Lancaster cover art

Lancaster

The Second World War’s Greatest Bomber

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Lancaster

By: Leo McKinstry
Narrated by: Peter Noble
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About this listen

A comprehensive history of Britain's greatest bomber plane.

The Spitfire and the Lancaster were the two RAF weapons of victory in the Second World War, but the glamour of the fighter has tended to overshadow the performance of the heavy bomber. Yet without the Lancaster, Britain would never have been able to take the fight to the German homeland. Highlights the scale of the bomber's achievements, including the famous Dambusters attacks. With its vast bomb bay, ease of handling and surprising speed, the mighty Lancaster transformed the effectiveness of the Bomber Command.

Whilst addressing the political controversy surrounding the bombing offensive against Germany, Leo McKinstry also weaves individual tales into this compelling narrative. Rich characters are brought to life, such as Roy Chadwick the designer, who taught himself engineering at night school and Sir Arthur Harris, the austere head of the Bomber Command. This is a rich saga, a story of triumph over disaster and the history of an iconic plane.

©2009 Leo McKinstry (P)2009 Hodder & Stoughton Limited Europe Great Britain Military Weapons & Warfare War Air Force Aviation US Air Force Imperialism Winston Churchill England

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All stars
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So informative and interesting with personal stories worth a look at will probably listen to it again in time

Very good

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I was looking forward to learning about the Avro Lancaster in terms of the concept, design and development. This was very satisfying and I think we can safely say that it is just about all here. But one of the important things to do is to place the aircraft in context and I think that this book more than achieves this. There's a lot here about the air war and the role of Bomber Command and, as anyone remotely interested in the era will know, there are more than a few controversial considerations and the Lancaster was very much part of the mechanism that facilitated the bombing campaign. So I was very gratified that there was so much that was included. All in all, I thought it was expressed in a fairly balanced way. I found myself really wishing that things were handled differently but I have the benefit of hindsight. I will certainly delve into the Author's other books.

A deep dive

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An all round great listen from start to finish opened my eyes and my heart

Makes top gun feel tame

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An awesome description of how the Lanc came about & designed by the brilliant Roy Chadwick
superbly written & an insight into the horrors of War.

Well read & well written

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An excellent book with lots of info about the development of the Lancaster bomber and the crews who flew it. I found the stories of the manufacturers AV Roe and their competitors to be very informative and the drive of Roy Chadwick to develop the troublesome Manchester, into what i believe to be the best aircraft of all time. For the Lancaster Bomber lover this is a must listen. Lest we forget.

The story of a legend

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Great and often shockingly informative account. articulately and engagingly read... With only one small problem. The narrator's insistence that 'Lancaster' is pronounced 'Lancuster'! like I say, only a small problem, but since the title of the book is 'Lancuster' it grates pretty often in the 25 odd hours of this listen!

Despite this, highly recommend if you're interested in the subject even at all.

Eye opening and informative book with 1 caveat

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A truly outstanding audiobook,very vivid details covering most subjects in the bomber war some of which are often forgotten for example the role of ground crews and armourer's. The great detail into how the Lancaster was built,operated and eventually retired is portrayed superbly. I'm gutted I've finished it. I'll definitely read/listen again in future. Narration is also top notch. Buy it, you'll not be disappointed.

One of the best books about the Lancaster bomber!

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An excellent story of not only the Lancaster but also the men who flew serviced and constructed this undoubtably greatest heavy bomber of the war.
Nothing could or should be said of the sacrifice and courage of the crews, let down in the end by churchill and others in not recognising their 5 1/2 year campaign.
Much is also written about Harris who stubbornly refused to deviate from his belief in area bombing, despite many examples of the effect to more strategic bombing by his own crews. One can only wonder how many young lives were lost by foolish policy and targetting decisions.
All in al a fascinating read.

A difficult review to write

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Before I started listening there were two things that the Lancaster brought to my mind, the Dam Busters and the BoB Memorial Flight. I can honestly say that I have learnt so much from listening to this story. Yes there are many anecdotes about Harris but there is so much more from the crews that flew the Lanc. I thoroughly enjoyed this and as always had I been there I would have been championing the cause and rallying for the bomber crews to be officially recognised and rewarded for what they did. Ok so many may have opinions about those particular campaigns but we were at war and we had the brunt of the Luftwaffe hitting our towns cities factories and most importantly people. Thank you RAF for defending our shores and helping those who gave their lives in all Services and elsewhere so that we might have ours now.

Enjoyable and thought provoking

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Great story with just the right tone, bredth and balance of the personal and historical.
Great narration.

just a great story

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