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Gentlemen.
The honest truth is that you need both types of aircraft to do different jobs.
You wouldn't argue that the Mossie was better than the Lanc so why say it was better than the B29.
Trying to picture a Mossie with a Tallboy is almost as daft as using a B29 for ultra low marker missions.
the B-29 was so good the RAF had to use it to close a "gap" in the early 50s.
Hey, not blowing it out of proportion, just proving a point...hey hey hey let's not blow this outta all proportion, we bought 88 to suppliment the Lincoln force until they were built up to sufficient numbers, they were replaced by canberras in the bombing role after just 4 years, they were far outlived in RAF service by Lincolns............
Agree...and in the fast precision strike role the mossie had no equal..........
well as you have a military background you would have to agree that not all officers are smart
Lancaster by a country mile was better aircraft. As most have already said the Lancaster had numerous modifications for example 617s Lancs doing Dambuster Raid but also same Squadron preforming raid on turpitz and also the Ems canal raids carrying 10,000 12,000 and 20,000 grand slams earth quake bombs. something the old Lib could never do. Thats not by any means casting any negative reaction to Lib crews as they too preformed valuable work as any bomber aircraft did. but the Lancaster proved itself a multi roll aircraft. Also was used as pathfinders along with mosquitoes during many raids into Germany and Occupied Territories. So my vote is for the Lancaster
Don't lightly dismiss the job the B-24 did in closing the Atlantic Gap in antisubmarine work and its general antisubmarine and antishipping work
Don't lightly dismiss the job the B-24 did in closing the Atlantic Gap in antisubmarine work and its general antisubmarine and antishipping work. As a results the B-24 was adapted to the PB4Y patrol aircraft for the Navy and it was also modified to the C-87 configuration for cargo carrying in which it flew the Hump (not the best conversion, but several hundred were built). All in all, I would say this is pretty good adaptablity.
As a point of interest, the Willow Run Ford plant, when up to capacity in 1943, was producing B-24s at the rate of one per hour! This was just one factory building the B-24, albeit the largest in the world.
I think for the most part we can agree that the Lancaster was a better bomber than the B-24 and was the best heavy bomber of the ETO. Now having said that the B-24 was a magnificent bomber as well and did a very good job with what it did.
the only reason the B-24 carried out that role was because there was a surplus of them, the lanc was capable of doing this role as was proved by her superior range and the fact she carried out these exact roles post war...........
By no means am i dismissing b25 crews and what work was performed by them. but we are comparing a daylight bomber to a night time bomber and both had their individual duties to carry out. i would never make disparging remarks about b25 crews then i would lancaster crews. but if you are to say b25 crews were the only ones to do anti submarine work you would be dismissing wellington crews and also air crews from say cataliners and other flyingboats squadrons that performed valuable work in anti submarine warfare. but i am willing to admit that all aircrews regardless of what they were flying and what theatre of operations they flew in did the job they were given or subjected to perform. its not up to us sitting in peacetime tosay which is the better aircraft or not but to the men who flew them and the groundstaff who prepared them for battle and the companies who manufactoured them. without ground crews and aircrews the aircraft no matter what was just another aeroplane sitting at a tarmac etc. it was the individual crews that made the aircraft preform to the duties that were called upon by them to do and let us not forget that. i read some of the earlier comments in this debate. some fantastic photos of production thank you syn and flyboy for those photos they were wonderful, but it was down to aircrews and ground crews to deliever those said aircraft whether being b25s or lancasters to the target that was selected. it was men and women working together in conjunction for a set purpose and unfortunately it was due to war that this was performed. can we at least remember them and give homage honour and respect for those who served not just on b25s and lancasters but for all servicemen and women regardless of the country
And the B-24 was superior to the Space Shuttle in the PTO...The B24 was superior to the Lanc in the PTO.
By no means was making an argument for the superiority of the B-24 over the Lancaster. I was only replying to your comment that seem to imply that the Lancaster was flexible and the B-24 was not. Personally, I think the Lancaster was a superior to the B-24 as a heavy lifter but I would perfer to be in a B-24 in the daytime, unless, of course, you traded off some of that load carrying weight on the Lanc for more 50 cals.
As far as the comment on the RAF keeping the Lancaster and not the B-24, if the RAF had B-29s I suspect that the Lancs would have also been relegated to the boneyard.
As everybody said, the planes were great but the real heros were the ones that climbed in and flew and fought and made these aircraft great. When measured against them, we mostly come up short.