Bombardier Training

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Milton R. Knight

The idea of Bombarding the Enemy was in full force by the 4th century with many varieties of Catapults.



As soon as we were capable of getting bombs in the air there became a need for Bombardiers.

A bombardier or bomb aimer is the crew member of a bomber aircraft responsible for the targeting of aerial bombs. "Bomb aimer" was the preferred term in the military forces of the Commonwealth, while "bombardier" (from the French word for "bomb thrower" and similar in meaning to "grenadier") was the equivalent position in the United States Armed Forces.

World War I (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918) Strategic bombing was principally carried out by the United Kingdom and France for the Entente Powers and Germany for the Central Powers. All the belligerents of World War I eventually engaged in strategic bombing, and, with the exception only of Rome and Lisbon, the capital cities of all the major European belligerents were targeted. A multi-national air force to strike at Germany was planned but never materialized. The aerial bombing of cities, intended to destroy the enemy's morale, was introduced by the Germans in the opening days of the war.

Early strategic bombing attempts led to the development of specialized bomber aircraft, during World War I.

Initially bombs were dropped by hand and aimed by the naked eye, but guesses on altitude, speed, wind direction caused many tragic misses. By the end of the war bombsights had been developed.

The Course Setting Bomb Sight Mk IA is the first version of this bombsight design to see production, starting in 1917. This example is found in the RAF Museum collection.

The operating principles of the "vector bombsight" concept can be explained using this image. Generally, the position and angle of various mechanical parts directly represent the vectors that would be drawn on a conventional navigational diagram or wind triangle.

Turning the brass knob on the extreme left of the image (shaped like a plus-sign) pushes the square brass bar under the device just right of the middle of the image fore or aft, and thereby sets the airspeed vector. The current airspeed setting can be read off the scale embossed on the top of the bar, and the words "AIR SPEED" can just be made out on the main body of the bombsight on the left end of the bar. Rotating the top of the compass, using the knurled fitting, sets the direction of the wind pointer on the top of the compass. A gear train running through the center of the air speed bar causes this motion to also set the direction of the wind speed bar, the black and brass mechanism above the airspeed bar. Turning the wind speed knob, the small brass dial at the end of the wind speed bar, pushes the foresights back or forth along the drift bar above it to account for the portion of the wind that speeds up or slows down the progress of the aircraft. The same movement also pushes the entire drift bar assembly on the right to one side or the other, to account for the sideways movement of the aircraft due to the same wind. The result is the three vectors in the wind triangle being represented mechanically; the airspeed on the airspeed bar, the windspeed and direction on the wind speed bar, and the resulting aircraft course and ground speed on the main drift bar. Only the aircraft's heading is not directly represented, the CSBS calculates everything relative to the nose of the aircraft.

In this case the wind has been set to a shallow angle, blowing on the tail slightly from the left. The indicator of the wind direction is the black arrow seen on the left side of the compass rose. The wind bar, under the drift bar on the right, can be seen to be matching this angle. As the operator turns the wind knob, the sights will move forward, as the groundspeed of the aircraft is being increased by the wind from the tail. This movement will cause the lower sights to move forward and increases the "range angle". Sighting through the rings, the bomb aimer would see the target pass through the sights, and thus drop the bombs, slightly earlier, which accounts for the higher ground speed due to the tailwind. This will also move the entire drift bar and wires very slightly to the right, indicating that the pilot should turn slightly left in order to compensate for the wind and fly directly over the target. The exact angle can be read off the arc-shaped scale in front of the compass.
The bar rising vertically from the center is used to set the altitude by sliding the sights up or down. In this case it is set for relatively high altitude, near the maximum for this aircraft. The small bar in front of the ring sights locks them in position, pulling this rearward toward the bar unlocks it for movement. The brass knob behind the height bar is used to level the bombsight, in reference to the spirit levels seen on the left below the compass. This setting is not found on later models, where it was replaced by a smaller mechanism. The black disk under the compass is a compass corrector, which removes the influence of nearby magnetic fields in the aircraft.

Many of the advocates of strategic bombing during the interwar period, such as Italy's Giulio Douhet, America's Billy Mitchell, and Britain's Hugh Trenchard, had commanded aircraft during World War I. The improvements in aircraft technology during and after the war convinced many that "the bomber will always get through", and this belief influenced planning for strategic bombing during World War II.





Milton R. Knight

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Milton R. Knight

www.airforcemag.com/article/1290bombardier/

WWII

Barely four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, bombardiers carried out their most spectacular mission. Lt. Col. James Doolittle led the strike on the Japanese homeland with B-25s launched from an aircraft carrier. Capt. C. Ross Greening, armament officer on the mission, developed a simple but effective bombsight for the low-level raid. It amounted to a metal sighting bar that could be set on a calibrated scale at a predetermined dropping angle. The bombardier simply waited until the target fell in line with the bar and dropped his bombs.

1942 Midland Texas Bombardier Yearbook "Accidental Release." Cover








Milton R. Knight

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www.458bg.com/lead-crew-manual


The Bombardier


1. Responsibilities
a. Under our present method of bombing, the Lead Bombardier is entirely responsible for getting the formation’s bombs on the target. He is required to perform an important task with absolute precision at a time when the enemy is trying its utmost to distract and destroy him. His is a great task and he must be physically and mentally attuned for this function.

b. After briefing, the Bombardier will secure all maps, charts, and tables pertinent to his business. He should discuss with the Pilot and Air Commander the course of action to be taken from both Combat Wing and Group IP’s to the target, as well as the method of bombing secondary targets and targets of last resort.

c. Upon reaching the airplane, the bombardier is responsible for a thorough check of all his equipment. I any equipment is found to be unsatisfactory, he will immediately notify the section responsible for its repair.

