Lancaster

By: Leo McKinstry

Narrated by: Peter Noble

Length: 25 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

A comprehensive history of Britain's greatest bomber plane.

The Spitfire and the Lancaster were the two RAF weapons of victory in the Second World War, but the glamour of the fighter has tended to overshadow the performance of the heavy bomber. Yet without the Lancaster, Britain would never have been able to take the fight to the German homeland. Highlights the scale of the bomber's achievements, including the famous Dambusters attacks. With its vast bomb bay, ease of handling and surprising speed, the mighty Lancaster transformed the effectiveness of the Bomber Command. 

Whilst addressing the political controversy surrounding the bombing offensive against Germany, Leo McKinstry also weaves individual tales into this compelling narrative. Rich characters are brought to life, such as Roy Chadwick, the designer, who taught himself engineering at night school, and Sir Arthur Harris, the austere head of the Bomber Command. This is a rich saga, a story of triumph over disaster and the history of an iconic plane.

©2009 Leo McKinstry (P)2009 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Personal connection to a book section

A solid story about the development and deployment of the great bomber. There was a section of the book that dealt with the repatriation of prisoners of war that had personal resonance.

My wife's uncle was a Canadian navigator in an RAF Lancaster squadron. He died at the end of the war in crash near Paris and he's buried in Clichy. The author details the decision to fly liberated prisoners to Britain due to the dangers of road and naval traffic. There was one crash in the entire massive air lift; a plane that suffered mechanical troubles at take off and failed in its attempt to get back to the airfield - he was on that plane. The detail around the airlift, the investigation and review at high levels of the RAF and Air Ministry give some context for the death of her uncle and the humanitarian work he was doing after all the painful duty required by Bomber Command.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Well read & well written

An awesome description of how the Lanc came about & designed by the brilliant Roy Chadwick
superbly written & an insight into the horrors of War.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Excellent

An excellent book, well written and well read. This book is a companion to the nook about the Spitfire.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Really interesting book

so much I didn't know about this aircraft and it's effect on the history, good detail from crew and air staff. Well read and we'll written.

A masterpiece!

The narration, as well as the track itself is excellent. If you are interested in the Lancaster and strategic bombing in general this is a great buy. I would, however, say that it is not a book for someone without a great interest. But I loved it and cannot recommend it enough.

Eye opening and informative book with 1 caveat

Great and often shockingly informative account. articulately and engagingly read... With only one small problem. The narrator's insistence that 'Lancaster' is pronounced 'Lancuster'! like I say, only a small problem, but since the title of the book is 'Lancuster' it grates pretty often in the 25 odd hours of this listen!

Despite this, highly recommend if you're interested in the subject even at all.

A very good military read.

Superbly researched and very well read that is why I gave it 5* x x x x x.

Interesting story of Bomber Commands use of the Lancaster in the Second World War

Not as good as the spitfire story, if your interested in the history of the development and use of the Lancaster. The book concentrate mostly on Harris and his use of the Lancaster, with fascinating first hand accounts from those involved. Perfectly read, however it’s quite repetitive. Personally I’d like to have heard more from the development of the platform and less analysing the morals of Bomber Commands actions with hindsight.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful