The Lancaster

The Avro Lancaster, took the RAF’s bombing campaign right to the heart of Nazi Germany night after night despite, at times, appalling losses. The unique airframe, with one long continuous bomb bay and the four powerful Rolls Royce Merlin engines, allowed the Lancaster to carry a variety of bomb loads suited to the target being attacked. There is no doubt that without the Lancaster, RAF Bomber Command’s offensive against Germany would not have had the devastating and controversial impact that it achieved. The speed, agility and bomb carrying capacity of this bomber allowed it to destroy targets ranging from hardened concrete submarine pens, reservoir dams to railway marshalling yards and factories producing vital military hardware. This book is both the story of the Lancaster and its seven-man crews; pilot, bomb aimer/nose gunner, wireless operator, flight engineer, navigator and its mid-upper and rear gunners. Their combat experiences over the enemy skies of Germany are also told. It is also the history of the four most complete surviving airframes, one of these (NX611 based at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre) has been extensively photographed inside and out by Martin Keen to give a real sense of what the aircraft was like to fly in. Illustrated with over 300 photographs (many in full colour), including period Second World War images.