Maybe a stupid question, maybe not... But i would like to know the answer.

[Flyboy2]

So in one of my classes a friend of mine who has a few less brain cells than most saw me reading Catch-22. She asked me about it and got into a discussion. For some reason I mentioned gunner on a bomber, she asked what they did and I told her. She was perplexed because she didn't understand why the bombers didn't just drop bombs on the enemy fighters. I told her it was nearly impossible

Now I would like to know if this ever happened. I know if it did it was a one in a million shot but are there any documented cases of this?

 

[Matt308]

First, the ONLY way to properly explain this to her is over dinner or a movie. Any other method is folly and will not result in proper conveyance of technical clarity.

Large bombers did not "bomb" small fighters. However, the Japanese did use small fighters/fighter-bombers to drop phosphorous bombs in large bomber groups (e.g., B-29 formations) to break them up. However, the technique was virtually ineffective.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

YES - I believe during WW2 bombs were dropped on bombers from fighters (Luftwaffe). I know some of our other folks could provide accurate info on this. I do know during the GW1 an F-15E dropped a bomb on a Super Felon helicopter and the crew of the F-15 credited with a kill.

 

[Bill G.]

Flyboy2, a bomber hitting a moving target at altitude was just about impossible with "dumb" bombs. Just look at the B-17s trying to bomb moving ships at the Battle of Midway! They dropped quite a few bombs with ZERO hits! It was hard enough for the various gunners to be able to hit attacking fighter planes.

There is the famous picture of a B-17 dropping bombs that accidentally hit another B-17 below it. But that is about the only time I remember a bomber hitting another airplane in flight at altitude. It is a great sounding idea, but it just don't work in practice.

But remember in Great Britain during the night blitz, very smart people actually tried for a bit to figure out how to "solidify" the beam of a search light so they could "knock down" the Luftwaffe bombers.

But maybe you will just have to settle for explaining to her that since bombs can only fall downwards, the gunners are for dealing with planes that are ABOVE the bomber! Then "cut and run"!

Bill G.

 

[GrauGeist]

LOL Matt!

First, the ONLY way to properly explain this to her is over dinner or a movie. Any other method is folly and will not result in proper conveyance of technical clarity.

Good one!

Perhaps an analogy would help explain to her, the difference between a bomber and a fighter...

Have her imagine a Pelican trying to drop an egg on a Hummingbird...the Hummingbird is just to fast and agile for the lumbering Pelican to score a hit...

 

[Flyboy2]

Haha thanks guys... I was just making sure because I didn't want to be proved wrong by her. I tried to explain the technical details of hitting a manuveuring target with a dumb bomb with no avail. Went right over her head

This same girl also thought that a puppet dictator was some type of two way TV set like in 1984 when we discussed World War II and Mussolini's relationship with Hitler. My teacher said he was a puppet dictator and she took it very literaly

 

[evangilder]

But bombers did drop bombs on fighter airfields, so technically, the bombed fighters. They just happened to be sitting on the ground at the time...

 

[Bill G.]

Here is a dumb question for Flyboy2.

By any chance is this lady Blonde?????

Bill G.

 

[syscom3]

Didn't the Japanese try "bombing" B24 formations with white phosphorus bombs?

I swear Ive seen a picture of a B24 over Truk Atoll with the WP streamers in the background.

 

[Airframes]

With her family originally from Essex? (Sorry, British joke!)

 

[Njaco]

