Lancaster Pilot

[Habu]

I was talking to a Lancaster pilot who flew 16 bombing sorties and numerous humanatarian ones at the end of the war.

Very interesting guy. His name if Philip Grey. He wrote a very good book I just finished reading as well.

If any of you have any questions regarding the bomber, how it flew, etc post them here and I will ask him.

[Replicant]

Which squadrons did he fly for and which airfields did he operate from?

[Habu]

He flew with the 186 squadron as a Flight Lt.

I would have to get the book to tell you the airfield they flew out of.

He is Scottish and flew with an all English crew.

[Torque]

they have a lanny at the heritage museum in hamilton, they take it up nearly every weekend.

[Replicant]

Originally posted by Habu
He flew with the 186 squadron as a Flight Lt.

I would have to get the book to tell you the airfield they flew out of.

He is Scottish and flew with an all English crew.

Ah, 186 Sqn reformed as a squadron (previously disbanding as a Hurricane/Typhoon/Spitfire squadron) on 01 October 1944 at Tuddenham.  They moved to Stradishall on 17 December 1944.  Both airfields were close to one another and located to the east of Cambridge.

Can you ask what it was like navigating with hundreds of airfields close together in the UK.  I mean it must have been confusing at times in poor conditions etc.

[Habu]

He said that he had one of the best navigators in the war. He was so good they got promoted early out of the training squadron after flying a 6 hour mission in weather so bad everyone else landed early.

When they were posted to the 186 his crew was sent to get training on the new super G radar that allowed them to bomb and navigate using radar only. Again that was probably because his navigator was so good.

He had many close calls with other bombers almost hitting him usually from above. His upper gunner would call out to dive and he saved the plane at least twice by warning them of a plane just about to hit them.

Also they had to avoid being under other bombers who were about to drop. That occured on the bomb run more than once.

After they dropped the bombs they were required to fly straight and level for 30 additional seconds so an automatic target camera could snap a picture. This was to verify they actually dropped on target as before this camera was installed in bombers they tended to drop early and turn for home.

[Furball]

Originally posted by Habu
I was talking to a Lancaster pilot who flew 16 bombing sorties and numerous humanatarian ones at the end of the war.

Very interesting guy. His name if Philip Grey. He wrote a very good book I just finished reading as well.

If any of you have any questions regarding the bomber, how it flew, etc post them here and I will ask him.

i have met the same guy.

ask him about hawker tempests

[Habu]

Where did you meet him Furball?

Do you live near Toronto?

[Furball]

can ya shoot me an email habu?

rob_f16 at hotmail.com

[nuchpatrick]

Habu whats the name of the book ?

[Furball]

its called "ghosts of targets past"

[Habu]

I can get you a signed copy if you wish.

It costs 27 Canadian plus shipping. Probably about 30 USD total.

[LePaul]

How many fighters did they shoot down, if any?

The Aces High version of the Lanc shows just how vulerable these things were to attack.  Im just curious what techniques, if any, they did to minimize such weaknesses.  

I mean, compared to the defenses the B17s, B24s and others had, the Lanc....from the game perspective....was pretty wide open to a attack from below.

Thanks ahead of time

[Toad]

Originally posted by LePaul
 Im just curious what techniques, if any, they did to minimize such weaknesses.  
 

They flew at night.

Still, I salute them; their losses were horrendous even then.

Based in Binbrook, Lincolnshire, 460 held records in Bomber Command for the number of trips flown and the tonnage of bombs dropped – but, of course, at an awful cost.Recording some of the highest casualty figures among any Allied units in the War, at one stage the “killed in action” rate reached 85 per cent at the height of the conflict.

In 460 Squadron, 45 per cent of the flying component lost their lives in just the first five trips. A tour of operations was 30 trips, but the life expectancy of a crew was just six – and of the Lancaster itself, only 10.

Overall, the 9000 members of the RAAF who served in Bomber Command made a shockingly disproportionate contribution to Australian losses.They represented fewer than 2 per cent of Australian enlistments in all services, but they accounted for nearly 20 per cent of all Australian combat deaths during the War.

As one veteran said recently: “We flew until we died or survived.”

[Replicant]

Originally posted by LePaul
How many fighters did they shoot down, if any?

The Aces High version of the Lanc shows just how vulerable these things were to attack.  Im just curious what techniques, if any, they did to minimize such weaknesses.  

I mean, compared to the defenses the B17s, B24s and others had, the Lanc....from the game perspective....was pretty wide open to a attack from below.

Thanks ahead of time

The Lancaster was originally fitted with a ventral turret but it was removed from the majority of Lancasters because, as Toad says, they flew at night and it wasn't needed.  I believe that '1 Group' Bomber Command kept several squadrons fitted with the ventral turret.

Although there were high losses the fact that USAAF bombed by day and RAF Bomber Command bombed by night meant that Germany was on alert 24/7; the effect on morale must have been tremendous.  There were different techniques employed by Bomber Command though.  USAAF flew in box formations whereas Bomber Command didn't.  This meant that RAF aircraft were able to evade aircraft easier, especially in the darkness of night meant that they had a slightly better survival if they were engaged (if they were engaged in daytime with their poor defensive weapons then they'd be mincemeat).  Obviously Luftwaffe nightfighters fitted with cannon wouldn't often attack until they're virtually on top of the Lancaster (not literally, but usually astern or under the aircraft).  Surviving such an attack was pretty rare.  Of course flying at night brought other risques such as collisions and navigational errors resulting in flying into hills (in the UK) or getting lost and running out of fuel or flying into a really hot area.

Here's a picture of a Lancaster fitted with ventral .303 machine guns.