British Bomber "Lancaster» (Avro 683 Lancaster) No. R5689 (VN-N) of 50 Squadron Royal Air Force flying over Swinderby, England. The "Lanc" first saw active service with RAF Bomber Command in 1942 and, as the strategic bombing offensive over Europe gathered momentum, it became the main heavy bomber used by the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other Commonwealth and European countries serving within the RAF. The "Lanc" became the most famous and most successful of WW2 night bombers.