B-24 Rocket Launcher

[beau32]

Intresting set of pictures on E-bay.

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/aircraft-pictures/rocket-launcher-b24-liberator-32786.html

Rocket launcher mounted on back of B-24, possibley to deter attacks from the back?

[Krusty]

Not likely. Those are air to ground rockets (3.5" I think?) and the angle would be so high as to be ludicrous to fire at planes following you. More than likely it was a 1-off experimental test for low-flying PB models hunting for subs. If the depth charges didn't finish it off, a steep climb would allow firing the rockets.


Although, that'd be one darned steep pullout if so. I think more than anything it was some hairbrained scheme that never amounted to much.

[Guppy35]

Hate to do it Krusty, but Beau's guess was correct

[beau32]

Didnt think it was air to ground as the angle can be changed from what the pictures show. Intresting set up none the less....

[Krusty]

As far as rocket systems go, that one's idiotic....


How were they expecting to get even close with A2G rockets against fast moving and manuevering fighters?


To quote a movie, "It bottles the mind!"

[Ack-Ack]

As far as rocket systems go, that one's idiotic....


How were they expecting to get even close with A2G rockets against fast moving and manuevering fighters?


To quote a movie, "It bottles the mind!"

It doesn't have to hit the enemy fighter, it just has to make it break off it's attack.

ack-ack

[beau32]

It doesn't have to hit the enemy fighter, it just has to make it break off it's attack.

ack-ack

Agreed, just there to scare off the attack, probably never intended to actually try and hit a enemy fighter....

[bustr]

British used Liberators for long distance UBoat patrols. Besides radar, bombs and depth charges some had 6 inch rocket racks mounted on the side of the fuslage under the side of the cockpit.

[Guppy35]

Krusty also note, that it never got past the testing stage.  It wasn't used operationally.  At the time there may have been enough legitimate concern to try just about anything.  I don't imagine in the overall scheme of things it was that difficult to take it to the test stage.

[Krusty]

Good points all around, I suppose. I guess 60+ years of hindsight color my perspective more than the folks that were doing it at the time.

[morfiend]

  Imagine diving in to shoot the tail off a B24 and it fires 2 or 3 bazzoka rockets at you!

       I'm pretty sure I'd break off!




   

[Lusche]

  Imagine diving in to shoot the tail off a B24 and it fires 2 or 3 bazzoka rockets at you!

Or how about that: 

[Peyton]

Good points all around, I suppose. I guess 60+ years of hindsight color my perspective more than the folks that were doing it at the time.

+1 for admitting you were wrong.   

Sometimes we forget that we are looking back in time.  So what seems like a terrible idea today for them to do back then, was actually them learning, advancing technologically, and most of all, trying to think of ways of not getting shot down and killed.

[Babalonian]

Or how about that: 

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

I'd either get the heck outa the way or start filing the kill claim paperwork if I saw that, holy.   

[SmokinLoon]

I too was going to say that hindsight is 20/20.  Put yourself in a Bf109 starting your run on a B24 and then seeing the rockets launch... you would think twice about staying on course.