What causes the big perfectly rectangular chunks? I've seen that effect on several of these kinds of tests. Is it the modular construction of the test target? I guess when I see a claim like "penetrates 200 feet of concrete," I want to assume it's a monolithic structure.
I've not watched the video [yet]. I've got other things going on right now.
This has morphed from the GBU-28 where they had to devise a way to get 50 odd feet of concrete and dirt to take out Hussiens brass as they had no conventional weapon to do it except some bright spark came up with using gun barrels for the body.
I have read in one of my books the German Schwerer Gustav 80cm rail gun in the siege of Sevastopol fired one of its 7 tonne A.P projectiles that penetrated 90 feet of solid rock and destroyed a Russian ammunition dump in WWII.
As far as bombs are concerned I would have though Tallboy and Grand Slam were the start of it all.
The GBU-28 was apparently needed either because those lessons of WWII had been forgotten, or more likely because in peace-time (relative term) no one was interested in being involved in such a low-budget, low-tech project; your future employers in the MIC would not be impressed!
They don't explain in the video why it was decided not to use B52s for delivery, but presumably vulnerability to SAM's or low approach speed allowing target deduction by the Iraqis(?)
And of course no reference to the Barnes Wallis bombs or their supersonic rates of descent. Things would have gone quite differently if a guidance system had been provided for Tallboy and Grand Slam.
Last edited by Surpmil; 12-07-2022 at 01:49 PM.
“There are invisible rulers who control the destinies of millions. It is not generally realized to what extent the words and actions of our most influential public men are dictated by shrewd persons operating behind the scenes.”
When they test dropped the first tallboy they planted a camera slap bang in the middle of the aiming mark and that is precisely where the bomb landed on the camera as they had other remote camera's taking pictures.
The fins on the bombs both the GS & TB were offset by 5 degrees imparting a spin to help stabilize them in flight and make them hopefully more accurate everything would have to be perfectly balanced as they were supersonic when they hit the ground being unbalanced they may have shed their tail piece.
The idea behind both of these bombs was they needed something to penetrate the U-boat pens and other military targets Wallis also came up with the medieval process of camouflets to destroy structures such as the Bielefeld Viaduct.
I have Barnes Wallis's book "Bombs" quite the fascinating mind, he was horrified but at the losses sustained by the crews in the dams raid.
My reference to the start of it all was the GBU28 to the MOP sorry for the confusion.
It was an awfully expensive way to sink u-boats. I wonder if any attempt was made to plant timed explosives in them using French dockyard workers.
Considering just the economic and human costs, frogmen with limpet mines might have been a better bet, if adequate time fuses could have been provided. Something activated by sea water erosion or corrosion perhaps.
A boat that sinks while out on patrol left no evidence of the cause in those days.
Torpedoes would have been an ideal target if their warheads could have been detonated somehow, say when their firing sequence began...
“There are invisible rulers who control the destinies of millions. It is not generally realized to what extent the words and actions of our most influential public men are dictated by shrewd persons operating behind the scenes.”
617 Squadron and its sister, 618, were so good at their job by early 1945, they were "booked" for a series of "Command Performances" in Japan. The fall of Berlin saw them packing their "bags", ready to roll to the Pacific theatre.
However, after the solo performances by "Enola Gay" and "Bock's Car", they pretty much missed out on a product demonstration tour of the Japanese home islands.
And everyone went back to smaller bombs for general mayhem and Nukes for "special occasions", because nothing succeeds like Excess! Fingers crossed; may the only "mad" remain the threat of Mutually Assured Destruction as a deterrent against exchanges of multi-megatonne warheads.
Residents of Melbourne, and other places, may be familiar with the old horror flick; "On the Beach".
PM
Things would have gone quite differently if a guidance system had been provided for Tallboy and Grand Slam.
