[Graham Boak]

Introducing these changes is not strange at all, but an entirely normal process given the long life of the aircraft and its continuous development with ever-increasing weight. They are driven by the need to cope with the increasing loads and changing wheel/tyre sizes. The same process can be found on the Spitfire, with a series of different modifications to the undercarriage design. No doubt on other aircraft as well. Yes, this can be tough on logistics.

It is indicative of the problems when introducing mass production to the aircraft industry during the war: it is simply not possible to build a long line of identical aircraft because of the continuous arrival of modifications as a result of experience with the type and varying operational needs. Hence the need for batch production sizes well below that which was normal in the car industry prewar, or perhaps lorries in wartime.