At the conclusion of WWII, several Allied nations including France were seeking to rebuild their armed forces. During 1952/1953, she began receiving a number of Avro Lancaster bombers from Britain for use by the Aeronavale. These aircraft equipped four squadrons and were still in use into the mid-1960's.
The aircraft in this article was a late build Mk. VII and was flown by 14 Flotilla. Initially used as a crew trainer, this bomber underwent a number of upgrades to make it capable for the maritime strike mission. Requests to the US and Britain for strike weapons were largely turned away, although the Bristol RB-1 was adopted. In order to carry the weapon, the bombbay was modified to Type 464 Provisioning standards by Avro at their Woodford facility. Salvaged Heinkel 177 bomb attachment racks were also utilized.
Efforts were also made to increase the defensive capability of the Lancaster, as she would now be facing much more potent opposition.
This of course is the old Revell Dambuster . Airfix engine nacelles were bashed onto the wings, and the additional guns were from an Airfix B-29. The Hs 293 is from the He-177 kit.
The prop units were borrowed from the VEB Tu-20 and must be returned (thus their unpainted state), and she will receive her normal DH props later on. This is my first post on this forum, and I hope you all won't kick me out and make it the last. I really enjoy the awesome work presented here, and uncle les' build of his Leicester prompted me to dig this one up.
Best regards,
Kem
