They were, but presented too large a target for AA gunners. Engaging anyone who could shoot back while approaching at torpedo drop speed would be suicide.
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They were, but presented too large a target for AA gunners. Engaging anyone who could shoot back while approaching at torpedo drop speed would be suicide.Kenny's B-17s of the 5th AF were highly successful with their low-level skip bombing attacks.
Torpedoes could have been deployed in the same fashion.
The 5th AF B-17s entered their bombing run from 2,000+ feet and entered a shallow dive, levelling out at 500 to 800 feet above the water.They were, but presented too large a target for AA gunners. Engaging anyone who could shoot back while approaching at torpedo drop speed would be suicide.
Because improved Mk13s were not fielded before B-17s were withdrawn from Pacific combat ops in 1943.The 5th AF B-17s entered their bombing run from 2,000+ feet and entered a shallow dive, levelling out at 500 to 800 feet above the water.
Once the bombs were released, they egressed a few hundred feet above the water until clear on any AA threat.
This tactic is also very close to a torpedo bomber attack profile.
The improved Mark 13 (max. drop speed: 290mph, max. drop height: 800ft.) was able to be delivered with success at high speed by the TBF at about the same height as Kenny's B-17 attack runs.
So why not?
However, *if* it was seen as a viable platform for delivery, I would imagine that they would have kept it in combat for that purpose.Because improved Mk13s were not fielded before B-17s were withdrawn from Pacific combat ops in 1943.
I didn't.Don't forget the B-17s used by the 54th TCW's airdrop section.
Also, I'd imagine the horizontal profile of a b-17 isn't much larger than a 2 engine bomber which had success in the axis (ju-88, g4m) bonus points for a better sighting system for gyroscopes in the b-17, they could launch 4 torpedos per plane easily several thousand yards away, much safer than skipbombing.
Imagine such a fleet in the Philippines in 1941.
You'd probably need to change the early war to get america to get inspired, probably a ju-88 assault on scapa flow or a land based Taranto raid instead.
The problem is, that the Mark 13 was garbage before the late '42 revamp.
The improved Mark 13's max. drop speed was 290mph at a max. drop height of 800ft.Right, and even if the torpedo detonators and depth-running ran perfectly, you're still asking big planes to get down to 120mph IAS at 150' max, and then dodge counterfire.
The improved Mark 13's max. drop speed was 290mph at a max. drop height of 800ft.
The TBF/TBM used these improved fish with good success.
There was an overlap in the timeline and bear in mind, that the B-17, from it's inception, through the later variants, had provisions for external bomb shackles that could have easily accomated torps.Sure, but you're not getting that in 1942, which is when the B-17s were trialing skip-bombing and about ready to get pulled from theater anyway. Those improved Mk13s didn't come out until late 43/early 44, when most of those -17s were gone except for hack duty.
If you want to bring Forts back to SoWesPac for this duty with improved/fixed/working Mk 13s, Kenney's going to have to win out over Arnold and Spaatz sending them to 8AF. That's not going to happen.
There won't be any B-17s carrying four torpedoes, sad to say -- because that would be an awesome look.
There was an overlap in the timeline and bear in mind, that the B-17, from it's inception, through the later variants, had provisions for external bomb shackles that could have easily accomated torps.
Also, Kenny (and Pappy Gunn) were notorious for doing what they wanted, much to the disdain of the "boss".
This included using B-17s for skip-bombing, which got their asses chewed, but when the word went up the chain that they were corn-holing Japanese shipping, the heavy breathing from the brass backed off.
MK 13 torpedoes were good for about 33-34 knots.There's a lot of run time on a maybe 40 mph torpedo, and a lot of time for even a slow supply ship to maneuver .
A B-17F might be good for about 235-240mph at sea level, depending on weight and that is clean, and at in the mid 50s for weight. A few torpedoes are going to slow it down a bit.
B-17Gs are a bit slower. maybe 5-10mph?
You are depending on the crappy Japanese AA to get this to work.
Let's keep in mind that skip-bombing required the aircraft to get up close and personal with their victims.