B-29 Question

[FLYBOYJ]

I still believe the 8 was a precessor to the 15. Both are pretty large and weigh around 125lbs. The CFC's position barbers chair had the same basic sight as the blister gunners except the sight was mounted on a ring.

I thought I saw one link that say the 5 weighed 40 pounds. I'll try to find it.

 

[evangilder]

I am still digging, but I found this in the B-29 in action book:
(paraphrasing a bit here from brevity)

Bell built the B-29B. It was basically a production version that had a lot of the armament stripped out for Curt LeMay's new tactics.

The tail mounted twin .50s were aimed and fired with the AN/APG-15B radar fire control system.

 

[evangilder]

More info from the book. It states that the APQ-13 had a thirty inch radome that extended from the bottom of the fuselage.

I also found this pic in the book (photo credit Dave Lucabaugh) of "Ding How". Are these radar antenna, or is it some sort of navigation/radio antenna? I am talking about the 4 vertical masts on the side of the fuselage. The top, bullet shape antenna is the ADF.

 

[evangilder]

Little more reading and diggin through other material. The APQ-13 radar was a radar used from bombing. But on the Enola Gay site (http://www.nasm.si.edu/museum/garber/enola/intparts.htm) they also list some other nifty little wonder toys:

RAVEN racks (electronic counter measures) missing:
APR-4 Radar Search Receiver 40-1000 MHZ,
APR-5 Radar Search Receiver 1000-6000 MHZ,
APA-11 Pulse Analyzer,
APA-10 Panoramic Adaptor,
APT-2 Airborne Jamming Transmitter 450-720 MHZ
PP-32/AR Rectifier Power Unit
PP-58/APA-5 Rectifier Power Unit

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Grat stuff Eric! I think those antenna are for a primative glide slope

 

[evangilder]

Ah, I was wondering if that was a navaids device as it was one of the -29s that flew over the hump. I had not seen that on any other superforts.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

It might be this DF homing system that kept an aircraft on a flight path by using tones. I'm working tomorrow, I could research this at work if someone doesn't figure it out first

 

[DaveB.inVa]

The AN/APQ-13 was a lot like the H2X from what I have read.

You can see the picture of the AN/APQ-15 ball hanging off the back of the picture of the B model I posted on a previous page. From what I read about that there were a few models of that one as well.

Heres a pretty good site concerning radar:
http://www.vectorsite.net/ttwizc.html

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Her's a listing of radars developed during and used in post WW2. I copied a few from the noted site. Note the discriptions of the ones used on the B-29....

AN/APG-1 S-Band Intercept Radar; used in P-61B
AN/APG-2 S-Band Intercept Gun Laying Radar; used in P-61
AN/APG-3 Tail Gun Laying Radar; manufactured by General Electric; used in B-29 and B-36B
AN/APG-4 L-Band Low Altitude Torpedo Release Radar "Sniffer"; used in TBM
AN/APG-5 S-Band Gun Laying/Range-Finding Radar; used in B-17, B-24 and F-86A (AN/APG-5C)
AN/APG-6 L-Band Low Altitude Bomb Release Radar "Super Sniffer" (improved AN/APG-4)
AN/APG-7 Glide Bomb Control Radar "SRB" (Seeking Radar Bomb)
AN/APG-8 S-Band Turret Fire Control Radar; used in B-29B
AN/APG-9 L-Band Low Altitude Bomb Release Radar (improved AN/APG-6)
AN/APG-10 Weapons System Radar (no details)
AN/APG-11 L-Band Toss Bombing Radar
AN/APG-12 L-Band Low Altitude Bomb Release Radar (improved AN/APG-9)
AN/APG-13 S-Band Nose Gun Laying Radar "Falcon"; manufactured by General Electric; used with 75mm nose gun of B-25H
AN/APG-14 S-Band Gun Sight Radar; used in B-29
AN/APG-15 S-Band Tail Gun Radar; used in B-29B, PB4Y
AN/APG-16 X-Band Gun Laying Radar (modification of AN/APG-2); used in B-32, XB-48
AN/APG-17 S-Band Low Altitude Bomb Release Radar (improved AN/APG-4)
AN/APG-18 X-Band Turret Control Radar (improved AN/APG-5); manufactured by Martin; used with "S-4" gunsight
AN/APG-19 X-Band Fire Control Radar; manufactured by Martin (improved AN/APG-8 and -18 )
AN/APG-20 S-Band Low Altitude Bomb Release Radar (improved AN/APG-6)

http://www.designation-systems.net/usmilav/jetds/an-apg.html

 

[evangilder]

I have read that Bell built 311 of the B-29Bs.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I have read that Bell built 311 of the B-29Bs.

Yep - In Marietta Georgia - The facility is now Lockheed's

 

[evangilder]

Man, I am learning a lot here! This has been a pretty cool collaborative effort so far!

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Check this out....

http://riemarfamily.com/falcon in action page 3.html

 

[syscom3]

Ah, I was wondering if that was a navaids device as it was one of the -29s that flew over the hump. I had not seen that on any other superforts.

You notice it had eight camels painted on its side....... "Ding How" must have flown the hump right times.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

More info from the book. It states that the APQ-13 had a thirty inch radome that extended from the bottom of the fuselage.

