The Avro Lancaster was a British
four-engined heavy bomber built initially by
Avro for the RAF.
It first saw active service in 1942 and
together with the Halifax it was one of the
main heavy bombers of the RAF, RCAF and
squadrons from other commonwealth
countries serving within the RAF.
The "Lanc" or "Lankie," as it was
affectionately known became the most
famous and most successful of the Second
World War night bombers, delivering
608,612 tons of bombs in 156,000 sorties.
Although the Lancaster was primarily a
night bomber it excelled in many other roles
including daylight precision bombing and
gained worldwide renown as the "Dam
Buster" used in the 1943 raids on
Germany's Ruhr valley dams.
Into the light portrays the moment all
bomber crews dreaded, being caught by
enemy searchlights.
If the pilot took immediate evasive action
and performed a corkscrew turn the
bomber and crew might evade the anti
aircraft guns or night fighters that would be
patrolling.
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