Author Topic: Hales bomb racks pics sought  (Read 2768 times)

Offline IanB

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Hales bomb racks pics sought
« on: September 20, 2016, 08:06:52 AM »
Does anyone have any pics of the racks fitted to the Sopwith Tabloids that carried out the first aerial bombing raids? They used 2 x 20lb Hales Bombs. The only pic I can find of a Tabloid with a bomb rack is on page 12 of the mini datafile and it's not very clear. I'm hoping someone may have something a little clearer to help me fabricate one for my Tabloid build.

Thanks in advance,

Ian

Offline rhwinter

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Re: Hales bomb racks pics sought
« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2016, 03:49:11 PM »
Hi Ian, I doubt they had bomb racks at all in those very early days of the war. I mean to have read somewhere, the pilots had the bombs stored with them inside the cockpit and threw them overboard by means of their own hands and arms. I'll look it up though and tell you.
Richard

Offline IanB

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Re: Hales bomb racks pics sought
« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2016, 11:00:56 PM »
Thanks Richard,
 There is definitely a bomb rack fitted to 1207 in the Datafile pic, and there is reference made to aircraft having "bomb dropping equipment" fitted, although, as you say, it's possible this was after the raid in question...

ian

Offline rhwinter

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Re: Hales bomb racks pics sought
« Reply #3 on: September 21, 2016, 12:10:39 AM »
Ah, interesting, Ian! I don't have that Datafile, my information (hopefully..) stems from a book about the role of the city of Cologne in the beginning of the air (-bomb-) war: https://www.amazon.de/gp/aw/d/3774306524/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?__mk_de_DE=ÅMÅZÕÑ&qid=1474380423&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=mario+kramp&dpPl=1&dpID=514GGjSQD9L&ref=plSrch
I hope to be able to look it all up tonight.
Richard

Offline IanB

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Re: Hales bomb racks pics sought
« Reply #4 on: September 21, 2016, 07:58:55 AM »
Thanks Richard,
I reread the relevant passage in the Datafile and the time period is quite a bit later - mid 1915, so I'm probably taking the easy route and assuming he did indeed throw the bombs out himself.....unless your search reveals otherwise of course!

Ian

Offline rhwinter

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Re: Hales bomb racks pics sought
« Reply #5 on: September 23, 2016, 05:27:15 AM »
All right, here I am back with all I know, Ian!

First of all: I was wrong! The Tabloids that carried out the first bomb raids on the airship sheds in Düsseldorf and Cologne had racks for their Hales bombs! The relevant literature cited in Mario Kramp's book on Cologne in the early air-bomb-war are:

J.M. Bruce, The Sopwith Tabloid, Schneider and Baby. Historic Military Aircraft No. 17; in: Flight 72, Part 1, p. 733-736, Part 2, p. 765-766, Part 3, p. 845-848

John Lea, Reggie: The Life of Air Vice Marshal R.L.G. Marix, Edinburgh 1994, esp. p.25 on.

Ian Castle, The Zeppelin Base Raids - Germany 1914 (Osprey, Raid No. 18), Oxford 2011, esp. p. 13, 21...

Bridget Pollard, The Royal Navy Air Service in Antwerp. September, October 1914, in: Mars&Clio. Newsletter of the British Commission for Military History (no date given = 2013), p. 1-15.

And an archival source in the UK National Archives, Kew, the after action report of Lt. Spenser D.A. Grey, who attacked Cologne: CAB 37/121/127. You can download this file: http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6176513 .

By the way: Have you noticed this thread? http://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=3058.0

I hope that will be of help to you!

Regards
Richard

Offline IanB

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Re: Hales bomb racks pics sought
« Reply #6 on: September 23, 2016, 08:43:10 AM »
Thanks Richard!
 Unfortunately that build stopped before the bomb racks were added. I'll have to check the Completed section to see if it's there....

Ian

Offline rhallinger

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Re: Hales bomb racks pics sought
« Reply #7 on: September 23, 2016, 11:24:31 AM »
Great work Ian!  On my scratch 1/32 Tabloid I cheated and used the WNW Hales rack from the Fee kit, cut down to accommodate just the two 20 Lb. Bombs carried by the aircraft I was modeling.  If you search under completed models for my Tabloid, there are some pics of the bombs as mounted.  I have no idea if the Hales rack from the Fee is accurate for the Tabloid, but I had no evidence otherwise and it certainly looks the part! ;)

Regards,

Bob

Offline IanB

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Re: Hales bomb racks pics sought
« Reply #8 on: September 23, 2016, 12:07:30 PM »
Thanks Bob. I'll do that!

Ian