WWII PTO USArmy Air Corp Anti Shipping - Looking for Information.

[Val Jester]

After the Army Aircorp gave up on the B17 as an anti shipping platform, they turned to the B25. This platform with 8 .50 cal MGs became an very successful anti shipping weapons system. Does anyone know of any books written about these aviators?

 

[Micdrow]

After the Army Aircorp gave up on the B17 as an anti shipping platform, they turned to the B25. This platform with 8 .50 cal MGs became an very successful anti shipping weapons system. Does anyone know of any books written about these aviators?

If your talking about low level strafing B-25's then yes there are several on the subject as they where used for both land and air strafing. A few from my collection

 

[Micdrow]

The Battle of the Bismarck sea by Lex MCaulay is another one that talks about staffers.

 

[special ed]

My former father-in-law was a crew chief in 19th bomb group in Australia. He told me of B-17s used in skip bombing against shipping. They painted two horizontal parallel lines on the pilot's windscreen one for 500LB bombs and the other may have been for 1000LB. The pilots had worked out the proper speed and altitude for each weight so when approaching the ship, when the painted line was on the ship's waterline for the weight of bomb, it was released. He told me the specs were determined by trial and error.

 

[MIflyer]

Yes, a couple of weeks after the battle of the Bismark Sea the IJN got more bad news when a B-17 did a low altitude attack on a cruiser and left it dead in the water near the entrance to Rabaul. And mainly they were not skip bombing, as in actually skipping the bombs off the water, but instead were low altitude bombing attacks.

 

[special ed]

He also told me of a crew that landed on a sand bar (wheels down) and crew rescued by boat that brought mechanics. After repairs, it was flown out at the next low tide.

 

[Micdrow]

If your looking for books on B-17 skip bombing I have this one in my library, I have not read it yet but on my list of things to do. All the books above I have read cover to cover though for the B-25's

 

[swampyankee]

Another anti-shipping aspect that's not been mentioned is the USAAF's use of its bombers for minelaying, including by B-29s around the Japanese home islands.

 

[MIflyer]

A very good book on aircraft versus ships in general is "Bombers Versus Battleships." The author deals with a number of specific engagements in WWII. It was a real eye-opener in some respects.

One book I have but have yet to read is "Indestructible" about the man who invented the heavily armed strafing aircraft approach used in the South Pacific.

Also there is this document:
Fifth Air Force Light and Medium Bomber Operations During 1942 and 1943: Building Doctrine and Forces That Triumphed in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea and the Wewak Raid

Available for free download at: DTIC ADA425693: Fifth Air Force Light and Medium Bomber Operations During 1942 and 1943: Building Doctrine and Forces That Triumphed in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea and the Wewak Raid : Defense Technical Information Center : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

 

[Micdrow]

A very good book on aircraft versus ships in general is "Bombers Versus Battleships." The author deals with a number of specific engagements in WWII. It was a real eye-opener in some respects.

One book I have but have yet to read is "Indestructible" about the man who invented the heavily armed strafing aircraft approach used in the South Pacific.

Also there is this document:
Fifth Air Force Light and Medium Bomber Operations During 1942 and 1943: Building Doctrine and Forces That Triumphed in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea and the Wewak Raid

Available for free download at: DTIC ADA425693: Fifth Air Force Light and Medium Bomber Operations During 1942 and 1943: Building Doctrine and Forces That Triumphed in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea and the Wewak Raid : Defense Technical Information Center : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

I've read all of these except the Sam McGowan book but have it. Just need more time A man that was a legend that's for sure. Indestructible seems to cover more of his family than the book Nathaniel Gunn wrote about his father. General Kenney's books fits nicely in between them.

If looking for a book about ship busters in the Med than ship busters wasn't a bad read.

 

[vikingBerserker]

IIRC one of Bruce Gamble's Rabaul series talks about the beginning use of heavy bombers for skip bombing. I believe the B-24 was pretty good at it.

 

[Greg Boeser]

The 308th BG, flying B-24s out of Chinese bases employed RADAR equipped aircraft for low level night intruder missions along the Chinese coast, as well as mining harbors.
One pilot earned himself a (posthumous) Medal of Honor for attacking a heavily defended convoy single handed.

 

[MIflyer]

I read a book on RAF torpedo bombers in the Med. Also "The Armed Rovers" about RAF antiship attack; that one revealed that the probability of completing a tour with a RAF antiship attack unit was 17 percent. The chance of completing two tours essentially was zero.

 

[MakerDude]

If still interested you really want to read General Kenney reports. Here is the link
https://media.defense.gov/2010/May/26/2001330291/-1/-1/0/AFD-100526-032.pdf

Also attached the pdf

 

[MIflyer]

Here is paper from 1993 on the USAAF development anti-ship techniques.