2. General
a. Inasmuch as bombing results are contingent not only upon a requisite technical ability but also a properly organized and coordinated target and area study, it is absolutely necessary for the Bombardier to completely familiarize himself with all aspects of the target and approaches. He must be so thoroughly conversant with the target and the approach that with the aid of maps, photos, and target guides, he can bomb effectively under almost any condition where any part of the target area is visible. Improper or misguided study of targets is a complete waste of time.

b. A Lead Bombardier must do everything in his power to prepare himself for these all important minutes between the IP and the target. Constant practice on the range and trainers, camera bombing, along with the use of the auto-pilot, and the ABC is of primary importance. He must know his aircraft bombing equipment thoroughly. Religious attendance at target identification and navigation classes is required, as well as taking advantage of all flight to practice pilotage navigation. He must always explore the possibilities of making improvements in procedure and increasing the level of his efficiency.

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www.303rdbg.com/sop-bombardier.html



B-17 Crew Requirements and Standard Operating Procedures
Crew Composition Crewmen Duties Clothing Oxygen Navigators Bombardiers Gunners Observers
Intelligence Engines Take-off and Assembly Formation 41st CBW Assembly Landing Sorties


OPERATIONAL DUTIES OF BOMBARDIERS
HEADQUARTERS
303RD BOMBARDMENT GROUP (H)
APO 557, U.S. ARMY
15 October 1944

Lead and Deputy Lead Bombardiers will be called two (2) hours before breakfast and will report to the S-2 Library.
They will fix their mission folders in complete order.
All aiming points of chosen targets will be properly marked.
Orientation spinners for obscured bombing procedure will be put on the necessary target pictures and used.
Headings to the target will be drawn on the target pictures and also on the night target maps.
A line will be drawn from the I.P. to the target and definite, outstanding pilotage points will be encircled in the area from the I.P. to the target.

All Lead and Deputy Lead Bombardiers will check out maps from the map room and will draw the course from the enemy coast to the target on them. They will do pilotage during the entire mission in addition to studying the target etc.
Secondaries and Last Resort Targets will be encircled on the maps and numbered in the priority of their order. The nearest Last Resort Target, after leaving the Primary, is to be numbered one (1) etc.

All bombardiers will attend the bombardier's briefing.

All Lead and Deputy Lead Bombardiers will report to Group Operations after the main briefing.

All Bombardiers will thoroughly check their equipment before take-off.

Lead or Deputy Lead Bombardiers will perform all sighting operations, i.e., sight for both range and deflection. Flight Leaders will drop their bombs when the Leader drops and all wing Bombardiers will drop their bombs on their respective section Leader's release.

The Leader of the Low Squadron will be the Deputy Leader if the Leader aborts or cannot bomb before the I.P. If the Deputy Leader cannon take over, the Leader of the High Flight will take over. This refers to a 12 ship group. In an 18 or 21 ship group, the Deputy Lead will be the Leader of the High Section and the second Deputy will be the Leader of the Low Section. These ships will take over prior to the I.P. If the Leader cannot bomb during the bomb run, the number four (4) man in the Lead Section will do the sighting.

The Deputy Leaders will have their sights and equipment set up to bomb in case the Leader aborts or cannot bomb.

A series of red "dits" from an Aldis lamp in the tail gunner's position of the lead ship will be the signal to the High Squadron that the lead ship cannot bomb and the High Squadron to take the Lead. A steady green light from the Deputy Lead ship will be the signal that this bombardier is prepared to assume the lead.

Leaders will attack only assigned targets and assigned MPI's of those respective targets. The Target of Opportunity will be attacked when the assigned targets cannot be bombed due to inclement weather, etc. Lead and Deputy Lead Bombardiers will be suer that they know where the bomb line is located before departing on a mission.

AFTER TAKE-OFF:
Pins will be pulled after an altitude of 5,000 feet is reached. In case bombs are returned, the pins will be replaced before landing.
Lead Bombardier will have his stabilizer warmed up and his PDI held center so that the pilot can set up AFCE immediately after take-off.
Bombardiers will know their flare colors and will keep on the alert for them and give the Pilot all the cooperation they can in forming with the group.
Bombardiers will act as Oxygen Officer and Gunnery Officer during the entire mission and will order the crew to check in every five (5) minutes when at high altitude. When under attack by enemy aircraft or in flak, crews will be checked every three or four minutes, or as often as possible.
The Lead and Deputy Lead Bombardiers will take several drift runs on each leg of the flight and notify their respective Navigator of the proper drift. The Navigator will use this drift in conjunction with Metro Data or Gee Box data. It is absolutely impossible to get a more accurate drift than that obtained from the bomb sight. Drift readings will be taken with a dead sight.
The bomb run will be flown on AFCE. After bombing altitude is reached, the Lead Bombardier will check the ratio of the automatic Pilot by making a turn with the secondary clutch and then engaging it while still in the turn. If the Auto Pilot brings the PDI back past center, or stops short of center, the ratio is not correct and the Pilot can make the necessary adjustments.
If the Auto Pilot fails to function, the leader will not relinquish his position to the Deputy Lead, but will make the run on PDI.
After bombing altitude is reached and just prior to the I.P. , the bombardier will obtain from the navigator the exact drift for the bomb run and pre-set his sight. He will also get a good stabilizer level and check it while on the bomb run.

