Bomb and Bomb-Bay Sizes

[EAIAnalog]

I find the picture labelled B17F_bomb_load_1 most interesting as it infers that the B-17F had a maximum bomb capacity of just 2,000lb. I think that highly unlikely but I have never studied at the B-17 loads.

If you look at the Data Card, the normal bomb load is 2064 #, and the alternate bomb load is 4128 #. So that implies that the maximum bomb load is 4128 #. Then to confuse things further, the bomb loading chart shows overload bombs, and adding in those can exceed that 4128 # limit, sometimes.

Here's the overload expansion: 24 - 100 # (2400 #); 16 - 300 # (4800 #); 12 - 500 # (6000 #); 6 - 1000 # (6000 #); 8 - 1600 # (12,800 #); 2 - 2000 # (4000 #).

 

[Shortround6]

We have to look at the stated "gross weight" and figure out how much fuel you could put in the plane and how many bombs.
Then we have the overload weights or max weights and the B-17 gets absolutely screwy here.
B-17E may have been 40,260 pounds gross, 53,000 pounds maximum.
B-17F may have been 40,437 pounds loaded, 56,500 pounds maximum.
B-17G may have been 55,000 pounds normal loaded, 72,000 pounds maximum.

There may have been in between loads and/or refits/upgrades.
How much was paper upgrades and how much involved new parts?
What were they actually operated at?
Some of the early ones had problems breaking landing gear while taxing on certain typed of air fields and/or were prohibited from doing pivot turns when over a certain weight.

However it does really leave us wondering what the bomb load of B-17 was
B-17G 32,720 pounds empty, no guns, oil crew and with ??? radios ??

 

[MiTasol]

It is a pity that Bill Runnels is long gone as he would have been able to solve this riddle.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

However it does really leave us wondering what the bomb load of B-17 was

According to my calculations it's about 55,000 Mars Bars. Fewer if you're using clamshells.

 

[SaparotRob]

We will use any measurement but metric!

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

We will use any measurement but metric!

Managing a gas station, I had a clerk who would complain about customers who came to his register and ask for "ten gallons of gas".

"Why can't they just say thirty bucks?!" he'd complain.

So one day about a few weeks later, going home for the day and filling up, I went up to his register and asked for 42,000 kiloergs of gasoline.

Jimmy stinkeyed me for a hot second and then asked, deadpan, "What grade?"

 

[Zipper730]

An excellent post as it answers the un-asked but important related question of what the aircraft pitch angle limits were for safely releasing the bombs and partially answers the post 4 quetion on clearance angles.

This incidentally means the B-17 could not be used, like the Pathfinder Lancasters were, as a dive bomber for target marking. There may, of course, have been mods to those aircraft but because it is a long wide bay I would expect there were just limitations on which locations the markers could be carried.

It wouldn't matter to be honest, as the B-17's controls would become very stiff as the airspeed builds up (Eric "Winkle" Brown noted this when he evaluated the B-17 and Lancaster).

 

[wuzak]

An excellent post as it answers the un-asked but important related question of what the aircraft pitch angle limits were for safely releasing the bombs and partially answers the post 4 quetion on clearance angles.

This incidentally means the B-17 could not be used, like the Pathfinder Lancasters were, as a dive bomber for target marking. There may, of course, have been mods to those aircraft but because it is a long wide bay I would expect there were just limitations on which locations the markers could be carried.

Generally, Pathfinders level bombed for target marking, as they relied on the electronic aids - Gee, Oboe, Gee-H, H2S.

617 squadron in 5 Group pioneered marking at low level and dive bombing, which used visual aiming.

Leonard Cheshire started low level marking with the Lancaster, but then changed to the Mosquito and finally to the Mustang, when the Mosquitoes were taken away.

 

[MiTasol]

Leonard Cheshire started low level marking with the Lancaster, but then changed to the Mosquito and finally to the Mustang, when the Mosquitoes were taken away.

A great man who did so much post war for orphans and others

 

[MiTasol]

I picked this one up in a book store yesterday

 

[wuzak]

This video talks about the Mosquito could carry the same bomb load to Berlin as the B-17 myth.


View: https://youtu.be/SSlxqpl-p6w?si=XJ6BcXB6V_EyBVv-