Willis, David Lincoln

Lancaster Reborn

The Avro Lincoln, designed by Roy Chadwick as the successor to his four-engine heavy bomber Lancaster, flew for the first time in June 1944. Although it entered service in August 1945 and was intended for use against Japan, the war ended before it saw action. Over time, more than 500 Lincolns were deployed in 29 RAF bomber squadrons, but they were replaced by jet-powered V-bombers in the 1950s. The Lincoln was used against insurgents in Kenya and Malaysia, and the last RAF example was not retired until 1963. Some aircraft sold to Argentina remained in service there until 1967. The Avro Shackleton maritime reconnaissance aircraft, derived from the Lincoln, was used by the RAF until 1991. This new study of the Lincoln begins with a comparison with the Lancaster, which it was intended to replace as the British front-line heavy bomber. It then examines its operational history and other aircraft based on the Lincoln, such as the Shackleton and a relatively unsuccessful pressurised passenger aircraft, the Avro Tudor. The many variants of the Lincoln are discussed, as is the surprisingly wide range of tasks it performed during its career, from test bed for jet engine research to Elint activities. The aircraft used by the Australian and Argentine air forces are also covered. This is a well-researched and highly readable account of the development and service of a successful aircraft that had the misfortune to arrive too late to influence the outcome of the Second World War and was quickly overtaken by the inexorable progress of the jet engine during the 1950s.