Programme about Amiens Prison Raid

In article ,
"Keith Willshaw" writes:

"ArtKramr" wrote in message
...

How exactly did they aim the bombs?


The British A-2 bombsight.


The Mosquitos of no 2 Group usually used the Mk III
Low-Level bomb sight which was designed for use
below 1000ft and mostly used by coastal command

According to the copy of the orders at the Bomber COmmand link you
posted above, Keith, teh bombers were all FB Mk VIs. (SOlid-nose
Fighter bombers).

That would suggest that they used standard WW2 fighter-bomber
techniques - Reflector sight, with a depressed reticle if possible,
and use of the Pilot's 4 lb (1.7 Kilo) Meat Computer to process TLAR
information. (TLAR = That Looks About Right).

--
Pete Stickney
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many
bad measures. -- Daniel Webster

"Keith Willshaw" wrote in message ...
"ArtKramr" wrote in message
...

How exactly did they aim the bombs?


The British A-2 bombsight.


The Mosquitos of no 2 Group usually used the Mk III
Low-Level bomb sight which was designed for use
below 1000ft and mostly used by coastal command

Keith


How did this work? How was altitude maintained? how was it entered
into the bombsight? Was it a computing bombsight?

(ArtKramr) wrote in message ...
Subject: Programme about Amiens Prison Raid
From: (Eunometic)
Date: 4/26/04 7:06 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

(Krztalizer) wrote in message
...
I have tracked down and interviewed ~2 dozen Mosquito airmen and read most
of
the available works about them - first I have heard this. One hundred
knots
over the target would have been absolute suicide.

TV strikes again; within a couple of years, folks will all "agree" that
this
was a fact. :\


A dozen agincourt longbowmen with fire arrows could have brought down
the wooden wonder at that speed.

How exactly did they aim the bombs?


The British A-2 bombsight.




I forewarn you of my up an comming critical attack on the Norden next
week. I would welcome your comment.

Subject: Programme about Amiens Prison Raid
From: (Eunometic)
Date: 4/28/04 6:22 AM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

(ArtKramr) wrote in message
...
Subject: Programme about Amiens Prison Raid
From: (Eunometic)
Date: 4/26/04 7:06 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

(Krztalizer) wrote in message
...
I have tracked down and interviewed ~2 dozen Mosquito airmen and read
most
of
the available works about them - first I have heard this. One hundred
knots
over the target would have been absolute suicide.

TV strikes again; within a couple of years, folks will all "agree" that
this
was a fact. :\


A dozen agincourt longbowmen with fire arrows could have brought down
the wooden wonder at that speed.

How exactly did they aim the bombs?


The British A-2 bombsight.




I forewarn you of my up an comming critical attack on the Norden next
week. I would welcome your comment.


I am no longer subscibed to this NG but I do look in now and again. I'll try to
look in and catch it if I get a chance..


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

A dozen agincourt longbowmen with fire arrows could have brought down
the wooden wonder at that speed.

How exactly did they aim the bombs?


At a hundred knots, I assume you open a window and casually drop em over the
side.

G

"Eunometic" wrote in message
om...
nt (Krztalizer) wrote in message
...
I have tracked down and interviewed ~2 dozen Mosquito airmen and read
most of
the available works about them - first I have heard this. One hundred
knots
over the target would have been absolute suicide.

TV strikes again; within a couple of years, folks will all "agree" that
this
was a fact. :\


A dozen agincourt longbowmen with fire arrows could have brought down
the wooden wonder at that speed.


Not ardly, the Germans had their work cut out
with light flak, that plywood structure was surprisingly
tough

How exactly did they aim the bombs?

They had this amazing invention called a bombsight
specifically the Mk III Low-Level (Angular Velocity)
Bombsight designed for use at altitudes below 1000 ft
and primarily used by coastal command for anti-shipping use.

Keith

Eunometic wrote:
nt (Krztalizer) wrote in message
...
I have tracked down and interviewed ~2 dozen Mosquito airmen and
read most of the available works about them - first I have heard
this. One hundred knots over the target would have been absolute
suicide.

TV strikes again; within a couple of years, folks will all "agree"
that this was a fact. :\


A dozen agincourt longbowmen with fire arrows could have brought down
the wooden wonder at that speed.

How exactly did they aim the bombs?

We'd just had a documentary about it on Channel 5 in the UK, just last week.
The narrator said they just used their judgement.

