Re: Lancaster bomber video

On Jul 3, 7:51 am, David H Singanas <davidholi...@yahoo.com> wrote:

(snipped)

My impression is that night bombing started more as a survival
mechanism.  Early-war British bombers couldn't get thru to German
targets without heavy losses due to the daytime defenses.  It
continued later at least partly because the more heavily-armed (and
built?)  B-17's & B-24's were somewhat better suited to surviving
German daytime defenses. But this is an occasionally hotly-debated
topic that I'm probably risking flames by oversimplifying.... 8-).

Jim H. "Entropy never sleeps.  Do y'all?"

# Both the British and American bombers suffered huge losses during daytime
raids.

The Americans had their worst time on the Sweinfurt run.   So many losses
that they gave up daylight bombing until the P-51 was built to go with them
and protect them from the German fighters.
But the overall effect of round the clock bombing was not to worry about
accuracy so much as to make the Germans allocate resources to combating the
raids...the 'dehousing' effect was effective.
Pity they don't do this Afghanistan and Pakistan and finish it quickly.
Being nice to goatherders doesn't sound like good policy when they hide the
gunmen.

.........................

Did the Lanc have a formal copilot?  I have a dim memory that it
didn't.

My impression is that night bombing started more as a survival
mechanism.  Early-war British bombers couldn't get thru to German
targets without heavy losses due to the daytime defenses.  It
continued later at least partly because the more heavily-armed (and
built?)  B-17's & B-24's were somewhat better suited to surviving
German daytime defenses. But this is an occasionally hotly-debated
topic that I'm probably risking flames by oversimplifying.... 8-).

Jim H. "Entropy never sleeps.  Do y'all?"

On Jul 2, 11:07 am, Surreyman <alandavid.spen...@googlemail.com>
wrote:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So you finally did it !   You and your co-pilot.
I guess the Brits did the night bombing because  they
were radar equipped. I gather the magnetron unit was shock proof
and could survive
a flak hit as well as a crash on the ground.  In the video episode
there
was great concern that the Jerries would obtain one and copy the
technology.  As for the 2000 watts of power, I suppose that applies
to the valve (vacuum tube) supporting the magnetron.

Blitz survivors like you are becoming scarce.

Cheers, David H
~~~~~

Maybe better - I can tell you how it is to pilot a Lanc!
Must have been around 1957 from RAF Cottesmore I think.
Wondeful experience.

Surreyman

In a local thrift store I found a VHS cassette of an episode
from a British TV series.  The episode is #6 of "Pathfinders".
The title is "Operation Gomorrah"  or "Gomora".

This 1984 video is about the outfitting of the Lancaster with
H2F radar by Bomber Command.  The dramatic tension comes
from a Scot "boffin" who doesn't mind increasing magnetron
power to 2000 watts as long as the improved ground images
will enable the Brits to accurately bomb military targets and
not civilian housing estates. Almost all the characters

Please provide some details about this old telly series.

David H
~~~~~~~~~~~~