Operation Adonis (What if)?

[tc2324]

I don`t think I will be finishing this one in time, but if you care to follow it, then its on the `What if` build thread.

After reading up about Operation Aphrodite I began to wonder why the USAAC didn`t go about it in a similar manner to the Luftwaffe and their `Mistel` design.

So.. in typical TC manner I have got the kits below together and will start shortly on my version of an American `Mistel` version. (try saying that quickly after a couple of beers..!)

[arnobiz]

Very interesting, I had never heard of Operation Aphrodite. The closest I ever came to the idea was a Commado comic where explosive-loaded Lancasters radio-guided from modified Mosquitos were used to destroy a German cruiser in a fjord

A Mustang a=on a B-17 should look great, can't wait to see your progress!

[tc2324]

Very interesting, I had never heard of Operation Aphrodite. The closest I ever came to the idea was a Commado comic where explosive-loaded Lancasters radio-guided from modified Mosquitos were used to destroy a German cruiser in a fjord

A Mustang a=on a B-17 should look great, can't wait to see your progress!

Cheers arnobiz. Just put a update on the whif thread.

[tc2324]

Just a quick up date on this one.

Very nearly finished the P-51 and this is how `Cookie` looks at the moment. I`m gonna add a couple more ariels at a later stage to define this as a `control` aircraft. Just need to source them.

By the way, anyone spot the change??

Never gonna complete this one by the end of Sunday.

[tc2324]

A little bit of progress today. With the help of the Royal Mail and my missus`s clother pegs I put the main section together and talk about complicating this part of the build more than they needed to...!!!!!!

As you can see none of the turrest are in place and a lot of smoothing off will need to be done on the joins. Not to worried about smears on the windows either as most will be painted over to give the B-17 a more `solid` look. Next up are the wings.

[tc2324]

Been busy working on the B-17 today and couldn`t resist putting all the big parts together then placing the P-51 in position with the aid of blu-tak for a mock up shot. I have also added a transmitter pod underneath the P-51`s wing which you can see in the second shot.

[tc2324]

Finished my rendition of a worn out stripped down, ready to be guided to it`s target B-17F. I have placed the large `receiver` pod on the top of the tail in line with a MCLOS system to be used in my What if story line. Have also added a a pressure detonator rod to the nose and I have also shortened the u/c to give the B-17 a squat appearance. All will be explained in the story. Just the decals to go and then the challenge of getting the P-51 to sit correctly on top.

[tc2324]

Got round to putting some legs onto the P-51 and then took a shot of both aircraft `mated` together. Well, put one on top of the other!

While the P-51 can sit ok on top of the B-17, one leg is too long and will need to be clipped. Not looking forward to that one I can tell you.....

[tc2324]

Ladies and gentleman, I know it`s late and won`t count for squat, but allow me to give you........,

Operation Aphrodite and Adonis

The Operation Aphrodite plan was first proposed to Major General James H. Doolittle some time in 1944. Doolittle approved the plan on June 26, and assigned the 3rd Bombardment Division with preparing and flying the drone aircraft, which was to be designated BQ-7. Final assignment of responsibility was given to the 562nd Bomb Squadron at RAF Honington in Suffolk. Old B-17 Flying Fortress bombers were stripped of all normal combat armament and all other non-essential gear (armor, guns, bomb racks, transceiver, seats, etc.), relieving about 12,000 lb (5,400 kg) of weight. To allow easier exit when the pilot and co-pilot were to parachute out, the canopy was removed. radio remote-control equipment was added, with two television cameras fitted in the cockpit to allow a view of both the ground and the main instrumentation panel to be transmitted back to an accompanying CQ-17 'mothership'. The drone was loaded with more than twice a B-17's normal bomb payload. British Torpex, 50% more powerful than TNT, was the explosive used. 13 missions were launched without any reasonable success and a number of aircrew were killed in accidents, the most famous being Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. who was the older brother of the future president of the United States. On the 3rd January 1945 the project and all future Aphrodite missions were postponed until a more reliable control system could be put in to place.

In April 1945 a new system called MCLOS, (short for Manual Command to Line of Sight), was put forward and proposed as an alternative to the older system used in the earlier Aphrodite missions.

The new proposal `borrowed` a technique from the Luftwaffe and it`s Mistel program. It was concluded that a P-51 fighter aircraft placed above the BQ-7 with direct control of both aircraft into the target area would eliminate the earlier problems and numerous malfunctions associated with long missions relying purely on remote control. It would only be in the last ten minutes of the mission that the BQ-7 would need to be directed by remote. A P-51 was chosen for the task, (now re designated as a CQ-51), as it had better performance capabilities than any other U.S. fighter at the time. It had a modified cockpit with a second rear facing seat with remote control systems and TV monitors for the RC operator. A transmission Ariel was placed in a black housing under the P-51`s wing and receiver aerials were placed in a housing on top of the BQ-7`s fin. This was so that the radio link could not be broken by any other part of either aircrafts airframe once the BQ-7 had been released on to its target.

Doolittle approved the system, now codenamed Adonis, and made available an old B-17 aircraft for a test flight with the modified Mustang hung up above which took place on the 30th April 1945. This flight proved successful but before the weapon system could be used operationally, events over took the plan and with Germany`s surrender on the 8th May, the system was scrapped indefinitely.

The only known pictures of the CQ-51 and BQ-7 mated together were taken on the morning of the 30th April 1945 prior to its test flight.

And a couple of colour shots for those who prefer them.........,