Wellington And Bouncing Bomb

Wellington BJ895

Hi all

I have contributed before on the subject of dams related aircraft, as I have been researching them for almost 30 years.

The (single) Wellington concerned was a Mk III, BJ895, built by Vickers Armstrongs at Chester, and taken on charge by the company on August 12th 1942. It carried standard night camouflage but no codes. The weapons carried by it, and dropped at Chesil Beach and later Reculver were trial spheres only, to test the characteristics of the design, and were not explosive filled. They were mid-sized between the small Highball later carried by Mosquito and the larger Upkeep carried by Lancaster. Having been designed (to test the theory) before both Highball and Upkeep, there weapons were neither of those.

Iain Murray, in his book ‘Bouncing Bomb Man’ quotes John Sweetman’s dams book in that BJ895 flew with four spheres on December 2nd 1942, with Mutt Summers as pilot and Barnes Wallis as observer, being modified in a day to reduce the number carried to two, before flying again on the 4th. There is no record at all of the 2nd December flight in Summers own log, and with the short time between flights, I am very sceptical the four sphere flight ever took place. With the spheres at 4ft 6 in across, and around a foot in between each, I dont think the bomb bay was long enough to take four anyway. Upkeep was too wide to fit a wellington bomb bay.

BJ895/G

I’ll have a look in the “tech” archives….

AndyWis

Looking at the movie (again!:rolleyes:) its interesting to note that the bomb bay appears to look like the bulged bay posted by hindenburg. The bomb that drops is far too big for the aeroplane dropping it and is darker than the film itself. The wellington is armed, well the rear turret is, but I cannot make out guns in the front turret (maybe someone with Blu ray could have a look).

I guess the early drops were not filmed or the film is locked away somewhere.

In the early drops its believed they simply removed the bomb doors and bolted on the mine clamps. They may have added an air deflector at the front end of the bay. The one in the movie is possibly later in the time line and therefore ‘highball’

Tosh??

Baz

Thanks Andy

Appreciate the time you’ve taken to research this information, its a bit of a grey area with photographic evidence, etc.

I seem to remember reading someone at the time talking plural when mentioning the Wellington on the tests.
(hindenburg) I’m guessing here that the film alludes to lack of Wellingtons when in fact they were being replaced in Bomber Command by Halifax, Stirlings and (now) Lancasters, so a bit more plentiful than originally thought.

(Spitfiresimon) Could a full size upkeep fit a Wellington bombay? I keep looking at the movie to watch the drop and it does look like it. Even though the film makers or censors have messed with the image, freeze framing indicates that this was so.
Was it easy to change the working mechanism for a single spinning mine to a ‘brace’?. Looks like a lot of work to me.
(bazv) Have to say the brace in the photograph does appear to be Highball and with the secrecy during late 1942 there may be no (surviving) photos taken of the Wellington Upkeeps at all.

I thought the first bouncing bombs were scaled half size to the final Upkeeps, however there maybe some confusion due to wood surround disintegrating when dropped.

thanks to all who have responded so far

All 19 Lancasters that took part in the raid have been completed as have McCarthy’s ‘Q’ Queenie, which didn’t, and Jerry Frays EN343 PRIX Spitfire that took all those historic photos.

BJ895/G is coming together and I agree she wore no codes which makes life a little easier(!) Its just the bombay/bomb load etc and we’re there.

thanks again

Baz

Wellington & bouncing bomb

Hi, Baz:

To answer your original posting: I had a look at what we have at the Museum, both on paper and photo’s, but could only come up with the following.

Mutt Summer’s log book mentions the fact that he flew BJ895 on several occasions (although not on all); not all flights supposedly flown by him seem to have been recorded in his log book. Either that, or, he was VERY meticulous in his book-keeping and that it was others (“Shorty” Longbottom and Bob Handasyde and, possibly, even Maurice Summers – “Mutt’s” brother, also a Vickers Test-Pilot) who actually flew the aircraft during the testing period. “Shorty” longbottom’s logbook notes the serial number as “BJ895/G” (For Guard).

Note: Does anybody have access to Bob Handasyde’s Log-book, if it still exists???? (no luck from the RAF Museum…)

“Shorty” also flew this aircraft not only at Manston on 6th April, but up to Turnberry on the 15th, flying back on the 22nd. During that week, he flew on four occasions from that airfield on “Highball” tests…

The general consensus within the Museum suggests that no “Squadron” codes were carried on this , or other Company aircraft, other than the aircraft serial. The colour scheme appears also to be “standard night”.

I shall keep on “delving” into the records, we hold, but be aware that many of the Vickers/Barnes Wallis files were dispersed to various Museums/depositaries when the factory closed down in the 80’s.

PM me if you wish…….

ttfn

Andy Wis

Highball

Wallis refers in his memoirs to using a Wellington in September 1942 using a full size bomb on Chesil Beach.
It is recorded that at 1340hrs on December 4th 1942 Wallis acted as the bomb-aimer in Wellington BJ895/G from Weybridge flown by Summers to conduct tests at Chesil Beach. The aircraft had its bomb doors removed and two bombs were used both bursting on impact due to the welding.
A fourth variation of the Highball known as ‘The Heavy Type’ (as distinct from the Mosquito ‘Light Type’)was designed for the Wellington and Warwick but never used

Dambusting, etc:

“Shorty” longbottom’s log has entries of flying both the Lancaster at Manston/Reculver for “Upkeep”, and, during the same period, flying the Mosquito on trials out of Helensburgh on “Highball” testing…. I shall investigate further when I go over to the Archives this morning……..

AndyWis

Interesting subject,according to a couple of sources…

the prototype Upkeep was 46” dia

the Highball was 35” dia

So if anybody is good at scaling ??
If the photo is def 1942 then i agree they are probably more likely to be upkeep,to me they just looked a little on the small side and the manufacturing quality looks quite good.

rgds baz

you May be right in assuming you think they`re `highballs` as they`re smaller and dropped in pairs.On the other hand this was 1942 and if you`re going to conduct trials and only have one aircraft surely it`s better to scale down your test weapons to save time and do twice the tests on an airborne drop? I thought the `Highball` drops were after the Dams tests later in 1943 on Loch Striven..not 1942 on `The Fleet` behind `Chesil Bank`

what possible reason could I put forward for you using one?”

“Well….you could tell them I designed it!”

Sorry, too good to resist.

They certainly look like Highballs of the type Mossies trialled.
All the sources I can find state that only one Wellington was used for the upkeep dropping trials.

Are they ‘highballs’ ? rather than the scaled ‘upkeep’ bombs…they just look a little small to me !!

rgds baz

sorry,only know this one aircraft which was a Mk2 operating out of Warmwell ,Dorset in Dec 1942. wouldn`t have thought he`d of been allocated more than one aircraft.As said in the film ” and besides,you say you want to use a Wellinton Bomber for test drops,they`re worth their weight in gold..what possible reason could I put forward for you using one?”

12 minutes!

Off to a good start, thanks hindenburg.

Any ideas of Squadron codes and markings?

I guess she would be in standard bomber green/brown and black.

cheers
Baz

[ATTACH]185425[/ATTACH] Bomb Bay of Wellington BJ895 with a brace of bouncers !!