The B-29's that never arrived

[GregP]

You guys over in the UK need to get a couple of more Lancasters flying ...

I'm not too sure how many potential aierframes are around to be restored these days. Can anybody tell us if there are a few around that might be restored, or all the restorable ones gone?

Last I heard there were 17 reasonably complete airframes around the world with two being flyable, one in the UK and one in Canada, but that is old information.

 

[Readie]

You guys over in the UK need to get a couple of more Lancasters flying ...

I'm not too sure how many potential aierframes are around to be restored these days. Can anybody tell us if there are a few around that might be restored, or all the restorable ones gone?

Last I heard there were 17 reasonably complete airframes around the world with two being flyable, one in the UK and one in Canada, but that is old information.

I would love to see that too Greg. The BBMF's Lancaster is a precious bird to us.
cheers
John

 

[davebender]

Like a B-24 powered by R2600 engines.

 

[GregP]

Not a bad guess, Dave. And probably not too far off.

 

[Gixxerman]

Yes indeed John.
I will never forget the day the BBMF flew over my house.
It was just one of those random events, never repeated.
I heard this distant roar that was growing, Very distinct very unusual by God it was getting loud.
So I went outside saw the Lanc, Spit Hurricane come right up fly right over my house at about (I am guessing here) 250ft give or take off they continued.

That ranks as one of my fav aero experiences.....sitting outside North Wield directly under the flight path of a host of WW2 fighters was another.
Being in the show close to the ill-fated 'vintage pair' Meteor Vampire starting up (early jets are so loud! ) some years ago was another.
Did I mention seeing what we at the time thought was the Vulcan's last flight at Mildenhall?
Or the B1b, the F15, F14, F16 etc etc on burners.
Sorry must stop reminiscing.
(very) happy days.

 

[Gixxerman]

Here's a 'what if' thought regarding B17s/29s.

What if the USAAF decided after Schweinfurt (late 43) to suspend the B17 day campaign, go over to night attacks (with Lancs or B17s or a mix?)
but all pending the arrival of B29s in mid '44.

 

[davebender]

Not going to happen for the same reason RAF Bomber Command isn't going to suspend operations during the final two years of WWII. Heavy bomber production and crew training pipelines were fully ramped up by mid 1943. Shut down the programs and you will lose two years production before something else can be built using heavy bomber program resources.

 

[tomo pauk]

The LW would not be compelled to throw it's daylight fighters in the meat grinder they historically suffered in 1st half of 1944?

 

[davebender]

RAF Bomber Command and U.S. 8th Air Force were subordinated to SHAEF for a month or so prior to Normandy invasion. That's still going to happen.

 

[tomo pauk]

I was answering to Gixxerman's post, #26 (US heavies do the night bombing until mid 1944).

 

[gjs238]

What if the USAAF decided after Schweinfurt (late 43) to suspend the B17 day campaign, go over to night attacks (with Lancs or B17s or a mix?)
but all pending the arrival of B29s in mid '44.

What if the USAAF decided after Schweinfurt (late 43) to concentrate missions within escort range?

 

[Gixxerman]

Yip, another perfectly feasible alternate there gjs238.

 

[wuzak]

The normal bombload for a B-29 was 20,000 pounds of conventional with a normal combat range of 3,250 miles.The B-29 didn't have to be modified to carry a big bomb ... that was close to the normal payload.

I disagree Greg. The B-29 certainly did need to be modified to carry Tallboy and Grand Slam. Certainly they could not be carried internally.

The Lancaster could, with bulge bomb bay doors, carry the Tallboy internally. For the Grand Slam the doors had to be removed.

 

[bobbysocks]

What if the USAAF decided after Schweinfurt (late 43) to concentrate missions within escort range?

THAT...i think would have been more than likely the direction persued. they might have decided to additionally augment long range night missions deep into germany as well.

 

[GregP]

Hi Wuzak, I never mentioned a Tallboy or a Grand Slam. I said "big bombs." We had 4,000 pound bombs and those are big enough for all but the most hardened targets.

The "special targets" might well require a Tallboy or Grand Slam, but those were British bombs. American bombers were designed to carry our bombs.