Drake's Drum

On Sunday 25th April 1948, Boston, Massachusetts, became the first city in the world to be attacked with an atomic weapon.



Central Boston, the aiming point for the attack.



The Ta 400 V5 prototype being prepared for 'Fall Pfingsten' (Operation Pentecost).



Arado Ar. 340s of the Kreigsmarine's Seeluftstreitkraft, approach the American coast. Part of Gruppe Hector (Force Hector), their mission was to distract the formidable air defences of the continental United States.



A captured B29 bomber of Gruppe Priamos (Force Priam). Operated by KG200, Grupe Priamos was also part of the deception operation. This aircraft was rebuilt by the Germans after belly landing in Holland during a raid in November 1947. The two lower turrets are missing because they were damaged beyond repair in the crash.



The Ta 400 V5 in flight.



The empty casing of Beirfas zwei (Beer Barrel Two), the second German atomic weapon was abandoned on a Luftwaffe base postwar. Its inner mechanism was found in a mine some distance away.

It took off from Axis Spain.

The BMW 803 engine was designed for long range aircraft and the Ta/FW 'Fernkampfflugzeug' was initially designed for a bombload of 4000 kg and a range of 13,000 km. The weapon load for the Pfinsten mission would be around 4000 kg. The flight from northern Spain to Boston would begin from an airfield near Santiago di Compostela and cover roughly 5,400 km (3,325 miles) on the way out (with course corrections to disguise the true flight path) and 4,990 km (3,101 miles) on the way back. I am perhaps being kind to the German designers and in the 'Beta' version of the Luftwaffe appendix I'm going to post next week on the Drake's Drum website, in the Ta 400 section, it's noted that 'it was understood that if unusual headwinds were encountered on the Pfingsten mission, then the aircraft might have to glide the last part of its flight back to Axis territory.'

The ‘Beta’ version of the Luftwaffe appendix has been added to the Drakes Drum website. It is unfinished, but the sections for the issues and aircraft that are most integral to the Drake’s Drum timeline are complete. This includes the most important German strategic bombers, the Messerschmitt Me 364, Heinkel He 274 and the Tank Ta 400. The sections for the Junkers 338 transport aircraft and the DFS 346 supersonic research aircraft are also complete. Updated versions of the Heer, Kriegsmarine and Seeluftsteitkraft appendices have also been uploaded.

This image is Photoshopped



The DFS 346 mounted on its He 274 carrier aircraft. "It is now universally acknowledged that although Commander Eric Brown of the Royal Navy was the first man to break the sound barrier, he was not the first human being to exceed the speed of sound in controlled flight."

Well I have finished the latest book for the second time and can happily say I loved it especially the chapter re how Hitler was found and died.