Coasting out - final mission 1 by Simon Cattlin

This is the 1st of two paintings representing the last flight of Avro Lancaster LM490 LS-L of 15 Squadron. The aircraft was delivered to the squadron on March 13th 1944 and was lost just under 2 weeks later during a raid on Berlin.

The Lancaster was the iconic symbol of the RAF’s strategic bombing capability and proved a superb platform for its crews. The loss rate in these missions was consistently high for much of the war and 60% of all crews perished before completing their 1st 30 mission tour.

LM490 took off at 18.48 from Mildenhall on the evening of March 24th 1944 and is seen climbing over the coast towards the slowly darkening eastern horizon highlighted by the setting sun behind it. Its a new aircraft and its paint is still fresh with little sign of the wear and tear seen on older airframes, this aircraft was lost during the night with only 11hrs flown.