Avro Lancaster - FN.50 Mid Upper Gun Turret

[@haroldmcway4459]

Quite a complex system. It's not just hop in the seat and start shooting. Well done.

[@ronjon7942]

These series are so good, what a great niche idea. Your format makes it much easier to use your work as a frequent, convenient-to-use reference.

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

So pleased you like them and thankyou for watching!

[@PanzerDave]

Hello from the U.S. What an outstanding video. I am highly impressed with the detail and supporting documentation. I look forward to seeing your other videos. Thank you for your efforts!

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@dude126]

The technology in what we would regard as more primitive times is amazing.

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

Thanks for watching

[@russellherbert9670]

Great 😊 details as usual, think I can build a whole lanc in my sleep!

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

Thanks for watching

[@olivierrichard5328]

The very best of youtube and the best information that I found on the FN-50 Turret !

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

Thanks, I'm glad it was useful

[@patfontaine5917]

Need to go mow the pastures, but I’ll be back to enjoy this this evening. Thanks for posting!

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

You're Welcome

[@chrisnurczyk8239]

Hello from another Yank from across the pond. Love your content, always excellent & understandable. Your outstanding technical explanations & graphics always lead me - and I hope others - into an appreciation of the human aspects of the men operating these machines to protect all of us and our way of life. Well-trained men working in an extreme technical environment while others shoot at them. The mind boggles, and develops an overwhelming gratitude. Thank God for the efforts of all involved back then from concept to operation of these aircraft.

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

Thank you so much for your excellent feedback Chris. What you describe is the very reason I create these videos for KZbin. My aim, is to try to get across the technology and design of the systems behind the aircraft, and in so doing, offer a small insight into the jobs each crew member would need to perform during wartime conditions. Brave men indeed. Thanks again and for watching!

[@chrisnurczyk8239]

I would say you've achieved your goals handsomely. Please continue. We in the US need to see this sort of content - too many here seem to think the US won WWII by itself. Hollywood takes British war stories & inserts US troops as the heroes - so wrong (stolen valor). It muddies history. The British held back fascism almost single-handedly for so long - so much grit and ability in your populace (and thank you, by the way). And British aircraft are so interesting. The P-51 would've been a pretty ho-hum fighter w/out the British Merlin engine (thanks again).You show many reasons why this is so. You are doing a service to posterity by showing such fabulous info, presented w/out nonsense It's edifying to learn more about British engineering genius. Hope I haven't been too verbose - thanks for tolerating an old man.

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

@@chrisnurczyk8239 Thank you so much for your appreciative feedback. I have many more videos to create, including a series covering the Hawker Hurricane and de Havilland Mosquito, so please watch this space! Thanks again Chris, you've just made a Brit very happy!

[@russellherbert9670]

@@chrisnurczyk8239 thanks 👍 for those comments

[@robertdonnelly434]

So very glad that I happened upon this channel. My Dad spent a full 34-Op "tour" as MUG, with 166-Squadron; most often in AS-R2/ME746. She would become one of very few "ton-up" Lancs, and the a/c finished with war with a DFM, awarded after her 100th "Op". As you might expect, Dad said almost nothing about his war, but was frequently in awe of "his" Lanc, and the crew with whom he served. Your extremely informative work here has given me an even better picture of what he experienced during his time, and why he was so VERY fond of "Roger-Squared"... Many thanks, and Cheers from across the pond in Canada.

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

Thanks for watching and sharing

[@andiesayer5085]

Excellent…

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@richardcooke5792]

I haven't even seen this yet, but I know based on your previous videos that it will be excellent. A marvelous series!

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

Wow, thanks, so much for watching. I have lots more to come!

[@johnfmather]

Amazing detail. Clear and easily understood graphics. Just excellent. Thank you.

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

You're very welcome! Thanks for watching

[@johnclarke2553]

Hello. I'm really enjoying these videos. I've always wondered why they didn't install a four-gun mid-upper in the Lanc. As we know, Halifaxes had them.

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

Avro used Frazer Nash Turrets, whilst the Halifax used Boulton Paul Gun turrets. Thanks for watching

[@russellherbert9670]

And the front and underbelly gun

[@jackthebassman1]

Yet again another superb video post Bryan, wonderful detail and your narrative is brilliant.

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching!

[@patfontaine5917]

Sign me up! Ready to pre-flight and head out on a mission. Thanks - the amount of detail is amazing!

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

You're in!

[@Infidel7153]

Your video documentary are absolutely exceptional you remind me of the great Helmut Bakaitis please keep them coning .

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

Thank you! Will do!

