----- Original Message -----
From: "Carol Kenyon" <Da-Kenyons@webtv.net>
To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2001 2:15 AM
Subject: [MV] Mosquito Vs. B-17G
> I asked my dad, Lt. Kenneth Kenyon of the
> 8th AAF about the differences in payloads.
>
Nothing quite like a real source.
> He flew (and survived) enough B-17 bomber missions over Germany to be
> eligible to go home.
>
A significant achievement indeed.
>Instead, ol' aviation-loving Dad signed up to fly
> DeHavilland Mosquitos. His job was to drop "chaff" (tinfoil?) to
> confuse German radar and ground guns, take "before" pictures of bombing
> targets, then fool around for awhile until the heavy bombers showed up.
>
Chaff was then called "Window", surprisingly both sides came up with it
independently and almost simultaneously but held back from using it for some
time since they both correctly deduced the secret would be lost on the first
occasion.
> Then he flew BACK over the same area to take "after"
> shots. Without a doubt, the Mosquito was fast.
> Recon was a walk in the park after those bombing runs in B-17s.
>
Can't honestly say I'd fancy that walk, but I know what you mean !
> Anyway, the Mosquito COULD carry ALMOST
> as much as the B-17. My dad said a Mosquito
> dropped a 500lb bomb on Berlin "every night".
>
QED.
> To put things in perspecive, my dad said that
> a B-52 can carry the equivalent weight of a
> COMPLETE B-17, crew, gas, bombs, everything!
>
> It sure is nice to have a PRIMARY SOURCE
> just next door...
>
Convey my best wishes to your ol' chap, obviously a great guy
Richard
Southampton - England
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Jun 05 2001 - 23:18:31 PDT