[Milsurplus] Milsurplus Digest, Vol 171, Issue 44

[Jim Whartenby]

 I wonder why people argue over the 10% of their differences and ignore the 90% they agree on?

      As a kid, the stories I heard were that the bombardier was to put a .45 round through the optics, that was why he carried the weapon.  Since there was a gyro in the bombsight, one did not know where the round would exit, so for the most part, the bombsight was just chucked overboard.
Funny, I would talk to most men I met as a kid and ask about the war.  I could even get my father to talk about his experiences in the Navy.  He only ever mentioned the Pacific Theater and I had no idea he also was in the Mediterranean.  I believe his ship was hit by a dive bomber while docked somewhere in Italy. He only wrote perhaps a dozen letters home during the time he served.  But if my timing was right, he would tell some stories.
The old man hated chicken, in any form.  Seems that his ship, the USS Nicholson, DD442, was the last to be resupplied, at one time, and all that was left was chicken.  So for four months, it was chicken, chicken, chicken; three meals a day!  Like I said, these were the stories i heard, I don't know how true they were.Jim I wonder why people argue over the 10% of their differences and ignore the 90% they agree on?

      From: Mark K3MSB <mark.k3msb at gmail.com>
 To: Hubert Miller <Kargo_cult at msn.com> 
Cc: List Milsurplus <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
 Sent: Thursday, August 2, 2018 6:56 AM
 Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] Milsurplus Digest, Vol 171, Issue 44
  
Good Morning Hue
I think Gladwell mentioned in his video that the bombsights had a small explosive charge (thermite if I recall) in them so they’d get destroyed if the bomber crashed.     My immediate thought was what triggered those charges?   G-Forces?    That could have some nasty consequences for the Bombardier and Navigator in the nose section that survived a rough crash landing.
Don’t know about the IFF question. I assume you’re asking if the crew was told to attempt to destroy the classified radios.    As mentioned in another thread, I’ll be going to a WW II lecture tonight where the guest speaker is a B-24 radio operator.   If the opportunity arises I’ll ask him.
Regarding captured B-17s used by the Germans;  This was addressed in Edward Jablonski’s book “Flying Fortress”.    These Forts were used to shadow Allied bomber formations.    They typically attempted to join the trailing box of bombers and portrayed themselves as stragglers that had become separated from their own formation.  However, they always kept their distance and never closed in tight.     This was allowed early in the war.   As the war progressed the allies realized what was happening.   Afterwards,  Jablonski reports those planes were not permitted to join the formation.   I don’t recall if Jablonski details what “not permitted” meant,  but one can guess. If a lone B-17 refused radio contact and always kept it’s distance – perhaps that was a good tell-tale sign to the formation crews.   There must have been some procedure for lost lone Allied aircraft with radio failure to join a formation.  
73 Mark K3MSB
 




On Thu, Aug 2, 2018, 2:43 AM Hubert Miller <Kargo_cult at msn.com> wrote:

I also read that when incendiaries, firebombs were used, there was NO repairing. All the factory machine tools were gone.
Now a question. Seeing as the bombsight was a rated classified device, like IFF, how was, or indeed was at all, capture of intact unit prevented ?
I know Germany captured and repaired and flew a number of B-17 aircraft. 
-Hue

>I just watched Malcolms Norden Bombsight talk. I believe he said of the 10% that fell within the 700+acre site, 16 % FAILED to explode, the rest blew up!
Damage was repaired in two weeks.
73
Jeff Kruth
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