Didn't know this

[Deskpilot]

Must be one of the best secrets every.

 

When I was stationed at RAF Coltishall, I happened to help with the maintenance of the City of Lincoln Lancaster held by the Memorial Flight. Until yesterday, I had no idea of the planes history, nor queried why it is painted black. This video tell of it's hidden past. Enjoy.

 

[kgwilson]

Interestingly at the outbreak of WW2 in 1939 the British had a considerably more advanced Nuclear reseach team than the US but progress was stifled by the war on their doorstep. The Manhattan project was a joint British /American and partly Canadian project but as time progressed it became firmly entrenched with the US as thats where all the work was done & also where the finance came from. The problem was as the video describes the yanks had no means of delivering the A bomb given the B17 Flying Fortress & B25 Mitchell had relatively poor bomb load capacity whereas the Lancaster was the only aircraft capable of carrying the 5.1 ton tallboy bomb & therefore both Little Man & Fat Boy. The A bombs would just not fit in to any American bomber until the Superfortress came along in 1944 & even then it was plagued with problems. 1 upmanship US politics eventually won out which is probably just as well given the Lancaster would only have just been able to escape the blast.

[Old Koreelah]

...the yanks had no means of delivering the A bomb given the B17 Flying Fortress & B25 Mitchell...

Kevin I'm sure you meant the B24 Liberator.