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Avro LANCASTER
Avro Lancaster Mk II (with Bristol Hercules radial engines)
(Photo Credit Unknown)
The four-engine Avro "Lancaster", a direct development of the unsuccessful twin-engine Manchester became the 'mighty pulverizer' of the RAF's Bomber Command, able to carry the great 22,000-pound "Ten-Ton Tessie", also known as the "Grand Slam", the heaviest bomb-load lifted by any bomber of World War II. Its most notable single exploit was the breaching of the Mohne and Eder dams in May, 1943.
The "Lanc" was built in Canada under licence by Victory Aircraft Limited, Malton, Ontario, and the first Canadian-built machine was flown overseas in September, 1943. A total of 420 Lancaster Xs were built in Canada and Canadian units in the Commonwealth Tiger Force would have flown Lance Xs in the Pacific had the war lasted into 1946.
After service with the twelve squadrons of the RCAF's No. 6 Group in Bomber Command during the war, the Lancaster was used by the RCAF in varied post-war roles. Including photo-reconnaissance, air/sea rescue, and maritime reconnaissance. 'Lancs' of No. 408 (Photo) Squadron were primarily responsible for the completion of the aerial mapping of Canada. The Lancaster was finally retired from the RCAF on 1 April 1964, after serving for more than twenty years.
