You are viewing an obsolete version of the DU website which is no longer supported by the Administrators. Visit The New DU.
Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

Reply #13: Because a P-38 is a relatively small fighter plane and the atomic bomb was very very heavy.. [View All]

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread		 This topic is archived.
Home » Discuss » Archives » General Discussion (1/22-2007 thru 12/14/2010) Donate to DU
ddeclue Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Aug-07-09 04:11 PM
Response to Original message
13. Because a P-38 is a relatively small fighter plane and the atomic bomb was very very heavy..
and it could never ever lift such a bomb into the air.

In fact the only planes capable of delivering it on our side were the American B-29 and the British Lancaster. The B-17, 24, 25, and 26 could not have carried much less a fighter like the P-38.

Moreover the range involved was quite far for the day (from Tinian to Japan) and beyond the range of any other allied bomber. (Remember they did have mid air refueling in those days either.)

Doug D.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
  -Question for all the World War II experts on DU taterguy  Aug-07-09 04:04 PM   #0 
  - Weight and size. n/t  A HERETIC I AM   Aug-07-09 04:05 PM   #1 
  - Weight and size of what?  taterguy   Aug-07-09 04:07 PM   #5 
     - Of the payload.  A HERETIC I AM   Aug-07-09 04:19 PM   #16 
  - Really? Have you seen the size of the A-bomb?  rockymountaindem   Aug-07-09 04:05 PM   #2 
  - And at that it barely got off the ground!  POAS   Aug-07-09 04:06 PM   #4 
  - Because a P-38 is a fighter aircraft.  enlightenment   Aug-07-09 04:06 PM   #3 
  - I don't think it would have even fit under a P-38.  rockymountaindem   Aug-07-09 04:07 PM   #7 
  - Then why does it start with a P instead of an F?  taterguy   Aug-07-09 04:07 PM   #8 
  - P = pursuit  Rincewind   Aug-07-09 04:09 PM   #10 
  - P stood for Pursuit  Traveling_Home   Aug-07-09 04:10 PM   #11 
  - Because at the time fighters were called "pursuit" aircraft  NoPasaran   Aug-07-09 04:11 PM   #12 
  - To be more specific, the Army Aircorp used P.  Recovered Repug   Aug-08-09 02:06 PM   #57 
  - Prop vs Jet (f)  Confusious   Aug-09-09 02:42 AM   #68 
  - The Army built a special device to hoist it up from beneath the aircraft.  Octafish   Aug-07-09 04:26 PM   #21 
     - The aircraft itself was also heavily modified...  Usrename   Aug-08-09 11:09 AM   #46 
  - Because  Rincewind   Aug-07-09 04:07 PM   #6 
  - B-29 had the range and the payload capacity  NoPasaran   Aug-07-09 04:08 PM   #9 
  - Because a P-38 is a relatively small fighter plane and the atomic bomb was very very heavy..  ddeclue   Aug-07-09 04:11 PM   #13 
  - I'll remember they did have mid air refueling in those days  taterguy   Aug-07-09 04:14 PM   #14 
     - I think ddclue meant they did NOT have aerial refueling in those days. n/t  A HERETIC I AM   Aug-07-09 04:22 PM   #18 
     - Probably but I can never resist calling someone out for a sloppy post  taterguy   Aug-07-09 04:24 PM   #19 
     - nothing wrong with what I said... you just can't resist calling people out regardless of a reason..  ddeclue   Aug-07-09 04:31 PM   #26 
     - Hey, your post should have had a comma after 'probably,' and a period after 'post.'  damntexdem   Aug-07-09 04:40 PM   #31 
     - True, Sir: That Seems To have Been a Typo  The Magistrate   Aug-07-09 04:24 PM   #20 
        - As a side note, I find the development of the procedure fascinating.  A HERETIC I AM   Aug-07-09 04:33 PM   #27 
           - My dad commanded both KC-97 and KC-135 squadrons  enlightenment   Aug-07-09 04:41 PM   #33 
              - If you've ever seen aerial refueling up close  customerserviceguy   Aug-07-09 05:03 PM   #35 
     - nope they never did it operationally until the days of the Cold War.  ddeclue   Aug-07-09 04:28 PM   #23 
  - This is a joke, right?  sarge43   Aug-07-09 04:18 PM   #15 
  - I wanted a history lesson, not a math problem  taterguy   Aug-07-09 04:19 PM   #17 
  - OK. The fucker couldn't get off the ground with a payload of 2/3th of its weight.  sarge43   Aug-07-09 04:28 PM   #24 
     - It's not a matter of where it grips it! It's a matter of weight ratios!  rockymountaindem   Aug-07-09 05:48 PM   #38 
