currently in the workshop(s)

[UncleTgt]

Numerous varieties of PBY ...

Dutch (MLD) using Shessi's Catalina mkI

It seems they used GB ordnance, but also 100 & 300kg bombs. Does anyone know if these were the WW1 PuW style weapons, or a later shape? All I've found is a single b & w photo from a Dutch East Indies factory showing it's range of munitions, & there just seems to be a vaguely PuW shaped 200kg bomb on the display, all the rest are artillery shells...

I've revised the airfile & am working on a panel.cfg that uses metric instruments, but the DP file needs some ordnance

 

[UncleTgt]

Lots of ASW ordnance to hang off the PBY wings...

All are multi-LOD & configured like DBolt & Allens weapons so they hang from the same mount locations (important because of the 24 hardpoint limit)

US Depth Bombs, both 650lb & 325lb ranges

 

[UncleTgt]

Some GB depthcharges

the 450lb mkVII, & the 250lb mkVIII

 

[UncleTgt]

Later on in the war RAAF PBYs were used for long-range minelaying missions, so we have a range of UK & US mine types to deploy ...

 

[UncleTgt]

In May 1943 the first acoustic homing torpedo, mk24 FIDO achieved it's first kill of Iceland.

These screengrabs use Shessi's Canso A as the launch vehicle, so the fuselage mounted radar is not typical, but it's the best amphibious PBY-5A we have ....

 

[UncleTgt]

& lastly my scenery work continues. I've now finished extending west from Buna/Milne Bay to Port Moresby, & have "flown" the rivers to better match the LOD 8 mesh ...

 

[UncleTgt]

This screengrab shows the entire range, from Port Moresby to Kokoda, Buna, Dobodura & East to Milne Bay, then the Trobriand Islands & Muyua(Woodlark).

Approximately 650km across

The Port Moresby - Kokoda section still requires some landclass, GSL & airbase tweaking, so it may be a little while yet ...

So, what are you working on?

 

[Shessi]

Beautiful bombs!

Great work UT, fantastic detail and ML as well, (must do a basic 5A!), really like them.

As for Dutch bombs, I would ask Huub to take a look, as he may know or be able to search in the NL better.

Good to see real quality being put into CFS2

Cheers

Shessi

ps Will post a few things I'm working on....

 

[kdriver]

Wow! This is a pretty hard act to follow John. Great work!

I should have some new landmarks for Great Britain arriving on the scene fairly soon.

Cheers,

Kevin

 

[UncleTgt]

Mark,

Thanks for the nice comments. I have always liked the PStrany put together his Hudson bomb models, so I'm trying to adopt a similar structure in how I texture & model my weapon bgls, imitation being the best form of flattery 'n all

I really liked the PBY series of upgrades you did, it's a shame that none of them seemed to inspire any repaints etc.

Good idea about asking Huub about Dutch weapons, I'll do that.

 

[Captain Kurt]

Very nice work UncleTgt. So many simultaneous projects - I don't know how you keep them going straight.

I work one project at a time so I don't get lost. The joke is has a lot of truth - The second thing to go in old age is the memory. I wish I could remember what the first thing is.

This is my current project.

 

[huub vink]

UncleTgt I'm too much an air force man and too much focused on the European Theatre of war to immediately answer your question. I have written what I know and what seems to be the most logical in a PM.

In short for various reasons I think the same ordnance as the British was used. I think the (WW-I type) bombs you saw on the picture could have been used on the Martin B10.

As I said in my PM I have very knowledgeable friends, who will be able to answer your question.

@ Captain Kurt, looking forward to your new project (Siemens-Schuckert D.III when I'm correct).

Cheers,
Huub

 

[UncleTgt]

Huub

Thanks for the comprehensive reply.

I also recall also recall stories of US B17s loading Dutch 300kg bombs during the desperate defence of Java.

300kgs isn't a weight used by the UK or US, so it must have been a local design?

The WW1 PuW bombs we have are quite large + long, it must have been a struggle to get these up into the bomb bay of a B17!

 

[huub vink]

UncleTgt,

To be honest I'm not much of a virtual pilot , but I love to sort things out and mod my sims and skin aircraft I will hardly fly. So by asking me to dive into this you only did me a favour!

