The prototype made its first flight in
January 1941. With an impressive performance and excellent
flying characteristics it soon established its superiority
over other allied four-engined bombers operating in
Europe. The industrial and military organisation needed
to build and operate the Lancaster was huge. Six major
companies built 7377 aircraft at ten factories on two
continents; at the height of production over 1,100,000
men and women were employed working for over 920 companies.
More service personnel were involved in flying and maintaining
it than any other British aircraft in history.
The Lancaster’s operational career is littered
with impressive statistics, some are set out below,
but it is worth remembering that the average age of
the seven-man crew was only 22 years. They endured danger
and discomfort and many showed great courage in continuing
to fly knowing the odds against survival were high.
Bomber Command suffered the highest casualty rate of
any branch of the British services in the Second World
War.
On average Lancasters completed twenty-one missions
before being lost. |
