Best Christmas present 1941

Seventy-five years ago, on Christmas Eve 1941, No 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron, which had been operating Handley Page Hampden twin-engine bombers since February 1939, received the best Christmas present its crews could ask for, when the first three production Avro Lancaster B1s were delivered to them at Waddington.

The first prototype Lancaster, BT308, a converted Manchester, which had flown for the first time on 9th January that year, had already been resident at Waddington since 9th September for air and ground crew training. Now the Squadron had the first three operational Lancasters to be delivered to the RAF, L7537,L7538 and L7541. To 44 Squadron fell the honour of being the first unit to convert to the Lancaster (quickly followed by No 97 Squadron at Coningsby), the first to bring the heavy bomber into service and the first to fly operational missions in the new aircraft in March 1942.

The performance of the Lancaster was simply outstanding. It could carry a maximum bomb load of 22,000 lb, its maximum level speed with a full load at 15,000 feet was 275 mph and it could cruise routinely at altitudes above 20,000ft at a range speed of 200 mph. With a full bomb load the aircraft had a range in excess of 1,500 miles. The Lancaster’s performance, its ruggedness, reliability and to many its sheer charisma, endeared it to its crews who were proud to fly this famous thoroughbred.

During the remainder of the war in Europe, No 44 Squadron was to fly 4,362 Lancaster sorties, in the course of which it lost 149 aircraft with another 22 destroyed in crashes, the heaviest Lancaster losses in Bomber Command. In terms of casualties, the Squadron suffered the third highest number for all RAF units during the war.

Of those first three Lancasters delivered, only L7541 survived the war (it was struck off charge in June 1945). L7538 was written off in a landing accident in February 1942; fortunately the crew escaped safely. L7537 was shot down on an operation to bomb Dusseldorf on 31st July 1942 with the deaths of all 7 crew members on board.

Lest we forget