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Thread: Bombers landing with bombs?

  1. #1

    Default Bombers landing with bombs?

    When a bombing raid was recalled because of bad weather or such, did they drop the bombs into the ocean, or did they land with them?

  2. #2

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    I think it was normal practice to jettison bombs before returning.
    Not only would there be a greater risk of landing accident, but also fuel calculations might not have allowed for a heavier plane on the return flight, so it might drop short of its airfield.
    I laugh in the face of danger - then I hide until it goes away!

  3. #3

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    That makes sense. Thank you.

  4. #4

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    I've read about this both ways; I think it depends on the aircraft, and how far they've been up.
    Certainly, the thought of landing a B-24 or Lancaster with a full load is not one to take lightly
    Karl
    It is impossible for a man to begin to learn what he thinks he knows. -- Epictetus

  5. #5

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    Landing an empty-weight aircraft would have been routine, part of training.

    Landing a much heavier plane was not normally practiced...shake one bomb loose, and you're asking for trouble!
    Plus you'd stand a much greater chance of collapsing part of the undercarriage, with potentially fatal consequences for the crew.
    I laugh in the face of danger - then I hide until it goes away!

  6. #6

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    Reading my Bombers over Sand and Snow by Alan Granfield I see that it was not unusual for a bomber to land with bombs still aboard. This book is WWII and in the Med but I would imagine that happened in WWI too. Sometimes there would be a mishap and the bombs would detonate and destroy the plane and crew too. They had a particular nasty bomb too that had a long stick like detonator trigger attached to the nose. The idea was that it would blow up about 4 feet or so above the ground and cause maximum mayhem to enemy ground troops with shrapnel going everywhere. In one incident I was reading how it was standard practice to open the bomb bay doors when arriving at a revetment and one ground crew man ran to the front of this bomber and was frantically signalling the pilot not to do that. Of course, one of the broom handled bombs had failed to exit the bomber and was hanging down through the closed bomb bay doors. If the pilot had not heeded the ground crewman then there would have been yet more funerals that day.

  7. #7

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    Most planes have a maximum landing or "bring-back" weight that's noticeably below MTOW. For example, an F-14 could launch with six half-ton AIM-54 Phoenix missiles, but can only land with four of them.
    Historical Consultant/Researcher, Wings and Sails lines - Unless stated otherwise, all comments are personal opinion only and NOT official Ares policy.
    Wings Checklists: WWI (down Navarre Nieuport, Ares Drachens) | WWII (complete)

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by Honza View Post
    When a bombing raid was recalled because of bad weather or such, did they drop the bombs into the ocean, or did they land with them?
    There were jettison zones in the Channel & North Sea if required apparently - there is a theory of how Glenn Miller's plane was lost by flying into one during a dump, though that may have been refuted now.
    Aircrews with the Grand Slams were told to land with an unused bomb on board rather than jettison them into the sea if a sortie was aborted.

    "He is wise who watches"



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