RCAF Avro Lancaster “Belly turret"...

[Mark Allen M]

Avro Lancaster B Mk. I (Serial No. R5727), built in the UK and flown to Victory Aircraft in Malton, Canada in August 1942 to serve as a pattern for the other Lancasters to be built in Canada.
CFJIC-DND Photo, PL-1175


Avro Lancaster B Mk. I (Serial No. R5727)
CFJIC-DND Photo, PL-1172


Of particular note is the FN-64 “Belly Turret” fitted to this aircraft. It is quite clear in some of the photos. The guns are .303 cal., but a few Lancasters were apparently fitted with a .50 cal mount as well. The belly turret was not successful because of visibility issues, and was replaced with the H2S radar in that position.
CFJIC-DND Photo, PL-1171 (all photos originally posted by Harold A. Skaarup)


In addition to the Lancaster there are 2 RAF B-17s (19203 & 19240) sent to England as lend-lease a/c. Also 2 Martin B-26 Marauders and a big bunch of Lockheed Hudsons. A Canso/Catalina is at upper right and a B-25 can be seen taxiing in distance just right of center near top.


Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress 41-9203 Mk. II in RCAF service Ferry Command.

During WW II Canada largely relied on the British and Americans to deliver our military mail to the battle front and now with thousands of troops in North Africa they were not getting their mail. So late in 1943 the RCAF quickly purchased six B-17s from the USAAF. Not as bombers but as mail transport aircraft. They were quickly de-armed and converted to carry mail to the troops for Christmas 1943. Of the six aircraft none are left today. Four were destroyed, crashed or went missing and two survived the war and were surplussed to Argentina and scrapped.
9202 - crashed 4 Nov 1945 hitting high ground, Muenster, Germany
9203 - lost at sea 15 Dec 1944, possibly shot down by a U boat
9204 - Landing gear collapsed during taxi 17 Sep 1944, Ottawa
9205 - Retired became LV-RTP in Argentina, scrapped 1964
9206 - Retired became LV-RTO in Argentina, scrapped 1964
9207 - Crashed 2 Apr 1944, load shifting suspected


CFJIC-DND Photo, PL-1174


CFJIC-DND Photo, PL-1173


CFJIC-DND Photo, PL-1182

[Michel Lemieux]

Thank you Mark!!!

Do you know if this was Montreal airport????

Cheers!

[Duggy009]

Thank you Mark!!!

Do you know if this was Montreal airport????

Cheers!

Yes taken at Dorval Airport.

[LysanderUK]

Great pics, plenty of interesting things in these. The biggest surprise for me is seeing a B26 with the early style RAF roundels and fin flash, never seen that before. Huge range of types in the background too, even an Airspeed Oxford. There is certainly one Hudson, but I think most and perhaps all of the other Hudson-looking aircraft are in fact Venturas.

Regards the Lanc herself and the subject of belly turrets, it's always a sore point when it comes to talking about Bomber Command armament choices. There were several designs of ventral armament on RAF heavies, including a very draggy and unpopular "dustbin" design on Wellingtons, and more conventional ventral turrets on the Lanc and the Halifax. These ranged from various designs of turret through to a simple hole in the floor with a swivel-mounted Vickers K (as an example, many of the Dambusters Lancs had the ventral Vickers K). Ventral armament was particularly popular on Canadian squadrons, and there was even a Canadian mod carried out on many Halifaxes in 6 Group with a kind of bathtub fairing and a .50 cal. These were all begrudgingly done away with in the name of fitting H2S, a choice that wasn't universally popular. It has since been argued that the brass prioritised target ID and accurate bombing over the ventral defence of individual bombers.

Great pics!

[Larry Kraus]

I ran across this picture in Pilot’s Notes for the Lancaster I. It shows a belly turret. It is a Fraser Nash FN64 mid under turret.

F37368F7-78A5-4C13-A5E6-A7416FC83DF2 by tanker622001, on Flickr

Last edited by Larry Kraus on Tue Apr 20, 2021 8:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Spitty]

Pity they didnt develop it more.Would have saved a lot more lives from Nightfighters.

[Scott Rose]

Learn something new everyday on WIX!
Thanks Mark

[robstitt]

Mark:

Thanks for posting these great images.

One correction if I may re the caption for image PL 11069: 'Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress 41-9203 Mk. II in RCAF service Ferry Command.'

B-17E 41-9203 was the USAAF serial of what became Fortress IIA FK209, as already marked, captured at Dorval on August 24, 1942, on delivery to the UK for service with RAF Coastal Command and painted in Temperate Sea with Sky undersurfaces.

RCAF 9203 was a different aircraft - ex B-17F 42-6101 - one of several B-17s used by the RCAF for mail runs.

Robert

Last edited by robstitt on Wed May 26, 2021 11:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[hs748]

Stinson 105 ( HW75) in one of the pictures with B-17. Commonwealth Training Plan Museum has one that still flys. Harvard and Stinson entered service in Aug 1940