Make ord volatile!!

[Krusty]

http://www.aeronautics.ru/archive/wwii/photos/gallery_006/Lancaster%20explodes%20after%20a%20flak%20hit%20in%20the%20bomb%20bay.jpg

Caption says "Lancaster explodes after a flak hit in the bomb bay"

As-is, planes are nearly invulnerable from below. No damage is done whatsoever. you can put 120 20mm directly into the belly of a lancaster and NOTHING will happen -- you can't kill the pilot from below so the damage model does nothing.

In fact, the belly was one of the most vulnerable areas, due to bombs, gas, hydraulics, etc..., all being located in the backbone of the ship, and rounds penetrating the belly would do damage to them.

Make a NEW damage item, only it won't show up on the CTRL D screen. Make it the BOMBS. If they get hit BOOM. Make the same also happen for jabo. In a p51D? Take a hit in the bomb (probability would be low, I know, but it would still be possible)? Blow your wing tip off!! For larger bombs just blow the entire plane up! Might make people take 250lb and 500lb if they could survive with just a wingtip lost instead of the whole plane gone.

Like I said one of the best ways to attack bombers is from below. They were historically vulnerable (all of them) from below... and yet in AH it's been overlooked for a long time. There USED to be a bomb load that, when hit, would instantly kill your lancaster. No more. I want to see this idea put into play for TOD, because the LW intercepters are going to NEED a realistic bomber damage model.

[lasersailor184]

I could be wrong, but I do believe that the bombs have to be armed for that to happen.

[Krusty]

No. Arming just means that the impact fuse works. If you shot a bullet into a thousand pounds of TNT the TNT is gonna blow, because the bullet is now the new fuse.

EDIT: At least that's what I understood.

[Treize69]

Especially an API Machine Gun round or high-explosive Cannon shell.

[Hornet33]

I think you would have to hit with a large caliber round. .303 wont do it and a .50 is going to be questionable. Cannon rounds would do the trick though. Gotta remember that bomb casings are fairly thick hardened steel. Of course if you model the fuel lines and such running through the bomb bays, catch one of those on fire then you run the risk of cooking the bombs off.

It would be interesting to see this. I like it.

[Krusty]

50cals could go through 1-inch thick steel plates without slowing down. I think they can penetrate a bomb

303s... well.. Maybe if you really hit them with ENOUGH, you'd get a lucky one, but I think they should be much less effective.

[Hornet33]

Oh I agree that a .50 hitting a piece of 1 inch plate steel it will punch through no problem. Done it myself a few times. Bombs are round though so it will have more of a tendency to ricochete. Watched a friend of mine ricochete a 50BMG round off a piece of oil rig drill stem pipe that he fired from his Barret bolt action rifle.  Second round hit the dent the first round made and that one went through. We were kinda worried for a bit though because we had no idea where the first round went off to:confused:

I think for the .50's it would have to be a 50/50 chance of doing anything to a bomb. Cannon rounds on the other hand would do the trick.

[toadkill]

great idea krusty all i got to say.

[Larry]

Dont forget about DTs.Nice big 75-150gl gastank just waiting to get hit.

[Krusty]

Well unless it was API I think it would just drain the DTs. Any sane pilot would have dropped them before engaging in combat, anyways...

[Larry]

API, tracer, or cannon would make a nice puff of fire.

[Karnak]

I seem to recall that Sakai claimed the best way to kill a B-17 was to shoot it in the bomb bay.

[Oleg]

Originally posted by Krusty
In a p51D? Take a hit in the bomb (probability would be low, I know, but it would still be possible)? Blow your wing tip off!! For larger bombs just blow the entire plane up! Might make people take 250lb and 500lb if they could survive with just a wingtip lost instead of the whole plane gone.

Cannt beleive that was said by you who claimed 1000lb must kill anything within hundreds of meters (or something like that). While 500lb exploded in about 2 meters from absolutely unprotected pilot must rip wingtip only. Amazing. (Even 100lb will rip whole wing at least, because bomb pylons placed closer to wingroot then wingtip).

btw, i agree what bombs must be in DM.

[Charge]

"50cals could go through 1-inch thick steel plates without slowing down."

Yeah, right.

I'm not at all sure if an AP bullet hitting a bomb has what it takes to make the bomb explode. Maybe if it hits the detonator, but otherwise I think its unlikely.

-C+

[Hornet33]

.50 ball ammo will go through 1" plate steel all day long at about 300 yrds. I've done it. .50 AP rounds give you a bit more range to hit from. Thats also a flat steel plate, hitting it dead on at 90 degrees. I make handload rounds for my 30-06 that will punch through 5/8" plate steel at 100 yrds.

It's the fact that a bomb is round that presents the problem. It would have to hit it square on to punch through. If not more than likely it will bounce off to either side. Of course a whole mess of .50 rounds bouncing around in a bomb bay at high velocity is going to tear stuff up. If I recall correctly the fuel transfer pumps, oxygen tanks, and hydraulic pumps were located on the top forward bulkhead of the bomb bay on the B-17's. A couple of rounds going into that equipment is going to cause some MAJOR problems.