[@johnroberts8784]

My compliments on such an informative video. In my humble opinion you couldn't have made it better. Thanks.

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

So nice of you and thanks for watching

[@10toMidnight]

Excellent production. Answered many questions. Thank you

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

You are very welcome

[@pontymike56]

another great video,suprising how basic the seat is,considering how long the gunner would be in there,also seemingly no back rest

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

Thanks.

[@NiceCuppa]

Fascinating

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

Thanks

[@cynric5437]

My Dad said that he worked on the mid upper turret during the war and had a knack of reducing the flood of oil that came from the gun(?) or turret to a mere trickle. I've never been able to confirm that there was a known problem with the M U T but apparently the upper turret gun was swapped out on an upgrade. I would also be grateful if someone could tell me if the Lancaster MU was situated in Northern Ireland as some of my older brothers thought they lived in NI for some time and my Dad never joined the RAF.

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

Thanks for watching. Can anyone help with the above question?

[@michaeltroster9059]

I could never understand why the aRAF insisted arming their bomber squadrons with rifle caliber guns. The. 303 cal was too weak a round for air combat. The speeds, g forces involved in air combat overwhelmed the weak .303 round. My cousin was a bomb-aimer in Lancs with the RCAF. During ops the gunners were often instructed not to engage enemy fighters because doing so was useless and just attracted unwanted attention. Later on the tai gunner position was fitted with. .5O cal. guns. Also failure to arm the Lanc with a useful belly gun had negative effects because that is where the Luftwaffe nightnfighters attacked bringing down many of the aircraft.

[@andiesayer5085]

Right. Some RCAF Halifaxes had the Preston-Green belly turret with a .50. Unfortunately H2S took precedence over aircrew survival. The turret was taken out and H2S was installed

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

Thanks for watching

[@mpersad]

Great explanation of the turret - superb use of diagrams and photos. Very impressive, and delighted to have been advised of your channel. You have a new sub!

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

Thank you for watching and welcome aboard!

[@KevTheImpaler]

Very good. I still suspect it would have been better to remove the mid upper turret. It would probably make the plane 20 mph faster, and save a man dying if the plane is shot down.

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

Thanks for viewing

[@thierryruellan1828]

I agree with you. Most bombers were shot up from below. Apart from being an additional pair of eyes,an additional observer to warn the pilot of a possible mid-air collision,2 303 caliber machine guns were a waste of resources and speed. I wonder how many German fighters were clobbered by mid upper turets during WW2.,.?

[@KevTheImpaler]

@@thierryruellan1828 The rear gunners were sometimes effective. Sometimes they would shoot a night fighter down. I suspect the heavy bombers were a bit over-manned anyway. Why did it take a crew of seven to do what a crew of two did in a Mosquito?

[@dougbolton5503]

We're restoring a lanc here in Victoria and I'm wondering where or how to obtain the manuals/drawings/resources that you refer to in your videos? Great work!

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

The National archives or related Museums can help. Good luck with your project and thanks for watching

[@Infidel7153]

You are seriously restoring a "Lancaster" and you don't know where to find the drawing and plans ?

[@petemelanyevans9162]

Amazing ..very well explained ..I didn't realize the gunner had so much to learn ...please do more . possibly the mosquito . Thanks

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

Thanks, will do! I have a great deal of material for the Mosquito, so watch this space!

[@iancurtis1152]

Is there any footage from these cine cameras?

[@ukaircraftexplored6556]

You can see some footage of the G.45 Camera Gun on my G.45 Video kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4TQnJimodGUq8k Thanks for watching.

[@iancurtis1152]

Hi Brian, I’ve watched your suggested gun camera footage. Very interesting. My initial enquiry was pointing to any footage from the cine cameras in the Lancaster mid upper turret, is there any footage from these turrets?

[@thierryruellan6581]

Thanks a million for this fascinating video. Just a question :if the aircraft was badly hit, and the skipper gave the order to abandon the burning aircraft, how could the poor Gunner evacuate? Did he had to find his parachute in a locker or was this parachute already strapped on his body? Where was the escape hatch? I would like to see a video about evacuation procedures. I read in a book that the radio operator's task was to get rid of a whip antenna before his colleagues baled put to prevent body damage after jumping out, at least on Hallifaxes. Same on lancs? Sheers, and good show for this splendid documentation

[@JohnyG29]

Gunners typically had their parachutes stowed near their turret, and then had to reach down and clip them on in an emergency (they had quick attach rings on their harnesses). There were cases of some (v.lucky) crew clipping on their chutes in freefall after their aircraft blew up.