Show Bombs Steel Center t. In Imaginary Flight j t tr r Briefed at Arm Army Air Force School for Raid on Follows Follows Course t Over Huge Realistic Map s By BAUKHAGE h- h News Analyst and Commentator Set Ice Union Trust Building I Washington D. D C. C How wl would you like to bomb the teel steel works In a flying fortress fortress for tor tress I did 11 it without moving from my classroom seat in Orlando Fla in one of the courses I attended at the army air force school of applied tac tac- tics It is part of the post graduate graduate graduate ate instruction of the high officers of the army and it really is a realistic realis realis- tic briefing When I had finished that demonstration as it is called I actually felt as if it I had been on that bombing mission which started at an unnamed base in China and flew Jew straight to a target which is as clearly pictured in my mind as i if I had made the trip Ill I'll try to reenact it for you First imagine a great map stretching across the room in which you are sitting with two black lines on it The lower line runs with a afew afew afew few slight deviations straight to the target in Japan Then there is a short leg running north and the second sec sec- end ond nd line a little above the other running running running run run- ning back to the base This is the course we took Now men says the officer standing with a pointer in his hand you are going to bomb the steel steelworks steelworks steelworks works at Daylight precision bombing and naturally you'll meet a little more opposition But you know the importance of steel I dont don't need to talk about that You have been selected for your record last time Keep up that record As you know this is the first time for the new stagger formation Youve You've practiced it I wont won't go into that We have just 45 minutes to check the whole plan We start at and the first ship goes down the runway at Military clocks theoretically run 24 hours If It the number is above 12 subtract 12 For instance 1630 is in the afternoon afternoon 1630 minus 12 equals Then came some directions about assembly where this group joins the f formation which I w wont won't nf go into here since space isn't adequate but anyhow the assembly point is Level Off For Bomb Run We must be at at Climb at miles an hour to this point here the pointer taps the map to 1500 feet and level off miles per hour this junction junction junction junc junc- tion another tap 94 then swing on course 91 degrees the pointer swishes out along the black line to the coast Here is your second climb 1212 miles per hour feet a minute to bombing altitude at check point island of island at 1245 the pointer touches a little island of off the Jap coast pit it will look like an inverted pyramid then level of off to the IP IF That is the point of entry which must be definitely established for the flight ight from there on is directly to the target target target tar tar- get and careful synchronization with the other planes must be made Show a yellow-yellow yellow flare fiare so sowell sowell well we'll know youve you've reached the IP if it dark toggle half four over the bomb run then to the rally point 14 miles north of target If you are crippled going over the target try to cut short your turn Ill I'll explain that you see normally normal normal- ly the planes would go north from the target and then turn at a right rightangle rightangle rightangle angle to the assembly point Then another right angle back toward home so i if a plane had been hit and couldn't last long it must try to catch up with the others and make known its condition If It the plane lags behind it may be located bythe by the group leader who will make continuous continuous continuous con con- turns s-turns looping back bac trying to locate any stragglers Meanwhile Meanwhile Meanwhile Mean Mean- while as I forgot to explain there is a friendly submarine loafing somewhere within radio call for two purposes First to try to locate any plane that has been forced down into the water second to pick up information concerning any enemy ships which the planes may have spotted so the sub can go over and take a poke at them I cannot In this space give you a fraction of the detail of this brief brief- Ing which pointed out on the map J Jevery I every hazard every advantage every every every ev ev- ev- ev ery varying condition Special areas were blown up in large size as a alake alake alake lake serving as a landmark where the planes start their ocean jump a peculiarly shaped river where they reach land again Sketches are arc furnished by meteorologists showing showIng showing show show- ing just the types of clouds clouds' they will encounter some full of rocks covering mountain peaks which are to be avoided Thc The known location and number of enemy fighter planes is marked as are the antiaircraft guns and the temperature and wind velocity at various levels Targets Target's There Then Gone As to the target its itself ell large scale aerial pictures were shown which looked very much as the actual terrain would look to the pilot and bombardier Also a map of the whole city Then a map of the target area then photos of the target target target tar tar- get area taken from an angle as asit asit asit it will look when the plane approaches approaches approaches ap ap- ap- ap it from a distance and another as it will look when it is directly below the below the important mo mo- ment below below below be be- That last statement directly low Is misleading as I found out What you see when you look through the glass walls of the bombers bomber's nose and what you see when you rou look through the bombsight are two quite different pictures What you see when you look through the bombsight bombsight bombsight bomb- bomb sight is the area far ahead of where your plane is upon which the bomb will hit if released at that precise instant Naturally at the speed at which a plane travels the inertia of the he bombs carries them far ahead as they fall This is disconcerting to the lay lay- man I looked through the glass of the nose and picked me out a little Florida lake upon which I decided to drop my imaginary bomb Then I looked into the sight and there was no lake there Too late If It I had released my bombs then they wOl would d have hit far beyond the distant distant distant dis dis- tant shore although the plane hadn't even reached the near shore yet et But to return to my synthetic flight I find it impossible to recount it with half the realism with which it was presented to me as my eyes followed that moving pointer from base to assembly point to bomb line where the planes cross into enemy occupied terrain on to the target itself with the looping tracks that bounded it and then back north and west again over water and land lake and mountain on the long trek home After the briefing was finished four men in uniform took seats scats on the platform They were men with stars on their service ribbons and some purple hearts too Men of many missions just such as the one described or they would not have been chosen as instructors in this post graduate university of the air And they acted out with startling conviction the briefing of a returned crew One his bis nerves on razor edge from what he had gone through another another another an an- other a little dazed as if he had had hada a few drinks too many another solemn solemn solemn sol sol- wide eyed another jumpy lo loquacious loquacious loquacious lo- lo controversial all true true-to- life we were told Carefully and tactfully the officer checked their conflicting statements until finally all were molded into a reasonable and rational report i How many enemy fighters here Oh On 80 easy said the jumpy i ione one How many do you ou say to the fellow in the half daze Well a lot of em cm I didn't count Enough anyhow And you didn't warn us about the others here here- says the slap happy one as he jumps up and jabs the map Finally it settles down to about 50 This estimate will be checked as other crews are arc are checked and an accurate estimate is obtained The same careful and studied analysis maly- maly sis of data on troop concentrations observed movements along highways highways highways high high- ways convoys new landing strips as well as the damage done to the target |