Avro Lancaster - FN.50 Mid Upper Gun Turret
Today, we shall look at the Avro Lancaster Bomber’s Frazer Nash FN.50 Mid Upper Gun Turret. We shall cover its construction, the hydraulic system and duties carried out by the Air Gunner. We shall refer to extracts from the wartime Air Ministry manuals, to give you a glimpse of what was involved in defending the Lancaster Bomber.
So sit back as we take you on a tour of the Lancaster’s Mid-Upper Gun Turret, as we embark on a journey aimed at promoting UK Aviation Heritage.
Textual extracts from Air Ministry Air Publications are Crown Copyright and transcribed with the kind permission of the National Archives, London. All colour diagrams are based on original Air Ministry Air Publications mono illustrations and transcribed into colour by Bryan Atkinson with the permission of the National Archives, London.
Thanks must also be given to the following superb organisations for their kind support when Bryan Atkinson originally developed The Lancaster Explored PC CD-ROM back in 2004, all are listed below and are included once again in this series of videos.
Lancaster B.Mk.I, PA474. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
Lancaster B.Mk.I, R5868. Royal Air Force Museum, London.
Lancaster B. Mk.III, DV372. Imperial War Museum.
Lancaster B.Mk.X, KB889. Imperial War Museum, Duxford.
Lancaster B.Mk.VII, NX611. Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre.
The Norman Groom & Jeremy Hall Lancaster Nose Sections.
The Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust.
The National Archives, London.
The material contained in this video is intended for historical, reference and entertainment value only, and is not to be construed as usable for aircraft or component restoration, maintenance, or use.
Consort for Brass - Classical Rousing by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. creativecommon...
Source: incompetech.com...
Artist: incompetech.com/
Table of Contents:
00:00 - Introduction
00:35 - FN.50 Mid Upper Turret Overview
00:42 - Fuselage Mounting
01:12 - The Turret Step
01:32 - The Cupola
01:48 - The Gun Cradle
02:12 - The Gun Elevation Rams
02:30 - The Turret Drum
03:04 - The Arch Frame
03:17 - The Gunsight
03:33 - Hydraulic Motor & Ring
04:00 - The Hydraulic Pump
04:07 - The Hydraulic System
04:30 - The Recuperator
05:09 - The Valve Box
05:31 - Gun Travel Interrupter Mechanism
05:45 - The Taboo Track
06:09 - Palmer Firing Controls
06:35 - Gun Firing Interrupter Mechanism
07:08 - Hand Rotation Gear
07:24 - Rotation Restrictor Valve
08:02 - The Ammunition Boxes
08:24 - Filling the Ammunition Boxes
09:50 - Loading the Guns
10:42 - The Oxygen System
11:08 - The Instrument Panel
11:24 - FN.50 Wiring Diagram
12:06 - The Air Gunner's Seat
12:58 - Turret Sequence of Operations
13:49 - Operating the Control Handles
14:36 - Firing the Guns
15:17 - Additional Photographs
15:22 - Armour Plate for Gun Turret
#lancasterbomber #avrolancaster #ukaircraftexplored
Пікірлер: 64
Quite a complex system. It's not just hop in the seat and start shooting. Well done.
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
2 жыл бұрын
So pleased you like them and thankyou for watching!
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
3 жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great 😊 details as usual, think I can build a whole lanc in my sleep!
@ukaircraftexplored6556
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching
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
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching and sharing
The very best of youtube and the best information that I found on the FN-50 Turret !
@ukaircraftexplored6556
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks, I'm glad it was useful
I haven't even seen this yet, but I know based on your previous videos that it will be excellent. A marvelous series!
@ukaircraftexplored6556
2 жыл бұрын
Wow, thanks, so much for watching. I have lots more to come!
The technology in what we would regard as more primitive times is amazing.
@ukaircraftexplored6556
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching
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
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you so much for your excellent feedback Chris. What you describe is the very reason I create these videos for KZread. 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
2 жыл бұрын
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
2 жыл бұрын
@@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
Жыл бұрын
@@chrisnurczyk8239 thanks 👍 for those comments
Need to go mow the pastures, but I’ll be back to enjoy this this evening. Thanks for posting!
@ukaircraftexplored6556
3 жыл бұрын
You're Welcome
Amazing detail. Clear and easily understood graphics. Just excellent. Thank you.
@ukaircraftexplored6556
3 жыл бұрын
You're very welcome! Thanks for watching
Yet again another superb video post Bryan, wonderful detail and your narrative is brilliant.
@ukaircraftexplored6556
Жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching!
Excellent…
@ukaircraftexplored6556
Жыл бұрын
Thank you! Cheers!
My compliments on such an informative video. In my humble opinion you couldn't have made it better. Thanks.
@ukaircraftexplored6556
2 жыл бұрын
So nice of you and thanks for watching
Sign me up! Ready to pre-flight and head out on a mission. Thanks - the amount of detail is amazing!
@ukaircraftexplored6556
3 жыл бұрын
You're in!
Excellent production. Answered many questions. Thank you
@ukaircraftexplored6556
2 жыл бұрын
You are very welcome
Your video documentary are absolutely exceptional you remind me of the great Helmut Bakaitis please keep them coning .
@ukaircraftexplored6556
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you! Will do!
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
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you for watching and welcome aboard!
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
3 жыл бұрын
Avro used Frazer Nash Turrets, whilst the Halifax used Boulton Paul Gun turrets. Thanks for watching
@russellherbert9670
Жыл бұрын
And the front and underbelly gun
Fascinating
@ukaircraftexplored6556
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks
another great video,suprising how basic the seat is,considering how long the gunner would be in there,also seemingly no back rest
@ukaircraftexplored6556
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks.
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
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching. Can anyone help with the above question?
Amazing ..very well explained ..I didn't realize the gunner had so much to learn ...please do more . possibly the mosquito . Thanks
@ukaircraftexplored6556
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks, will do! I have a great deal of material for the Mosquito, so watch this space!
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
Жыл бұрын
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
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching
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
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for viewing
@thierryruellan1828
9 ай бұрын
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
9 ай бұрын
@@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?
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
3 жыл бұрын
The National archives or related Museums can help. Good luck with your project and thanks for watching
@Infidel7153
2 жыл бұрын
You are seriously restoring a "Lancaster" and you don't know where to find the drawing and plans ?
Is there any footage from these cine cameras?
@ukaircraftexplored6556
3 жыл бұрын
You can see some footage of the G.45 Camera Gun on my G.45 Video kzread.info/dash/bejne/k4ehzcepnM_Hpco.html Thanks for watching.
@iancurtis1152
3 жыл бұрын
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
3 жыл бұрын
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
2 жыл бұрын
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.