Tbolt Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 It's got what looks like a British bomb mounted on the pylon, but it's the wire that seems to be coming from the vicinity of the bomb and running to the supercharger outlet where it seems to be attached with another wire running off to the right hand side that's the interesting thing. Anyone know what it is or seen it on other aircraft? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72modeler Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 I don't think that's a bomb- it looks like a 325 pound AN 17 Mk 41 depth charge- you can see the hydrostatic fuze plug on the side of the body. I have no earthly idea what the wires are for- maybe the store didn't drop cleanly from the pylon and the wire assembly kept it from damaging the wing? Perhaps @Selwyn or @Tailspin Turtle might know? That's a weird one, as I don't think I have ever seen a photo of a USAAF fighter carrying depth charges before. Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbolt Posted April 15, 2021 Author Share Posted April 15, 2021 31 minutes ago, 72modeler said: I don't think that's a bomb- it looks like a 325 pound AN 17 Mk 41 depth charge- you can see the hydrostatic fuze plug on the side of the body. I have no earthly idea what the wires are for- maybe the store didn't drop cleanly from the pylon and the wire assembly kept it from damaging the wing? Perhaps @Selwyn or @Tailspin Turtle might know? That's a weird one, as I don't think I have ever seen a photo of a USAAF fighter carrying depth charges before. Mike Thanks, I wondered if it was something other than a normal bomb, but my ordnance knowledge is pretty poor. They do still seem to class them as bombs, some places they are called a depth bomb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toryu Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 IMHO, the wire is attached to the fuse and primed the depth charge only after dropping the wire length. Maybe the fuse was activated by approaching noise (acustic fuse), and they wanted to make sure that the P-47 vibrations didn't blow it up too early. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EwenS Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 ISTR reading somewhere, sometime, back long ago that depth charges were used over land for their blast properties. Usually in the Pacific/CBI to clear vegetation from around a target, as well as shock the occupants of bunkers. Don’t recall reading of its use in NWE or the Med though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Sinclair Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 Ordnance manual https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/TM/pdfs/TM9-1980.pdf The 365th Fighter Group arrived in Britain in November 1943. The 9th Air Force credits is P-47 units with dropping the following types of bombs, no depth bombs listed, Fragmentation, pounds, 20, 60, 80, 90, 100, 120, 250, 260, 265, 280, 360, 400, 500, 6 x 20 HE, pounds, 100 GP, 200 GP, 250 GP, 300 GP, 500 SAP, 500 Comp B, 500 GP, 600 GP, 1000 SAP, 1000 GP Incendiary, pounds, 100 SM, 100 WP, 125 WP, 280 FB, 300 FB, 300 WP, 500 WP, 500 IC, 500 IB, 500 FB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidrian Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 (edited) 3 hours ago, EwenS said: ISTR reading somewhere, sometime, back long ago that depth charges were used over land for their blast properties. Usually in the Pacific/CBI to clear vegetation from around a target, as well as shock the occupants of bunkers. Don’t recall reading of its use in NWE or the Med though. I havent seen one on a P-47 or in NW Europe before - but, yes, they were used in the Pacific; there are pics of Kiwi F4U-1Ds with a "daisy cutter" on one wing pylon and a depth charge on the other. I have sometimes wondered how they were fused; setting a hydrostatic fuse to zero feet as I read somewhere seems likely to be a bit frightening if one were to hang up. Edited April 15, 2021 by Aidrian 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbolt Posted April 15, 2021 Author Share Posted April 15, 2021 1 hour ago, Geoffrey Sinclair said: Ordnance manual https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/TM/pdfs/TM9-1980.pdf The 365th Fighter Group arrived in Britain in November 1943. The 9th Air Force credits is P-47 units with dropping the following types of bombs, no depth bombs listed, Fragmentation, pounds, 20, 60, 80, 90, 100, 120, 250, 260, 265, 280, 360, 400, 500, 6 x 20 HE, pounds, 100 GP, 200 GP, 250 GP, 300 GP, 500 SAP, 500 Comp B, 500 GP, 600 GP, 1000 SAP, 1000 GP Incendiary, pounds, 100 SM, 100 WP, 125 WP, 280 FB, 300 FB, 300 WP, 500 WP, 500 IC, 500 IB, 500 FB Thanks for that, but when you say dropped, is that just in anger? Or does it included weapons that were trialed as well which could be the case in that photo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Russell Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 If we had a better view of the bomb log and data panel it would make a nice model. According to americanairmuseum site it is P-47D-15-RE #42-75626 "Jeeters" Code: B4-C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Sinclair Posted April 17, 2021 Share Posted April 17, 2021 On 16/04/2021 at 05:30, Tbolt said: Thanks for that, but when you say dropped, is that just in anger? Or does it included weapons that were trialed as well which could be the case in that photo? The report is types of ordnance dropped or jettisoned on operations. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broadway Posted April 17, 2021 Share Posted April 17, 2021 It does look very much like a depth bomb 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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