I also found this pic in the book (photo credit Dave Lucabaugh) of "Ding How". Are these radar antenna, or is it some sort of navigation/radio antenna? I am talking about the 4 vertical masts on the side of the fuselage. The top, bullet shape antenna is the ADF.

Ding How was one of the B-29s that landed in USSR and was eventually used as a pattern aircraft for the TU-4. I found this photo of a B-29 with the same antenna. (58th Photo)

Look at the photo of the TU-4, same antenna?!?

I think it might be an early ILS antenna, but I'm guessing

 

[DaveB.inVa]

Heres another reply from a B-29 gunner. The Bud guy he's referencing is Farrell....

"I agree with Bud, We had no radar assist only rough computer assist and if you didn't preset the expected aircraft even being perfect with the reticle you would get a false reading from the computer. - Tony"

I'll ask them about the 14 radar and see what comes up.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Heres another reply from a B-29 gunner. The Bud guy he's referencing is Farrell....

"I agree with Bud, We had no radar assist only rough computer assist and if you didn't preset the expected aircraft even being perfect with the reticle you would get a false reading from the computer. - Tony"

I'll ask them about the 14 radar and see what comes up.

Was he a Korean War vet as well?

 

[wmaxt]

That red light may only signify the gun is sighted and the guns are hot.

Remember the guns are controlled by the central gun control computer. radar sets of that era were huge and only mechanical computers existed, except the hanger sized one the Brits used for code breaking and it wasn't capable of the computing needed to track/coordinate a gunsight.

Another possibility is that they had an 'In Range Radar' like the P-38L had, a small (for that time) radar that bliped a light in the cockpit if an aircraft was in his six and in range to do harm. If this is the case it would be in the turrets and only available to the guy in the barber seat (my Dads description to.

My Dad was never involved with the earlier aircraft his basic involvement was B-29s, B-50s, KC-97s, KC-135s, B-47s (crashed in one on takeoff), B-52s. In Vietnam he was Senior NCO in the Engine shop, and Senior NCO of the Fighters at Edwards AFB (He doesn't like Yeager).

wmaxt

 

[DaveB.inVa]

Yes he was a Korean Vet.

I got another reply from a tail gunner that stated it was probably associated with the B model and its tail radar.

Every reply I keep getting back from both WWII and Korean gunners are saying no ranging radar though.

I got one other guy I can get ahold of who might can help. He does electronics restoration for the NASM at the Udvar-Hazy Museum. He's made some contributions to the B-29 yahoo group. A lot of his recent work has been with Enola Gay and its electronics/radar.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Yes he was a Korean Vet.

I got another reply from a tail gunner that stated it was probably associated with the B model and its tail radar.

Every reply I keep getting back from both WWII and Korean gunners are saying no ranging radar though.

I got one other guy I can get ahold of who might can help. He does electronics restoration for the NASM at the Udvar-Hazy Museum. He's made some contributions to the B-29 yahoo group. A lot of his recent work has been with Enola Gay and its electronics/radar.

Great stuff Dave! I think this is been one of the better threads I've seen here, lots of great information and history, thanks for your help. It's become a mystery to me know what Uncle Bill was talking about with regards to this. Like I said earlier, the last time I saw him he was real sick but we spent hours talking about his Korean and post Korean War activities.

If you could, ask your contacts about the B-50 in Korea. I know many publications say there were no B-50s used over Korea, Uncle Bill said he actually saw a few there (I think he said they staged out of Kadena AFB). It was at this time when he revealed about this participation in ferret missions over Western USSR. He said one of the things he and his crew were to monitor was USSR reaction time from scramble to intercept. He also spoke about "combat that never took place." He said he was witness to Sabers and Migs mixing it up just outside USSR airspace with both sides taking causalities, of course this was never reported....

That red light may only signify the gun is sighted and the guns are hot.

Remember the guns are controlled by the central gun control computer. radar sets of that era were huge and only mechanical computers existed, except the hanger sized one the Brits used for code breaking and it wasn't capable of the computing needed to track/coordinate a gunsight.

Another possibility is that they had an 'In Range Radar' like the P-38L had, a small (for that time) radar that bliped a light in the cockpit if an aircraft was in his six and in range to do harm. If this is the case it would be in the turrets and only available to the guy in the barber seat (my Dads description to.

My Dad was never involved with the earlier aircraft his basic involvement was B-29s, B-50s, KC-97s, KC-135s, B-47s (crashed in one on takeoff), B-52s. In Vietnam he was Senior NCO in the Engine shop, and Senior NCO of the Fighters at Edwards AFB (He doesn't like Yeager).

wmaxt

Great info wmaxt - that might explain "the red light Uncle Bill was talking about if this is so. Interesting about you dad too. What years was he at Edwards? I lived close to there and met many "Historically Significant People" including Yeager and I under stand why your dad didn't like him. He showed up at and Edwards Aeroclub meeting and embarrassed one of the club's safety officers (who also happened to be a test pilot, a Major if I remember right. He was rude and arrogant).

Reading about the AN/APQ-5 and some of the discovered sites, it almost seems like this equipment was randomly used and it was at the discretion of the squadron. With the -5 being first used on the B-17, you would of thought this would be standards on all aircraft?!?!