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#1
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Mosquito fighter-bomber tactics question
Hi,
I've gone through countless web pages and come up with nothing on this subject, so I hope someone on r.a.m could clarify things a bit. This regards the bombing tactics used by Mosquito FB.xx variants in World War II. Since the FBs could only use the rear bomb bay (due to the 20mm cannon) and the bomb aimer's position was taken up by the .303 calibre MGs, how did these fighter-bombers actually aim their internal bombs? The wing-mounted bombs were probably simple to aim using whatever gunsight was used for the cannons and MGs, but what about the bombs in the bay? Since there was no bomb aimer, did they simply glide- bomb their targets using Kentucky windage and the gunsight, or was there a way of "guesstimating" the release point from level flight, like a normal laydown attack? Thanks in advance. Cheers, -Stegu -- Happiness is... a belt-fed weapon. |
#2
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In article ,
Kari Korpi writes: Hi, I've gone through countless web pages and come up with nothing on this subject, so I hope someone on r.a.m could clarify things a bit. This regards the bombing tactics used by Mosquito FB.xx variants in World War II. Since the FBs could only use the rear bomb bay (due to the 20mm cannon) and the bomb aimer's position was taken up by the .303 calibre MGs, how did these fighter-bombers actually aim their internal bombs? The wing-mounted bombs were probably simple to aim using whatever gunsight was used for the cannons and MGs, but what about the bombs in the bay? Since there was no bomb aimer, did they simply glide- bomb their targets using Kentucky windage and the gunsight, or was there a way of "guesstimating" the release point from level flight, like a normal laydown attack? In exactly the same manner as any other bombs dropped from a Mosquito FB. The bombs don't care if they are coming from teh bomb bay or a wing rack. Barring any airflow disturbances, it's all pretty much the same. Aiming would, just like manual bombing in a fighter-bomber today, be bt a combination of using the gunsight reticle and TLAR (That Looks About Right) techniques. There were plenty of airplanes with bombs bays that didn't have a Bombardier. The gun-nosed A-20s and A-26s, and B-25s, for example. Or the Vultee Vengeance (A-35) dive bomber, or the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver. -- Pete Stickney A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many bad measures. -- Daniel Webster |
#3
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Kari Korpi wrote in message .130...
Hi, I've gone through countless web pages and come up with nothing on this subject, so I hope someone on r.a.m could clarify things a bit. This regards the bombing tactics used by Mosquito FB.xx variants in World War II. Since the FBs could only use the rear bomb bay (due to the 20mm cannon) and the bomb aimer's position was taken up by the .303 calibre MGs, how did these fighter-bombers actually aim their internal bombs? SNIP: Sorry, have absolutely no idea how they did it. I do know that in divebombing from Spitfires they aimed at the target, at a predetermined altitude started the pullout, a certain number of seconds later pickled the bomb(s). Of course dive angle, airspeed altitude and delay time had to be calculated. In low-level bombing the bottom of the gunsight reticle could serve as a reference depression angle - then using that fixed value, airspeed, height above ground and bomb ballistics could be juggled to determine the proper parameters for a release point. If their sight was adjustable in size (set target wingspan) that would make the system more flexible. Like I say, these are ways to get the job done. How they actually did it - I guess we need a living Mosquito pilot to tell us. Walt BJ |
#5
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(Peter Stickney) wrote in news:i3nn4c-
l: In exactly the same manner as any other bombs dropped from a Mosquito FB. The bombs don't care if they are coming from teh bomb bay or a wing rack. Barring any airflow disturbances, it's all pretty much the same. Aiming would, just like manual bombing in a fighter-bomber today, be bt a combination of using the gunsight reticle and TLAR (That Looks About Right) techniques. Thanks for the info. For some reason, I've always thought that bay-mounted bombs require level laydown bombing instead of shallow dives and glide bombing, maybe due to the fact that I'd thought that in a dive, the bombs would hit the forward bulkhead without a bomb crutch But that explains a lot, though: now I realise just how those Mosquitos could do those anti-Gestapo low-level ops with such accuracy. It must have taken a lot of testicular fortitude and skill with the gunsight and ballistics, but there was no need for a long, straight, wings-level ingress for a Norden bomb run. Cheers, -Stegu -- Happiness is... a belt-fed weapon. |
#6
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The Douglas A-20 had no bomb aimer. The pilot was bomb-aimer (as well as navigator). I believe he used the gunsight, though I am vague on the details. all the best -- Dan Ford email: (put Cubdriver in subject line) The Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com The Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com Viva Bush! blog www.vivabush.org |
#7
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In article , Kari
Korpi writes (Peter Stickney) wrote in news:i3nn4c- : In exactly the same manner as any other bombs dropped from a Mosquito FB. The bombs don't care if they are coming from teh bomb bay or a wing rack. Barring any airflow disturbances, it's all pretty much the same. Aiming would, just like manual bombing in a fighter-bomber today, be bt a combination of using the gunsight reticle and TLAR (That Looks About Right) techniques. Thanks for the info. For some reason, I've always thought that bay-mounted bombs require level laydown bombing instead of shallow dives and glide bombing, maybe due to the fact that I'd thought that in a dive, the bombs would hit the forward bulkhead without a bomb crutch But that explains a lot, though: now I realise just how those Mosquitos could do those anti-Gestapo low-level ops with such accuracy. It must have taken a lot of testicular fortitude and skill with the gunsight and ballistics, but there was no need for a long, straight, wings-level ingress for a Norden bomb run. Putting the bombs into the side of a building would be one of the easier tasks - just take a path over the building at a predetermined height and release x yards from it. A bit of prior calculation and you could choose which floor :-) I have also read a biography where the navigator recalled that he would choose a landmark one minute's flying time away from the target and then count the pilot into the drop position. And it might also have been possible to use the drift sight installed in many Mosquitos for some bombing modes. Cheers, Dave -- Dave Eadsforth |
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