Alexander, Richard Avro Lancaster Mk. I/III. Early Production Batches 1941-1943

After devoting the first four volumes in this series to Battle of Britain subjects, we now turn our attention to another icon of British aviation, the Avro Lancaster. The problem with the Lancaster was always going to be how to break it down into manageable sizes. We considered chronologically but it didnt quite tell the story as we wanted, so in the end we went for a layout by production batches and therefore serial numbers. This has thrown up some interesting details along the way and we can guarantee that even the biggest Lancaster fans will learn some new facts from this book. Part One therefore covers serial numbers L7527 to JB748 which chronologically is roughly 1941 to the end of 1943. The plan is to feature later serials in a second part and then a third part will cover the MkII and other special Lancaster types like the B1 Special and the Type 464 (Provisioning) "Dambuster" version.

In the author's opinion, a strictly chronological approach does not quite do justice to the subject. In the end, it was decided to organise the book according to the production batches and thus according to the serial numbers of the aircraft produced. This has brought some interesting details to light and even experienced "Lancaster" specialists are likely to find some new facts in this work. This first part 1 on the Avro "Lancaster" deals with the aircraft with the serial numbers L7527 to JB748, which chronologically corresponds approximately to the period from 1941 to the end of 1943. In a second part, later serial numbers and in a third part the variants Mk. II and other special "Lancaster" types, such as the B1 "Special" and the "Dambuster" version of the Type 464 (Provisioning) will be dealt with.