Information on 9 squadron Royal Air Force, 9 Squadron
was the squadron which bombed the Tirpitz at Tromso Norway. 9
squadron shown in Aviation
art prints of the Avro Lancaster Bomber of the Royal Air Force, published
by Cranston Fine Arts, the military print company.
AVRO LANCASTER The Lancaster had a crew of seven or eight, with a
maximum speed of 287 mph (Mks I,lll, and X). Maximum range of 2,500 miles and a ceiling of 22,000 feet.
ARMAMENT. two .303 browning machine guns in
nose turret, dorsal turret, and four tail turret. or two .50mm in
tail turret. payload of 18,000 lb of bombs, one 12,000 lb or 22,000 lb
bomb if modified.
DIMENSIONS. span 102 ft. length 69ft 4inches. and
height 20ft. 6inches. The Avro Lancaster arose from the avro Manchester and
the first prototype Lancaster was a converted Manchester with four
engines, The Lancaster was first flown in January 1941, and started
operations in march 1942, By March 1945 The Royal Air Force had 56
Squadrons of Lancasters with the first squadron equipped being the
no. 44 squadron.
Preparing for the Tirpitz by Philip West. Working around the clock and in all weather conditions the ground
crew knew from the size of the bombs they were loading, this was going
to be a very special operation for the Lancaster crews of 9
Squadron. Brainchild of Barnes Wallis, the 'Tallboy' bomb weighed
in at an impressive 12,000lbs. On this occasion in November 1944
the crews and aircraft are being readied for departure to Lossiemouth or
Kinloss on route to sink the "Tirpitz" laying at anchor near
Tromso in Norway. 
