Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre

Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre, Aviation Museum, East Kirkby airfield, Spilsby.
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The Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre is the worlds largest Bomber Command museum and home to Avro Lancaster NX611 Just Jane, DH Mosquito HJ711 and North American B25 Mitchell 'Always Dangerous'

Bike night Wednesday next week!!
01/06/2026

Bike night Wednesday next week!!

31st May 1942. Some of the men who bombed Cologne. This was the night of the highest losses for Bomber Command so far ...
31/05/2026

31st May 1942. Some of the men who bombed Cologne. This was the night of the highest losses for Bomber Command so far with 41 aircraft lost. Sadly this loss rate was to increase dramatically later in the war.
The raid was deemed a success. The second photo shows the biggest railway workshops in Cologne before and after the raid on 30/31 May 1942.

Photos: LAHC archive

On this day… Cologne: the first 1000 Bomber raid30/31 May 1942This was a maximum effort raid comprising of aircraft from...
30/05/2026

On this day… Cologne: the first 1000 Bomber raid
30/31 May 1942
This was a maximum effort raid comprising of aircraft from Bomber Command, Coastal Command and Flying Training Command. Crews who had not yet completed their flying training at Operational Training Units were also brought in to make up numbers. 1,047 aircraft were dispatched, this number being made up as follows:
1 Group - 156 Wellingtons
3 Group - 134 Wellingtons, 88 Stirlings = 222 aircraft
4 Group - 131 Halifaxes, 9 Wellingtons, 7 Whitleys = 147 aircraft
5 Group - 73 Lancasters, 46 Manchesters, 34 Hampdens = 153 aircraft
91 (O.T.U.) Group - 236 Wellingtons, 21 Whitleys = 257 aircraft
92 (O.T.U.) Group - 63 Wellingtons, 45 Hampdens = 108 aircraft
Flying Training Command - 4 Wellingtons
Aircraft totals: 602 Wellingtons, 131 Halifaxes, 88 Stirlings, 79 Hampdens, 73 Lancasters, 46 Manchesters, 28 Whitleys = 1,047 aircraft

This raid was the first to use a bomber stream which would go on to become common practice. This involved the aircraft flying the same route at the same speed to and from the target. This overwhelmed the German radar night fighter boxes reducing the amount of interceptions. The bombing time over target was concentrated to 90 minutes as opposed to several hours as it had previously been. The theory being this would overwhelm the German defences and the bombers could drop so many incendiary bombs in a short period of time the fire services on the ground would be overwhelmed.

(References Bomber Command War Diaries - Chorley and LAHC archives)

This years Challenge poster for Airfirst's flying challenge!
17/05/2026

This years Challenge poster for Airfirst's flying challenge!

Come and join us today for a special book signing on this Dambusters anniversary. Trevor Kerry will be signing books in...
16/05/2026

Come and join us today for a special book signing on this Dambusters anniversary. Trevor Kerry will be signing books in the shop from 11.15am-12.15pm today

Address

East Kirkby Airfield
Spilsby
PE234DE

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+441790763207

Website

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