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For you Lancaster lovers. . .

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Shamu View Drop Down
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    Posted: May 24 2016 at 2:26pm

A one hour documentary from back in the day so its actually period specific, rather than looking back. Well worth the hour to watch it.

Video from the Past [15] - The Lancaster - Night Bombers (1943)

This film is about a bombing operation of a squadron of 40 Avro Lancaster bombers during the second world war. The base aerodrome is RAF Hemswell in Lincolnshire. The objective was Berlin itself.

The Lancaster first saw active service with RAF Bomber Command in 1942 and, as the strategic bombing offensive over Europe gathered momentum, it became the main heavy bomber used by the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other Commonwealth and European countries serving within the RAF, overshadowing its close contemporaries the Handley Page Halifax and Short Stirling. The "Lanc", as it was affectionately known, thus became one of the more famous and most successful of the Second World War night bombers, "delivering 608,612 long tons of bombs in 156,000 sorties.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7rTFKUprbo

Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hoadie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 24 2016 at 5:48pm
As much as I love the Lanc..you may want to take another look at the contributions the Halifax made.
She was quite a kite, as well.
And made / served in large numbers.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pedro Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 24 2016 at 6:21pm
Speaking of RAF bombers, unfortunately you may know that the only flying example of the Avro Vulcan bomber has recently been grounded to fly no more. Here's a picture I took of it at the RAF Leuchars air show a few years ago. Sadly, RAF Leuchars has now also bit the dust and is no more.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pedro Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 24 2016 at 6:24pm

Better news is that there is now a Mosquito (the RAF twin engine fighter bomber of WW2) flying again, in Australia I believe and a quick squint on youtube will reveal some footage of it.

Going back to the Vulcan, it was of course in service during the cold war as part of the UK deterrent and could carry nuclear armament but became obsolete when the UK went over to solely submarines for that purpose. It's last use by the RAF, when it was already being mothballed, were bombing the runways in the Falklands War, doing sorties all the way from Britain to the Falklands, a feat that required in-flight refueling. All of which, I suspect most of you know, but thought I'd just ramble on for a while....
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hoadie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 24 2016 at 7:00pm
quite a kite, as well
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hybridfiat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 25 2016 at 4:29am
[QUOTE=Pedro] Speaking of RAF bombers, unfortunately you may know that the only flying example of the Avro Vulcan bomber has recently been grounded to fly no more. Here's a picture I took of it at the RAF Leuchars air show a few years ago. Sadly, RAF Leuchars has now also bit the dust and is no more.


If that's the same Leuchars airshow I was at, then it was a very long time ago.
Fog delayed the takeoff but the Vulcan eventually went.  What an awesome sound and sight. The russian doing his 'Cobra' maneuver was a treat too. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Shamu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 25 2016 at 5:14am
Supposedly there's a chance of a flying Canberra as well.Thumbs Up
Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote paddyofurniture Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 25 2016 at 8:10am
My Uncle Walter was a Pilot in a Lancaster in the RCAF and was killed on a Berlin raid in December of 1944. His photo hangs in my living room, I shall not forget him.
Always looking for military manuals, Dodge M37 items,books on Berlin Germany, old atlases ( before 1946) , military maps of Scotland. English and Canadian gun parts.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hoadie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 25 2016 at 9:42am
Doc Hannah was a Lanc pilot. Only lost one crewman-kid named "Parker" from Chicago. He was tail gunner when they had mechanical probs in their Sterling, & crashed @ airport. After that - they transitioned to Lancs. He always knew where they were going - before the briefing. His crew chief would tell him how much gas they were carrying. 2,500 meant lite bomb load going to Berlin. Lite gas meant heavy bomb load, going to France.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote paddyofurniture Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 25 2016 at 9:47am
God bless them all.
Always looking for military manuals, Dodge M37 items,books on Berlin Germany, old atlases ( before 1946) , military maps of Scotland. English and Canadian gun parts.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Shamu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 25 2016 at 12:18pm
The rumor mill always grinds.

We got Parkas, arctic underwear & snow shoes. The supply sergeant told us we would be going to somewhere they hadn't seen snow in a lifetime.

We went to the Middle East.Censored

I always wondered if the supply "blunders" weren't just to keep the NAAFI gossip from being right!

Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Zed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 26 2016 at 1:15pm
Just watched the documentary. It's a very good insight to the overall operational set up. The Lancaster has been one of my favourite aircraft ever since I was a kid; that and the Spitfire, Hurricane and Mosquito. 
Maybe the sound of the RR merlins have something to play in that!
It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hoadie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 26 2016 at 4:30pm
.. The sound of the Merlin...How sweet it is!!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pukka Bundook Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 26 2016 at 6:47pm
Great thread, this.
 
I have a real affection for all the old kites mentioned.
Uncle Vic was a flight mechanic in the war, worked on the RR Merlins.  Fantastic engines! Also still had a roll of canvas that was Mosquito 'skin'  The Vulcan used to fly over the farm back in Yorkshire every now and then and was a beautiful thing to see!
Used to see a Lanc , a S. Spitfire & a hurricane fly over on occasion as well, going to airshows.  Lovely group to see.
Uncle Vic was trained in Wellingtons as well.  he said they often came back with no rear gunner !
He was once in the tail, and of course they often left the door open so they could see up the fuselage and not feel so lonely.  He turned this time and hadn't locked his turret, and when he turned, it was straight down to the ground........(no back in the seat, as that is how you bailed out)
he said he grabbed hold of the guns and shut his eyes till he got up courage to turn his turret & close his doors.
Another fantastic bit of kit was the Lightning!!............used to scare the s.............out of me when I was tractoring, and they came silently overhead,....followed by the most horrific sonic boom as they departed! 
We lived in Forge Valley, near Scarborough,& the jets used to practice low level flying through there, keeping below radar height.
 
Uncle Vic passed away last year.
The lighting and the Forsdon Major is a interesting story!
 
The photo isn't rigged.  I will look out the thread re. this soon I hope.
R.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pukka Bundook Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 26 2016 at 7:23pm
Here is a link to the story behind the Electric Lightning photo;
George landed in the greenhouse, and his canopy landed in the other end of the same greenhouse!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bear43 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 26 2016 at 9:43pm
To share a bit, my Grandpa Shea was in the Army Air Corps and trained on B-25 Mitche!! medium bombers. He was the tail gunner on his crew. He said he was the tail gunner because he was the only one of the crew that could fit back there. His words were, "If I had got back there and eaten a hamburger I wouldn't have gotten back out". He also said that the thing he hated most about it was gunnery practice in the air. He said in order to hit the target on the tow planes you had to aim at the tail of the tow plane and that made him very nervous.

I know it has nothing to do with the planes discussed, but all this brought back memories.
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