Top 5 Facts: Lancaster Bomber

1. High calibre – While 7.7mm machine guns were standard on Lancaster bombers, selective later variants were fitted with twin 12.7mm turrets in both tail and dorsal positions.

2. Slam-dunk – Lancaster bombers often had their already-large bomb bays modified in order to carry the monumental 10,000 kilogram Grand Slam “earthquake” bombs.

3. Busted – A selection of bombers became famous after Operation Chastise, a mission to destroy German dams in the Ruhr Valley, the inspiration for the film The Dam Busters.

4. Collateral – Between 1942 and 1945 Lancaster bombers flew 156,000 sorties and dropped approximately 609,000 tons of bombs on military and civilian targets.

5. Black label – The lager company Carling used footage of Lancaster bombers to create a parody of The Dam Busters in which a German soldier catches the bouncing bombs.