Those Mad Raf Boffins!

[bluesteel]

Barmy Boffins
For my next couple of projects I'm going to assume the Air Ministry and the RAF had a few Boffins hanging around with ideas even crazier than the Wallis Bouncing Bomb.

The first two projects involve bringing down enemy bombers and suppressing enemy flak.

Sky Hook
Back story for project 1 – If the bombers won't come to the barrage balloon cable, bring the cable two the bombers.

In mid and late 1940, Britain was being pounded by the Luftwaffe and it was touch and go if the country could last out, so increasingly desperate ways were sought to try to bring enemy bombers down. This might have been one of them:

A twin engined aircraft (to be decided) containing a reel with 2,000 feet of cable with a 'flying tip' (small wire controlled drone at the end). The idea being the plane will fly above and across the enemy bomber stream and drag the cable through it. The final adjustments to its path being made by a ventrally positioned remote pilot flying the cable tip drone.

Once the cable wraps or cuts its way through the enemy bomber/s, it would be cut if it snagged and started to bring down the cable plane.

The big drawback of course is that the plane would have to fly straight and level at an altitude where enemy fighters would probably be lurking!

But it's worth a try, isn't it....?

Bridge Buster
A slight variant on the skyhook was also tested where the cable was shorter, 1,000 feet, but towed a drone containing an HE charge. If flown down a river with the drone just below bridge height, when it encountered the bridge the cable would snag rotating the bomb up and under the bridge to explode upwards destroying the bridge.

The big drawbacks are that the cable towing plane would need to fly down the river at a precise height through murderous anti-aircraft fire. If they didn't get the height just right, the bomb could flip under the bridge, detach and hit the plane as it flew over the other side. A sort of macabre version of Pooh Sticks!

But it's worth a try, isn't it....?

Any ideas as to the twin engined aircraft I should use? It must have been readily available to the RAF in the summer of 1940.

Flak Killer
From 1943 onward when the RAF was bombing Germany, murderous Flak around key targets was a problem. One Boffin thought "what if we arm a few bombers to directly attack the Flak?"

So a Handley Page Halifax was converted to carry two downward pointing stabilised Bofors guns aimed by a gunner in a ventral ball turret, with devices designed to locate and home in on Flak positions and/or searchlights.

The drawbacks are that it would have been very difficult, if not impossible to be anything near accurate. But it might have increased the morale of flight crews thinking that at least they were able to give back a little of what they were getting – and it might have even kept a few Flak crews heads down!

But it's worth a try, isn't it....?

As I have a 'spare Halifax' I might try that first of all – if I can get a couple of 1:72 Bofors guns...

Documented builds coming to a What-If Forum near you!

Any comments and helpful suggestions most welcome.  

Bluesteel

[The Rat]

Any ideas as to the twin engined aircraft I should use? It must have been readily available to the RAF in the summer of 1940.

Avro Anson?

And I love the Halifax idea!    

[Maverick]

Interestingly enough, the Brits did think of cable weapons, but they were from ground based rockets, trailing the cable behind with a small parachute and a charge.

That said, given the weight of the cable, might a Hampden or Wellington be a good choice?

Regards,

Mav

[HOG]

Hi Bluesteel,
Interesting ideas, here`s some thoughts not in any particular order, just as they come.
With regards aircraft, presumably height is a requirement so medium bombers are optional as are airliners. It`s post Dunkirk so we`re dragging the bottom of the barrel and I don`t know why but a Heyford sticks in my mind. Heracles or DH 86 Express, smaller but possibles Rapide or Oxford, Beaufort or Blenheim. Now the cables going to weigh a fair bit so perhaps seaplanes with their long take off run-Stranrae or Walrus or the big civil flying boats. Biplanes trolling for prey, the bind moggles.
Or how about overseas purchases like the Martin B.10 or ex french aircraft.
I`ve stuck here with things that are or were available in kit form but if you go vacform the options are endless.

As to the guns in the bomb bay, I read somewhere recently of Russian submachine guns, I think it was around 30 in a frame, in the bomb bay of a bomber. Tu2, Pe2 something like that, and as the guns were drum magazine feed once they had expended the ammo` that was it.  But if you were to change this to .30" or .50" calibre belt fed aircraft guns it may seem like a more practical proposition to `hose` the ground (not carpet bombing but carpet cleaning?).

