Only post Lancaster pictures here.

[David Layne]

EE 176 again

[David Layne]

This one is R 5548 OF A. This Lancaster bore the signature of HM Queen Elizabeth in a card on the nose section, hence the aircraft being known as Q-Queenie despite bearing the callsign A-Alpha. This aircraft crashed 28/12/1942.

[David Layne]

This is Lancaster is PB410 OF-J with her two port engines feathered. This aircraft survived the war and ended up being scrapped.

[David Layne]

The sad demise of Q-Queenie, destroyed at Woodhall Spa on 28th December 1942 when a photoflash exploded inside the aircraft, killing the armourer, AC2 Aubrey Taylor.

[Harry Ree]

Originally Posted by David Layne

This one is R 5548 OF A. This Lancaster bore the signature of HM Queen Elizabeth in a card on the nose section, hence the aircraft being known as Q-Queenie despite bearing the callsign A-Alpha. This aircraft crashed 28/12/1942.

I think this aircraft was was SOC in non operational event on the said date while the squadron was based at Woodhall Spa

Lancaster R 5648 "Elizabeth" was built at the Yeadon Shadow Factory and was on the production track when the King and Queen visited the factory on 20 March 1942.The Queen named the aircraft "Elizabeth" on this occasion.

The aircraft is recorded to have met its end like so many, a victim at dispersal due the ignition of one of its photographic flashes.

Point added concurrent with David's update

[Ron Goldstein]

David

Thanks for your remarks.

Here is another photo of Jack, in his turret, taken over Essen by another member of the crew.
Regrettably I cannot quote the source as it was one of a set of photos given to me by Ted Hull, yet another crew member, and lovely Ted is no longer with us.

As I mentioned earlier, the article about the actual loss of the aircraft was written by my nephew Michael. What I should have also mentioned is the fact that Michael, despite losing his father so tragically when he was so very young, went on to become, by sheer guts and determination, Vice Chancellor of Coventry University and to be rewarded with the OBE for Services to Higher Education.

[marcus69x]

Originally Posted by Paul Reed

There is certainly something about the Lancaster; one flew over my house in Kent a couple of months ago; quite something.

Some great pictures there guys. Just a thought about the above pictures: There's that many bombs falling there that surely some of them must have banged against each other and exploded mid-air? Anybody know if this would have happened or were they designed so that this wouldn't happen?

cheers

[Peter Clare]

Lancaster GRV - RE186
School of Maritime Reconnaissance.

[kfz]

Originally Posted by marcus69x

Some great pictures there guys. Just a thought about the above pictures: There's that many bombs falling there that surely some of them must have banged against each other and exploded mid-air? Anybody know if this would have happened or were they designed so that this wouldn't happen?

cheers

Ok what you looking at here ion ther left is chaff. Foil strips to reflect a lot of radar energy and hide aircraft. Im not well up on the subject but the lenght of the strips is vital and related to the wavelenght of the offending rader. Something to do with reflecting back the carrier signal out of phase and ruining the radar return. Still used today.

THe shot on the right is I think a 4000lb blockbuster and a large drop of incenderries. The incenderies buirn very hot and cause fires whereby the blockbuster is a huge thinly cased blast bomb designed not bury itself like a conventional cased bomb but to explode on impact, blasting the fire into a great storm, that caused so much damage to Dresden and Hamburg.

Bombs normally dont explode untill they are armed, that is usually done by some sort of mechncial device that places the detonator into a postion it can explode the man charge, This is normally a little propeler on the front of the case, so the bomb must be falling straight for some degree of time before it is armed , once all the bombs are armed and pressumably falling stright then the chances of hitting each other very small. This is some evidence that the bombs may have hit other aircraft on some occaisions.

if the bomb is dropped to low the propellor wont fully arm the bomb and it does not explode.

Hope this helps.

Kev

[kfz]

Can you see the little propeller that wind the fuse and set the detonator.

Go to the library and get some books about bomb disposal. Some good ones out there. Gripping stuff.