B-17s straffing & IJN Aoba, & UK POWs

wrote:
So, by then, the B-17 crews had figured out that high altitude level
bombing of moving ships wasn't working out very well?

Did anyone ever try equipping the B-17 with torpedoes?

Well, sorta.

http://tinyurl.com/7sr3lmu

On Apr 3, 1:18*am, Bill Shatzer wrote:
wrote:
So, by then, the B-17 crews had figured out that high altitude level
bombing of moving ships wasn't working out very well?

Did anyone ever try equipping the B-17 with torpedoes?

Well, sorta.

http://tinyurl.com/7sr3lmu

Thank you! If this was 1940 than this stuff is huge! It's huge either
way, but wow!

On 03/04/2012 17:49, David E. Powell wrote:
On Apr 3, 1:18 am, Bill wrote:
wrote:
So, by then, the B-17 crews had figured out that high altitude level
bombing of moving ships wasn't working out very well?

Did anyone ever try equipping the B-17 with torpedoes?

Well, sorta.

http://tinyurl.com/7sr3lmu

Thank you! If this was 1940 than this stuff is huge! It's huge either
way, but wow!

The GT-1 does not seem to have been tested until 1943, so the caption
has to be wrong. The British Toraplane, a similar air launched gliding
torpedo was around in 1940*, but, of course, that would not have been
launched from a B-17.

* Work started in 1939 but was abandoned in 1942, as it proved to be
very inaccurate.

Colin Bignell

"Nightjar" wrote in message
...
On 03/04/2012 17:49, David E. Powell wrote:
On Apr 3, 1:18 am, Bill wrote:
wrote:
So, by then, the B-17 crews had figured out that high altitude
level
bombing of moving ships wasn't working out very well?

Did anyone ever try equipping the B-17 with torpedoes?

Well, sorta.

http://tinyurl.com/7sr3lmu

Thank you! If this was 1940 than this stuff is huge! It's huge
either
way, but wow!

The GT-1 does not seem to have been tested until 1943, so the
caption has to be wrong. The British Toraplane, a similar air
launched gliding torpedo was around in 1940*, but, of course, that
would not have been launched from a B-17.

* Work started in 1939 but was abandoned in 1942, as it proved to be
very inaccurate.

Colin Bignell

A field-expedient PBY torpedo attack from Guadalcanal:
http://www.daveswarbirds.com/cactus/jackcram.htm

jsw

On Apr 6, 2:37*am, "Jim Wilkins" wrote:
"Nightjar" wrote in message

...









On 03/04/2012 17:49, David E. Powell wrote:
On Apr 3, 1:18 am, Bill *wrote:
wrote:
So, by then, the B-17 crews had figured out that high altitude
level
bombing of moving ships wasn't working out very well?

Did anyone ever try equipping the B-17 with torpedoes?

Well, sorta.

http://tinyurl.com/7sr3lmu

Thank you! If this was 1940 than this stuff is huge! It's huge
either
way, but wow!

The GT-1 does not seem to have been tested until 1943, so the
caption has to be wrong. The British Toraplane, a similar air
launched gliding torpedo was around in 1940*, but, of course, that
would not have been launched from a B-17.

* Work started in 1939 but was abandoned in 1942, as it proved to be
very inaccurate.

Colin Bignell

A field-expedient PBY torpedo attack from Guadalcanal:http://www.daveswarbirds.com/cactus/jackcram.htm

For decades, we had a docent taking tickets at our front desk that
kept a photo nearby of his "Black Cat" following a successful mission
- they were hit on their run and a shell carried away one of their
props, narrowly missing the cockpit as it careened on by with a roar.
Already committed, the pilot got his bombs off and accounted for a
troop ship with his single-engine Catalina. Just a little reminder
that men that go to war in elegant, pedestrian seaplanes are just a
little different than most.

-"Gordon" wrote
-For decades, we had a docent taking tickets at our front desk that
-kept a photo nearby of his "Black Cat" following a successful mission
-- they were hit on their run and a shell carried away one of their
-props, narrowly missing the cockpit as it careened on by with a roar.
-Already committed, the pilot got his bombs off and accounted for a
-troop ship with his single-engine Catalina. Just a little reminder
-that men that go to war in elegant, pedestrian seaplanes are just a
-little different than most.

