Friday, January 30, 2009

NAVIGATOR

1 comment:

  1. This position was also in the same compartment as the Radio Operator and the FE. Right behind the Aircraft Commander sat the Navigator. Separated by an armored wall and several inches of lamb’s wool for insulation.
    This was a very important position on the aircraft indeed. The B-29's did not fly in massive formations like the older bombers did over Europe. They flew independently to staging areas off the coast of Japan (for daylight missions) and then form up in small groups for their runs over the target. For night missions they were each on their own and were totally at the hands of the Navigator and coupled with the skills of Radar Observer who could use his RADAR to image land masses once approaching the target ensured they ended up right where they intended at the right time. The RADAR came in handy on the bomb run, but it was up to the Navigator to get them the thousand plus miles in between and back again! Later in the war they had a radio station (LORAN) on Iwo Jima to lock onto for direction and then hang a slight left turn and you would hit Japan.., it was not quite that easy though.., or was it? ;-)

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