The typical bomb loads for the Dutch Glenn Martins 139 (B-10) were 2 x 500 kg bombs or 3 x 300 kg bombs. In a research paper from the Royal Military Academy a counter air operation, which lasted from 18 until 27 February 1942 by the Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force and Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force is described. During this operation the Glenn Martins were flown in a 3 aircraft formation and all loaded with 3 bombs of 300 kg. The typical bomb load on the Glenn Martin is confirmed by a paper on bomb aiming devices used by the Dutch Navy. (BTW I had never realised Carl L. Norden was a Dutchman, born in the Netherlands Dutch Indies, who emigrated to the US after his study).

The use of the Catalinas is described in the research paper as well, but they mainly flew reconnaissance missions. However on the 22nd an 23rd of February magnetic mines were dropped in the Street of Banka and the Musi estruarium. This was done by the Catalinas from the Dutch Navy and they flew in pairs. There is nothing mentioned about bombs on the Catalinas.

I have been reading another paper about the Battle for the Tjiater pass, but there isn't anything mentioned about the use of Catalinas.

And I regret to say, but so far I still haven't been able to find a picture from an early war Dutch 300kg bomb.

Cheers,
Huub

 

[UncleTgt]

I hear you Huub!

I seem to spend all my time on mods or paints for this old sim, & almost no time actually flying missions in it

But it's a great hobby "sandbox" for me, & l also enjoy the research aspect too.

Its nice to shine a light on some of the lesser known aspects of the various air wars of WW2, before they pass completely into "ancient" history & folklore ...

Nice details on the Martin B10's. My main reference for British ordnance had been a single comment in a campaign narrative suggesting the PBYs never had 50 cals in the waist & were fitted similar to the RAF's Catalina mkI, & a separate NEI narrative about the Java campaign suggesting widespread use of British ordnance, supported by a single photo of a B10 being bombed up with British Buff 250lb bombs...

My research regarding Dutch ASW weapons or aerial mines also came up blank. It seems the MLD had no anti-sub bombs or aerial DCs, nor had they developed an aerial mine by the time the Germans invaded.

So the PBYs being used for minelaying must have carried GB MkI or US Mk10 or (more likely) Mk12 mines. I know the US dumped mk12 magnetic mines into deep water off the Philippines to prevent them falling into Japanese hands, so maybe the MLD PBYs operating in the Philippines were able to make use of some of these weapons after all?

 

[UncleTgt]

For those interested in early Pacific War heavy bomber operations, check out The Java Gold's Blog | Follow the birth of a novel and a novelists journey through background information on the Pacific War (wordpress.com)

Lot's of details to inspire some "different" PTO missions ...

 

[huub vink]

And here it is the Dutch 300 kilogram bomb. This picture was hidden somewhere in the dungeons of the Dutch National Institute of Military History.

I expect the people next to the bomb are roughly 1.60 m tall this makes the bomb over 1.80 m in length.

Cheers,
Huub

 

[Shessi]

UT,
Take a look at this page, 50kg bombs being dropped pic, but a Dornier manufacturers load-out information plate, which shows 4 x 300kg bombs, and confirms the carrying capacity.

https://forum.warthunder.com/index....as-the-dutch-and-australian-units-in-uk-tree/

I may have seen French inter-war aircraft bombs with those cutdown tail fins in Huub's pic?

Cheers

Shessi

 

[UncleTgt]

Huub,

Thanks for the pic. It looks like a fatter version of the WW1 PuW series. It must have been a bitch for the ground crew to handle.

Shessi

Good find hidden amongst the Do24K info. It's interesting that the shape looks similar to the US Army modified Mark series bombs of the 1930's. The US decided these were unsuitable for war use & relegated them to only use for training.

... and different sized pylons, how complicated is that!

Hmm, I think I need to dig out your Do24K again, looks like another couple of projects for my list

 

[UncleTgt]

Thanks to inputs Huub & Shessi , I was able to mock up a reasonable impression of some Dutch bombs ...

The PuW design 300kg bomb, used by USAAF B17s during the struggle for Java.