Heavy Bombers
Stirling
The Stirling, designed prior to the Lancaster and Halifax, was an enormous aircraft, with four engines and a crew of seven. Throughout its service its design limitations (chiefly its wings being too short for the large size of the aircraft) resulted in poor performance and a high loss rate.
Manchester
The twin-engine Manchester was not a successful aircraft, being under-powered by two very unreliable engines. But in re-developed form with the addition of two further improved engines and a longer wingspan it evolved into the famous Lancaster bomber.
Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster became the most effective heavy bomber of WW2 and formed the back-bone of the Bomber Offensive against German industrial cities. It was well-liked by pilots, having four powerful and reliable Rolls-Royce Merlin engines (the same as fitted to the Spitfire fighter) and excellent handling characteristics. It had a crew of seven (Pilot, Navigator, Flight Engineer, Wireless Operator, Bomb Aimer/Front Gunner, Mid-Upper Gunner and Rear Gunner). Specially adapted Lancasters took part in the famous ‘Dambusters’ raid. Lancasters also dropped five ton ‘Tallboy’ bombs to sink the much-feared German battleship ‘Tirpitz’ and by the end of the war were able to drop the 10 ton ‘Grand Slam’ bomb on precision targets such as bridges and viaducts.
Halifax
The four-engine Halifax was an important bomber which played a major role in the Bomber Offensive, though it was never as successful as the Lancaster. The Halifax was repeatedly updated to try and improve handling problems and poor engine performance which made it more vulnerable to flak and fighters and thus caused an increased loss rate. Later versions were much improved.
The Boeing B-17 Fortress (The ‘Flying Fortress’) was supplied in limited numbers to the RAF early in the war and used for electronic counter-measures. It later played a major role in the success of the USAAF’s daylight bombing operations.
Liberator
The Consolidated Vultee Liberator was an American four-engined heavy bomber (known by the USAAF as the B-24) first supplied in small numbers to the RAF in 1940/41 and soon found to be unsuitable for bombing operations in Europe. Subsequently used mainly by RAF Coastal Command for long-range reconnaissance missions and as a transport aircraft (a Liberator was used by Winston Churchill as his personal transport).
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Detailed
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