8th Air Force use of Mosquitoes

[mhuxt]

the V1 casualty rate was as bad as the B-24 casualty rate over Ploesti.

The V-1 flew a predictable approach across narrow stretches of coastline, against standing patrols, proximity fuses and barrage balloons it couldn't avoid.

Hardly a worthwhile comparison to any allied bomber.

Edit - Or, what Jabberwocky said.

 

[wuzak]

Radar directed light flak was getting pretty effective by 1943. IMO 8th Air Force should stay above it. You will also avoid collisions with factory chimneys while flying through Ruhr Valley smog.

Were those radar directed light flak guns better at tracking aircraft at altitude? And wee they better when the aircraft was moving more slowly and was larger? Did it help to have targets in close formations?

 

[wuzak]

Those incendiaries are in bundles and attached to racks and/or release mechanisms are they not? I guess it depends on which incendiaries are used (some were much more "bomb like") and if the Mosquito's (or other light/medium bomber) bombay had the "flexibility of the Lancaster's. The "roof" of the Lancaster bay seems to have been a grid that various attachments could be hooked to or put through holes from above by crewmen with access from above. Other bombers may not have had the same access or adaptability.

I have discovered that the incendiaries shown ar the 4lb incendiaries, which were carried in small bomb containers. The SBCs would mount up to a standard bomb mounting (possibly the same way a bomb rack was mounted) but would not be released from the bomb bay, instead releasing the incendiaries and remaining in place. I haven't been able to find a dimension for the SBC used by the RAF.

Other incendiaries the RAF used:
IB30lb, which could be fitted in a SBC (x 8 ) or to a bomb carrier.
The 30lb Type J, which could be fitted in the 500lb cluster projectiles No4 Mk I. The cluster projectiles were 15in diameter x 69-75in long, including a tail of 25.75-31.75in long.
The 45lb Incendiary bomb, which would be carried in the SBC.
The 400lb IB, which was 17.6in in diameter x 60.8in long.
The 500lb IB, which was 13.1in in diameter x 66 in long.

Of these the 500lb IB was closest to the size of the standard GP/MC 500lb bombs, and could certainly have ben used in Mosquitoes. Not sure about the SBCs, but the cluster projectile may have been possible.

 

[Shortround6]

Here is a description of a SBC:

Blenheim armament

While the Mosquito did carry incendiaries, they are not as dense as the larger bombs. Could the Mosquito have carried more than four of the SBC or carried four of the ones used by the Lancaster?

Mosquitos did use the 500lb IB as well as a 2700lb IB (4000lb cookie casing filled with incendiary material).

But as originally sated, Incendiaries were not packed into nooks and crannies in the bomb bay around regular bombs. They can be carried instead of the regular bomb load or the racks may be split between regular bombs and incendiaries.

 

[wuzak]

Here is a description of a SBC:

Blenheim armament

While the Mosquito did carry incendiaries, they are not as dense as the larger bombs. Could the Mosquito have carried more than four of the SBC or carried four of the ones used by the Lancaster?

Mosquitos did use the 500lb IB as well as a 2700lb IB (4000lb cookie casing filled with incendiary material).

But as originally sated, Incendiaries were not packed into nooks and crannies in the bomb bay around regular bombs. They can be carried instead of the regular bomb load or the racks may be split between regular bombs and incendiaries.

I think from the looks of it it would be 2 x 500lb MC + 2 x SBC with incendiaries, or 3 and 1, or maybe 1 x 1000lb MC + 2 x SBC. I'd be quite confident that if the Blenheim could carry them so could the Mosquito. The description says that the SBC for the Lancaster was larger, so no clue if it could be fitted. If it could it would be only one or two.

Looking at the mission reports from the USAAF 303rd Bomb Group it would seem that they sometimes only carried incendiaries - usually if they were in the back of the formation. The lead groups in a bombing formation would have GP bombs, or GP + incendiaries. (303BG seemed to be lead quite a lot.)

But you are correct. Previously I thought the sticks of incendiaries could be placed in any space available, but now it is clear that they need to be in a SBC, which attaches to the same mount as a bomb rack would.

 

[Gemhorse]

Just thought I'd mention here that Mosquitos scored the best results with the least losses against the V-1 sites...

Also Elliott Roosevelt requested and obtained Mosquitos to do his recce work rather than use his P-38's...

Cheers

 

[davebender]

IMO the Mosquito was an excellent long range recon aircraft.

However the primary mission of 8th Air Force was the destruction of economic targets by bombing. That's an entirely different kettle of fish.

 

[wuzak]

As I said before, I think the early Mossies were capable of carry 2 x 1000lb MC bombs internally, but I can't confirm that.

I ask again, does anybody have a bomb rack chart or mission reports with such a load?

I can now confirm that 2 x 1000lb bombs were carried operationally by Mosquitos. From AIR 27/2148

627 Squadron ORB, 31/12/1943, Target: Gestapo Headquarters, Oslo

KB416 4 x 500lb MC
DZ461 2 x 1000lb MC
DZ611 2 x 1000lb MC
DZ530 4 x 500lb MC
DZ606 2 x 1000lb GP
KB345 4 x 500lb MC
DZ633 2 x 1000lb GP
DZ643 2 x 1000lb MC
DZ641 2 x 1000lb MC
DZ637 4 x 500lb MC
KB122 4 x 500lb MC
KB362 4 x 500lb MC

On the 29th 627 Squadron did some mining in the Elbe River.
Some of them specify bomb load as B.244, which I assume is a buoyancy bomb. Other refer to a P.640 or P.638. What are those?