Lancaster B.1 Day Bomber (Grand Slam) – 617 Sqn, U Boats Pens Raid, Farge, Germany. March 1945

On 27th March 1945, 617 Sqn bombed the U-Boat Pens at Farge, Germany.  These pens were one of the largest concrete structures on earth at the time and of the 20 Lancasters used on the raid, 14 were equipped with the huge 22,000lb Grand Slam Bombs – the highest number ever used on a single mission.

Two Grand Slams found their target and detonated rendering the pens unusable.  No aircraft were lost.  

The raid was led by Group Captain Johnny Fauquier, a Canadian who assumed command of 617 Sqn in December 1944.  He flew PD119, YZ-J, which was possibly the most distinctive of 617 Sqn, B.1 (Special) Lancasters.  Whilst the aircraft wore a daylight camouflage its port rear rudder was damaged, probably by flak on the 21st March and with no replacements readily available one was ‘borrowed’ from another plane which wore a black night camouflage scheme, it remained this way until the end of the war.

This limited edition model from Corgi is part of the highly collectable Aviation Archive range of die-cast model aircraft.  Scales include 1:48, 1:72 and 1:144 and features aeroplanes from World War I, World War II and the modern era.  Most models in the Aviation Archive range are limited editions.

Click here to browse the entire Corgi Aviation Archive range.

A detailed die-cast scale model for the adult collector. Not suitable for children under 14 years.

Limited Edition

Age Suitability

14+

Scale

1:72

Wingspan

432mm