AFTER THE MISSION:
In case of a "Tactical Mission," there will be a bombardier from each Squadron in the respective Squadron equipment rooms to take the bomb count. On a "Strategic Mission," the bombardiers will report to the Group Bombardier's table immediately after the mission and turn in their reports. They will tell him whether they released their bombs on their respective leader, on time, and as briefed. In case of any malfunction of any sort, they will report this to the Group Bombardier and the Armament man of their ship.
After being interrogated, the Lead Bombardier will report to the Group Bombardier's Office and write their narrative and give a complete account of their mission.
All bombardiers, except Lead Bombardiers will clean their guns, on the same day of the mission. Lead Bombardiers will not be required to install or clean their guns.


PROCEDURE ON THE BOMB RUN

The Lead Navigator will have the Pilot swing wide of the I.P. and come directly over it.

When the formation is headed for the target, the Lead Bombardier will take over the ship and the rest of the crew will stay off the interphone during the entire bomb run. Only the Pilot, Navigator and/or Bombardier will do any talking over the interphone during the bomb run.

The Lead Bombardier will check his pre-set drift, obtained from the Navigator, at the beginning of the bomb run. The Lead Navigator will stand directly behind him and do pilotage. After the bombardier has pre-set his drift and killed his rate, th will cage his gyro and pick up his map. The Navigator will show him the target if it is visible. If the target cannot be located from the I.P., the Navigator will show on his map where he is in relation to the ground directly in front of him.

The Lead Bombardier will notify the Pilot when he has located the target and when he is coming up on it. About 20 or 30 seconds before "Bombs Away" the Bombardier will notify the Pilot and leave his airspeed and altitude exactly as it is. This will enable him to kill his rater perfectly.

After "Bombs Away" the Pilot will take over the ship and the Bombardier will take down his necessary data and close his doors and shut off the power switches.

It is the Bombardier's duty at "Bombs Away" to make sure all cameras are turned on.

The Bombardier will be sure that their intervalometer counter knob is on zero and the select switch on train after leaving the target and while en route to it.

Procedure if interphone is out:

Making run on C-1 Auto Pilot:
Two minutes before the I.P., Bombardier will attract the Pilot's attention by flashing bomber-call light, two long flashes.
Upon receiving this signal Pilot will stand by to turn at I.P.
When I.P. is reached, Bombardier will indicate this by one long flash of bomber-call.
Pilot starts turn toward, and levels out when Bombardier gives two long flashes of bomber-call.
At this time Bombardier takes control of Aircraft and makes normal run on target.
As the bomb release light flashes, Pilot again assumes control of aircraft.

Making run Manually:
If C-1 Auto Pilot ceases to function properly, a manual run will be made. Bombardier will notify Pilot of this by turning on PDI.
Two minutes before I.P. is reached, Bombardier will attract the Pilot's attention by two (2) long flashes of bomber-call light.
Upon receiving this signal Pilot will stand by to turn at I.P.
When I.P. is reached, Bombardier will indicate this by one long flash of bomber-call.
Pilot turns toward target as Bombardier indicated direction of turn with PDI. Pilot levels out when PDI is centered.
From this point, the bomb run is made with the Pilot following PDI until the bomb release light flashes.


NON-OPERATIONAL DUTIES OF BOMBARDIERS

GROUND SCHEDULES FOR BOMBARDIERS

Squadron Bombardiers will have charge of bombardier training in their respective Squadrons.
Bombardiers will be checked out in Navigation to substitute as Navigator in case of Navigator shortage. Lead Bombardiers and Squadron Bombardiers will be checked out as Navigator before leading a Group.
Lead Bombardiers will get a minimum of three (3) hours of target identification each week.
All Bombardiers will become thoroughly familiar with Gee-box and its use.
All Bombardiers will understand the operation of racks and release systems in all types of aircraft, electrical and mechanical.
Bomb trainer, chin-turret, and all other trainers will be attended when scheduled.

PRACTICE BOMBING MISSIONS AND DRY RUN BOMBING

All practice bombing missions will be flown using the designated I.P.s. The Squadron Navigator will inform the bombardiers and navigators as to what they are for the different ranges.
Accidental releases outside of danger areas or release of more than one bomb at a time will be reported to the Group Bombardier's Office immediately upon completion of mission.
Most of the practice bombing will be done on Auto Pilot, but every bombardier will make at least two runs on PDI while on a practice mission.



By order of the Group Commander
GLYNN F. SHUMAKE
Major, Air Corps
Operations Officer

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observer_Badge

Between 1919 and 1935 the design of the Observer Badge remained unchanged, and was issued to both airplane and lighter-than-air ratings. However, as military aviation developed, changes in the concept of an Airplane Observer necessitated the redesign of the Observer Badge with a corresponding change in the eligibility criteria. On 20 February 1940 the rating was changed to that of Combat Observer, followed by redesignation as Aircraft Observer on 4 September 1942. Note that bombardiers that used the top secret SHORAN also received the Observer Badge. They sat midship, where the radio operator would normally sit, since they used an electronic not optical bombsight.

