lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 6, 2020 13:53:18 GMT
So i just saw this good piece of article which is about the secret 'Black Lancasters', a specially trained RAF unit that was to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6th 1945. Why? Because the American B-29 Superfortress couldn't do it!
So what if the B-29 was not ready yet and the RAF as seen in the clip below had to drop the bomb.
Hiroshima 1945 - The British Atomic Attack - Mark Felton. Productions
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Aug 6, 2020 16:16:18 GMT
So i just saw this good piece of article which is about the secret 'Black Lancasters', a specially trained RAF unit that was to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6th 1945. Why? Because the American B-29 Superfortress couldn't do it! So what if the B-29 was not ready yet and the RAF as seen in the clip below had to drop the bomb. Hiroshima 1945 - The British Atomic Attack - Mark Felton. Productions
Interesting. Would have been somewhat amuzing if the B-29 problems had continued and the US had been forced to allow a Lanc to make the attack.  Greater risk of it being lost because of the slower speed and lower max altitude however. Since "Tinian is located approximately 1,500 miles" would the in flight refueling have been necessary? I thought that was developed for the far more distant task of bombing Japan from Burma and then returning to that as a base? Checking the wiki entry the range was given as 2,530 miles although that might be with something smaller than an early nuke.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 6, 2020 16:28:47 GMT
So i just saw this good piece of article which is about the secret 'Black Lancasters', a specially trained RAF unit that was to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6th 1945. Why? Because the American B-29 Superfortress couldn't do it! So what if the B-29 was not ready yet and the RAF as seen in the clip below had to drop the bomb. Hiroshima 1945 - The British Atomic Attack - Mark Felton. Productions Interesting. Would have been somewhat amuzing if the B-29 problems had continued and the US had been forced to allow a Lanc to make the attack. Greater risk of it being lost because of the slower speed and lower max altitude however. Since "Tinian is located approximately 1,500 miles" would the in flight refueling have been necessary? I thought that was developed for the far more distant task of bombing Japan from Burma and then returning to that as a base? Checking the wiki entry the range was given as 2,530 miles although that might be with something smaller than an early nuke.
Think he mentioned in the clip that the range problem would be solved with this systym.  |
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Aug 6, 2020 18:04:18 GMT
Interesting. Would have been somewhat amuzing if the B-29 problems had continued and the US had been forced to allow a Lanc to make the attack. Greater risk of it being lost because of the slower speed and lower max altitude however. Since "Tinian is located approximately 1,500 miles" would the in flight refueling have been necessary? I thought that was developed for the far more distant task of bombing Japan from Burma and then returning to that as a base? Checking the wiki entry the range was given as 2,530 miles although that might be with something smaller than an early nuke.
Think he mentioned in the clip that the range problem would be solved with this systym.
Yes but would that be needed if they were flying from Tinian rather than Burma?
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 6, 2020 18:14:11 GMT
Think he mentioned in the clip that the range problem would be solved with this systym. Yes but would that be needed if they were flying from Tinian rather than Burma?
But Tiger Force of which these Black Lancasters would operate from US controlled Okinawa, it is a flight of only 804,7 mil give ore take to get there and then 804,7 mills back to Okinawa. |
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Aug 6, 2020 18:19:03 GMT
Yes but would that be needed if they were flying from Tinian rather than Burma?
But Tiger Force of which these Black Lancasters would operate from US controlled Okinawa, it is a flight of only 804,7 mil give ore take to get there and then 804,7 mills back to Okinawa.
That would definitely be within range.
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Post by lordroel on Aug 6, 2020 18:22:34 GMT
But Tiger Force of which these Black Lancasters would operate from US controlled Okinawa, it is a flight of only 804,7 mil give ore take to get there and then 804,7 mills back to Okinawa. That would definitely be within range.
But still i wonder would it not be for political reason to have Lancasters with US crew and US markings, i do not think it is that hard to train US crew to fly the Lancaster. |
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Aug 6, 2020 18:33:01 GMT
That would definitely be within range.
But still i wonder would it not be for political reason to have Lancasters with US crew and US markings, i do not think it is that hard to train US crew to fly the Lancaster.
Well you would have to have them train on a new a/c and unless the decision was taken some while before the bombs were ready there wouldn't be time for this without delaying the attack, which would be very difficult. Apart from anything else would make clear it was a question of prestige for the US rather than any practical issue and also they would have to admit that early that the they at least had doubts about the B-29 for the role.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 6, 2020 18:39:23 GMT
But still i wonder would it not be for political reason to have Lancasters with US crew and US markings, i do not think it is that hard to train US crew to fly the Lancaster. Well you would have to have them train on a new a/c and unless the decision was taken some while before the bombs were ready there wouldn't be time for this without delaying the attack, which would be very difficult. Apart from anything else would make clear it was a question of prestige for the US rather than any practical issue and also they would have to admit that early that the they at least had doubts about the B-29 for the role.
But if the British dropped the bomb it will have major effects the British nuclear project i think, which is in 1945 not much as most is focus towrds helping the US getting the bomb. |
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Greater risk of it being lost because of the slower speed and lower max altitude however. Since "Tinian is located approximately 1,500 miles" would the in flight refueling have been necessary? I thought that was developed for the far more distant task of bombing Japan from Burma and then returning to that as a base? Checking the wiki entry the range was given as 2,530 miles although that might be with something smaller than an early nuke.