
"High altitude napalm versus bunkers..." Topic
8 Posts
All members in good standing are free to post here. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the posters, and have not been cleared with nor are they endorsed by The Miniatures Page.
Please use the Complaint button (!) to report problems on the forums.
For more information, see the TMP FAQ.
Back to the WWII Aviation Discussion Message Board Back to the Flames of War Message Board Back to the WWII Discussion Message Board Back to the Bolt Action Message Board Back to the WWII Media Message Board
Areas of InterestWorld War One World War Two on the Land World War Two at Sea World War Two in the Air Modern
Featured Hobby News Article
Featured Recent Link
Featured Showcase Article
Featured Workbench Article Mal Wright experiments to find a better way to mount aircraft for wargaming.
Featured Profile Article Part II of the Gates of Old Jerusalem.
|
Warspite1 | 27 Oct 2023 4:01 a.m. PST |
Something I was not aware of, the USAAF's attempted use of napalm in massed attacks from high altitudes against Atlantic Wall defences in France late in WW2 The results were not good. The vertical drop meant that the extemporised drop-tanks with exploders attached to them either buried themselves into the ground and just burned in the deep hole they had made or else failed to burn at all. Some collided and burned on the way down. The Germans found the smell of the remaining unburned fuel was the greatest nuisance. One soldier, who had some splash on to him while it was alight, managed to shake it off. The Germans told the investigators that they would have feared a high explosive attack more. YouTube link The above is an interesting and detailed account of a raid which exposed the futility of dropping napalm from high altitudes. In the Pacific, in Korea and Vietnam note that napalm was dropped from low altitudes which allowed it to 'splash' horizontally, spread better and then ignite. And by Vietnam the formulation had been thickened and improved to prevent the 'shake off' of burning fuel. Barry |
ColCampbell  | 27 Oct 2023 5:28 a.m. PST |
My father flew that mission. Here's his description of it from his hand-written flight journal:
Mission 25: April 15, 1945. Target: Royan, Fr. A 9-hour mission against troop concentration in Nazi pocket near Bordeaux. Formed over Laon, France. Flew over Paris. Bombed visually from 15,000 feet. No flak in our formation. Ship #807 with 6 – 600# gasoline-jelly P-51 tanks (leaked all over hell [in airplane]). Free French Navy shelling town while we bombed. [Note: "Mission 951. 1,348 unescorted bombers [B-17 and B-24] are dispatched to visually attack strongpoints on the French Atlantic coast; the first two forces [My father's was the first one.] below make the sole operational employment of napalm bombs by Eighth AF against German ground installations (pillboxes, gunpits, tank trenches, and heavy gun emplacements); the results are negligible and HQ recommends its discontinuance against this type of target: 1. 492 of 529 B-17s hit four strongpoints and flak batteries in the Royan area."] Note: My additional comments and information from the 8th Air Force on-line calendar are in square brackets. See linkJim |
Shagnasty  | 27 Oct 2023 9:19 a.m. PST |
|
advocate | 27 Oct 2023 10:43 p.m. PST |
April 15th 1945? Couldn't they just have waited? |
deadhead  | 28 Oct 2023 4:17 a.m. PST |
Gen Leclerc and 2eme DB would have echoed that thought. They were livid to be moved right across France for the attack on Royan, at the very moment they were so anticipating dashing across Germany. They did race back however, in time to be in Berchtesgarten right at the end. |
Marc33594  | 29 Oct 2023 5:54 a.m. PST |
ColCampbell what an amazing document and right on point with the article. Thanks for sharing. |
Warspite1 | 30 Oct 2023 2:08 p.m. PST |
@ColCampbell: Very interesting. The best my father got around this time was to shelter behind some very low mole hills when a German jet (prob an Arado 234 Blitz) flew over and bombed the bridge they were standing near. He had never heard a jet before and thought it was incoming shellfire. Barry |
Warspite1 | 30 Oct 2023 2:09 p.m. PST |
@advocate: German surrender was not yet certain. Also the desire may have been to see how effective napalm was against this kind of target. Barry |
|