Lincoln

The Avro Lincoln, designed by Roy Chadwick as a successor to his Lancaster four-engined heavy bomber, first flew in June 1944. Though in squadron service by August 1945 and with aircraft intended to join the campaign against Japan, the war ended before it saw any active service. In time, over 500 Lincolns equipped 29 RAF bomber squadrons though these were phased out, replaced by the jet powered V bombers in the 1950s. The Lincoln was used against insurgents in Kenya and Malaysia and the last RAF example was not withdrawn until 1963. Some sold to Argentina remained in service there until 1967. The maritime patrol aircraft, the Avro Shackleton, derived from the Lincoln was used by the RAF until 1991. This new study of the Lincoln begins with comparisons with the Lancaster which it was designed to replace as Britain's front line heavy bomber. The book then examines its operational career and the other aircraft such as the Shackleton and a relatively unsuccessful pressurised airliner, the Avro Tudor, which were based on the Lincoln. The many variants of the Lincoln are discussed, as is the surprisingly wide range of duties it undertook throughout its career, from a test bed in connection with jet engine research, to Elint activities. The aircraft operated by the Australian and Argentinian air forces are also included. This is a well-researched and very readable account of the development and operation of a successful aircraft that had the misfortune to have appeared too late in the day to affect the outcome of World War II and was rapidly rendered redundant by the unstoppable progress of the jet engine as the 1950s progressed.