By the time of the United States' entry into the Second World War, three Observer Badges were authorized by the Army Air Forces. The first was the Combat Observer Badge: in appearance an Aviator Badge with a large 'O' in the center. For Balloon Observers, a separate badge was created: the Observer Badge augmented with a balloon insignia.

The third and final version of the Observer Badge was the Technical Observer Badge, an Aviator Badge with a T and O motif in the center. The Technical Observer Badge was primarily awarded to flight engineering personnel assigned to assist the flight engineer.



en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SHORAN

SHORAN is an acronym for SHOrt RAnge Navigation, a type of electronic navigation and bombing system using a precision radar beacon. It was developed during World War II and the first stations were set up in Europe as the war was ending, and was operational with Martin B26 Marauders based in Corsica, and later based in Dijon and in B26's given to the South African Airforce in Italy. The first 10/10 zero visibility bombing was over Germany in March 1945. It saw its first combat use in the B-25, B-26 and B-29 bomber aircraft during the Korean War.

SHORAN used ground-based transponders to respond to interrogation signals sent from the bomber aircraft. By measuring the round-trip time to and from one of the transponders, the distance to that ground station could be accurately determined. The aircraft flew an arcing path that kept it at a predetermined distance from one of the stations. The distance to a second station was also being measured, and when it reached a predetermined distance from that station as well, the bombs were dropped. The basic idea was similar to the Oboe system developed by the Royal Air Force, but in Oboe the transponder was on the aircraft. This limited Oboe to guiding a single aircraft per ground station, while SHORAN could guide dozens, limited only by how rapidity the ground station's transponders could respond.

chicagoboyz.net/archives/53760.html

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www.airforcemag.com/article/1290bombardier/

Bombardier
By Bruce D. Callander
Dec. 1, 1990

In World War II, the concept of strategic airpower hinged on putting one man over a target long enough to operate a device that looked more like a sewing machine than like a weapon. That man was the bombardier, and the device was the Norden bombsight.

More than a dozen schools were set up solely to teach bombardiers. Young men by the tens of thousands mastered the skill. They plied their trade in everything from fighters to the Superfortresses that leveled Japan. Many lost their lives in the process.

Within a decade, new technology would make the bombardier obsolete. Development of the bombardier specialty in the years before World War II followed an up-and-down course. By the summer of 1940, with Europe once again at war, the US had begun to build a massive centralized training program.

The Army Air Corps opened its first bombardier school at Lowry Field, Colo. Early graduates, most of them still enlisted men, were to serve as instructors in a network of new schools. In June 1941, Congress created the grade of aviation cadet for student pilots, navigators, and bombardiers in the new US Army Air Forces. Most student bombardiers would graduate as second lieutenants or flight officers.

Most new bombardiers were trained in the desert southwest section of the US, which offered ample space for bombing ranges. In Texas, schools opened at Big Spring, Childress, Houston, Midland, and San Angelo. Bombardier training grounds sprang up in New Mexico at Carlsbad, Deming, Hobbs, and Roswell. Others could be found at Higley, Ariz., Shreveport, La., and Victorville, Calif.

Heavy Demand for Crews

The cadets underwent abbreviated officer training in preflight centers and went on to flying schools. Early bombardier courses lasted twelve weeks, but training eventually was increased to eighteen weeks and included some basic DR (dead reckoning) navigation. In the longer term, the Army hoped to combine bombardier and navigator training into a single seven-month course. Heavy demand for combat replacement crews, however, made this impractical. As an alternative, many bombardiers went through navigation training when they returned from combat.

Bombardier students learned basic skills on a ground-bound simulator resembling a house painter’s scaffold with a bombsight on top. The self-propelled trainer moved slowly across the floor of a hangar as the bombardier steered it with the knobs of his sight. He aimed at a cardboard target mounted on a small moving box and, as the trainer passed over this “bug,” a solenoid-driven pen dotted the hits on the target.

Actual flight training came in the twin-engine Beech AT-11, a military variant of the commercial Model 18 transport that was fitted with a Plexiglas nose and a bomb bay. It carried ten sand-filled practice bombs (the 100-pound M38A2) with small spotting charges in their tails. Students flew in pairs, one working the bombsight, the other filming the result with a handheld camera aimed through a hole in the floor.

On most missions, the student’s corrections flowed from the bombsight to a pilot direction indicator on the instrument panel. On planes equipped with autopilot, signals went directly to the flight controls and the bombardier actually flew the aircraft on the bomb run. Near graduation, students went into the desert to undergo simulated-combat training. They lived in tents, wore fatigues, and, when they weren’t flying, dug slit trenches and loaded their practice bombs with sand. In some classes, rival flights added to the realism by bombing each other with sacks of flour.

Bombing practice posed some hazards for local residents. Any number of mistakes at the bombsight could send the bombs far from intended targets and bring claims for lost livestock and damaged buildings. On night missions, lighted oil rigs sometimes were mistaken for the illuminated targets.

The cadets who overcame such mistakes and maintained acceptable “circular error” (average distance from the center of the target) graduated and were assigned to flight crews. They took another several months of training in operational bombers and then deployed overseas.

Most of the new graduates were snapped up into the crews flying B-17s and B-24s, then classed as heavy bombers. Against the advice of their British counterparts, US bomb units gave up the security of night bombing for the greater accuracy of day attacks. It proved a costly preference until fighters gained enough range to escort the bomb groups to their targets. Even so, daylight bombing was unquestionably more effective.