I can't remember whether I recorded it but I'll look through my tapes to
check,


Richard.

"Richard Brooks" wrote in message ...
Eunometic wrote:
nt (Krztalizer) wrote in message
...
I have tracked down and interviewed ~2 dozen Mosquito airmen and
read most of the available works about them - first I have heard
this. One hundred knots over the target would have been absolute
suicide.

TV strikes again; within a couple of years, folks will all "agree"
that this was a fact. :\


A dozen agincourt longbowmen with fire arrows could have brought down
the wooden wonder at that speed.

How exactly did they aim the bombs?

We'd just had a documentary about it on Channel 5 in the UK, just last week.
The narrator said they just used their judgement.

I can't remember whether I recorded it but I'll look through my tapes to
check,


No one seems to know for sure do they?

The task of bomb aiming at low level must have been formidable. For
instance if a bombsight was used it would need to know altitude above
ground. But how? A radio altimeter feeding into a computing
bombsight would be maybe 30ft. A barometric device about the same but
would need to also need to know the altitude above sea level which
adds another source of error. Maybe there more accurate devices but
I don't think so.

In an attack at 100ft a 50ft errror would produce a big error in bomb
hit: about 30/100 = 50%

In an attack at 8000 ft that is 30/8000 or about 0.4%

The most accurate method of attack I think of is the glide/slide
bombing using a computing bombsight (eg the Stuvi of the Ju 88 and I
think some of the British sights could work in a dive) but that still
isn't a low level attack whuch could get a bomb within 10 meters quite
with good consistantly.

I recall reading about Fw 190 pilots on the Eastern front attacking
T34 tanks simply by flying the nose over the tank and releasing a bomb
to slide along the steppe. It was regarded as accurate method.

So I suspect they relied to a certain extent on the bomb sliding along
the ground. The accuracy required would be greatly reduced.





Richard.

Eunometic wrote:
"Richard Brooks" wrote in
message ...
Eunometic wrote:
nt (Krztalizer) wrote in message
...
I have tracked down and interviewed ~2 dozen Mosquito airmen and
read most of the available works about them - first I have heard
this. One hundred knots over the target would have been absolute
suicide.

TV strikes again; within a couple of years, folks will all "agree"
that this was a fact. :\


A dozen agincourt longbowmen with fire arrows could have brought
down the wooden wonder at that speed.

How exactly did they aim the bombs?

We'd just had a documentary about it on Channel 5 in the UK, just
last week. The narrator said they just used their judgement.

I can't remember whether I recorded it but I'll look through my
tapes to check,


No one seems to know for sure do they?

The task of bomb aiming at low level must have been formidable. For
instance if a bombsight was used it would need to know altitude above
ground. But how? A radio altimeter feeding into a computing
bombsight would be maybe 30ft. A barometric device about the same but
would need to also need to know the altitude above sea level which
adds another source of error. Maybe there more accurate devices but
I don't think so.

In an attack at 100ft a 50ft errror would produce a big error in bomb
hit: about 30/100 = 50%

In an attack at 8000 ft that is 30/8000 or about 0.4%

The most accurate method of attack I think of is the glide/slide
bombing using a computing bombsight (eg the Stuvi of the Ju 88 and I
think some of the British sights could work in a dive) but that still
isn't a low level attack whuch could get a bomb within 10 meters quite
with good consistantly.

I recall reading about Fw 190 pilots on the Eastern front attacking
T34 tanks simply by flying the nose over the tank and releasing a bomb
to slide along the steppe. It was regarded as accurate method.

So I suspect they relied to a certain extent on the bomb sliding along
the ground. The accuracy required would be greatly reduced.

I think it was down to dropping and keeping at least one finger in one ear!

It was remarkable that they decided to take a cameraman along to film the
low level raid, which seemed to go against the fact that the British seemed
a bit dubious about cameras popping off everywhere (all "hush, hush" and
that) unlike our American Allies.

Richard.

In article , Krztalizer
writes
I have tracked down and interviewed ~2 dozen Mosquito airmen

Wow - you should write a book about them!

and read most of
the available works about them - first I have heard this. One hundred knots
over the target would have been absolute suicide.

TV strikes again; within a couple of years, folks will all "agree" that this
was a fact. :\

v/r
Gordon
====(A+C====
USN SAR

An LZ is a place you want to land, not stay.


--
Dave Eadsforth