Lancaster shots

Augsburgeagle · **Joined:** Sat Aug 16, 2008 2:17 am **Posts:** 112

A few photos I took recently, they aren't great but the Lancaster literally was pitch black inside.
Comparing being in a lancaster to a B17 I must admit that the Lanc felt much smaller, the turrets being absolutely tiny, the nose turret is so small that I could hardly fit in it, I'm about 6'1 and built slight but I could barely get inside it, once in you can hardly see out and taking a photo in there is darn near impossible! I did get a strange feeling in the Lancaster, it being so dark really gave me a feeling of being on a bombing mission, to see the parachutes in holders and not on the gunners backs was very sobering, I find it hard to imagine that people really did fly these machines in the dead of night, cramped up without a parachute on their backs waiting for the jazz music to start playing... modern generations could learn alot from the people who did these things for us.

FAFG_Xav · **Posted:** Thu Oct 09, 2008 1:55 am

Nice photos !!! where is this plane displayed ?

Augsburgeagle · **Joined:** Sat Aug 16, 2008 2:17 am **Posts:** 112

Thanks,
this is at the Museum of transport and technology in Auckland New zealand, well worth a visit!

lestweforget · **Posted:** Thu Oct 09, 2008 6:46 am

Thanks for posting these amazing pics. It always amazes me how tight it is inside on of these aircraft. As you say , to be separated from your parachute and then try to get to it from your station , whilst the aircraft is going down! It doen't really bear thinking about. The sheer number of aircrew lost bears sad witness to that. Well over 3000 of the 7377 Lancs built were lost in combat. The bravery of these crews is something that should always be remembered. On a slightly lighter note ,I like the fact the Elsan toilet has "no step" stencilled on it!

mustangdriver · **Posted:** Thu Oct 09, 2008 7:16 am

Which Lanc is that?

Holedigger · **Posted:** Thu Oct 09, 2008 7:27 am

very tight fitting inside...at night...flak going off...night fighters prowling...engines roaring, not my cup of tea

according to Wiki

Lancaster B VII NX665
Equipped with H2S radar, is preserved at the Museum of Transport and Technology (aka MOTAT) in Auckland, New Zealand. This aircraft served with the Aeronavale until the 1960s, when it was presented to the museum. The airframe originally lacked the mid-upper turret, having been built with the mountings for a Martin 250CE. An earlier FN50 was retrofitted in the late 1980s which required modifications to the aircraft's structure as the turret mounts had to be moved rearwards.

lestweforget · **Posted:** Thu Oct 09, 2008 7:39 am

For more information, th Nanton Lancaster Society has an absolutely excellent website. There is info on Bomber Command losses, worlds surviving Lancasters and American aircrew serving with the RCAF. Well worth a look if you haven't already. http://www.lancastermuseum.ca/

spookyboss · **Posted:** Thu Oct 09, 2008 8:18 am

WOW, Thanks for the tour I have never been near a Lanc and very much enjoyed your photos. I can't imagine going to combat in that and with only one pilot if anything happens to him your all done for.

Ztex · **Posted:** Thu Oct 09, 2008 8:23 am

Great shots!

I have never studied the interior of a Lanc to this much detail.

What are these leaf spring looking things? Where are they in the airplane?

b29flteng · **Posted:** Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:43 am

"What are these leaf spring looking things? Where are they in the airplane?"

Ammo chutes to the rear turret.

lestweforget · **Posted:** Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:46 am

Ztex wrote:

Great shots!

I have never studied the interior of a Lanc to this much detail.

What are these leaf spring looking things? Where are they in the airplane?

These I beleive are the covered ammunition tracks leading to the rear turret.

Ztex · **Posted:** Thu Oct 09, 2008 11:27 am

So the ammo is located in the middle of the airplane?

Sounds a fun job to make sure that .303 stuff kept flowing down the chute!

Very interesting!

Second Air Force · **Posted:** Thu Oct 09, 2008 11:36 am

I just finished reading "The Battle of Hamburg" and the author included an accounting of every bomber lost during the four night raids. It is really sobering to see that in very many (nearly all) cases the entire aircrew were lost with their Lancasters, Halifaxes, and Stirlings. Both day and night bombing were dangerous, but the RAF men appear to have had a harder time escaping a stricken bomber than their AAF counterparts.

Brave men, all.

n5151ts · **Posted:** Thu Oct 09, 2008 11:44 am

..every time I see the inside of one of those I can't help to wonder what it must have been like as a 19 or 20 yr old flying around and being shot at....

lestweforget · **Posted:** Thu Oct 09, 2008 2:30 pm

There is a very good walk around of this aircraft here if anyone is interested. http://www.kiwiaircraftimages.com/lanc.html

Just wondering if anyone has any interior shots of a late model B-24. These I would like to see, close ups of the nose compartment, turrets etc. Would be intersting to compare.

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