Subject: How accurate was B-26 bombing?
From: (BUFDRVR)
Date: 2/29/04 6:55 PM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:

Thanks for the rundown

Were there *some* missions flown where *some* aircraft hit within 10 meters ?
Sure, but the laws of physics and bomb construction (particularly in the
1940's) mean that those strikes were as much about luck as the skill of the

aircrew. Even today, a gravity bomb hit within 30 feet is luck. Most honest
radar navs (or WSOs in the B-1B or Mission Commanders in the B-2) will tell
you
they can get you down to 100 feet with skill, the rest is all luck. The mil
dispersion on a Mk-82 is .0025 (Did I get that right ??) which means for

every
foot it travels, it'll move away from its "true trajectory" by 1/40 inch. If
your release distance is 35,000 fee

no matter how well you aim, your weapons
will tend to "wonder" by 87.5 feet (35,000 x .0025). So why is it possible to
"shack" a target with unguided weapons? Compensating errors. The RN aims 87.5

feet left and the drift tendancy (mil dispersion) of a majority of the
weapons
is right. So...in summary, any strike you guys had in WWII that were inside
of
10 meters, was luck.

I am sure everuything uou say is true. But I stand by the strike photos on my
website whicxh as oiyu can see a lot of "shacks" were soc red under diffiut
coimvat ciditrions. Thg ephotos donlt liere
striking the same target) independantly targets its weapons. In the case of
Batajanica, all you see are my weapons, my lead aircraft hit the second
runway
which you can almost see in the upper left hand part of the imagery.


Yup. I inndersyand now. Looks good.

I note that there was a hole in
the bomb pattern that left one bullding standing Someone out of formation or
a
delay in a release?

Mil dispersion saves a single building. Chances are, anyone in it has white
hair and is deaf.


Dead probably . I wasn't being critical, I just wanted to know. Thanks for the
info. I never did know how operations were done these days. A lot has changed.
But as I said I'llet the strike photos on my website speak for themselves for
everyone to see..


Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer