unpublished Lanc photo??

[antarmike]

 

not very good quality, but I found it at a carboot, still think it deserves a wider audience. Suggestios as to Squadron please?

[private mw]

very nice :coffee:

[antarmike]

Since the fuselage code is ?R this could be

 

61 Squadron Syerston Fuselage code QR

460 Australian Squadron Breighton code AR

101 Squadron Holme on Spalding Moor code SR

419 Canadian Squadron Middleton St George code VR

 

These are active squadrons I do not have to hand fuselage codes for HCU, OCU Heavy Convertion flights , recue/transport/ special duties and countless other training and devoplment flights etc.

[Jessie The Jeep]

Where in the country was the picture bought? It may not have left the area it was taken.

[mark m uk]

The 'nose art' looks like a hand holding cards - maybe a clue, aircraft could be 'royal flush' or some such card hand.

 

Regards Mark.

[antarmike]

Or full house? The Piccys were bought at Carrington steam Rally just outside Boston, so they are from Bomber County....And that doesn't match any squadrons I know of with a ?R fuselage code.

[Jessie The Jeep]

and what were the nearest bases to there? Any local ones that would match the Sqdn codes?

 

If you don't mind me copying the photo, I can post an info request on the Flypast forum, unless you want a link to join that forum for yourself?

 

Steve

[antarmike]

nearby would have been 44 Rhodesian at Waddington KM, 97 at Coningsby OF, 83 at Coningsby OL, 106 at Coningsby ZN, 50 at Skellingthorpe VN, 49 Scapton EA, 9 at Waddington WS, 57 Scampton DX, 12 Wickenby PH, 103 Elsham Wolds PM, 467 Australian Scampton PO, 100 Grimsby HW, 617 Scampton PG, 166 Kirmington AS, 625 Kelstern CF, 550 Grimsby BQ, 463 Australian Waddington JO , 626 Wickenby UM, 576 Elsham Wolds UL, 630 East Kirkby (very close) LE, 300 Polish Faldingworth BH, 153 Kirmington P4 227 bardney 9J, 170 Kelstern TC, 189 Bardney CA, 431 Canadian Croft IP and WL,

 

Strubby (close) did have Lancs for a while 619 and 227 , I do not know squadron fuselage codes for the ABC lancs at Ludford.but they were so secret no photographs would have been allowed.

 

Feel free to post image were you like....Cheers

Edited September 16, 2009 by antarmike

[Adrian Barrell]

Aircraft often landed at airfields other than their own for a number of reasons. The wheel covers suggest this was home base but the fact the photo was found near Boston means nothing.

 

I would suggest taking up Steves offer, there are a lot of knowledgable people on the FlyPast Forum.

[Jessie The Jeep]

I've posted an info request on the Flypast forum and the thread can be found here - Lanc ID Thread

[woa2]

Is that guns sticking out just under the roundal? If so, this installation was very rare so it might help with identification. This mod was tried out on a few Lancs to combat the German night fighters that attacked from below.

[Jessie The Jeep]

That's just what has been posted on Flypast Forum.....

 

"Not necessarily an early Lanc, LL.

 

It has the late 1943/44 Mod.925, which is a .5" Browning installed where the original under defence turret (and subsequently H2S scanner) was meant to be.

 

I've seen very few photos of a Lanc with this installation so that's quite a turn up.

 

It also appears to have the downward vision blister in the bomb-aimer's compartment which also dates it to the same period.

 

I'd agree (disagree?) with PBY-5A, in that it could be any of QR-S, AR-S, or VR-S. The nose art looks like a deck of cards, held in a hand. A pity the photo isn't a bit clearer."

 

Any chance of a better scan of the nose art?

[Jessie The Jeep]

Further posts on Flypast for thise who haven't been to that forum...

 

by Eddie

 

"To add to what Al has said, this Lanc also is apparently lacking the rear fuselage windows, which having looked in my photos appear to have come in around the JB- serials - summer '43 onwards."

 

 

by Air Ministry

 

"I've since tracked down the original files at Kew and it is clear that the programme to install Mod 925 (and similar on the Stirling and Halifax) was seen as a top priority in late '43 and early 1944. Most published books on the Lancaster make little or no reference to this scheme, and those that do often get confused between the FN64 mid-under turret and this official 'lash up'."

 

 

by Smith

 

"Very scrappy/dry looking grass/weeds in the foreground, and a handful of smallish (500 or 1000 pounder or similar?) bombs just lying there. How 'normal" is that?"

 

 

by Air Ministry

 

"I would say quite normal during the hectic period around D-Day (i.e. before and after), when there were many tactical raids on targets in France. Photos of the period tend to show a worn looking airfield and stacks of bombs in close proximity to the dispersal points. Stocks were high meaning space in the bomb dump was at a premium and it saved them having to lug them around the field.

 

To me, everything in the photo points to 1944. The foliage suggests late Spring to early Autumn, which ties in well with Mod. 925, as by late 1944 only 3 Group were persisting with the downward gun, the other Groups having replaced it with H2S or having lost the Mod. 925 aircraft on operations.

 

I'd love to know how the photo ended up at a car boot sale, vultee 35, did your pal not think to enquire about its origins?"

[antarmike]

And it's getting lots of replies, I had noticed the Ventral gun, but didn't know they were fitted, I had taken this to be some form of aerial but this is a much better explanation.

[Jessie The Jeep]

On the original photo, can you make out the serial just to the rear of the Aircraft letter?

[antarmike]

No the original is not much clearer than the scan. I have scanned areas of the photo at 1200 DPI and there is no clue as to markings. The Hand of Cards shows no better at 1200 DPI. Sorry.

[antarmike]

[antarmike]

Is the fact that there is no bombing raid tally on the aircraft significant? Unless the marks under the Card Hand are the mission tallies, then this might be a brand new aircraft, yet to fly a mission. But to my eye, with no gloss, it looks like it has been around a while....dunno...