

To find out more about The Navigator, visit the Broadway Theatre website. All I had to start my quest was his log book, a couple of photographs and the name of his pilot, Bill Mallon. The names of the brave and young RAF-RCAF crew who were killed in the. Believed to be F/O George Kelly, RCAF, a bomb aimer with 617 (Dambuster) Squadron, standing in front of a 22,000 lbs Grand Slam Bomb. On June 12th 1943 a four-engined RAF Lancaster Bomber crashed on its return. In total some 125,000 aircrew served in Bomber Command during World War Two over 73,700 of them became casualties, either killed, wounded or shot down and made PoWs.Ĭredit () How many people are needed for a Lancaster crew?Īs can be seen in the diagram below, a Lancaster needed a crew of 7 people to be able to operate, with each of the different roles on the aircraft having their own unique set of skills. F/O Butterworth was an American from Richville, New York. The Lancaster did not carry the weight of the night bombing offensive against Nazi Germany on its own but was supported by other earlier twin-engine bombers such as the Wellington and the other four-engine RAF heavy bombers – the Stirling and the Halifax – as well as medium bomber versions of the twin-engine De Havilland Mosquito. Of these, some 3,500 were lost on operations and another 200 or so were destroyed or written off in crashes An impressive total of 7,377 Lancasters were built between 1941 and early 1946. Many Lancaster crew members were highly decorated for their actions while flying the aircraft. Avro 683 Lancaster, which is the bombers official name, is considered by many to be the second World Wars finest heavy bomber. All three men earned the title of ace and flew a great deal of missions over enemy territory.

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It could carry a maximum bomb load of 22,000 lb, its maximum level speed with a full load at 15,000 feet was 275 mph and it could cruise routinely at altitudes above 20,000ft at a range speed of 200 mph. Some of the most successful bomber pilots in World War II were Hans-Joachim Marseille, Erich Hartmann and Werner Mölders. The only qualification for award of this medal was that they must have served at least 28 days irrespective of whether they were operational or non operational. The performance of the Lancaster was simply outstanding. The War Medal (3 September 1939- 2 September 1945) was awarded to all full-time personnel of the Armed Forces no matter where they served. The prototype Lancaster took to the air for its first flight from Ringway, Manchester, on 9th January 1941 the first production Lancaster flew later that year on 31st October. Five top facts about the Lancaster bomber We have a good number of Ground crew, Pilots and Engineers who assist with the running of Lancaster NX611 Just Jane. With The Navigator coming to the Broadway Theatre on 19 November, being a show which follows the lives of a Lancaster bomber crew, we wanted to look more at the aircraft behind the show and the important role it played in the Second World War.
