The Second World War: Bombers of WWII

[Daryl Hunt]

I enjoyed watching this. The Author covered things well.

 

[Ringel05]

My favorite, the Wooden Wonder.

 

[Daryl Hunt]

I did notice that the dates were off a bit. I almost posted the authors version of WWII fighters but he was all over the place on that one enough that it really didn't make a whole lot of sense to any historian. But the bombers were close, real close. He was off a bit on the B-24 though. He listed it as 1944 when in reality it was 1942 and he left out the real reason it was the largest produced of all bombers. It had the most range of all daytime bombers. It could bomb the eastern side of Germany from England and even go into Romania as long as it could return by way of Italy or Russia from Rumania. It was the #1 reason that German was so fuel starved so early on.

 

[Daryl Hunt]

My favorite, the Wooden Wonder.

Just remember, whatever the Mossie could do, so could the P-38, snicker. The Mossie was the second non heavy to be over Berlin, the P-38 was the first. Seems the Bombers that the P-38 was supposed to escort on a daylight bombing run decided to turn back and no one told the P-38s that so they went in anyway and made it home. Can you imagine the surprise attached to that one for both sides? The Mossies did it on purpose at night.

The things a British Cabinet Maker can do with a block of wood and a paring knife. I guess no one told him he couldn't do it.

 

[Oddball]

My favorite, the Wooden Wonder.

Have the Airfix 1/24 kit of that one...Gonna be a monster when complete.

 

[Ringel05]

My favorite, the Wooden Wonder.

Just remember, whatever the Mossie could do, so could the P-38, snicker. The Mossie was the second non heavy to be over Berlin, the P-38 was the first. Seems the Bombers that the P-38 was supposed to escort on a daylight bombing run decided to turn back and no one told the P-38s that so they went in anyway and made it home. Can you imagine the surprise attached to that one for both sides? The Mossies did it on purpose at night.

The things a British Cabinet Maker can do with a block of wood and a paring knife. I guess no one told him he couldn't do it.

When it comes to WWII heavy bombers my favorite was the "Ugly Duckling", B24 Liberator.
Not the easiest plane to fly and had a bad reputation for crash landing survivability it's still the most produced and used bomber of WWII even being used for low level ground support.

 

[whitehall]

The European campaign got all the glory but early in 1942 the venerable P-38 Lockheed Lightning fighter bombers in the Pacific didn't have the luxury of well manicured airfields and pubs for pilots. While the U.S. barely had a toehold on Guadalcanal, Army intelligence decoded a Japanese message that gave Halsey a shot at his nemesis Yamamoto. There wasn't a chance in a million that they could intercept a dot six hundred miles away at a specified time but P-38's equipped with aux. fuel tanks were the only planes that could make the distance and have a reasonable chance of surviving. Japanese naval strategist Admiral Yamamoto and his staff were killed and it and may have changed the course of the Pacific war. The Japanese didn't seem to have the same confidence after Yamamoto and the Battle of the Coral Sea showed it.

 

[Daryl Hunt]

The European campaign got all the glory but early in 1942 the venerable P-38 Lockheed Lightning fighter bombers in the Pacific didn't have the luxury of well manicured airfields and pubs for pilots. While the U.S. barely had a toehold on Guadalcanal, Army intelligence decoded a Japanese message that gave Halsey a shot at his nemesis Yamamoto. There wasn't a chance in a million that they could intercept a dot six hundred miles away at a specified time but P-38's equipped with aux. fuel tanks were the only planes that could make the distance and have a reasonable chance of surviving. Japanese naval strategist Admiral Yamamoto and his staff were killed and it and may have changed the course of the Pacific war. The Japanese didn't seem to have the same confidence after Yamamoto and the Battle of the Coral Sea showed it.

