Dam Buster film
Bouncing Bombs.
As someone pointed out a few posts ago, there were two similar British weapons. The facts about the larger weapon used on the Lanc's, - 'Upkeep" are well-known. The smaller, much-less well known weapon used in the Mosquitos was Highball, and was an anti-shipping device. A specialist squadron was formed and worked-up to operational status late in the war, with the intention of deploying the weapon to the Pacific. The foreshortening of the war resulting from the dropping of the atomic bomb meant that the squadron was disbanded before it could be used operationally. Their Lordships were particularly touchy about this weapon, as, in the days before smart weapons, this was a highly effective weapon indeed. They didn't want a similar device deployed against themselves. In fact it stayed on the Secrets list until the 1960's I believe.
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Interestingly, it can easily be seen in the videos, that Highball was of a rounded shape, as per Upkeep, before the troublesome casings were omitted. The Highball Mosquitos carried several mines, two I seem to recall, in a streamlined ventral housing.
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The Invader destroyed in the film whilst dropping a similar weapon seems to have done so over dry land, not water, ......so one may speculate that the release was unintentional. The Americans were evidently not terribly interested.
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The German weapon 'Kurt' has always interested me, and I have often wondered how they came to embark upon it. Kurt was clearly not intended to be used against dams, and was an anti-shipping mine from the outset. The implication being of course, that they had either recovered unexploded Upkeep mines, or had gained knowledge of Highball. The usage suggests the latter, so there is probably a good story in there for anyone with the patience to look into it. It's interesting also to note that Kurt was able to be dropped from a fighter (Did I spot two at the same time...?) and the rocket assisted version looked pretty fearsome....!
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As for the original thread;- I think the original film is not only a classic, but it has, by and large, a very authentic feel to it as it was made closer to the actual events (Upkeep was still Classified at the time the film was made.). Even the special effects are mostly surprisingly good. I get utterly sick of the constant flow of remakes churned-out by Hollywood, which are invariably inferior to the original. If this remake goes ahead, they are really going to have to pull-out ALL the stops to make it worthwhile. If anyone can do it, Peter Jackson is the man, as he's such a prop-head, so I wish him luck...!
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GQ2.
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Interestingly, it can easily be seen in the videos, that Highball was of a rounded shape, as per Upkeep, before the troublesome casings were omitted. The Highball Mosquitos carried several mines, two I seem to recall, in a streamlined ventral housing.
.
The Invader destroyed in the film whilst dropping a similar weapon seems to have done so over dry land, not water, ......so one may speculate that the release was unintentional. The Americans were evidently not terribly interested.
.
The German weapon 'Kurt' has always interested me, and I have often wondered how they came to embark upon it. Kurt was clearly not intended to be used against dams, and was an anti-shipping mine from the outset. The implication being of course, that they had either recovered unexploded Upkeep mines, or had gained knowledge of Highball. The usage suggests the latter, so there is probably a good story in there for anyone with the patience to look into it. It's interesting also to note that Kurt was able to be dropped from a fighter (Did I spot two at the same time...?) and the rocket assisted version looked pretty fearsome....!
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As for the original thread;- I think the original film is not only a classic, but it has, by and large, a very authentic feel to it as it was made closer to the actual events (Upkeep was still Classified at the time the film was made.). Even the special effects are mostly surprisingly good. I get utterly sick of the constant flow of remakes churned-out by Hollywood, which are invariably inferior to the original. If this remake goes ahead, they are really going to have to pull-out ALL the stops to make it worthwhile. If anyone can do it, Peter Jackson is the man, as he's such a prop-head, so I wish him luck...!
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GQ2.
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GQ2
"If anyone can do it, Peter Jackson is the man, as he's such a prop-head, so I wish him luck...!"
If this is an indication of Peter Jackson's intent then I too wish him the very best of luck and I look forward to a remake that is likely to be better than the original.....
"If anyone can do it, Peter Jackson is the man, as he's such a prop-head, so I wish him luck...!"
If this is an indication of Peter Jackson's intent then I too wish him the very best of luck and I look forward to a remake that is likely to be better than the original.....
The Invader destroyed in the film whilst dropping a similar weapon seems to have done so over dry land, not water, ......so one may speculate that the release was unintentional.
The Invader destroyed in the film whilst dropping a similar weapon seems to have done so over dry land, not water, ......so one may speculate that the release was unintentional.
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I worked on Mosquito Squadron. We had a visit from Mr Startup [A Barnes Wallis technician] who showed us a 35 m/m cine reel of bouncing bomb tests, Upkeep and Highball. He told us the Highball bomb dropped by a Mosquito into a Welsh railway tunnel apparently burst out of the far end sealed brick wall and into a village street. Not sure if this is a fact but Mr Startup seemed sure it had happened.
Those were the days!
Those were the days!
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The film quality of the Invader shots is so poor it is difficult to tell if it is over water or some very flat and even land. However the "Highball Incident" report I linked to earlier does state very firmly that the trials were carried out over water.
It is most unlikely that the bomb release was unintentional, as it is recorded by a very professional camera crew.
Incidents
Look at the "Notable A/B-26 Invader crashes" section to find:
There was only one Invader modified to take Speedee/Highball
It is most unlikely that the bomb release was unintentional, as it is recorded by a very professional camera crew.
Incidents
Look at the "Notable A/B-26 Invader crashes" section to find:
- 28 April 1945 - A-26C-25-DT Invader, 43-22644, assigned at Wright Field, Ohio, crashes into the Choctawhatchee Bay, 3 Miles NE of Fort Walton, Florida after being struck by a bouncing bomb. Dropped at low altitude (~10 feet) the weapon skipped back into the aircraft completely knocking off the tail unit causing the bomber to nose over instantly and crash into the bay. It had taken off from Eglin Field, Florida, on a low level bombing exercise at AAF water range Number 60.
There was only one Invader modified to take Speedee/Highball
Gentleman Aviator
ISTR hearing that the Upkeep "spin up" engine was a modified J.A.P motorcycle engine. Any confirmation? It would seem to be suitably NBW lateral thinking - and have made the back of the Lanc even noisier!
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First time I have seen that diagram, seen the bomb but none of the 'works' before.
One question though. When the bomb was released how was the pulley belt disconnected?
One question though. When the bomb was released how was the pulley belt disconnected?
