Small B17 bomb bay and bomb load

[George Hopp]

Apparently the Davis wing and the control setup of the B-24 made it so stable that you could always tell who were the pilots on the early B-24s because they had arms like Arnie Schwarzenegger, from the strength they needed to turn the sucker.

The Lancaster may be well liked by many people, and especially historians, but it was very hard on its crews in that they, especially the pilots, had the lowest survival rate of any WW2 bomber. In comparing the two bombers ex-S/L David Leicester, who flew a tour in Halifaxes and then one in Lancasters, noted that while the Lancaster could carry heavier bomb loads on less fuel than the Halifax, and was easier to fly than the Halifax, he preferred the Halifax because it would respond to the controls faster than the Lancaster--very important for avoiding flak and fighters--and its radial engines were more reliable than the in-lines of the Lancaster. And, he thought that with the square fins and rudders fitted, it was just about the nicest bomber in the world to fly. Oh yes, according to S/L Leicester, the survival rate per 7-man crew was 1.3 for the Lanc as opposed to 2.45 from the Halifax. (This is from p. 117-118 of "Night Airwar" by Theo Boiten).