I'm impressed that they patrolled for reported (MAGIC) enemy carriers,
trusting their lives to their ability to hide from the CAP in whatever
clouds they might find.

jsw

On Apr 6, 9:50*am, "Jim Wilkins" wrote:
-"Gordon" wrote
-For decades, we had a docent taking tickets at our front desk that
-kept a photo nearby of his "Black Cat" following a successful mission
-- they were hit on their run and a shell carried away one of their
-props, narrowly missing the cockpit as it careened on by with a roar.
-Already committed, the pilot got his bombs off and accounted for a
-troop ship with his single-engine Catalina. *Just a little reminder
-that men that go to war in elegant, pedestrian seaplanes are just a
-little different than most.

I'm impressed that they patrolled for reported (MAGIC) enemy carriers,
trusting their lives to their ability to hide from the CAP in whatever
clouds they might find.

"This is Strawberry Five. Have sighted enemy fleet. Please notify
next of kin."

almost as classic as, "Peccavi."

On Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:50:36 -0400, Jim Wilkins wrote:

-"Gordon" wrote -For decades, we had a docent
taking tickets at our front desk that -kept a photo nearby of his "Black
Cat" following a successful mission -- they were hit on their run and a
shell carried away one of their -props, narrowly missing the cockpit as
it careened on by with a roar. -Already committed, the pilot got his
bombs off and accounted for a -troop ship with his single-engine
Catalina. Just a little reminder -that men that go to war in elegant,
pedestrian seaplanes are just a -little different than most.

I'm impressed that they patrolled for reported (MAGIC) enemy carriers,
trusting their lives to their ability to hide from the CAP in whatever
clouds they might find.

The PBY is an amazing beast - I've never been inside one, but I've seen
a couple of them fly.
It's a big airplane - it bulks out about the same as a B-17, with half
as many engines.
It kinda reminds me of a giant Aluminum seagull - optimized to get
the most distance out of a drop of fuel.

The guys that flew them were definitely a special breed - hours upon hours
of searching empty ocean, then instant adrenaline if/when they found something.

--
Pete Stickney
Failure is not an option
It comes bundled with the system

In article 32ad7fe8-20d2-453a-a9a8-
, - Gordon
spouted !

On Apr 6, 2:37*am, "Jim Wilkins" wrote:
"Nightjar" wrote in message

...









On 03/04/2012 17:49, David E. Powell wrote:
On Apr 3, 1:18 am, Bill *wrote:
wrote:
So, by then, the B-17 crews had figured out that high altitude
level
bombing of moving ships wasn't working out very well?

Did anyone ever try equipping the B-17 with torpedoes?

Well, sorta.

http://tinyurl.com/7sr3lmu

Thank you! If this was 1940 than this stuff is huge! It's huge
either
way, but wow!

The GT-1 does not seem to have been tested until 1943, so the
caption has to be wrong. The British Toraplane, a similar air
launched gliding torpedo was around in 1940*, but, of course, that
would not have been launched from a B-17.

* Work started in 1939 but was abandoned in 1942, as it proved to be
very inaccurate.

Colin Bignell

A field-expedient PBY torpedo attack from Guadalcanal:http://www.daveswarbirds.com/cactus/jackcram.htm

For decades, we had a docent taking tickets at our front desk that
kept a photo nearby of his "Black Cat" following a successful mission
- they were hit on their run and a shell carried away one of their
props, narrowly missing the cockpit as it careened on by with a roar.
Already committed, the pilot got his bombs off and accounted for a
troop ship with his single-engine Catalina. Just a little reminder
that men that go to war in elegant, pedestrian seaplanes are just a
little different than most.

My late father-in-law flew as an AM in various models of PBY during WW2.

I could never get him to talk about that part of his Navy career..

On Apr 6, 1:54*am, Nightjar wrote:
On 03/04/2012 17:49, David E. Powell wrote:

On Apr 3, 1:18 am, Bill *wrote:
wrote:
So, by then, the B-17 crews had figured out that high altitude level
bombing of moving ships wasn't working out very well?

Did anyone ever try equipping the B-17 with torpedoes?

Well, sorta.

http://tinyurl.com/7sr3lmu

Thank you! If this was 1940 than this stuff is huge! It's huge either
way, but wow!

The GT-1 does not seem to have been tested until 1943, so the caption
has to be wrong. The British Toraplane, a similar air launched gliding
torpedo was around in 1940*, but, of course, that would not have been
launched from a B-17.

* Work started in 1939 but was abandoned in 1942, as it proved to be
very inaccurate.

Colin Bignell

Similar objects, (encased flying torpedos), were tried on Zeppelin
L-35 (LZ-80) during secret experiments in 1918 at Jueterbog (S. of
Berlin). Accuracy was said to be a problem then as well.