View Single Post
  #2  
Old September 23rd 03, 02:29 AM
BackToNormal
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

John Halliwell wrote:

In article ,
BackToNormal writes
"In the Spring of 1941, he (Barnes Wallis) was ready to unveil a bomb
which was as unique as it was powerful, the 10 ton earthquake bomb. An
aerodynamic masterpiece, it would break the sound barrier on its
descent, while its offset tailfins would make it spin like a giant
dart".


According to Brickhill in The Dam Busters, the offset fins were added
after the test Tallboy went supersonic, wobbling off target as it did
so. Barnes offset the fins to stabilise it (the original reason for the
back spin on the 'bouncing bomb').


Interesting. The program I saw showed a design drawing incorporating the
offset tailfins. I'm sure the program makers were saying THAT design was
the one presented by Barnes to Whitehall in 1941 (and he had proposed as
a weapon in 1939).

ronh
--
"People do not make decisions on facts, rather,
how they feel about the facts" Robert Consedine