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Doomed to be forever overshadowed by its illustrious successor, the Lancaster, the story of the Manchester remains one of the most fascinating sagas in the history of Britain's WW2 bombing effort. Fonthill Media have sent us details of what promises to be the definitive study of this ill-starred aircraft.

The Avro Manchester - The Legend Behind the Lancaster
Robert Kirby

The definitive book about the Avro Manchester – the bomber that was to lead to the war-winning Lancaster

· A new and much expanded version of the definitive text on the Avro Manchester that was first published by Midland Publishing in 1995 and long awaited by the aviation and history community

 The author is an acknowledged expert on the Avro Manchester
 Superbly illustrated with 200 photographs – many new to this book
 The original edition has only five-star reviews on Amazon

In its early, dark days, Bomber Command operated deep into occupied Europe with the underdeveloped Avro Manchester, powered by the Rolls-Royce Vulture—it was the only British bomber to use this engine operationally. Aircrews were faced with severe airframe and engine challenges, and the Manchester continued to evolve as the war was being fought.

The design was revised and amended several times, with the enlargement of flying surfaces required to provide an adequate flight envelope. Nevertheless, Manchesters entered service without adequate type-testing, leading to four groundings in the first eight months of use.

Despite this, seven RAF squadrons would eventually use 202 Manchesters (with 538 Vultures) on 1,260 sorties. Manchesters may have contributed to Bomber Command failures (as set out in the Butt Report of August 1941), but they also contributed to its success in denying German capital ships naval base at Brest. Bomber Command’s persistence with the type was soon shown to be wise, as the Manchester was developed into the famous and war-winning Avro Lancaster.

This second edition of The Avro Manchester: The Legend Behind the Lancaster retains the keen analysis and gripping narrative of the first, but it also fills many gaps, revises key passages, and provides six appendices for references. It is richly illustrated with 200 images, many of which are previously unpublished.

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