First 100-Bomber Raid

By the summer of 1942, B-17s were hitting targets in occupied France and B-24s were disrupting Japanese shipping in the Pacific. That winter, British-based bombers made their first raids into Germany, US Liberators bombed Bangkok from bases in India, and the Ninth Air Force opened attacks on Nazi-held ports in Tunisia. The following spring, the Eighth Air Force mounted its first 100-plane raid on a single German target, Bremen.

Missions settled into a familiar routine. Half an hour from target, the bombardier would switch on his sight and the formation would turn toward the target. Bomb bays opened, and the bombardier fixed his cross hairs on the target. If they drifted to the right or left, he brought them back into line with one knob and turned another until they held steady. With another set of knobs, he synchronized the sight’s tracking speed with the ground speed of the plane. Near the target, corrections became minute, almost undetectable. The plane held course, then gave a gentle lurch as the bombs fell away. The bomb bay doors closed, and the plane swung away from the target for the long flight home.

As the size of the formations grew, however, the bombardier’s job changed. When flying in a tight formation of several hundred bombers, no single plane could make an individual bomb run without bumping into another. Bombardiers in the lead aircraft of each squadron made course corrections for the whole formation. Those in other planes used their sights mainly to determine release points. Late in the war, the lead ships carried bombing-through-overcast radar known as “Mickey” sets. Other bombardiers did little more than watch for the lead plane to drop its bombs and then release their own.

Barely four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, bombardiers carried out their most spectacular mission. Lt. Col. James Doolittle led the strike on the Japanese homeland with B-25s launched from an aircraft carrier. Capt. C. Ross Greening, armament officer on the mission, developed a simple but effective bombsight for the low-level raid. It amounted to a metal sighting bar that could be set on a calibrated scale at a predetermined dropping angle. The bombardier simply waited until the target fell in line with the bar and dropped his bombs.

Later, the nose sections of more than 1,000 B-25s and some A-26s were fitted with 75-mm howitzers. With no bombsights to operate, bombardiers spent their time loading fifteen-pound shells into the gun and dodging its twenty-one-inch recoil. Late in the war, a small number of B-25s carried winged torpedoes. The bombardier aimed them with a Norden sight, and the wings detached just before the missiles reached the water. Martin B-26s delivered more conventional torpedoes. Skip bombing was another imaginative technique. Bombs dropped from low altitude hit the ground or the water while still in the horizontal position and bounced onto the target.

Flying in the “Droop Snoot”

A few bombardiers even found themselves in the nose sections of P-38s. As the Luftwaffe lost strength in Europe and there was less need for fighter escort, some P-38s were diverted to bomber duty. A few P-38Js and Ls were fitted with transparent nose compartments that housed Norden sights or bombing radars. A lead bombardier in one of these “Droop Snoots” did the aiming for the whole formation.

Still, it was in the strategic bombing department that the sheer weight of American airpower was most telling. In March 1945, the AAF mounted its biggest raid on a single target; more than 1,000 bombers dumped 4,738 tons of bombs on Essen. The same month, a 1,000-plane formation hit Berlin–the heaviest daylight raid of the war. Such attacks continued until May 7, when Germany surrendered.

The worst destruction was yet to come. In the Pacific, B-29s of the Twentieth Air Force varied the high-level daylight bombing routine by attacking Tokyo at night in a series of low-level incendiary raids. The bombs created fire storms that swept through light frame buildings like hurricanes.

Then, on August 6,1945, Maj. Thomas Ferebee, bombardier on the B-29 Enola Gay, toggled off a new kind of bomb over Hiroshima that had more force than all the munitions delivered to that date. Three days later, the B-29 Bock’s Car flew over Nagasaki, and bombardier Kermit Beahan released the world’s second atomic bomb.

Strategic bombing had taken on a whole new character. The B-29 dwarfed the old heavies. Radar, able to penetrate fog and darkness, was making optical sighting obsolete. The atomic bomb had given a single aircraft many times the destructive power of the old 1,000-plane formation. The days of the traditional bombardier were numbered. More than 40,000 had been trained for the war. With the postwar draw down, only a handful stayed on.

Some of the old knob twisters were to have one last hurrah, however. Less than five years after V.J Day, in June 1950, North Korean Communist troops attacked South Korea, and the United States joined UN efforts to drive them back. A large number of veteran World War II bombardiers were recalled to active duty.

Rip van Winkles of the Air

These “retreads” stepped into a new world. The Air Force had become a separate service. Army pinks and greens had given way to the plain blue suit. Bombardier wings had been replaced by an all-purpose observer insignia, and, most startling of all, some of the airplanes didn’t even have propellers.

There were only a few of the old birds left, including the Douglas B-26, which had been developed in World War II as the A-26. The recalled bombardiers assigned to the B-26 were classified as bombardier-navigators, even if they had had no navigation training. They used simplified Mk. 9 sights acquired from Britain. Though B-29s from Japan bombed major targets with radar, the Douglas Invaders hit truck convoys and trains from in-country bases.

When the Korean truce came in 1953, most of the recalled bombardiers went home for a second time. Of those who remained, some took additional navigation training to qualify for the new minimum-crew jets. Those who didn’t were grounded. Many took off their new observer wings and pinned on the bombardier insignia they had worn during World War II.

The new aircraft observer used electronic gadgets not only to find his way to the target but also to drop his bombs and defend his aircraft. He flew in everything from bombers and transports to tankers and two-place fighters. In time, the generic term “navigator” was applied to all nonpilot officers in an aircrew.