28 July 1943

GERMANY: US VIII Bomber Command Mission Number 78: The aviation industry in Germany was targeted but bad weather hampered the raids. The targets were: 58 of 182 B-17 Flying Fortresses dispatched bombed the Fieseler Works at Kassel, Germany. They claimed 27-15-22 Luftwaffe aircraft; 7 B-17s were lost. 37 of 120 B-17s dispatched bombed the Fw 190 plant at Oschersleben, Germany. They claimed 56-19-41 Luftwaffe aircraft; 15 B-17s were lost. This was the deepest US bomber penetration into Germany to date. The raid achieved good results however, 22 B-17s were lost as fighters scored first effective results with rockets. 105 P-47 Thunderbolts, equipped with jettissonable belly tanks for the first time on a mission, escorted the B-17s into Germany. Other P-47s, going more than 30 miles (48 km) deeper into Germany than they have ever penetrated before, met the returning bombers. They surprised about 60 German fighters and destroyed 9 of them; 1 P-47 was lost.
....Bf 109s from II./JG 11 and I./JG 1 intercepted the bombers. But 11 Messerschmitts of 5./JG 11, led by Hptm. Heinz Knocke, hung back away from the attack. Each of these fighters was carrying a 55lb bomb underneath the fuselage with timed fuses. The fighter-bombers set themselves at 3,000 ft above the bombers and after setting direction and range, released the bombs. One bomb exloded in the middle of a formation and 3 B-17s crashed together, destroyed. Free of the bombs, the fighters attacked. The fighters of II./JG 11, under Gunther Sprecht, scored 11 kills while JG 1 pilots claimed 8 bomber kills. The remaining B-17s were then attacked by I./JG 26 who claimed 2 more bombers. The escorting P-47s of the US 4th FG then entered the melee over Holland, attacking abpout 45 Luftwaffe fighters. One P-47 was shot down by Hptm. Hermichen of I./JG 26 but fighter losses for the Germans was heavy. JG 1 and JG 11 lost 20 Fw 190s and Bf 109s shot down with 3 pilots killed while the fighters of I./JG 26 lost 3 Fw 190s.

 

[seesul]

Another case but somewhere on the net I saw a B-17 dropping a bomb on another B-17 that flew in lower altitude. If I´m not wrong one elevator broke away and the pure Fort went down... I´m sure someone will find this pic (there were 3 I guess taken in sequence) on the net...

Joe, a friend of mine from my siggy, told me that on one of their missions flown over France (perhabs Pouzin) his Fort dropped a bomb on Mitchell flying in the lower altitude. Wing went out...and no chutes seen as Mitchell went in the spin...

 

[evangilder]

There is also the theory that Glenn Miller was lost when his aircraft was struck by bombs from a Lancaster bomber.

 

[timshatz]

There is also the theory that Glenn Miller was lost when his aircraft was struck by bombs from a Lancaster bomber.

I think that was the blast, not the bombs. The whole stream salvoed at the same time and the blast flipped his bird over. Evidently, it was pretty low.

On the other hand, what's the difference between the blast and the bomb if you end up fish food.

 

[rochie]

glen millers aircraft was flying over an area of sea that bombers used to drop any unused ordinance before RTB

 

[Airframes]

It's thought that Miller's Noorduyn Norseman was struck by a bomb, jettisoned from a Lanc over the designated area of sea. A rear gunner observed the aircraft, much lower than his Lanc, and then saw it nose over and go in.
The incidence of bombs falling onto 'friendly' aircraft was common, particularly with RAF night bombing ops, where aircraft have been known to have been seriously damaged by falling bombs and, in some cases destroyed. Apart from the pics that Roman mentions, there are various pics of damage caused to B17's, B24's, and Lancasters, some whilst airborne, others taken when the aircraft was fortunate enough to return to base.

 

[fly boy]

i know this is a little off but i have flown it some bombs before but on a history note i think at least three times that happend

 

[FLYBOYJ]

i know this is a little off

AN UNDERSTATEMENT

 

[Flyboy2]

By any chance is this lady Blonde?????

No she's not blonde, which is quite suprising, and she isn't from Essex either, she's from Vegas like me.

I just wanted to make sure I was a complete idiot by telling her there's no recorded incident of it happening.

 

[Graeme]

C'mon Flyboy2, admit it, you have feelings for this girl! Stop trying to win the argument and admit defeat, by showing her this photo of a Yak narrowly evading a bomb fired at it from a bomber.

Then, maybe, say something along the lines of "enough about bombers and fighters, let's talk about YOU"...