5/11/2023 0 Comments Lancaster bomber crew numbersThe latter was kept very busy with Adjustments & Fuel Management. The Navigator & the Flight Engineer were placed in the front Fuselage, between the front Turret and the Cockpit. There were 3 Gunners, in the Nose, Mid & Rear Turrets. The Aircraft required a Crew of 7, namely:- The Pilot, the Navigator, the Flight Engineer, the Wireless Operator, the Bomb Aimer, the Mid Upper Gunner and the Rear Gunner. The Flight-Engineer and I were in constant communication.” Halifax’s, however, had a much better reputation for Survival when Baling-out. But the Instruments were arranged as if they had been flung in through the Window and fitted where they landed. It was, in fact, the ideal Aeroplane to go to sleep in. If left to fly itself, it would Porpoise its way back to straight & level. “The Halifax always seemed reluctant to leave the ground and glad to be back down again. Its early design faults and haphazard arrangement of internal controls, dials & switches made it harder work to fly. The Lancaster also had no waist gunners, where the B-17 had two – one at each waist window – early in the war, but reduced to one gunner who manned the waist guns on both sides of the B-17 later in the war.Halifax Aircrews, even today, insist that it was a better Aeroplane than the Lancaster. The RAF Avro Lancaster did not have a ball turret, and therefore, no ball turret gunner on the crew. The B-17 similarly had a tail gunner, although he could come forward into the fuselage if necessary. His primary duty other than as a gunner was to advise the pilot of enemy aircraft. The Lancaster Rear Turret Gunner was confined to his turret for the entire mission and was separated from the other crew members. On the B-17, his turret was directly behind the pilot and co-pilot in the cockpit. The B-17 similarly had a crew member who was a top turret gunner, but he was also the engineer. The Lancaster Mid-Upper Turret Gunner was confined to his turret for the entire mission and was separated from the other crew members. He also was required to remain at his post, sending out distress signals, in the event of a ditching into the sea. He also served as a reserve gunner and addressed minor emergencies aboard the aircraft. The Lancaster Wireless Operator was responsible for transmitting messages to and from the crew’s base and position signals. The B-17 similarly had an engineer who was also the top turret gunner. He was also the reserve Bomb-Aimer, the lookout for enemy fighters, and the coordinator with the ground crew. He controlled the mechanical, hydraulic, electrical, and fuel systems, assisted the pilot with take-offs and landings, and provided fuel calculations in an emergency. The Lancaster Flight Engineer position was also a new position in 1942. The B-17 similarly had a bombardier, although the B-17 bombardier could not act as a reserve pilot. Where the B-17 had two pilots, both a pilot and co-pilot, the Lancaster had only a pilot with his backup being the Bomb-Aimer. The Bomb-Aimer also had some pilot training and could fill in as a reserve pilot if needed. A mission was credited to the airmen based on the photo as proof that the operation was completed. He directed the pilot until bomb release and the bombing photograph was taken. The Bomb-Aimer controlled the aircraft on the bomb run, lying flat in the nose of the plane. The Lancaster Bomb-Aimer was a new position in 1942. Until 1942, the Navigator also aimed and released the bombs. On the Lancaster, the Navigator was responsible for keeping the aircraft on course both to the target and on the return flight to base. The USAAF B-17 crew had both pilot and co-pilot, two trained pilots in the cockpit. In case of emergency bailout of the crew, he stayed at the controls as the last of the crew to leave the aircraft. On the RAF Avro Lancaster, the Pilot flew the aircraft and was the captain who coordinated the actions of the entire crew. The typical RAF Avro Lancaster heavy bomber operated with seven crew members where a USAAF B-17 heavy bomber crew typically had nine or ten. The British Imperial War Museum’s website helped me learn about the differences between an RAF Avro Lancaster heavy bomber crew and a USAAF B-17 heavy bomber crew.įrom the Imperial War Museum – Who’s Who In An RAF Bomber Crew
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