Marvelous airplane. I understand British heavy bombers in WWII didn’t carry co-pilots. Can anyone confirm?
1. Bomb aimer, front turret gunner.
2. Pilot (left side of cockpit).
3. Flight engineer (right side of cockpit in back of pilot),
4. Radio operator.
5. Navigator.
6. Top turret gunner.
7. Rear turret gunner.
Lancaster bombers were prodigious weight lifters, but they were grossly deficient in armament. The three power turrets on the Lanc only carried eight .303 caliber guns (late war Lancs replaced the for .393 guns in the rear turret with two .50 guns), There was no protection at all for the bomber's vulnerable belly.
In comparison, neither the American B-17 or B-24 could carry the Lancaster's bomb load, but both were very well armed. There were 12 to 13 guns on the B-17 and 10 guns on the B-14. All guns were caliber .50. Both American aircraft carried a crew of 10.
1. Bombardier, nose gunner.
2. Navigator.
3. Pilot.
4. Copilot.
5. Top turret, flight engineer.
7. Ball turret gunner.
8. Waist gunners (2).
9. Tail gunner.