Fake B-26 photo?

[Thorlifter]

This photo seems to show a LOT of bombs exiting this B-26. Even if these were 250 pounders, I could at least 25-26 bombs in this photo, which would be over 6,000lbs of bombs. That's more than the Marauder could even carry.

What do you guys think?

 

[ww2restorer]

Also must be flying under radio control, where are the pilots? see attached photo, pilots seated inline with the medium stanchion

.

 

[Thorlifter]

It's a ghost plane! That would certainly explain the infinite amount of bombs.

 

[Capt. Vick]

It's how we won the war boys! Ghost planes!

 

[fubar57]

Might explain why a certain thread was created long ago and i won't mention..............ever!!!!!

 

[Capt. Vick]

Why Geo? Why? I thought we buried that one for good! I fear the worst!

 

[Greg Boeser]

It is suspicious. The front bomb bay only had 20 stations.

 

[Gnomey]

Why Geo? Why? I thought we buried that one for good! I fear the worst!

However deep we bury it, it always seems to come back...

 

[tyrodtom]

They also had 100lb bombs, pretty useful against vehicles and troops in the open.
It hard to size the bombs in the picture, but the 100 GP was less than 4 feet long, and kinda slim like the bombs pictured,

Also there's 100lb practice bombs in that era, but the bombs pictured look like they have nose fuses.

And as for the cockpit looking empty, at some angles the sun can hit a piece of glass, or Plexiglas, and it will reflect back like a mirror, you can't see thru it.

 

[Milosh]

30 100lb bombs could be carried.
http://www.alternatewars.com/BBOW/Aircraft/B-26_BombChart.pdf

 

[GrauGeist]

Might explain why a certain thread was created long ago and i won't mention..............ever!!!!!

but you just DID!!

 

[Thorlifter]

30 100lb bombs could be carried.
http://www.alternatewars.com/BBOW/Aircraft/B-26_BombChart.pdf

Thanks for the info Milosh. I was wondering what the bomb count was. My only thing is those certainly look larger than 100 pounders. And like WW2restorer pointed out, where is the pilot? Ooooooo, I know. He put the plane on auto pilot and he is now the bombadier.

 

[ww2restorer]

And as for the cockpit looking empty, at some angles the sun can hit a piece of glass, or Plexiglas, and it will reflect back like a mirror, you can't see thru it.

Looking at the photo and the background, it doesn't appear the sun is a problem.

 

[fubar57]

I've seen various figures for bomb loads depending on variants and the B-26.com site says the aircraft could carry up to 4800lbs. if both bays were used and the above aircraft looks like only the forward bay is open, the below photo shows the aft bay

 

[fubar57]

These are the lengths of the 100lb. and 250lb. bombs...

 

[Thorlifter]

Another question for my observant friends here. Let's say the bombs are 100 pounders and it could carry this many. Given the distance of the bombs falling from the plane, wouldn't the first bomb out be farther behind the plane? It also appears the B-26 is really spitting those bombs out fast. Would the release mechanism work that fast?

I don't know why I'm so interested in this silly picture. I just think it's all kinds of wrong.

 

[fubar57]

Trying to find something that mentions the lenght of the bomb bay, which, given the lengths of the above bombs, should tell which bombs are being dropped

 

[Thorlifter]

You da man Fubar! Thanks for your help!

 

[stona]

Let's say the bombs are 100 pounders and it could carry this many. Given the distance of the bombs falling from the plane, wouldn't the first bomb out be farther behind the plane? .

No, I don't think so. Bombs obey the laws of physics just like everything else.

I think that the original photo does show 100lb bombs, I've seen it captioned that way. It has been fiddled with, but just how much I don't know.

Cheers

Steve

 

[fubar57]

Still can't find any freakin' bomb bay dimensions but I did find out about the aircraft in the first post. It was a B-26B-50-MA and belonged to the 387th BG, 556th BS of the Ninth Air Force. I also just read that the Ninth AF always had the rear bomb bays sealed on the B-26. Using Milosh's chart, it states that the forward bomb bay could carry only 20 100lb. bombs, less than shown in the photo