Edit

I've just read about his escape from the Lancaster on the IBCC site.
He was very very lucky to get out but the crew in the rear half weren't so lucky.

You beat me to it. It was not a topic in our conversation, but he covered a lot for posterity in his IBCC interview.
He did reveal to me that Queenie (in terms of the planes nose art) suffered an underwear failure due to flak…. It sounded like the artwork was a bit riske ;0) - basically in his words her knickers got shot off (RIP brave Norman)

 

[Turpinr]

Omegafanman

You beat me to it. It was not a topic in our conversation, but he covered a lot for posterity in his IBCC interview.
He did reveal to me that Queenie (in terms of the planes nose art) suffered an underwear failure due to flak…. It sounded like the artwork was a bit riske ;0) - basically in his words her knickers got shot off (RIP brave Norman)

When I was a kid in the 60's my dad told me their plane was called 'Shytot' but I thought he was pulling my leg.
But when I got in touch with his crew mate Les the mid upper gunner he told me the artwork was a baby carrying a bomb.

RIP Norman, one of the last of the Bomber Boys.