Vickers Wellington Medium Bomber

The Wellington was the main British bomber for the first two years of the war, although once it had been supplanted from the European theatre by Lancasters it flew until the war's end in many other theatres and in many roles. It was particularly effective in North Africa, where it could fly faster than most of the Italian fighters, and carried a heavier bomb load than the Italians. Its utility is proven by the large number built, 11,461.

Technical Details
One of the Wellington's claim's to fame was the unique geodetic construction of the fusilage. This can be seen in the cross members visible in the side windows of the pictured Mk II bomber. Combined with a fabric covering, the manner of construction made it extremely strong while light, able to absorb a lot of punishment and easy to repair. The Mk IC was crewed by 6, a pilot, radio operator, navigator/bomb aimer, observer/nose gunner, tail gunner and waist gunner. It was powered by two 1050hp Bristol Pegasus XVIII engines that pulled it to 235 mph. It had a ceiling of 19,000 ft and a range of 1,805 miles. It came armed with eight 0.303 machine guns and could carry 4,500 lbs of bombs.

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Image From: Richard Bickers. The Battle of Britain. Imperial War Museum photo.