In the mid-1980s, however, the Air Force realized that this jack-of-all-trades approach wasn’t working. Navigators might be trained for a wide variety of jobs, but, in practice, they were being used in relatively narrow specialties. The Air Force adopted a new training system giving students a core curriculum in navigation and then specialized training in the aircraft to which they would be assigned.

The original bombardier’s job has changed almost beyond recognition. More changes lie ahead. When the Air Force speaks of optical systems in the next century, it has in mind an exotic combination of fiber optics and electronics. The optical bombsight through which the operator strained to see the oil fields of Ploesti is a museum piece, as, in a sense, is the old bomb-aimer himself. His descendants speak a language laden with acronyms and high-tech terminology. This new breed of “offensive systems operator” may know only vaguely that there once was a species known as the bombardier.

Between tours of active duty during World War II and the Korean War, Bruce D. Callander earned a B.A. in journalism at the University of Michigan. In 1952, he joined Air Force Times, becoming editor in 1972. His most recent article for AIR FORCE Magazine, “The Aviation Cadets,” appeared in the November 1990 issue.

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mtnman
Member
Member ID: 76516
930 posts
Location: "Low Country" of SE

#1

Posted June 7, 2016

In April 1941, the 19th bombardment group began training pilots and bombardiers as well as other support staff at Albuquerque Army Air Base. Here is a list of the names the airbase utilized, finally becoming Kirtland Air Force Base as it is today...



Albuquerque Army Air Base, 8 March 1941
Kirtland Army Air Field, 24 February 1942
Kirtland Air Force Base, 13 January 1948 – Present



The 19th bombardment group completed its training by September 1941 and shortly thereafter Hap Arnold moved the bombardier school from Louisiana Albuquerque Army Air Base, becoming the World's First Bombardier School and officially the Army Air Forces Advanced Flying School on December 24, 1941. It was set under the Western Flying Training Command of the Army Air Force.



Just northeast of the airbase Is the Navajo Nation. The Navajo are known as some of the most talented in metallurgical artistry in the world, especially silver and semiprecious stone. The Army Air Force culture being so close to the Navajo nation and even using some of the Indian land bomb target ranges, these 2 cultures of Navajo Indian and Army Air Force military training were bound to interact in various ways mutually beneficial to them both.



My friend Cliff Presley, a historian collector who has taught me selflessly about military history, the research thereof and the astute, wise and selective collecting of US military aviation insignia, uncovered the full truth regarding these wings.



As I would expect after knowing Cliff for some time, he actually met an individual who had been a bombardier during World War II, Hubert S Whitlock, and this relationship gave context and historical record to the origin of where these 2 cultures intersected in the creation of a splendid and one-of-a-kind style of wing to be utilized by the bombardiers who were blessed to come across whoever that talented Navajo artisan was who created these few bombardier wings that the collecting community has uncovered thus far. I will let Cliff's words speak in a quote from his posting of the the story on another thread in this forum....



Quote:



"Provenance Smiled on Me"

Several years ago while attending a local chapter meeting of the 8th Air Force Historical Society, I met a fine old Southern gentleman named Hubert S. Whitlock. Hubert had been a B-24 bombardier between 13 November 1943 and 6 July 1944 with the 389th bomb Group in England, and our meeting lead to an immediate, long lasting friendship.

Later in 2006, Hubert finished writing a delightful 200 page biography called, "provenance Smiled on Me - A Life Story," in which he wrote about some of his experiences during the war. While reading the book I was able to learn that Hubert had received his bombardier training in 1943 at Kirkland AFB near Albuquerque, NM. When he graduated, his girl friend while in Albuquerque (named Betty Mae) pinned to his uniform a set of custom made bombardier wings fashioned by one of the Native American Indian craftsmen that Albuquerque is still well known for - and in the book he added, "I think she was hoping I would propose to her," but it never happened. This is all documented in the book, along with a very nice photo of Hubert wearing the wings which he continued to wear throughout the war. . . and they remain with his family to this day.

Hubert A. Whitlock passed away on 19 February 2014, exactly two months shy of this 95th birthday.

"Farewell good friend on your final flight to be with the Lord."

I should add here that until getting Hubert's book I had never seen another set of wings like these - until two months go when Russ Wilson sent me a photo of a set he owns.

Well, perhaps as fate would have it, two weeks ago I saw a third set like them on eBay and while I thought they were very pricey, I could not resist getting them and I am very grateful to be able to share them with you today.

Cliff



End Quote



I will include pictures of the bombardier wing Cliff came across and purchased and it can be viewed on Bob Schwartz most excellent site "Aviation Wings and Badges of the World wars", a site which has been a blessing to collectors for many years now and a mark of the rich and sacrificial dedication, in time and effort, of Bob Schwartz to our US Military Aviation Insignia collecting community.

The reason for my new post here is to bring to light a first. Recently on eBay a very special wing came available in auction. This wing was created quite obviously, by the same Navajo craftsman who forged the bombardier wings later. The wing is a "Combat Observer" wing as prescribed in War Department Circular 21 Issued 20 February 1940, changing the "Airplane Observer" wing of 1920 to the "Combat Observer" wing. This designation was later changed in 4 September 1942 when the bombardier wing was created in change number 1 to Army regulation 600 – 35 and the "Combat Observer" was changed in name to "Aircraft Observer".



