AVRO LANCASTERS|COMBAT COMPARISON COMBAT COMPARISON|AVRO LANCASTERS
MEET THE TWINS
So what of the twin-engined bombers
deployed in the early years? Despite
the incredible valour of their crews,
the Hampden, Manchester (the Lanc’s
forerunner), Whitley, Blenheim,
Hendon and Heyford all struggled
to get through the strong German
defences or were withdrawn from the
front line before they could take the
fight to the Nazis.
However, two RAF twins do have
a fair shout at the title. Firstly, the
de Havilland Mosquito had several
benefits. While derided by some
for its archaic wooden frame, it was
particularly fast and versatile. One
variant could carry a 4,000lb cookie,
another was also used as a Pathfinder,
supporting raids with the ‘Oboe’ blind
bombing device. Additionally, it could
be used in the low-level precision strike
role, demonstrating this well on the
famous attack on Amiens Prison in
February 1944.
But the most likely contender is
the Vickers Wellington, an excellent
all-rounder that could take a lot of
punishment. The Wellington has the
considerable honour of being the only
bomber – of any country and any air
force – to have been in continuous
production and deployment throughout
the conflict’s duration, a momentous
feat in itself. It was the RAF’s most-
produced bomber by a considerable
margin, totalling 11,462.
Wellingtons were deployed in Bomber
Command’s very first operation on
September 3, 1939, a fruitless attempt
to locate German shipping. The
following day, they found their target,
but three were shot down – the
command’s first casualties.The Vickers twin battled on while
its twin-engined contemporaries were
phased out in favour of the Lancaster.
Certainly, the big Avro would eclipse
the Wellington on several counts, but
let’s not forget that as the Lancaster
was setting off on its first operational
mission at the beginning of March
1942, the Wellington had already been
slogging it out across the Nazi heartland
for two-and-a-half years.
The ‘Wimpey’, as it was affectionately
called by its crews, was noted for its
‘geodetic’ metal lattice frame, covered
in strengthened canvas, pioneered
by Barnes Wallis (of bouncing bomb
fame). Although this design complicated
the build, it made the frame particularly
strong and able to withstand a severe
battering from enemy flak. Wellingtons
were known to return home with
the rear turret missing. Furthermore,
unlike most other twins, Wellingtons
could, according to Sqn Ldr Gordon
Willis of 524 Squadron, return home
on one engine... just.THE OTHER PLAYERS
Across the Atlantic, the US built up a
formidable bomber force, deployed bothin the European and Pacific theatres
of war. The North American B-25
Mitchell was an easy to fly, durable,
and effective medium bomber and
gunship (with 9,816 built), also used by
the RAF, while other aeroplanes of a
similar size and configuration included
the Douglas Boston, Lockheed Ventura,
and Martin Marauder.
Among the heavy bombers, the
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was
rugged, but it was designed with
daylight missions in mind, meaning
more self-defence capabilities were
needed than the RAF’s primary
‘heavies’, resulting in a much smaller
payload. It was a similar story with
the Consolidated B-24 Liberator, but
the Germans found it easier to shoot
down. The long-range, high-flying
Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a real
challenge to the Lanc, and instrumental
in the defeat of Japan. But would
it have survived over Berlin? The
pressurised cockpit would have been a
big liability with flak flying around. It
could, however, carry a large payload
of conventional weapons over a long
distance.
The Russian Petlyakov Pe-8 and
Tupolev TB-3 heavy bombers couldn’t
match the Lanc, as the former of the
Soviet types was beset by mechanical
problems and the latter being obsolete
by the start of war.RIGHT
Handley Page
Halifax II BB324.RIGHT
Wellington III
Z1572 ‘VR-Q’ of
419 Squadron.BELOW
Wellingtons of
300 Squadron.