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The two leaders next took up the
question of what type of airplane
would be required to transport
atomic bombs. The Manhattan commander
noted that Oppenheimer, on
the basis of investigations carried out
at Los Alamos and Muroc Army Air
Field, had concluded that a modified
B-29 probably had the requisite
weight-carrying capacity and range.
Should the B-29, which had gone
into production in September 1943,
prove not feasible, Groves suggested
the British Lancaster would have to
be considered. This displeased
Arnold, who stated emphatically that
an American-made airplane should
carry the bombs, and he promised to
make a special effort to have a B-29
available for that purpose.(3)
(3) Groves Diary, 21 Mar 44, LRG; H. H. Arnold,
Global Mission (New York: Harper and Brothers,
1949), p. 491.
MANHATTAN: THE ARMY AND THE ATOMIC BOMB, p.520 (official history)
Given higher production priority a Lincoln could probably have done the job as well.
Operating from Okinawa or Iwo Jima a Lancaster Mk VI could have carried either bomb design and dropped it at the same altitude as historically and performed a similar high speed turn away.
I've often read there wasn't any real fire lit under getting Bomber Command better aircraft at a certain point late in the war.
But not by August 1945 and again, it's not American, not to mention ignoring the issue of Iwo Jima and Okinawa being in range of Japanese aircraft.
See page 1 post #4 of this thread for the reason.Why not? Okinawa was in use an a USAAF base by then.
BTW, here's a link to an article on the planned development and deployment of long range Lancasters and Lincolns to the far east:
https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/docume...AS_Air_Land_Co-op_in_Op_TELIC_Tiger_Force.pdf
Why not? Okinawa was in use an a USAAF base by then.
BTW, here's a link to an article on the planned development and deployment of long range Lancasters and Lincolns to the far east:
https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/docume...AS_Air_Land_Co-op_in_Op_TELIC_Tiger_Force.pdf
See page 1 post #4 of this thread for the reason.
The atomic bomber and support structure had to be TOTALLY out of reach of Japanese air strikes, no equivocation in that equation.
In July/August 1945, Okinawa was still able to be attacked by Japanese air power.
I've been reading your document, fascinating stuff, but to me the saddle tank option looks like turning any mission into a suicide mission if you get intercepted. Likewise removing the mid upper turret. It all looks like ignoring the lessons learnt during the battles over Europe.
I think you'll find the Silverplate modified B-29s performed a lot different if you're going to compare a stock Mk VI to a stock B-29The B29 service ceiling wasn't much different from a Mk VI when both were loaded to max TO weight. Both aircraft would have to burn some fuel to operate above 30k ft.
I think you'll find the Silverplate modified B-29s performed a lot different if you're going to compare a stock Mk VI to a stock B-29
Lots of people were on the Manhattan security clearance list including Cdn PM Mackenzie King.Silverplate mods were done in the US. Where would the Lancaster mods have happened. By involving a second country, security would have been impossible along with the British wanting to have their say with every change. Security in the US was difficult enough. When special requirements were needed, Tibbets only had to mention Silverplate.
In any event, using in air refuelling, the Lancaster could deliver the bomb from Tinian.
Again though, we are looking at timelines. As is often the case in this forum, could'a, would'a, should'a. The Lanc VI was not put into production, the Lincoln was not built in sufficient numbers by that time and neither were American - an important point you're ignoring. Are we to assume an alteration of timeline? I doubt the 'seriously considered' quote to be frank; that the option was discussed is well known by now, but it is highly unlikely that any further action in this regard was carried out. I doubt any real feasibility studies (unless anyone can provide any evidence of such a thing) were carried out, which would have exposed the primary weakness of using the Lancaster; its performance was just not up to scratch.
The Americans wanted Tinian because of its distance from Japan and the infrastructure already in place and when decisions were initially made to plan the raids, neither Okinawa nor Iwo Jima could really be considered feasible, being firmly in Japanese hands. The latter was captured in March 1945 and the former in April. Hinging bets on availability of these islands based on some really big unknowns for such an important raid was not going to enter the equation, let's be serious.
Tiger Force was an interesting undertaking but was dependent on the end of war in Europe to free up crews and aircraft, which at the time investigations were being undertaken in 1944 was entirely uncertain and realistically, once 8 May 1945 happens, we are really looking at late 1945, early 1946 before the RAF is equipped with in-flight refuelling capability and sufficient numbers of long range bombers to be effective, that is, only if the work talked about in that RAF paper was seriously undertaken.
IIRC, the designer of the Lancaster was asked if the Lancaster could carry a bomb with the dimensions of "Fat Man" and he answered in the affirmative.
If at some point, say 1 Jan 1944, the USAAF and Groves decided that the B-29 was too much of a long shot to carry the bomb (and the troubling unreliability of it's engines must have been a consideration) , could the Lancaster/Lincoln have done the job if given the extra priority and resources that went into the Silverplate B-29s?