Best tank killer aircraft of WW2 Part I

the lancaster kicks ass · 01-10-2005, 01:59 PM

that's a bit petty for the RAF................

cheddar cheese · 01-10-2005, 02:55 PM

Damn RAF...

DerAdlerIstGelandet · 01-10-2005, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plan_D

I've never heard that the RAF used Napalm on Dresden. I heard incendriay, which generally doesn't refer to napalm.

Yeah I always thought it was white phospherous they were dropping on Dresden. But now from what I read it says that about half were napalm.

Quote:

When indendiary weapons were dropped on bunkers in Germany, the intense heat literally baked and dehydrated German World War II soldiers, giving rise to the German word "Bombenbrandschrumpfeichen," meaning "firebomb shrunken flesh." Allied bombers dropped an estimated 3.4 kilotons of incendiaries on the German city of Dresden. The attack on Dresden in February 1945 has always been a contentious issue because of the number of lives lost, the lateness of the war, and the cultural significance of the city. The city was a legitimate military target, and the allied air forces did attempt to precisely bomb the city's marshaling yards. In the Dresden bombing attacks of 14-15 February 1945, the American Eighth Air Force and the RAF Bomber Command together employed a total of 1,299 bomber aircraft (527 from the Eighth Air Force, 722 from the RAF Bomber Command) for a total weight, on targets, of 3906.9 tons. Of this tonnage, 1247.6 tons were expanded by the Eighth Air Force, 2659.3 tons by the RAF Bomber Command. The Americans employed 953.3 tons of high explosive bombs and 294.3 tons of incendiary bombs -- all aimed at the Dresden Marshalling Yards. The British employed 1477.7 tons of high explosive bombs and 1181.6 tons of incendiary bombs -- all aimed against the Dresden city area. Military records indicate that about half of the bombs that rained on Dresden were napalm bombs. The exact number of casualties from the Dresden bombings can never be firmly established. Most of the latest German post-war estimates are that about 25,000 persons were killed and about 30,000 were wounded, virtually all of these being casualties from the RAF incendiary attack of 13/14 February 1945. If opprobrium attaches to anyone, it should be Winston Churchill who specifically asked that east German cities be bombed to create refugees and spread havoc. Although Dresden was an unfortunate victim of circumstance, such was not the case for Berlin. The Allies placed the German capital in a different category, ordering attacks on "city center" and employing the maximum number of incendiary bombs.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...incendiary.htm

Lightning Guy · 01-10-2005, 11:15 PM

I've never read about heavies dropping napalm. I know a lot of incendiaries were used in Europe, especially by RAF bomber command. But as Plan_D noted, there is a difference between and incendiary bomb and a napalm canister.

DerAdlerIstGelandet · 01-11-2005, 06:57 AM

I agree with you, but from what I have read on www.globalsecurity.org which has allways been pretty accurate the heavies did drop napalm.

Quote:

The main incendiary agents are thermite (TH), magnesium (MG), WP, and combustible hydrocarbons (including oils and thickened gasoline).

Thermite incendiaries are a mixture of powdered aluminium metal and ferric oxide and are used in bombs for attacks on armoured fighting vehicles. Thermite burns at about 2000°C and scatters molten metal, which may lodge in the skin producing small multiple deep burns.

Magnesium (Mg) burns at about 2000ºC with a scattering effect similar to that of thermite. Its particles produce deep burns.

At ordinary temperatures, white phosphorus (WP) is a solid which can be handled safely under water. When dry, it burns fiercely in air, producing a dense white smoke. Fragments of melted particles of the burning substance may become embedded in the skin of persons close to a bursting projectile, producing burns which are multiple, deep and variable in size. The fragments continue to burn unless oxygen is excluded by flooding or smothering.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...incendiary.htm

Quote:

For example, during 16 days of 'softening up' attacks proceeding the invasion of Iwo Jima B-24s dropped 1,111 drums of Napalm on the island.
http://www.ww2guide.com/bombs.shtml

Lightning Guy · 01-11-2005, 11:23 PM

I knew some of the heavies dropped napalm in the PTO, but I had only heard of them dropping incendiaries over Europe.

lesofprimus · 01-12-2005, 11:22 AM

I knew there was use of Naplam in the ETO and PTO, and was pretty familiar with how often it was used... Kinda surprised that not many of u knew this....

DerAdlerIstGelandet · 01-12-2005, 11:25 AM

Yeah to be honest until this forum I knew it was developed in WW2 but did not think it was used until Korea. Now I actually found out that it was actually developed in WW1 (a very primitive version of it) and was used by the Americans and Germans in WW1.

Lightning Guy · 01-13-2005, 01:38 AM

I did some checking and found a reference to P-51s using the 108-gallon "paper-mache" tanks as a form of napalm. The fuel tanks would be dropped and a burst of API ammo would be used to ignite the fuel. Relatively crude, but effective nonetheless.

DerAdlerIstGelandet · 01-13-2005, 10:50 AM

The great thing about Napalm was that it was relativly safe to use. It was less volotile then regular gasoline. It is kind of like C-4 you need to have certain components to make it work. I do not know what they are for Napalm (I am only going off of what I have heard and read, in all actuallity I know very little about Napalm other then the fact that you dont want to be near it when it goes off) but like for C-4 you have to have pressure and heat. If you only have heat it will not go off (we actually use it to cook off of in the field some times) and if you have pressure but no heat it will not go off. So it was relitivly safe to handle. I have also heard of reports of Napalm being dropped out of the sky in 50 gallon drums and then being shot and ignited.