Lancaster/Other Bomber Crews Age
I think the Lancaster had the lowest mission fatality rate of any British bomber, somewhere in the region of 5% never returned*, so 1 in 20 was lost on a mission, at a 1942 cost of 42,000 for the airframe, and with all factors included such as training around 120,000 (again at 1942 rates) total.
What did surprise me is that many crews consisted of men (or should I say boys) aged 20 or under, that is the entire crew, for long-range trips over Germany. Such responsibility as such an age cannot be overestimated, although it is surprising that the vast majority of the aircrew were so young.
My question is, although aptitude was of course important, why were Bomber crews averaging out at age 21, surely many older men would have volunteered and that average age be somewhat beyond that mark.
*I believe other bombers had attrition rates of up to 15% on long-range missions.