Meting with a Lancaster rear gunner

Dave Eadsforth wrote:
In article , Peter Stickney
writes

In article ,
Dave Eadsforth writes:

What was very noticeable was the smell of cordite, very strong,
as one would expect from the front turret. We always had 1000
rounds to fire on each 'bombing and gunnery' ops.


One thing I forgot to mention in my original note was that the rear
gunner knew the flak was getting close when he could smell the fumes
from the exploding shells - despite wearing his oxygen mask. I wondered
how that could happen, but concluded that the 'G' masks (1943) onwards
were the first RAF masks to have exhalation vents, and some external
fumes could well have crept in that way.

Not so much a question of the outlet vents, which, like thos of gas
masks, aren't going to allow any outside air in, but of teh Oxygen
System itself. During World War 2, everybody was using "Diluter" or
"Economiser" (If you're a Brit) Oxygen systems, Thse used a
regulator/mixer with an aneroid widget inside to mix a measured amount
of oxygen with outside air. (Low altitude = less, High Altitude =
more, until above, say, 30,000' it's pure Oxygen) This was done to
cut down on the rate of Oxygen consumption, whigch, for a multi-crewed
airplane, like a Heavy Bomber, wouldn't otherwise be able to carry
enough Oxygen for a typical mission. THe Germans an, since about 1941
or so, the U.S., went a bit further, and developed "Diluter Demand"
systems, which only allowed Oxygen flow while the crewman was
inhaling. (That's what the white blinker on the Oxygen regulator
console of a U.S aircraft is tied to). This cut consumption back
even further.

So, if you're flying through a smoke cloud from a fire, or a flak
burst, or the gun gas coming from your muzzles, you'd smell it.
(Never experienced that myself - But I do know that if you're flying
over South Dakota you can smell the cows.)


Thanks for that, Peter; I had heard of the economiser but had no
knowledge of how it worked. I did know that the early oxygen systems
were not force feed, which led to hypoxia (or anoxia - whichever term
you like best) in photo-reconnaissance pilots and less fit crewmen, but
no idea of the dilution. No wonder...

Re. cows, has not the methane from the world's cattle been identified as
a major contribution to reduction of the ozone layer?

Greenhouse effect.

Damn good reason
not to be vegetarian - eat more meat...and quicker...God bless Atkins...

John