View Full Version : Flak silver leaflets
Collater
22nd Mar 2020, 10:34
Working through the ORB for 3 Sqn SAAF April 1945 there are several references to'flak silver leaflets'. Anyone have any idea what that refers to?
Collater
22nd Mar 2020, 10:43
Not chaff. The references come in that part of each mission report that has to refer to AAA or small arms fire. Also chaff/window wasn't in use on the days in question
Chaff was first used in 1943. Bomber command used it during the 1000 bomber raids over Germany.
Null Orifice
22nd Mar 2020, 10:53
"This caused concern in RAF Fighter Command (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Fighter_Command) and Anti-Aircraft Command (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Aircraft_Command), who managed to suppress the use of Window until July 1943.[8] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaff_(countermeasure)#cite_note-8) It was felt that the new generation of centimetric radars available to Fighter Command would cope with Luftwaffe retaliation."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaff_(countermeasure) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaff_(countermeasure))
"…...for dumping packets of aluminium strips from aircraft to generate a cloud of false echoes. An early idea was to use sheets the size of a notebook page; these would be printed so they would also serve as propaganda leaflets."
Collater
22nd Mar 2020, 13:21
When I said that window was not in use on the days in question I should of course have been more specific. Chaff/window was not being used in the specific area in Italy on 9 and 10 April 1945
Groundloop
22nd Mar 2020, 17:39
Chaff was first used in 1943. Bomber command used it during the 1000 bomber raids over Germany.
Chaff was first used in the raid on Hamburg on 24 July 1943. The "Thousand Bomber Raids" took place in May and June 1942 - so no chaff used on those.
Load Toad
23rd Mar 2020, 05:32
Could it be a reference to airborne leaflet propaganda?
(the USAF apparently had a specific bomb for the purpose: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_leaflet_propaganda#World_War_II