Possible Torpedo-Bombers?
- Thread starter magnocain
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syscom3
Pacific Historian
I have seen pictures of a P38 with two torpedo's, a B25 with a single torpedo, and we know the B26's at Midway were also armed with torpedo's.
kool kitty89
Senior Master Sergeant
The A-20 could also carry one, as could some variants of the Mosquito, Ju 88, Lockheed Ventura, and I believe the Beaufighter could too. (it was also developed from the Beaufort, itsself a torpedo bomber)
The Fw 190F-8 could be equipped with a torpedo as well.
The P-38 could carry a torpedo (2 actually), but I don't know howaccurate it would have been and I don't think it was used operationally. (though the good stall characteristics, lack of torque, and large fowler flaps should have allowed it to be quite stable at the low speeds necessary for launching a torpedo)
I'm not sure about the Corsair or Hellcat, but they may have been able to, particularly given their ability to carry the Tiny Tim rocket which was comperable in size and weight to a torpedo.
The P-51 wouln't be able to (or any plane with a belly radiator) and the P-47 (and P-40) wouldn't have enough clearance under the fuselage.
The Fw 190F-8 could be equipped with a torpedo as well.
The P-38 could carry a torpedo (2 actually), but I don't know howaccurate it would have been and I don't think it was used operationally. (though the good stall characteristics, lack of torque, and large fowler flaps should have allowed it to be quite stable at the low speeds necessary for launching a torpedo)
I'm not sure about the Corsair or Hellcat, but they may have been able to, particularly given their ability to carry the Tiny Tim rocket which was comperable in size and weight to a torpedo.
The P-51 wouln't be able to (or any plane with a belly radiator) and the P-47 (and P-40) wouldn't have enough clearance under the fuselage.
The Hellcat I know was tested. I have two photos of a test bed hellcat with a torpedo underneath. The Corsair Im not sure. I do know they experimented with a wing design of putting a small bomb bay in the wing for 2 fragmintion bombs to drop on enemy bomber formations.
syscom3
Pacific Historian
By midwar, the USN developed aerial torpedo modification kits that allowed them to be launched at higher speeds.
Accuracy was never an issue with torpedo's. If they worked as designed, they ran a straight and true course. If they hit anything, that was solely up to the pilot skill.
Freebird
Master Sergeant
The Beaufighter was basically an improved version of the Beaufort, the varient of the Beaufighter modified to carry a torp was known as a "Torbeau"
Thats a bit misleading. The Beaufighter married the wings, engine and tail (though all in modified form) of the Beaufort to a completely new, smaller, lighter and slimmer fuselage resulting in a different aircraft altogether.
SoD Stitch
Banned
I know the P-38 was tested with a (dummy) torpedo (torpedo on the port bomb shackle, a regular fuel tank on the starboard one), but none were ever carried operationally. I'll have to dig up the stats but, apparently, performance wasn't much affected. I believe the ground clearance was pretty tight when taking off with a torpedo on-board.
kool kitty89
Senior Master Sergeant
Freebird
Master Sergeant
You explained it better than I did...
The engine was a more powerful version was it not?
Glider
Captain
I don't know if the Mossie was ever equipped with a torpedo during the war, but it was fitted out with Highball which was a bouncing bomb designed to attack ships. These were sent to Japan but just missed the war.
Wellingtons carried two torpedo's on operations in the Med, if thats any help.
Wellingtons carried two torpedo's on operations in the Med, if thats any help.
SoD Stitch
Banned
That's it!
I just pulled out my copy of "The Lockheed P-38 Lightning", by Warren M. Bodie, and it has the same set of pictures in it. Looks like it WAS possible for the P-38 to carry two torps, but the only air-to-air shots I have show a torp on the left, and a fuel tank on the right.
Lucky13
Forum Mascot
Makes me wonder how succesful the He 111, Ju 88 and Ju 188 were as torpedo bombers....
- Thread starter
- #14
Hi Lucky,
If really interested then check out the book called Luftwaffe Aerial Torpedo Aircraft and Operations by Harold Thiele. Very interesting book.
Yes, according to the big book of Bristols (Putnam, Bristol Aircraft since 1910 - but I like my version of the title better), it gives (in the broadest of terms) 1250hp to the Hercules fitted to the Beaufort and 1400, rising to 1750 on the Beaufighter.
It also mentions the Merlin engined Beaufort III. I don't recall ever seeing a picture of one of these, has anyone got one?
kool kitty89
Senior Master Sergeant
I believe the engines were completely different, the Beaufort using the Taurus (as well as the more reliable P&W R-1830 Twin Wasp) ranging from ~1,100 hp on early models to ~1,250 hp. While the Beaufighter of course used the Hercules. (which was considerably larger and more powerful)
Colin1
Senior Master Sergeant
Below: During the summer of 1943 this A-5 was modified to carry a dummy LTF 5b torpedo. To enable it to lift this load all of the guns except the two wing root cannon were removed and a lengthened tail wheel was fitted. With the torpedo and two 66 gallon (300 litre) tanks, the Fw190 had a take-off weight of over 11,400lbs (5210Kgs).
Tests at the proving ground at Hexengrund near Gotenhafen were not successful and the torpedo-carrying fighters were not considered suitable for operations. VFW-Fokker
Tests at the proving ground at Hexengrund near Gotenhafen were not successful and the torpedo-carrying fighters were not considered suitable for operations. VFW-Fokker