     - You certainly know a lot about swallows  taterguy   Aug-07-09 06:33 PM   #40 
     - !  Warren Stupidity   Aug-07-09 06:19 PM   #39 
  - Thank you for inserting that gratuitous note of personal derision in your comments.  Bucky   Aug-07-09 04:40 PM   #32 
     - Good. My work here is done. n/t  sarge43   Aug-07-09 04:43 PM   #34 
     - Always pleasant watching someone lash out with attitude like that over mere questions, innit? (nt)  Posteritatis   Aug-08-09 07:32 PM   #63 
  - They should have just shot a proton torpedo down the exhaust port.  HiFructosePronSyrup   Aug-07-09 04:27 PM   #22 
  - Exhaust port of what?  taterguy   Aug-07-09 05:13 PM   #36 
     - Japan. Nippon. Yamato.  HiFructosePronSyrup   Aug-07-09 05:45 PM   #37 
  - B29 was the first bomber with pressurized cabins for the crew.  Avalux   Aug-07-09 04:28 PM   #25 
  - Older bombers hit the high altitudes without pressurized cabins.  backscatter712   Aug-08-09 12:19 PM   #54 
  - The B-29 was a big bomber, able to carry the bombs. And it had enought range from Tinian to Japan.  damntexdem   Aug-07-09 04:35 PM   #28 
  - Tinian was a Japanese Island  taterguy   Aug-08-09 04:33 PM   #60 
     - It was a protectorate beforehand, not part of Japan proper  Posteritatis   Aug-08-09 07:34 PM   #65 
  - Ya gotta be pretty fast to answer questions on some topics here.  Greyhound   Aug-07-09 04:37 PM   #29 
  - Oh God, Tater, you don't still believe that whole A-Bomb hoax, do you?  Bucky   Aug-07-09 04:37 PM   #30 
  - Didn't the Germans use small fighter aircraft...  Iggo   Aug-07-09 07:12 PM   #41 
  - FW-190s were actually large fighters  taterguy   Aug-08-09 06:47 AM   #42 
  - Oh, that's right. I remember now.  Iggo   Aug-08-09 10:04 AM   #43 
     - You ARE joking right????  ddeclue   Aug-08-09 10:07 AM   #44 
     - Are you the only person on this site that doesn't have Animal House memorized?  taterguy   Aug-08-09 11:59 AM   #51 
     - ROFL!  lumberjack_jeff   Aug-08-09 07:38 PM   #66 
     - Don't be silly. Germany didn't have aircraft carriers in World War II  taterguy   Aug-09-09 06:03 AM   #70 
        - Actually the Germans did have one carrier.....  whistler162   Aug-10-09 03:30 PM   #75 
  - You're joking right? Germans?  NutmegYankee   Aug-08-09 11:18 AM   #48 
     - Let him, he's on a roll  taterguy   Aug-08-09 11:56 AM   #50 
        - .  Iggo   Aug-08-09 01:42 PM   #56 
        - "When the Germans bombed Pearl  Strong Atheist   Aug-10-09 03:11 PM   #72 
  - Interesting side note for you taterguy...  Hobarticus   Aug-08-09 10:20 AM   #45 
  - Next bomber off the drawing board after the B-29 was...  hayu_lol   Aug-08-09 11:10 AM   #47 
     - Ah yes, six turning and four burning...  backscatter712   Aug-08-09 12:23 PM   #55 
     - Oops. My ass actually fell completely off after reading that!  A HERETIC I AM   Aug-08-09 05:04 PM   #61 
     - BWAH-hahahaha!!!  Hobarticus   Aug-08-09 07:24 PM   #62 
     - LOL (nt)  Posteritatis   Aug-08-09 07:32 PM   #64 
     - XC-99  Terry in Austin   Aug-10-09 03:33 PM   #76 
  - Because the P-38 was on their keyring.  Vickers   Aug-08-09 11:18 AM   #49 
  - Still have mine.  cherokeeprogressive   Aug-08-09 12:06 PM   #52 
  - You beat me to it. I have my P-38 somewhere  alfredo   Aug-10-09 03:52 PM   #78 
  - cute.  Morning Dew   Aug-08-09 12:06 PM   #53 
     - I can send you one if you'd like. I actually have two sizes of them,  Vickers   Aug-08-09 03:27 PM   #59 
        - Hey, that would be neat!  Morning Dew   Aug-09-09 01:38 AM   #67 
  - It was 10 feet long, over 2 feet in diameter, and weighed 4½ tons.  krispos42   Aug-08-09 02:07 PM   #58 
  - I love this place for all the answers you can get to a question like this  CreekDog   Aug-09-09 03:47 AM   #69 
  - How many different ways can you say that an A-Bomb was too heavy to be carried by a P-38?  taterguy   Aug-10-09 03:02 PM   #71 
     - about 37 ways  CreekDog   Aug-10-09 03:47 PM   #77 
  - B-29 big arsed bomber, P-38 twin fuselage twin engine  whistler162   Aug-10-09 03:24 PM   #73 
  - payload  nadinbrzezinski   Aug-10-09 03:26 PM   #74 
 

Home » Discuss » Archives » General Discussion (1/22-2007 thru 12/14/2010) Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators

Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC