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Silver plate was the password that General Groves was given in developing the Atomic Bomb. Anything he needed he just used Silver plate. I am assuming that since the B - 29 was the delivery vehicle, it made sense that Silver plate may have been used in this contextI heard about "Silverplate" but never knew what exactly was involved. Can anyone briefly describe?
Gary
It was intended to conduct higher altitude bombing missions but the Jet Stream over Japan made that impossible, so lower altitude missions were conducted instead.Yes, I know that the bulk of B-29 missions in WW2 were at relatively low altitude. I think the Korean conflict had it up high.
No, the prevailing high altitude currents over Europe changed seasonally and were not as critical as the Jet Stream over Japan.Wasn't the slipstream one of the reasons why daylight bombing wasn't so effective in Europe?
There were mods done to the cowlings to allow more airflow, the cause of the engine fires, and to the supercharger/turbochargers on the engines !!! the silverplate planes were built with the mods to carry the atomic bombs !!! Some B29s had most of the defensive guns removed especially for the low level fire bombingd, more bombs carried and less jap fighters around and more P51's to defend !!!There were operational mods done to late production B-29 that were more role related too.
Did you mean Jet stream ??? The winds at altitude that raised hell with accuracy of bombing ???? The winds at various altitudes blow in different directions making any bombing run sketchy !!!! The bomb sight made no difference in accuracy, only IF there was NO wind at all and that is rare !!!! Why low level bombing was employed !!!Wasn't the slipstream one of the reasons why daylight bombing wasn't so effective in Europe?
The winds at altitude still played hell with bombing accuracy in Europe !!No, the prevailing high altitude currents over Europe changed seasonally and were not as critical as the Jet Stream over Japan.
The high altitude bombing accuracy over Europe is an entirely different matter and has been discussed in great length in several threads in the forums here.
Yup, meant jet stream. That's what happens when I stay up past my bedtime.Did you mean Jet stream ??? The winds at altitude that raised hell with accuracy of bombing ???? The winds at various altitudes blow in different directions making any bombing run sketchy !!!! The bomb sight made no difference in accuracy, only IF there was NO wind at all and that is rare !!!! Why low level bombing was employed !!!
All mentioed earlier in this thread including SilverplateThere were mods done to the cowlings to allow more airflow, the cause of the engine fires, and to the supercharger/turbochargers on the engines !!! the silverplate planes were built with the mods to carry the atomic bombs !!! Some B29s had most of the defensive guns removed especially for the low level fire bombingd, more bombs carried and less jap fighters around and more P51's to defend !!!
Not like over the home islands of Japan where the Jet Stream typically exists at 30 to 39 thousand feet ASL and travels westerly at 110mph.The winds at altitude still played hell with bombing accuracy in Europe !!
From what I recall, the turrets remained, but the guns and ammo were removed with the exception of the tail-gun. If not all the time, sometimes the crews were retained to operate as lookouts.Some of the B-29's had most of their guns removed for the nighttime fire raids.
What instrumentation was installed?"Silverplate" was the delivery program for the Atom bombs destined for Japan. . . . The size and weight of the bombs (there were four - one was tested state-side and two if the three remaining were deployed on Japan) dictated airframe modifications as well as additional instrumentation installed on all the bombers in the B-29 composite group.
I thought the fact that the amount of energy to climb to high altitude made it more practical to cruise lower. From what I remember, the raids carried out over Tokyo were done at something like 5000-10000' or less. What typical altitudes were seen during daytime raids after March, 1945?It was intended to conduct higher altitude bombing missions but the Jet Stream over Japan made that impossible, so lower altitude missions were conducted instead.
So, those are the versions without the gun-computer?The B-29B was a lighter version, with improved performance. 311 were built.
I guess the implementation of the new nacelles was due to the end of the war?Six B-29s were fitted with R-3350-CA-2 fuel injection engines and the revised "Andy Gump" nacelles that were intended for late production B-29As in a program to service test these new engine installations.
Do you have any pictures of that one?The single bomb bay was only on the initial test Silverplate B-29 - all of the operational ones had the standard bomb bay configuration.
I assume they loosened the cowling up? As for the turbochargers, provided I didn't misunderstand, what modifications were made there?There were mods done to the cowlings to allow more airflow, the cause of the engine fires, and to the supercharger/turbochargers on the engines
All the B-29s in the 509th composite group were able to deliver the A-bomb or monitor the drop. When Enola Gay made her run, she was accompanied by other B-29s who were acting as monitors.What instrumentation was installed?
The effort to get to altitude is rewarded by more efficient cruise at those higher altitudes.I thought the fact that the amount of energy to climb to high altitude made it more practical to cruise lower. From what I remember, the raids carried out over Tokyo were done at something like 5000-10000' or less. What typical altitudes were seen during daytime raids after March, 1945?
FascinatingAll the B-29s in the 509th composite group were able to deliver the A-bomb or monitor the drop. When Enola Gay made her run, she was accompanied by other B-29s who were acting as monitors.
When Bock's Car made their drop, Enola Gay was one of the monitors.
The instruments included weather gathering, radiation monitoring, additional radio equipment and so on.
Also, each Silverplate B-29 had an additional crew station up in the cockpit for monitoring the bomb while in the bomb bay as well as monitoring the release and detonation, called the "weaponeer station".
Theoretically: In practice, it appears to be affected by rate of climb and available range. If I recall correctly, the B-29 would break even by flying at 35000' if it could only fly 5500 miles (something that might have been beyond the capability of the plane with any payload). Though some sources list climb-rate figures that compare with the B-17, I'm not sure if that covered the fact that climb-speed was more limited due to engine cooling over other aircraft, and I'm not sure what weight it applied at.The effort to get to altitude is rewarded by more efficient cruise at those higher altitudes.
Did they fly 5000' from Tinian to Tokyo and back? Or did they cruise higher?The later daytime raids were at varying altitudes (well below 30,000 feet) but the fire-bombing raids were made at roughly 5,000 feet.