The reason this is very important to recognize is because of a little known fact that bombardiers, from 1940 through to September 1942, were often given the "Combat Observer" wing. In doing some research I found a quote from a May 18, 1942 issue of Life magazine from an article entitled "Bombardier School".



"The Air Force still gives the Bombardier distinctive wings with an 'O' between them, which is the Combat Observer's insignia. But soon Bombardiers may wear their own wing with a bomb on them."

Even after the bombardier wing was created in September 1942 and the Combat Observer was redesignated Aircraft Observer, the Pilot's Information File dated November 1944 had this information in it on aeronautical ratings...



"An individual who is physically qualified for duty as an Aircraft Observer, and who, since 1 July 1940 has successfully completed the prescribed course in one of the following categories, may be rated as an Aircraft Observer in that category:"

Aircraft Observer (Navigator)
Aircraft Observer (Bombardier)
Aircraft Observer (Navigator-Bombardier)
Aircraft Observer (Radar-Night Fighter)
Aircraft Observer (Radar-RCM)
Aircraft Observer (Aerial Engineer)
Aircraft Observer (Flexible Gunner)"



The primary use of the Observer style wing for bombardiers was in the early war as a Combat Observer wing, until the bombardier wing came out in September 1942 in change number 1 to AR 600 – 35.

This wing would've been created during that time between April 1941 and September 1942 when Albuquerque Army Air Base/Kirtland Army Air Field was made a center of bombardier training. This is probably one of the first wings the Navajo craftsman would have made so it is an early example.One can tell by viewing the evolution of his wing making skills, that he eventually began to fill in the rear of the escutcheon with silver and to thicken the wings a bit. This early design of the Combat Observer wing for use by a bombardier was a thinner construction and the shoulders very pronounced in the grooves surrounding the fletching. He also decided to leave the fletching that turns inward to frame the base of the escutcheon without the fine, detailed fletching lines on each of the feather strands which adds an interesting contrast, forming 4 primary stylization fields....

1. The upper shoulders
2. The lower shoulders rising to the exaggerated incline from the top of the wings, where the shoulders and the outer fletching meet.
3. The outer fletching with the fine linear fletching lines filling the greater linear fletching fields, each with a curvature away and up from the escutcheon.
4. The outer fletching with a curvature hugging and supporting the escutcheon at its base, bare of the fine linear fletching lines used as a beautiful filler for the upper section of the outer fletching.

Enjoy Gentleman and Ladies collectors and blessings as always, in your collecting....



The First Wing I will show is Cliff's excellent example of the Navajo Craftsman's Bombardier wing....

post-76516-0-33991800-1465329681.jpg
mtnman

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#2

Posted June 7, 2016

Rear of Cliff's Bombardier Wing....

post-76516-0-63081500-1465331099.jpg
mtnman

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#3

Posted June 7, 2016

The Navajo Crafted Combat Observer Wing...

post-76516-0-68794000-1465331179.jpg
mtnman

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#4

Posted June 7, 2016

next

post-76516-0-03943500-1465331221.jpg
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#5

Posted June 7, 2016

Sinister (left) Wing

post-76516-0-19362700-1465331271.jpg
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#6

Posted June 7, 2016

Dexter (Right) Wing

post-76516-0-77636600-1465331319.jpg
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#7

Posted June 7, 2016

full view

post-76516-0-69423600-1465331431.jpg
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#8

Posted June 7, 2016

closeup

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#9

Posted June 7, 2016

Rear ....Notice concave rear to escutcheon. The Observer Lined Shield is ADDED atop the anterior of the main body of the wing's center.

post-76516-0-97436900-1465331555.jpg
mtnman

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#10

Posted June 7, 2016

closeup

post-76516-0-42755500-1465331738.jpg
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#11

Posted June 7, 2016

Dexter Rear. You can SEE the hand done work on the front pushed the silver out in back in places.

post-76516-0-37744800-1465331807.jpg
mtnman

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#12

Posted June 7, 2016

sinister rear

post-76516-0-19336700-1465331933.jpg
mtnman

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#13

Posted June 7, 2016

The cleaning process was longer and more involved having to deal with the handmade piece but it cleaned up beautifully once the first layers of tarnish and organic oils etc came out of the grooves. It truly is a lovely piece of work by a talented Navajo Silversmith artisan and speaks to the centuries long traditions in their craftsmanship.....
268th C.A.

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#14

Posted June 7, 2016

Beautiful Wing!
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Posted June 7, 2016

You found another beauty! Funny it almost looks like a hallmark on the back center, kind of like one of those old wooden folding chairs with an "S" behind it. Funny I am a life member of the Zia "Albuquerque" chapter of the 8th AFA and painted many patches and jackets for some of those guys and never heard or saw any of these beautiful wings. I spent 15 years there and no wings. But I did get the first issue bomber school yearbook from Kirtland. I'd rather have one of these wings! :love: Congrats on another spectacular find!
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#16

Posted June 7, 2016

MtnMan, that is one spectacular Combat Observer's badge! Truly a piece of sculpted art! Thank you for sharing this rare beauty!
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#17

Posted June 7, 2016

Truly stunning Mel!

Also, well done on the cleaning.



Best, John
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#18

Posted June 7, 2016

That is a work or art. Great photography. Thanks for showing.
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#19

Posted June 8, 2016

Beautiful wings!
5thwingmarty

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#20

Posted June 10, 2016

That is a beautiful wing. I had bid on it as well and was surprised at how much it sold for. I would be curious if you could compare the attached observer device with other observer wings to see if matched those of any other wings. The center looks like it could have been taken from another wing and attached to the base wing.



