Maple Leaf 'Lancs'

摘要

As the war situation worsened during 1940, Britain and its Allies put plans into place to build as many aircraft as possible. And if their manufacture could be undertaken beyond the range of German bombers, so much the better. At the time the US was not involved in the war, so Britain turned to Canada. It was agreed that Avro Lancasters would be built at the National Steel Car Corporation's new aircraft plant in Malton, Ontario. The company had been more accustomed to working with railway rolling stock in Hamilton, but with the onset of war received several orders to build aircraft, including Martin B-26 Marauders, Westland Lysanders, construct wings for HP Hampdens and Hawker Hurricanes, and assemble Avro Anson Is. On September 18, 1941, a high-profile meeting took place in the offices of the British Supply Council in Washington DC to discuss the urgent need to build Lancasters in Canada. From this it was agreed that the Canadian order for 300 Marauders would be cancelled, and instead attention would turn to the production of 'Lancs'.