[Milsurplus] Norden Bombsight rant

[Bruce Gentry]

The Norden Bombsight didn't win World War Two.   Buck Rodgers, Flash 
Gordon, the superheros, and Hollywood  did.  The  public was stirred and 
their resolve and confidence was boosted immensely by "gee whiz!"  
inventions, heros, and most importantly, imagination.  Take a look at 
the instruments and control panels in a WW2 aircraft, or the flight and 
radio operator manuals with the artwork and comic figures conveying 
deadly serious messages. They were clear and concise, but also somewhat 
surrealistic. In order to get young men to do what they did, making them 
feel they were partaking in something fantastical was vital. Consider 
for one example the chrome plated pushbutton tuning on a BC-603/683 
receiver. The resemblence to the big pushbutton tuned Philco at home in 
the living room was a connection and familiar.  Everyone needed 
encouragement and a feeling we could get the job done, and if 
exaggerated claims about hitting the correct pickle from 10,000 feet was 
even somewhat believable, it was very important.   The Norden was a 
remarkable piece of engineering, and even with it's limitations, hype, 
and exaggerations, it was an instrument that in the hands of someone who 
had "the touch", could play a very noisy tune.

      Bruce Gentry, KA2IVY



On 12/8/15 3:43 PM, Taigh Ramey wrote:
> I agree it was over sold but I don't think it was the military. I believe it
> was Ted Barth, Carl Norden's business partner and the guy doing the PR, that
> said they could hit a pickle barrel from 10,000 feet. I remember reading
> about a press interview where he was asked if this was accurate that he
> responded 'yes if you tell me which pickle you want me to hit'.
>
> This PR campaign won not only the battle of the bombsights (Norden versus
> Sperry) but it was a good thing for the public at the time. We had the
> secret Norden bombsight that was going to win the war. A good thing to hold
> on to in the bleak early days of WWII. Sort of like the great morale boost
> that the Doolittle raid had on the public.
>
> That PR campaign that was so effective way back then that it is still
> provoking conversations today. Quite impressive in itself.
>
> Certainly the Norden bombsight didn't win the war but it made a huge
> contribution to the war effort. The current thinking is that it was a bunch
> of hype and part of it was. An essential piece of hype for the public in my
> eyes.
>
> I remember watching the Gulf War news where the grainy views from the smart
> bombs closing in on the window of the building and thinking 'what's the big
> deal'? They were doing the same thing in WWII except the video was much more
> clear!
>
> It may not have been as accurate as Barth made it out to be in his PR
> campaign but it certainly did its job and it got the job done better than
> anything else at the time.
>
> I might add that it was used in Korea and even in Viet Nam with VO-67.
>
>   
>
> Taigh
>
>   
>
> Taigh Ramey
>
> Vintage Aircraft Inc.
>
> 7432 C.E.Dixon Street
>
> Stockton, California 95206
>
> (209) 982-0273
>
> (209) 982-4832 Fax
>
> www.twinbeech.com <http://www.twinbeech.com>
>
> KEEP 'EM FLYING...FOR HISTORY!
>
>   
>
>   
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
> From: Brooke Clarke [mailto:brooke at pacific.net]
>
> Sent: Tuesday, December 08, 2015 11:56 AM
>
> To: Taigh Ramey <taigh at twinbeech.com <mailto:taigh at twinbeech.com> >;
> milsurplus at mailman.qth.net <mailto:milsurplus at mailman.qth.net> ;
> arc5 at mailman.qth.net <mailto:arc5 at mailman.qth.net>
>
> Subject: Re: [ARC5] Watch out! Norden Bombsight rant incoming...
>
>   
>
> Hi Taigh:
>
>   
>
> I agree with all of what you've said.
>
> But... it was oversold, that's to say the claimed accuracy was no where near
> the advertised accuracy.
>
> It was much better than W.W.I, but far from the claims.
>
> What's the name of that bridge in Vietnam?
>
> >From what I've read even today's B-52 with dumb bombs is not that accurate.
>
> This shows up in the bomb damage assessments.
>
> I expect that smart bombs are not as accurate as many people think.
>
>   
>
> --
>
> Have Fun,
>
>   
>
> Brooke Clarke
>
>   
>
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