A BOMB PATTERN IS LIKE A FOOTBALL: BOMB PATTERN ANALYSIS

One thing I never see in any WW II literature is bomb pattern analysis in
tactical bombing. There is a lot to it that we had to live with, and I thought
I would share it with those on this NG before it gets lost to history.

Think of a formation of 56 B-26 Martin Marauders in tight formation. If all are
in tight formation, and release on time and all functions are go the bomb
pattern on the ground will be shaped like a football.

After we fly a mission and the smoke has cleared a P-38 with guns removed and
fitted with cameras will over fly the target area and record the bomb pattern
damage on the ground. It should be a perfect football. But if there is a bulge
or hole in the football pattern, that is trouble.

A bulge in the pattern means someone was out of formation. And astute, well
trained., experienced photo analysis men can not only spot the bulge, they can
identify the pilot that was out of formation. And for that pilot there will be
hell to pay.

If there is a hole in the pattern it means someone dropped late, and there will
be more hell to pay. We didn't send 56 aircraft with 336 aircrews in harms way
for one pilot or bombardier to screw up the mission. And our CO never took
these screw ups lightly. But neither did the aircrews. When someone screwed
up, the aircrews made their displeasure known and friends became few and far
between even when the target was effectively hit.

But the photo guys could tell the difference between a screw up and a single
defective bomb. There were two reasons for a single defective bomb, one was it
was off weight and the other was bent vanes. There were some other causes; a
sticking A-2 shackle could cause a bomb to hang up momentarily and release
late. But that was very different than an entire bomb load going out late.

We lived with this analysis on every mission. And aft And after a mission no
news from ops was good news. And that is the way it was in tactical operations
in WW II. Moral of the story? Keep you head out of your ass and stay alert,
always alert.




Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer