Avro Manchester
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| Manchester | |
|---|---|
 RCAF Avro Manchester Mk IA |
|
| Type | Heavy bomber |
| Manufacturer | Avro |
| Maiden flight | 25 July, 1939 |
| Introduced | November 1940 |
| Retired | 1942 |
| Primary users | Royal Air Force Royal Canadian Air Force |
| Produced | 1940-1941 |
| Number built | 209 |
| Variants | Avro Lancaster |
The Avro 679 Manchester was a British twin-engined heavy bomber developed during the Second World War by the Avro aircraft company in the United Kingdom. The Manchester was a failure due to its under-developed, under-powered and unreliable engines, but was the forerunner to the famous Avro Lancaster, one of the most successful bombers of the war.
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[edit] Design and development
The Manchester was originally designed to the Air Ministry Specification P.13/36 which was the same specification that Handley Page followed in their design of the Halifax bomber. The specification called for a twin-engined "medium bomber" for "worldwide use", which was to be capable of carrying out shallow (30 degrees) dive bombing attacks, and carry heavy bombloads (8,000 lbs) or two 18 inch torpedoes [1]. It was to use the Rolls-Royce Vulture 24 cylinder X-block engine, which was essentially two Rolls-Royce Peregrine Vee cylinder blocks mounted one on top of the other, the bottom one inverted to give the "X" shape. When developed in 1935, the engine had promise — it was rated at 1,760 hp — but it proved woefully unreliable and had to be derated to between 1,480 and 1,500 hp. Avro's prototype Manchester L7246 first flew at Manchester's Ringway Airport on 25 July 1939, with the second aircraft following on 26 May 1940 [1].
While the Manchester was designed with twin tails, the first production aircraft, designated the Mk I, had a central fin added and a total of 20 aircraft with this configuration were completed. They were succeeded by the Mk IA which reverted to the twin-fin system but using enlarged, taller fin and rudders and this configuration carried over to the Lancaster.
Avro built 177 and Metropolitan-Vickers completed 32 aircraft. Plans for Armstrong Whitworth and Fairey at Stockport/Ringway to build the Manchester were abandoned.
[edit] Operational service
Handley Page's response to the engine's faults was to switch the Halifax to four of the less powerful but more reliable Rolls-Royce Merlin X engines. Avro however persisted with the Vulture and the Manchester went into production, entering service with No. 207 Squadron of RAF Bomber Command in November 1940, flying its first operational mission on 24 February 1941 in a raid on the French port of Brest.[2]. Eventually 209 Manchesters entered service, before production finished in November 1941[2] equipping eight bomber squadrons, serving with two others and also being used by Coastal Command.
The Mk III Manchester, BT308, which first flew on 9 January 1941, was essentially the first Lancaster, being powered by four Merlin engines and with increased wingspan, although initially retaining the three fins and rudders of the Manchester I. BT308 received the "Lancaster" name immediately after its first flight. The second prototype Lancaster DG595 featured the twin, enlarged fins and rudders of the Manchester IA. Manchester production continued until November of that year but some aircraft still in production were completed as Lancasters.
Manchesters flew 1,269 operations with Bomber Command, dropping 1,826 tons of bombs and losing 63 aircraft in action, flying its last operation against Bremen on 25 June 1942[3] Unreliable engines which were prone to catching fire without warning were the main reason for these losses. Of 63 aircraft downed, 40% of them occurred on operations while 25% were lost on training flights.[citation needed]
[edit] Variants
- Manchester L7246
- First prototype with twin tail.
- Manchester I
- First production version with twin tail and additional central fin added, 20 built.
- Manchester IA
- Main production version with twin tail with enlarged, taller fin and rudders.
- Manchester II
- Projected version re-engined with a pair of Napier Sabre or Bristol Centaurus engines, none built.
- Manchester III BT308
- Version powered by four Merlin engines with increased wingspan and three fins and rudders of the Manchester I. It was first prototype of later Avro Lancaster.
[edit] Operators
- Royal Air Force
- No. 49 Squadron RAF
- No. 50 Squadron RAF
- No. 57 Squadron RAF
- No. 61 Squadron RAF
- No. 83 Squadron RAF
- No. 97 Squadron RAF
- No. 106 Squadron RAF
- No. 144 Squadron RAF
- No. 207 Squadron RAF
[edit] Specifications (Manchester Mk I/IA)
General characteristics
- Crew: 7
- Length: 70 ft (21.34 m)
- Wingspan: 90 ft 1 in (27.46 m)
- Height: 19 ft 6 in (5.94 m)
- Empty weight: 31,200 lb (14,152 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 50,000 lb (22,680 kg)
- Powerplant: 2× Rolls-Royce Vulture I 24-cylinder X-type, 1,500 hp (1,119 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 250 mph (402 km/h)
- Range: 1,200 miles (1,930 km)
- Service ceiling 19,500 ft (5,852 m)
Armament
- 8 x 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns, (in Nash & Thomson nose (2), dorsal (2) and tail (4) turrets)
- 10,350 lb (4,695 kg) bomb load
[edit] See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Mason, Francis K (1994). The British Bomber since 1914. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. ISBN 0 85177 861 5.
- ^ a b Thetford, Owen (1957). Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1918-57, 1st edition, London: Putnam.
- ^ Jackson, A J (1990). Avro Aircraft since 1908, 2nd edition, London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. ISBN 0-85177-834-8.
[edit] Bibliography
- Chant, Christopher. Lancaster: The History of Britain's Most Famous World War II Bomber. Bath, UK: Parragon, 2003. ISBN 0-75258-769-2.
- Holmes, Harry. Avro - the History of an Aircraft Company. Marlborough, UK, Crowood Press Ltd, 1994 and 2004. ISBN 1-86126-651-0.
- Holmes, Harry. Avro Lancaster (Combat Legend series). Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2002. ISBN 1-84037-376-8.
- Jackson, A.J. Avro Aircraft since 1908, 2nd edition. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1990. ISBN 0-85177-834-8.
- Jackson, Robert. Aircraft of World War II. Enderby, UK: Silverdale Books, 2006. ISBN 1-85605-751-8.
- Kirby, Robert. Avro Manchester: The Legend Behind the Manchester. Leicester, UK: Midland Publishing, 1995. ISBN 1-85780-028-1.
- Mackay, R.S.G. Lancaster in action. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications Inc., 1982. ISBN 0-89747-130-X.
[edit] External links
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