Kevin J
Banned
It took tallboy bombs to destroy the Tirpitz flown by Lancasters based in Russia. The SBD would have failed just like the Barracudas did with their 3600 lb bombs.
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It took tallboy bombs to destroy the Tirpitz flown by Lancasters based in Russia. The SBD would have failed just like the Barracudas did with their 3600 lb bombs.I wonder how effective that the SBD would have been against Tirpitz at sea? In her hideaway I believe Tirpitz was dive bombed yielding mainly superficial damage. However fo a raider not too hard to achieve a mission kill, such as the minor damage to Bismarcks bow which caused a number of other unfortunate events to tumble forth for her.
Certainly ships were a high value target and about the right size for the CEP of a dive bomber. Ground targets generally not as high value and smaller, less susceptible to damage.
As to the British aerial torpedos they must have been set to run pretty shallow to hit on the external armor belt, sending most of their force upwards. Perhaps the heavy seas factored in this somehow. These seemed to be effective enough at Taranto.
It took tallboy bombs to destroy the Tirpitz flown by Lancasters based in Russia. The SBD would have failed just like the Barracudas did with their 3600 lb bombs.
It took tallboy bombs to destroy the Tirpitz flown by Lancasters based in Russia. The SBD would have failed just like the Barracudas did with their 3600 lb bombs.
Operation Leader, which was primarily conducted to disrupt iron ore shipments from Norway (with the hopes that the Tirpitz would come out), was executed in October '43 as a joint operation between the USN and the RN.
In the group with the USS Ranger were the Battleships HMS Duke of York and HMS Anson, Cruisers USS Tuscaloosa, HMS Belfast and HMS Teazer and Destroyers USS Corry, USS Forrest, USS Hobson, USS Capps, USS Fitch, HMS Janus, HMS Milne, HMS Scorpion, HMS Opportune, HMS Vigilant, HMS Savage and HMS Scourge.
The air compliment aboard Ranger was:
(VF-4) 27 F4F Wildcats
(VB-4) 27 SBD Dauntlesses
(VT-4) 18 TBF Avengers
It was also there as a 2nd set of eyes for the scout/search/recon role. He was also the radio operator and again, 1939-42 ( or pick a year) were not the radios of 1944-45.the second chair I think hasn't got the attention here it should.
What were the reasons those radios required a dedicated operator?It was also there as a 2nd set of eyes for the scout/search/recon role. He was also the radio operator and again, 1939-42 ( or pick a year) were not the radios of 1944-45.
A radio with a range of several hundred miles, so necessary to the scout/search/recon function needed a dedicated operator.
Ever fine tune a long range radio transmitter, compose a message, encode it, and key it into a CW radio while dodging flak and fighters? I had a truly sadistic instrument instructor once who tried to expand my multi tasking skills by having me fly practice pattern B under the hood while giving me instructions over the intercom which I had to reply to in morse with a key clipped to my kneeboard and wired into the intercom. He almost had me talked into joining the ham radio club until he pulled that stunt.What were the reasons those radios required a dedicated operator?
Part of that training was in photography and mapping, too. At least, that's how it was in the SBD-5s. That second chair wasn't just there for the gunnery, that's right.It was also there as a 2nd set of eyes for the scout/search/recon role. He was also the radio operator and again, 1939-42 ( or pick a year) were not the radios of 1944-45.
A radio with a range of several hundred miles, so necessary to the scout/search/recon function needed a dedicated operator.
No I haven't. What does the fine tuning encompass?Ever fine tune a long range radio transmitter, compose a message, encode it, and key it into a CW radio while dodging flak and fighters? I had a truly sadistic instrument instructor once who tried to expand my multi tasking skills by having me fly practice pattern B under the hood while giving me instructions over the intercom which I had to reply to in morse with a key clipped to my kneeboard and wired into the intercom. He almost had me talked into joining the ham radio club until he pulled that stunt.
Cheers,
Wes
Part of that training was in photography and mapping, too. At least, that's how it was in the SBD-5s. That second chair wasn't just there for the gunnery, that's right.
The instructor was an Army E6 radar technician from a nearby HAWK battery who taught in the Navy Flying Club and was president of the base ham radio club. His home radio setup consisted of a Heathkit receiver he built himself and a honking big WWII vintage military surplus transmitter that had multiple RF frequency tuning dials, both coarse and vernier. As SR6 mentioned, it was prone to drifting off frequency, and had some sort of an arrangement through the receiver that caused a beat frequency to develop in the earphones if the transmitter drifted off the receiver's far more precise crystal controlled frequency. So you were sending code with your right hand and constantly tweaking the verniers with your left to suppress the beat frequencies in your ears. Those of you who've flown older multi engine planes with no propeller auto synch can relate to that. Joe told me that type of transmitter was used in Navy patrol bombers in WWII. In any case it's clear that a single seat long range scout plane was problematical with the radio technology of the day.No I haven't. What does the fine tuning encompass?
Was that instrument instructor situation civilian or military? What happened with that?
That's one I never knew, GG. The closest I'd ever come to knowing it was knowing they could swivel in the chair and face forward. Given this insight, that in itself is good to know, as otherwise they'd be having to fly it backwards, lol...If the rear gunner didn't wear enough hats already, he could also fly the aircraft in an emergency from the auxiliary flight controls.
From what I've read, the tallboys didn't really do any more damage to the Tirpitz, it was already sunk, and sitting on the floor of the fjord with it's decks still above water. It was already "done" and the 617th just added to the misery of the sailors aboard. It literally couldn't go anywhere at all.It took tallboy bombs to destroy the Tirpitz flown by Lancasters based in Russia. The SBD would have failed just like the Barracudas did with their 3600 lb bombs.
From what I've read, the tallboys didn't really do any more damage to the Tirpitz, it was already sunk, and sitting on the floor of the fjord with it's decks still above water. It was already "done" and the 617th just added to the misery of the sailors aboard. It literally couldn't go anywhere at all.
I'll have to dig up the book I got that from, but that's what the author claimed.
You're welcome.That's one I never knew, GG. The closest I'd ever come to knowing it was knowing they could swivel in the chair and face forward. Given this insight, that in itself is good to know, as otherwise they'd be having to fly it backwards, lol...
But seriously, I don't believe this never came up in any discussions I'd had, or research I'd undertaken. Thanks for pointing it out.