B-17
First combat (in Europe) August 42.
cruising speed- 180mph
empty weight-36135lbs
horsepower-4800hp
bomb load (Berlin)- 4500lbs
defensive armament 13x .50 cal
crew- 10
standout feature- low wing construction with joined spars and radial engines made the plane incredibly tough.
weakness- wing spar cut the bomb bay in half, limited forward firing arcs.
number built 12371
Number lost in combat- 4750 (37.3%)
Crew losses- 47500 left England and did not return at the end of the mission.
Lancaster-
first combat 3 March 42
cruising speed- 180mph
empty weight 36,828
horsepower-5120hp
bomb load (Berlin) 14,000lbs
defensive armament- 8x .30cal
crew-7
standout feature- massive bomb load
weakness- lack of a belly gunner, high wing designed compromised structural strength, liquid cooled engines.
number built-7377
Number lost in combat 3249 (44%)
Crew losses- 22743 left England and did not return at the end of the mission.
OK, I must confess to a certain level of awe. I did not know going into this just how bad the loss rate was. While the rate will be lower for crews since aircraft would cycle through crews (more crews from 42-45 than airframes) the percentages still suggest massive losses in air crew and air frames. The number who did not return also do not reflect the number who returned on damaged planes as dead or wounded.
Although both planes started combat within a few months of one another, losses clearly show the Lancaster suffered a higher loss rate. While the 8th Air Force gets most of the glory and flew in to the teeth of the Luftwaffe, Bomber Command had its own issues.
The Lancaster lacked a belly gun and had flaming exhaust which made it an easy target for the Luftwaffe night fighters. Plus what ever bomber got painted with searchlights was as doomed as the formation leaders in a daylight raid. She made up for this with a massive bomb load.
The B-17 had a much smaller bomb load, both in weight and in the size of of bombs that could be carried. This was due to its very rugged low wing construction. The spar linking the two wings cut the bomb bay in half. However this wing spar gave the B-17 its legendary robustness.
First combat (in Europe) August 42.
cruising speed- 180mph
empty weight-36135lbs
horsepower-4800hp
bomb load (Berlin)- 4500lbs
defensive armament 13x .50 cal
crew- 10
standout feature- low wing construction with joined spars and radial engines made the plane incredibly tough.
weakness- wing spar cut the bomb bay in half, limited forward firing arcs.
number built 12371
Number lost in combat- 4750 (37.3%)
Crew losses- 47500 left England and did not return at the end of the mission.
Lancaster-
first combat 3 March 42
cruising speed- 180mph
empty weight 36,828
horsepower-5120hp
bomb load (Berlin) 14,000lbs
defensive armament- 8x .30cal
crew-7
standout feature- massive bomb load
weakness- lack of a belly gunner, high wing designed compromised structural strength, liquid cooled engines.
number built-7377
Number lost in combat 3249 (44%)
Crew losses- 22743 left England and did not return at the end of the mission.
OK, I must confess to a certain level of awe. I did not know going into this just how bad the loss rate was. While the rate will be lower for crews since aircraft would cycle through crews (more crews from 42-45 than airframes) the percentages still suggest massive losses in air crew and air frames. The number who did not return also do not reflect the number who returned on damaged planes as dead or wounded.
Although both planes started combat within a few months of one another, losses clearly show the Lancaster suffered a higher loss rate. While the 8th Air Force gets most of the glory and flew in to the teeth of the Luftwaffe, Bomber Command had its own issues.
The Lancaster lacked a belly gun and had flaming exhaust which made it an easy target for the Luftwaffe night fighters. Plus what ever bomber got painted with searchlights was as doomed as the formation leaders in a daylight raid. She made up for this with a massive bomb load.
The B-17 had a much smaller bomb load, both in weight and in the size of of bombs that could be carried. This was due to its very rugged low wing construction. The spar linking the two wings cut the bomb bay in half. However this wing spar gave the B-17 its legendary robustness.
Comment