Anyway good luck and keep us [posted
Regards Gary

[XV107]

The RAF also used a cable-mounted weapon, the Long Aerial Mine. Cable trailed by a Handley Page Harrow into the path of approaching bombers; cable wraps around enemy aircraft; cable cut; 'surprise package' (the mine) goes 'boom'. In theory.

420 Flight (which later grew into 93 Squadron) trialled the scheme for some time before  the LAM (project codename 'MUTTON'...) was abandoned as a waste of effort.

[bluesteel]

The RAF also used a cable-mounted weapon, the Long Aerial Mine. Cable trailed by a Handley Page Harrow into the path of approaching bombers; cable wraps around enemy aircraft; cable cut; 'surprise package' (the mine) goes 'boom'. In theory.

420 Flight (which later grew into 93 Squadron) trialled the scheme for some time before  the LAM (project codename 'MUTTON'...) was abandoned as a waste of effort.

Excellent! I never knew that. I had just narrowed down the a/c type to use, either a HP Hampden (as mentioned), a Bristol Bombay, or... a HP Harrow! Just goes to show that all crazed minds think alike  

As it happens I have a Bombay and Harrow in vacform, so I might have a go with one of those. I believe the Harrow was also used by Sir Alan Cobham as a tanker for early air-to-air refueling trials. But the aerial bomb sounds very similar to my idea.

Bluesteel

[bluesteel]

A quick Google on 93 Sqn found that 112 Missions were flown with aerial mines, but with only 1 successful hit. It also looks like Havocs were also used with the aerial mines:

http://www.rafjever.org/93squadhistory2.htm

Very interesting as it also gives dimension and weight details for the mines. the main difference from my idea was that these mines were released from the aircraft in the first instance.

Good stuff.

Bluesteel

[bluesteel]

On the 'Boforsbag' front, I've decided to use the Revell/Matchbox Hallifax BI/II/GRII as the a/c, but as a hybrid, a BII with top turret and 'ball' turret where the H2S dome would have gone on the GRII. I now have 2 Airfix Bofors guns on their way to me and I have to work out the best way to mount them and work out the stabilising, recoil and aiming mechanisms.

This is going to be a fun build.

Bluesteel

[Daryl J.]

Very cool ideas indeed.


Daryl J., visualizing a Halibag armor buster......

[Archibald]

Flak Killer
From 1943 onward when the RAF was bombing Germany, murderous Flak around key targets was a problem. One Boffin thought "what if we arm a few bombers to directly attack the Flak?"

So a Handley Page Halifax was converted to carry two downward pointing stabilised Bofors guns aimed by a gunner in a ventral ball turret, with devices designed to locate and home in on Flak positions and/or searchlights.

The drawbacks are that it would have been very difficult, if not impossible to be anything near accurate. But it might have increased the morale of flight crews thinking that at least they were able to give back a little of what they were getting – and it might have even kept a few Flak crews heads down!

I like this idea -damned coward flak!!- gotcha!!

[Riksbar]

If you want mad boffin ideas how about an air-launched Great Panjandrum.

I still think a revival of this is due fot the war against terror  

[bluesteel]

If you want mad boffin ideas how about an air-launched Great Panjandrum.

I still think a revival of this is due fot the war against terror

An interesting idea.

I think I'll hand it over to the Surrealist Section of the Ministry of Special Weapons development....

Bluesteel  

[Archibald]

the Admiralty's Directorate of Miscellaneous Weapons Development

Looks very Monthy pythons for me, is it linked to the ministry of silly walks ?          

[NARSES2]

Off subject I know but talking off attacking Flak batteries etc there was a wonderfull quote from one of the sailors who was aboard HMS Coventry when she was sunk in the Falkland's on the BBC documentary last friday.

Whilst under attack from the Skyhawks he was manning a signal lamp and was instructed to aim it at the A4's in an attempt to blind them. He mentioned that "he'd seen all the old war films where the bombers shoot at the guy with the searchlight" and declined the offer. On being told to "do it" the classic British service comment of "f*** off" followed.

No idea what happened to him in the aftermath, but he was only 18 or so at the time. Still it brought a smile to my face during what was a very sobering documentary. Worth seeing if you get the chance.

Chris

[Riksbar]

Of course the bridge buster could be combined with the great panjandrum, thus allowing the cable to be rapidly deployed from the aircraft as the rockets rotate the panjandrum.

...The drawback is, if you miss the bridge you then find yourself attached to the world's largest, most explosive, Yo-Yo.