Best Fighter

[Lightning Guy]

I haven't seen that. Maybe they did, but carrying bombs AND all that ammo would have made take-offs exciting. I'm not sure where that much ammo would have been stored if not in the bomb bay. B-17s aren't that roomy inside.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

they carried 1.5 tons of ammo anyway, and the B-17 wasn't huge inside, where would they put it all..................

 

[plan_D]

In their pockets...

 

[Lightning Guy]

Most of that normal load was carried near the gun positions. But the ammo canisters for a waste gun (600 rds late war) were huge! If you were to triple that and add a second gun at each window . . . it's going to be really tight, if not impossible to cram that all in there.

 

[plan_D]

It might not have been triple for all guns.

 

[Lightning Guy]

Yeah. But if all of that ammo just went to a reserve in the bomb bay you wouldn't have that problem. Whichever position needed the ammo could be resupplied in flight. Of course that wouldn't have been an easy proposition.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

and what if HE rounds were used by the germans, one hit and the whold thing could blow, it would just be one huge pewder keg..............

 

[plan_D]

Hey, it was dropped anyway because it was poor so I don't know. I just read that it did carry bombs.

 

[Lightning Guy]

The HE shell argument doesn't make sense. Would it have been any safer if the bomb bay was loaded with bombs?

 

[plan_D]

Not really. They would still detonate even if they weren't armed.

 

[Lightning Guy]

Exactly. So if a lucky shot hits the bomb bay just right, whether it's bombs or ammo its bye bye for the bomber.

 

[plan_D]

Yes, but honestly I did read that they did carry bombs as well as the extra ammo.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

i don't doubt you......

So if a lucky shot hits the bomb bay just right

it would have to be a very very lucky shot, the B-17's bomb bay was tiny!!!!!!!!

 

[plan_D]

I'm sure there are records, after all there are cases of aircraft just exploding, either their fuel was struck or their bombs.

 

[Lightning Guy]

So in that case wouldn't the small bomb bay of the B-17 be an advantage and the large bay of the Lancaster be a liability?

 

[plan_D]

I suppose it would be, but hitting the bombs in general would be a hard task, especially at night. I don't think the fighters aimed for the bomb bay, it was just a lucky hit if you managed to detonate one or bad luck if you were in too close proximity.

 

[Lightning Guy]

German night fighters using Shrage Musik got in pretty close. They took extra care to hit the wings (with the engine and fuel tanks) rather than the bomb bay for that very reason.

 

[plan_D]

Well then, it wasn't that much of a liability.

 

[Lightning Guy]

No, it wasn't. I was just looking for a chance to rile Lancaster a bit.

 

[plan_D]

I think I've ruined it now.