British Bomber Command

[Maestro]

Greetings ladies and gentlemen.

I was wondering, how many types of bombers were used by the British Bomber Command ?

I know they used Lancasters, Mosquitos, B-25s and a few B-17s. But did they used any other ?

 

[mosquitoman]

Hallies, Stirlings, Whitleys, Hampdens, Wellingtons, Blenheims, Battles, B-24s, Venturas and Bostons

 

[Nonskimmer]

By "Hallies" you mean Halifax's, right?

 

[cheddar cheese]

What about the Wellesley?

 

[mosquitoman]

That was used in the desert until early 1940 I think

 

[Medvedya]

Not forgetting that rip roaring success the Manchester!

 

[Maestro]

Wow ! I didn't know they used so much bombers.

Thanks a lot.

 

[Nonskimmer]

Not forgetting that rip roaring success the Manchester!

But from the ashes rose the phoenix of the Lancaster, so all was not lost.

 

[mosquitoman]

Not forgetting that rip roaring success the Manchester!

Forgot about that one!

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

right here's the bulk of them with a little bit of info, in no particular order......

Battle

The single-engine Fairey Battle was an obsolete aircraft even before it flew its first operational mission for the RAF. Slow, with just one defensive gun, Battles were easy prey for fast German single-seat fighters like the Messerschmitt 109. However RAF Bomber Command crews fought courageously to try to halt the German advance through the Low Countries of Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg, winning two Victoria Crosses but suffering heavy casualties.

Blenheim

The twin-engine Bristol Blenheim entered RAF service in 1937, replacing obsolete aircraft such as the Hawker Hind biplane. But the Blenheim itself quickly became obsolete, having only one moveable gun and being unable to outpace the fast enemy fighters. Blenheim crews carried out many daring daylight attacks on shipping and land targets but suffered very heavy losses.

Boston

The American built Boston was a useful twin-engine light bomber which replaced the Blenheim and was itself eventually replaced by the Mosquito.

Ventura

The Lockheed Ventura was not a successful aircraft for Bomber Command. The American built twin-engine light bomber was outdated by the time it joined the RAF in 1942 at a time when the hugely successful Mosquito was becoming operational.

Mosquito

The De Havilland Mosquito was a completely radical design idea: A light-weight wooden bomber with no defensive guns, relying on outright speed from its two Rolls-Royce Merlin engines to escape enemy fighters. The result was the highly successful 'Wooden Wonder'. With just a two-man crew it was able to carry a 4,000 lb bomb to Berlin - yet because of its wooden construction it could be partially assembled by carpenters and joiners and not use valuable factory space and metal supplies needed for conventional aircraft production.

Whitley

The twin-engine Whitley entered RAF service in 1936 and was the RAF's first 'heavy bomber'. It was capable of carrying up to 7,000 lbs of bombs and had a range of up to 1650 miles. However it was slow and notoriously cold and uncomfortable for its crews and became known as the 'Flying Coffin'.

Hampden

The Hampden was an early design that first flew in 1936. Twin-engined and with a crew of four, it was popular with pilots because it handled well, but like other bombers of its time was vulnerable to enemy fighters and transferred from daylight to night operations. The Hampden was particularly suited for the valuable role of mine-laying at sea and many enemy ships were sunk as a result.

Wellington

The Wellington was popular with its five man crews particularly because of it's ability to absorb considerable damage and continue flying, thanks to an unusual 'honey-comb' metal construction which was immensely strong but light-weight. A largely successful twin-engine bomber it flew early daylight raids at the beginning of the war but proved easy prey for German fighters. The RAF learnt the hard way that no bomber could defend itself in daylight against modern fighters and the Wellington was transferred to night bombing.

Mitchell

The North American Mitchell was flown operationally by the RAF from January 1943. Manufactured in the USA, it had two engines and a crew of five. Known as the B-25 by the USAAF, the Mitchell was a useful bomber for the RAF. Mitchells flew extensive daylight missions in support of Allied troops around D-Day (June 1944).

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.

Boeing Fortress

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).

 

[Wildcat]

What about the Beaufort?

 

[mosquitoman]

That was used by Coastal Command mainly as a torpedo bomber and minelayer

 

[Wildcat]

I figured as much, I wasn't sure if Bomber Command used them though.

 

[Maestro]

Woah ! Thanks Lanc. I'll know a little more about bombers now.

Honestly, the only bombers that I knew something about where the B-25 Mitchell, B-17 and Mosquito.

 

[Nonskimmer]

Nothing about the Lancaster?!
And you call yourself Canadian.

 

[BombTaxi]

Heres a few others Bomber Command used:

The HP Hereford was a re-engined Hampden, and saw little service due to the arrival of the first four-engined heavies (Photo from www.jaapteeuwen.com)

The Bristol Bombay served mainly in the Far East and MTO. It was a transport, but was designed with bombing as it's secondary role. (Piccy from 1000aircraftphotos.com)


These two didnt see action, but it is surprising they were still on the books when the war started.

Believe it or not, the Handley Page Heyford was only retired from service with 166 Squadron in September 1939. The type never saw combat. (Piccy from the RAF website)

The Handley Page Harrow was with four squadrons at the outbreak of war, but was reassigned to transport duties in December 1939. None of them ever served as bombers.

 

[Maestro]

Nothing about the Lancaster?!
And you call yourself Canadian.

I know, I know ! I'm a bad Canadian. But I was always more interrested in fighters than in bombers.

Before I joined this site, all bombers were the same to me. In fact, the lone bombers that I knew before joining in were the B-25 and B-17. I started to be interrested by the Mosquito/Lancaster when I joined and to the B-24 very recently.

 

[Nonskimmer]

Yeah, I love the fighters too. I'm interested in all of the bombers, but the Lanc and Wellington were the mounts of my grandad. There's a Lanc on static display over at CFB Greenwood, in the Annapolis Valley. It's one of the modified post-war Maritime Air Command variants, but what the hell. A Lancaster is still a Lancaster.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

yeah i know more about bombers, especailly british ones, than allot of people on this site, i'm one of the very few, if not only one, who prefers the bombers to fighters...........

 

[mosquitoman]

I'm another bomber person but my real preference is RAF Coastal Command aircraft