Working on a new project. Any one out there have info on the Brodie System? The series of masts and cables stuck out the side of an LST(Landing Ship Tank) in order to launch and trap L-4 and L-5 spotter A/C for the army artillery.
It was actually used in combat at Saipan and Okinawa on LST 776. I’ve dredged up some snapshots off the web, and some accounts of its development, but am still looking for accounts of its usage in combat and ….dream on….perhaps more detailed photos of the rig or even measurements of the thing.
Here is a rough up composition of the thing. I have a lot of detailing out to do IF I can get enough data to put together a believable piece.
Happy New Year
By: CSheppardholedi - 4th January 2007 at 03:24
In searching EAA events with that A/C came across an article on Cubs…BINGO! Mr Richard Brown of Excelsior MN. Unfortunately there are two Richard Browns in that city, so I will keep chasing, try to figure out which one before cold calling (I hate to do that!) but I’m getting closer. I am also trying to trace the author of a couple of the articles on the cub in action so I can try to get the specific A/C ID.
By: J Boyle - 3rd January 2007 at 22:23
Thanks!
Those pics are great! They will be a big help! These from up at Oshkosh EAA? Do you know who owns it or how to contact him?
Your best bet is to find an article that names him then do a FAA “N” number records search.
I don’t think you’ll have good luck with the EAA.
I tried to have them contact the guy (who was well known to them…because he had donated a plane to their museum) because I had old video of one of his aircraft that I wanted to give him.
They told me to go away.
By: Aeronut - 3rd January 2007 at 22:08
I seem to recall that there is also some information on the Brodie system in the book “The most secret place” detailing the trials of the system (on land)at A&AEE Boscombe Down.
On the LST front, Osprey publishing have a book on the LST and not only does it make mention of the LSTs modified with the Brodie system but it also has a photograph of an L4 taking off from a 220ft x 16ft flight deck fitted to one of six LSTs in the Mediterranean:eek:
By: CSheppardholedi - 2nd January 2007 at 20:06
Thanks!
Those pics are great! They will be a big help! These from up at Oshkosh EAA? Do you know who owns it or how to contact him?
Normandy stripes on the Grasshopper? I think it was only used operationally in the Pacific, late war. Opps, New Year, his airplane……Now if I can just find some good US Army markings for the LST 776 bird….oh yeah….and build an LST From scratch.
I’ll shoot out an update once I have the L-4 built out with “detailed Hook”.
Looks like a scary way to land no matter what they say!
By: TonyA - 2nd January 2007 at 18:24
Here’s a couple of pictures of the L-4 with the replica gear.
The owner had always wanted to do something like this with his aircraft but couldn’t get any details of the equipment – until he learnt that Mr Brodie only lived a few miles away.
Tony Andrews
By: CSheppardholedi - 2nd January 2007 at 17:16
Thanks
I decided to go with the L-4 on the project as it seems most of the photos of it in use had the Cub. I will try to hunt up that L-5, as i imagine the gear is essentially the same(hopefully). Most of the pics are so blurry, grainy or from so far away, it is hard to get detail. Once I get the A/C built out( and find appropriate Marine markings-or ArmyI think) Though the pilot in at least one article was the 77th Army-artillary direction ……frustrating trying to find consistant info.
By: 91Regal - 2nd January 2007 at 17:04
there was an article in Aeroplane monthly during 2006; a guy in the States has rebuilt a L5 with the appropriate piece of Brodie gear mounted, IIRC.
By: CSheppardholedi - 2nd January 2007 at 02:38
Some crazy speculations on the “other” forum, and I have read the other account as well as a couple others. I have gleaned about 6 decent photos from various web pages, with some being from LST 325, which after being equipped with the gear and pilots trained up, the war ended.
Sounded like a very hairy ride! Not a problem if you hit that 20″ landing window and remembered to nose dive the A/C as the hook caught(30′ above the water) otherwise you stuffed your wooden prop into the cable. NOT GOOD. One pilot was told not to wreck the A/C, at $3500 it was worth more than him!
But the system did work for launching and catching. Here is an article of the LST 325
http://www.lstmemorial.org/archive/pr0804.htm ( down the page a bit)
By: Bager1968 - 2nd January 2007 at 00:39
A while ago, we discussed this on another forum…
http://p216.ezboard.com/fwarships1discussionboardsfrm9.showMessage?topicID=1280.topic
Not much more info, but take a look.
By: super sioux - 1st January 2007 at 23:47
This info. extracted from the official history of the Okinawa campaign tells of 19 spotting planes flown in from CVE’s and LST’s on 2 APRIL and commencing operations on the 3 APRIL. If you go to lstmemorial.org/archive/pr0804.htm you will find a report from a pilot who flew from LST 776 at Okinawa via the Brodie system. Just to put the cat amonst the pigeons, on another site someone reckons the 776 was transported across the Atlantic on another LST to be part of the Normandy landings. That I would like to see a photo of![EMAIL=”lstmemorial.org/archive/pr0804.htm”]http://lstmemorial.org/archive/pr0804.htm[/EMAIL]
By: CSheppardholedi - 1st January 2007 at 17:28
Found one good written account of it’s usage
Flight Journal Aug 2003
Here is one of the links I found with pics as well
By: jeepman - 1st January 2007 at 16:50
brodie system
there has been something in one of the magazines about the Brodie system in the recent past. It was linked to an article about the restoration of an L4 with the hook
It was possibly Air Enthusiast or Aeroplane Monthly
Perhaps someone could point you in the right direction – I’ve had a quick trawl through AE and couldn’t see anything standing out – but I know I’ve seen something quite recently – there is an article out there
HTH
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January 1, 2007 at 3:45 pm