Non PC Game for long Drives

[Muppetdaze]

Had the nephews and niece in the Discovery, so we played
"Bomber Command"

Tail End Charlie in the Dickie seats (he's Nine)
Mid Upper gunner behind the Pilot (Seven)
Nose gunner/ radio operator behind the Co pilot (bomb aimer, Navigator, Sister-in-Law) 13 years old
whose job is to also keep score between her two brothers and relay 'verified' sightings to the Mum, er Co-pilot
Bmw = Enemy fighter to 'port starboard above (in front ) Below (behind)
Volkswagen = Enemy Transport
Mercedes = Enemy Bomber
Audi = Doodlebug
Any German 4x4 = Nazi secret weapon! Extra points
German Motorcycle 'Stuka' Extra points
Also spotted
Ford Mustang = American Little Friend
Triumph Spitfire = yeah guess and Huge points for non friendly fire +
Another Landrover = Friendly Bomber

Am waiting for Social services to call once they relay this at school....................

 

[norseman]

Brilliant & very inventive
What type of heavy bomber, I assume one fielded by the USAAF as the Brits tended to only have one pilot, in which case the 'mid-upper' gunner would be referred to as 'top turret' gunner who was usually the flight-engineer as well.

 

[brian47]

I did hear of a game supposedly played by some traffic cops some years ago, based on snooker. They had to stop a vehicle based on the colours of the balls on a snooker table. Red car first, then a yellow one and a brown one, well, you get the idea.

the Brits tended to only have one pilot, in which case the 'mid-upper' gunner would be referred to as 'top turret' gunner who was usually the flight-engineer as well.

RAF four engine heavy bombers normally carried a crew of seven men; pilot, navigator, bomb aimer, wireless operator, rear gunner, mid-upper gunner and flight engineer. The wireless operator was in the earlier days classed as "Wop/AG", wireless operator/air gunner. The flight engineer was also expected to take on the job of air gunner if necessary although many engineers were also trained to fly a basic flight plan and to act as a second pilot. My father was one such flight engineer and during his advanced training, following a crash landing after being hit by flak on the way back from an operation over hostile territory, he undertook extra instrument flying training in the Link Trainer; the flight simulator of the day.
After the war, many flight engineers went on the take the place of second or co-pilot on such RAF heavy transport aircraft as the modified Short Stirling and later the Avro York. Some went on to join some of the civilian airlines as co-pilot.

 

[norseman]

I bow to your extensive knowledge of RAF crew make up Brian & confess I know more about the 8th AAF. Their bombers required two pilots due largely to the very close formation flying regime practiced during daylight bombing. Unless you were a lead plane heavy 'prop-wash' meant that the co-pilot pilot would be constantly adjusting the throttles whilst the pilot struggled to keep the 'ship' in position & even then collisions were not unknown.

 

[brian47]

I bow to your extensive knowledge of RAF crew make up Brian & confess I know more about the 8th AAF. Their bombers required two pilots due largely to the very close formation flying regime practiced during daylight bombing. Unless you were a lead plane heavy 'prop-wash' meant that the co-pilot pilot would be constantly adjusting the throttles whilst the pilot struggled to keep the 'ship' in position & even then collisions were not unknown.

As you say, the 8th AAF did fly close formations for a number of reasons, concentrating defensive fire against fighters and the theory that a close formation would mean closer bombing accuracy. With the Norden bomb sight they even claimed they could put a "bomb in a pickle barrel" from 10,000 feet. It didn't always work out like that. Defensive manouvers such as the famous "corkscrew" were almost impossible to make in close formation.
RAF Bomber Command, particularly after 1942 flew mostly at night in what was often referred to as a "gaggle", very much each to their own, each navigator plotting his own course (within the parameters of the raid given at the briefing), each bomb aimer selecting his own aiming point on the target and so on. Some crews said they didn't see another aircraft until they got over the target area and the glow from the fires would illuminate the rest of the stream, or until they returned to their home station and landed.

But we digress from the theme of the original post I'm afraid.

 

[norseman]

I agree Brian & never one to support 'off topic' posts I'll bring our conversation to a close, nice talking to you