Also, I have a friend who also has a Navaho observer wing, and like all of the Navaho bombardier wings it has similar but not identical details.



There was also a beat-up Navaho bombardier wing on ebay for many weeks that finally sold for less than the asked for $398.



Marty
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Posted June 10, 2016

Thanks for the input Marty... actually I was surprised it did not go for more with the rarity of the wing and the splendid individual creation each wing represents.... And after spending a few days going over the wing's details and seeing unique, thin one piece, flat roundel that the artisan cut out (tool marks surrounding the edges) to create the Observer super structure atop the main body convex center and the wide outer ring with the same tool marks as the support structure, as they were gently bent and cut into symmetrical shape and size together, I truly believe that the Artisan cut out his own silver, thin sheet for the roundel made in Observer escutcheon design. I will get some pics up to show that...it's obvious once you see the edges and thinness of the roundel he shaped.



I would LOVE to see the other observations wing your friend has! What a treat to compare! Please feel free to add it if you can... thanks!
5thwingmarty

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#22

Posted June 11, 2016

If I have the chance to get photos of his wing I will post them. He also has full size and shirt size Navaho bombardier wings as do I. Our bombardier wings are consistent in that the shirt size wings have observer type backgrounds for the bombs, but the full size wings all have target backgrounds for the bombs. I don't think I have seen any full size Navaho bombardier wings that used the observer wing as the background for the bomb.



Marty
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Posted June 11, 2016

I went back to the observer wing to take some pictures of where the Navajo craftsman created the separate observer lined escutcheon, framed by a beveled silver boundary. I am so glad that I did because it simply revealed to me the details of the extensive work that this craftsman went through to construct by hand and originally each and every piece of the wing proper. The only section of this wing not handmade is the pin assembly.
I have attached 2 pictures. The first picture will show where the craftsman positioned the main body of the wing and the piece he individually cut out for use as the observer escutcheon superimposed upon the central convex bulge support upon which it would be attached. You can see where the unrefined piece was cut out using the wing itself as a guide to its dimensions because you can see the shear marks from his cutting tool in complete parity where he cut the upper escutcheon sheet using the base wing as the guide.

You can also see below where he beveled the edge, the unfinished and unrefined silver with the marks where it was originally cut out for his work, below where he did his beveling and buffing. I have never seen hand done silver work so clearly hands-on except for some CBI and Panamanian wings, but they left some of the cast parts unrefined while this craftsman's work touches every aspect of the wing.

The 2nd picture will show where the seam still exists where he silver soldered together the section of the beveled edging which he would have had to cut out the excess silver ,to get the perfect roundness he needed for the upper lined observer escutcheon, and then reseal the roundel with silver solder. He almost buffed it completely invisible but it is still, for our enjoyment of understanding his work, discernible.

As for the lines that go across the front. There are shear marks in the indentions between the raised pallets which were buffed to a beautiful smooth presentation. The shear marks are where he gutted out the ditches in between the raised horizontal pallets on the escutcheon.
What a wonderful perspective from which to view this wing.

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Bombardier and Navigator Training Requirements
History Add comments
Oct 072012


WingsLike pilots, cadets who trained to be bombardiers and navigators were assigned to different air fields for different phases of their training. They had preflight, gunnery and either bombardier or navigator training, or both.

Here are the phases of bombardier and navigator training as they were in 1944, adapted from The Official Guide to the Army Air Forces (New York: Pocket Books, Inc., May 1944).

Preflight School: 10 week course. Trainees attend the same preflight school. Both bombardiers and navigators take 48 hours of code; 28 hours of mathematics; 24 hours of maps and charts; 30 hours of aircraft recognition; 12 hours of aero-physics; 9 hours of altitude equipment.

Gunnery School: 6 week course. Because every bomber crew member must be an expert gunner, navigator and bombardier trainees are sent to a flexible gunnery school after preflight school. They learn weapons, ballistics, turret operation and maintenance; gun repairs; air, sea and land recognition; shooting from a moving base and from a turret; firing from the air at ground objects, at tow targets and at other planes with a gun camera. After gunnery school bombardier and navigator trainees separate and each takes a specialized advanced course.

Bombardier School: 20 week course. Following gunnery school, bombardier trainees spend 120 hours in AT-11 training planes on practice bombing runs and 718 hours in ground school. The latter consists of: navigation, 96 hours; bombing, 388 hours; navigation and bombing and related training (code, meteorology, air and sea recognition), 234 hours. At the conclusion of the course trainees are awarded bombardier’s silver wings, appointed flight officers or commissioned 2nd lieutenants, and sent on to unit training.

Navigator School: 20 week course. Following gunnery school navigator trainees spend 104 hours in the air on practical navigation problems, and 782 hours in ground school. The latter includes: pilotage, 8 hours; instruments, 83 hours; dead reckoning, 54 hours; radio, 8 hours; code and recognition, 9 hours each. Upon completing the course, trainees are awarded navigator’s wings, appointed flight officers or commissioned 2nd lieutenants, and advanced to unit training.

Bombardier-Navigator School: 12 week course. Each month a specified number of graduate navigators (180 monthly on March 1, 1944) receive full bombardier’s training, excluding navigation in which they are already proficient. Bombardier-navigator training provides the doubly-trained officers needed for B-29s and for lead planes in medium bomber missions.

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