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Alcohol in 500 lb GP bomb??

Speedy

Well-Known Member
Hi

One of my friends found recently an strange (for me) info about this.

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/guest-bloggers/first-down-on-yamato.html

The text is about VF-17 "Jolly Roger" action against Japan battleship Yamato.

something went wrong. The 500 lb. general-purpose bombs the fighters were ordered to carry were not ready! Some of their alcohol accelerant had been nefariously siphoned off by men of the crew the night before! The alcohol was much prized by certain members of the ship.

I'm pretty sure that HE bombs doesn't contain any alcohol. But maybe it is a fuse component? E.g. electrolyte solver in VT fuse? Have you any info about this "alcohol problem"?
 
You got me. Never heard of a US 500lb GP HE bomb (nor any other that I can recall) having alcohol in it, the booster, or the fuzing. I could be wrong, but to me it sounds like BS.
 
As a matter of fact the delay fuzes used on WW2 US GP bombs (AN-M123A1, AN-M124A1, AN-M125A1) contained an alcohol-acetone solution that dissolved celluloid disks. But I am quite doubtful about the components of this solution being available outside the ordnance labs that prepared these fuzes, far away, on US mainland.
This story needs to "be taken with caution"....to say the least.
 
Thanks for answers. Yes, I know about AN-M123 etc. But I have completely no idea why would someone drop bombs witch such fuzes against ship at the sea??? For me it's nonsense...
 
Dream, I forgot about the M123 series. Thanks. Otherwise, I think it's hype to add "color" to the story, IMHO.
 
The US Mk13 Aircraft Torpedo was fuelled by alcohol, which was frequently siphoned off to be consumed by the crew.

Perhaps the author got confused.
 
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Making a brief glance at what planes VF-17 used, I see it was mainly the F4U series Corsair. Another search and I find that torpedoes weren't used, though knowing the history of that tough bird, they managed to get a 4000 lb. load at least once with a 2000 lb. bomb on the C/L and others on the wings. I don't think a torpedo could have been used due to length and angle restrictions. That said, your mention of the MK13 would make the only sense, but it would have to be in the context of the Corsairs escorting Avengers. Not knowing much about Superchargers or Turbochargers, I went down that rabbithole only to find out that the Coursair used a Supercharger and no injectable (water, methanol or alchohol). So, no real explanation for the original question of alcohol in 500lb GP bombs that I can see.
 
A few corrections:
The Corsair aircraft did not belong to the VF-17 "Jolly Rodgers", flying F6F-5 Hellcats at this date, from the deck of the aircraft carrier CV-12 "USS Hornet". During the attack on the Yamato, VF-17 F6F flew cover to the torpedo attack led by VT-17 Avengers of the Hornet
The Corsair involved in the attack on the Yamato were F4U-1 and FG-1 from VMF-112 & VMF 123 , flying from the deck of the aircraft carrier CV-20 "USS Bennington".
Only at the end of 1944, with the F4U-4 was introduced a boosting system of water/alcohol injection on the Corsairs, but alcohol was used on all Corsairs for the prop-de-icing system, with alcohol fumes sometimes contaminating the pilot's cabin.
Corsairs from the US Carriers VF squadrons were not usually fitted with bombs, serving only for air cover. However Corsairs from VMF squadrons (US Marines squadrons) were often involved in attacks of ground targets and fitted with a variety of GP and incendiary bombs.
 
AFAIK the F4U and F6F both were successfully tested and certified to carry Mk.13 torpedo. But this option was never used in combat because the plane tactical range was strongly reduced by weight and aerodynamic brake of torpedo.
 
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