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Author Topic: Drop Tank Deaths  (Read 5706 times)

Offline EskimoJoe

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Re: Drop Tank Deaths
« Reply #30 on: October 27, 2010, 04:09:59 AM »
Talk about recycling!  :D
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Offline mbailey

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Re: Drop Tank Deaths
« Reply #31 on: October 27, 2010, 06:51:02 AM »
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Offline Heater

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Re: Drop Tank Deaths
« Reply #32 on: October 27, 2010, 08:17:45 AM »
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Offline ZetaNine

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Re: Drop Tank Deaths
« Reply #33 on: October 27, 2010, 08:30:14 AM »
Quote from: Sundiver on October 25, 2010, 10:51:27 AM
Just wondering if anyone has ever seen estimates or actual stats on how many people were injured or killed by falling drop tanks in WWII? I mean it'd just be rude to have one of those fall through your bedroom from 25k when you were in the middle of something, yanno? ;)

........where do you think the idea of Napalm came from?   ;)
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Offline Captain Virgil Hilts

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Re: Drop Tank Deaths
« Reply #34 on: October 27, 2010, 09:05:39 AM »
Quote from: Ack-Ack on October 27, 2010, 02:42:38 AM
Some were, some weren't.  The drop tanks for the P-38 were turned into race cars after the war.

ack-ack

The most famous was called "Alex's Egg", the So Cal Speed Shop car.

http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/48038_hot_rod_magazine_history/index.html


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Offline Randy1

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Re: Drop Tank Deaths
« Reply #35 on: June 14, 2013, 04:28:11 PM »
This is an old thread I found on a google search of the same subject.  It is from 2010.

On the first page of the thread towards the bottom is wonderful article  written by the son of the guy who developed paper drop tanks during in London during WW2. 

I thought they were all aluminum.
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Offline rpm

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Re: Drop Tank Deaths
« Reply #36 on: June 14, 2013, 07:18:47 PM »
Quote from: Harp00n on October 25, 2010, 11:48:46 AM
http://www.theairraid.com/

Falling debris from AA-Fire should not be underestimated. I think I read once about one of those big air-sea battles (iirc Midway) that over 30 US sailors where killed by falling ackack-debris that came from their own aa-guns.
I was going to bring that up. Those rounds don't just evaporate.
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Offline cpxxx

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Re: Drop Tank Deaths
« Reply #37 on: June 14, 2013, 09:22:41 PM »
In WW2, in the overall scheme of things, drop tanks were nothing. Millions of people were killed in various gruesome ways. drop tanks wouldn't even have registered.

Besides the odds of one hitting anyone was pretty slim. As it happens I was at an airshow once when a helicopter emergency door fell off right into the crowd. It missed everyone although a Polish guy had to some fancy leaping!

It's a big sky out there.
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Offline bozon

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Re: Drop Tank Deaths
« Reply #38 on: June 15, 2013, 08:52:16 AM »
Quote from: cpxxx on June 14, 2013, 09:22:41 PM
It's a big sky out there.
Game of odds. The probability is tiny, but you repeat the dice roll millions of times. In a large air battle there is so much crap falling out of the sky - drop tanks, stray bullets, empty shells, pieces of planes, ack ack shrapnel, small change... etc.

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Offline cpxxx

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Re: Drop Tank Deaths
« Reply #39 on: June 15, 2013, 09:45:04 AM »
Quote from: bozon on June 15, 2013, 08:52:16 AM
Game of odds. The probability is tiny, but you repeat the dice roll millions of times. In a large air battle there is so much crap falling out of the sky - drop tanks, stray bullets, empty shells, pieces of planes, ack ack shrapnel, small change... etc.
People....... :angel: In fact many casualties were caused on the ground by shrapnel from AA fire in any city that was being raided.

It would be surprising if no one was ever killed by a falling drop tank at some point.
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Offline smoe

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Re: Drop Tank Deaths
« Reply #40 on: June 15, 2013, 09:54:49 AM »
Have to remember that drop tanks were usually dropped for emergency purposes. I believe the fighter escorts had orders to drop their external tanks only if engaged.

On the other hand aluminum was a desired metal and the enemy may have preferred to receive them.

Another factor is pilots as a general rule would drop external tanks over the safest area when possible. Generally, civilians wouldn't be targeted.
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Offline icepac

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Re: Drop Tank Deaths
« Reply #41 on: June 15, 2013, 11:05:08 AM »
The skyraider guys in viet nam were told to keep them as often as possible because they were in short supply.

Dad liked having a bit more metal between his body and the enemy and they often had tanks with 5 or more patches.
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