In 1942 the P-38 was flying out of Alaska. In fact, it got it's first kill August 1942 along the Chain. It wasn't until 1943 that it was formed out of Australia to replace the P-39 that was being eaten alive. Things changed dramatically after that with the Zero and the Zeke. IT wasn't just the fact the P-38 was the superior bird, itw as the tactics as well. The P-39 didn't have the speed or the power to do much against the Zero. It couldn't climb, turn or dive with the Zero. Often times, the P-39 bought time for the P-40 or the F4F could get there and have a better chance. When the P-38 arrived, the P-38 was so much faster it got to pick the fight.

Plus, it could take the fight to the Zeros home base. And it wasn't just the P-38. It was also the B-24 and B-25. The P-38, B-25 and B-24 operated at an extreme range that the Japanese were surprised. Those three operated as bomber and strafers at will. Even the B-24 would come in low and strafe air fields. The B-25 bristled with guns in the nose and in the wings and became one of the most deadly strafing fighters that ever flew. Meanwhile, the P-38 would come in with 4000 lbs of ordinance and bomb the daylights out of runways, hangars and flightlines and then have enough fuel to strafe on it's way out.

The Carriers grabbed the headlines and did a very important job going toe to toe with the Japanese Navy breaking their backs. Meanwhile, the P-38, B-25 and B-24 broke the Japanese Ground Air Forces Back for the most part. For instance, without those three, the Carriers would not have been able to operate so close to the Phillipines as they did. In order to retake the PI, it took both the long range AAF and the Navy to do it. And just air power alone didn't do it all, the US and Britain had to land ground troops and take out the Japanese Ground Troops that were dug in as well in order to setup those runways.

I still hold that the B-29 and the P-51s were Johnny Come Latelies. The same island hopping would have happened anyway and the firebombing of Japan would have happened anyway using the B-24 with the P-38 as cover. When the Mirana Islands were taken, the range of the B-24 could reach Okinawa with the P-38 flying escort all the way. And with the taking of Okinawa, the fire bombing of Japan would have been done by the B-24. In fact, a lot of the fire bombing of the Japanese of Island was done by B-24s from Okinawa anyway. But the B-29 got all the press. And the P-38 was used for escort but the P-51 got all the press. The only thing the B-24 could not do was drop the nukes and only because they weren't modified to carry it like the modified B-29 was. An unmodified B-29 couldn't carry those nukes either.

 

[DJT for Life]

The European campaign got all the glory but early in 1942 the venerable P-38 Lockheed Lightning fighter bombers in the Pacific didn't have the luxury of well manicured airfields and pubs for pilots. While the U.S. barely had a toehold on Guadalcanal, Army intelligence decoded a Japanese message that gave Halsey a shot at his nemesis Yamamoto. There wasn't a chance in a million that they could intercept a dot six hundred miles away at a specified time but P-38's equipped with aux. fuel tanks were the only planes that could make the distance and have a reasonable chance of surviving. Japanese naval strategist Admiral Yamamoto and his staff were killed and it and may have changed the course of the Pacific war. The Japanese didn't seem to have the same confidence after Yamamoto and the Battle of the Coral Sea showed it.

They killed Yamamoto in April of 1943.

But here's a potential debate for anyone. Would the US have won at
Midway if Halsey had been in command instead of Spruance.

 

[rightwinger]

I was always partial to the B 17

Workhorse that pounded the hell out of the Nazis

 

[Daryl Hunt]

I was always partial to the B 17

Workhorse that pounded the hell out of the Nazis

It didn't have much of a bomb load. It didn't have much of a range. But it was tougher than nails and could and did take a pounding better than any other bomber.

 

[rightwinger]

I was always partial to the B 17

Workhorse that pounded the hell out of the Nazis

It didn't have much of a bomb load. It didn't have much of a range. But it was tougher than nails and could and did take a pounding better than any other bomber.

Looked really cool too

 

[cnm]

My father flew as aircrew out of Green Island, I think, maybe Guadalcanal as well, earlier, in these. Had happy joy time bombing Rabual. edited for a better piccy.