Plausibility Check: American Lancasters

Fearless Leader

Fearless Leader

Donor
Lancaster Bombers that is...in World War II.

I was reading up about the Manhattan project and came across a tidbit that said that one of the alternatives to having the B-29 Superfortress carry the Atomic Bomb was to have the Avro Lancaster with it's carnivorous bomb bay do the job. It was preferred to have an American plane do the job, thus the B-29 was chosen...but let's say the B-29 gets mired in intractable difficulties, not an impossibility due to the complications involved. This puts enough hesitation in the minds of the Americans to seek an alternative.

Does a domestic alternative exist? I don't think they could modify a B-17 or B-24 to carry the A-bomb. Nor would it have the range...

Does the Avro Lancaster have the range to drop the A-Bomb on Japan? What was it's combat radius with that kind of payload? Would they have to modify it for pacific distances (ala an earlier Avro Lincoln?). How long would it take? Would it be quicker than working out all the quirks in the B-29?
 

King Augeas

The problem with an atomic Lancaster that usually gets brought up is that it's not fast or high enough to escape the blast. You might be able to get round that with a parachute though.

Alternatively, this could do it. In fact, it looks perfect for the job of a British atomic-capable bomber in an early 1940s cold-war TL, where the British work on Tube Alloys alone and need a delivery system.
 

CalBear

Moderator
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Monthly Donor
The Lancaster lacked the range and other performance needed. The B-29 was barely able to make the necessary escape maneuver and it had an extra 12,000 feet of altitude and 75 MPH of speed to play with.

Sending a crew with a Lancaster would be a kamikaze mission.
 

corditeman

Agreed that Victory Bomber best UK alternative...

...Height and range roughly what is needed.

Loved the 'carnivorous bomb bay' although I assume 'cavernous' was the intent of the OP.

One imagines the bomb-doors opening and gulping an unlucky German aircraft coming too close - would the Lanc digest its opponents? A bizarre way to destroy the Luftwaffe...:D
 
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