Merced Army Flying School - Yearbook (Merced, CA)

Page 37 text:

Wg ,A '.,' - . ...-.. A . A ts . This Douglas B-I8 bombardier lraining ship wilh ils bomb racks loaded wilh praclice bombs and manned by aviafion caclels en roule lo large? range. He learns how lo loose his bombs eilher in a slring, which is one al a lime, or in a salvo, which is all logelher. Al lhe end of his I2 weeks he is gradualed and gains his coveled wings. From +ha+ lime on he is a finished bombardier. He may be used lo frain olher bombardiers or he may be assigned fo a combal squadron anywhere on lhe face of lhe earlh where lhe 'far-flung armies of fhe nalion are in combal. Like lhe pilol and +he navigalor, lhe bombardier is a highly specialized man. He is lrained lo 'funclion as an inlegral parl of fhe bomber crew, and he knows lhaf he was picked for his lask, iusl as fhe pilol and lhe navigalor, because of special skills which have been furlher developed by lhe course of lraining which he has undergone. dala and release his bombs wnlhin 20 seconds of sughhng his oblechve. ii iff fill ' 'i From bombardier cadefs, eager lo go upslairs 'lor one of lheir regular lraining flighls ai an advanced flying school, check oul lheir flying lack al' Supply Headquarlers. AJ I 5 ,..... . A . l A . .yu Us . gs Q Planning lhe Pay Load. Tools of 'lhe cadef bombardier's imporlanl' lrade are lhese IOO-pound 'lraining bombs, ready lo be loaded info lhe gianl' belly halch of a B-I8 bomber.

Page 36 text:

H WW X ' 7 Shown ihrough ihe iwo racks of bombs is a bombardier cadei waving an all-clear lo fhe ground crew as he goes up +o fhe nose. Bombardier fraining. HUllHHHIlIlHS he has shown marked abiliiy ai' manual dexferiiy so ihai he can 1-wisi knobs wifhoul' fumbling, muscle conirol so +ha+ his adiuslmenls are always precise, serial reaciion so fha? he can apply daia in orderly sequence, and a calm lemperamenf so he won'i gel' raHled easily. Once he has been selecfed 'For his rigorous fask fhe embryo bom- bardier is senl' 'lo one of fhe large bombardier schools, where he is firsl' inlroduced info 'lhe 'theory of bombing. He aH'ends classes and discovers fhe infricasies of wha+ makes bombs fall as ihey do. He learns fhe composifion of bombs, iheir various reacfions fo differenf condiiions and siluafions. Above all, he spends many hours praciicing on fhe bomb frainer, a plalform some I2 'Feef above +he ground which simulafes aciual bombing condilions. Over and over again he works ouf ihe various problems +ha+ are connecled wifh his infricale arf, learning io lurn dials, slraining his eyes, learning fo coordinaie mind and body so +ha+ his movemenis will be swiff, sure and above all, accurafe. As iime goes on he finds lhal' he is acquiring fhe sure fiming and accuraie adiusimeni' necessary fo make of him a 'Finished bombardier. He learns in classroom aboui such +hings as probable error, fhe reason behind pafiern bombing, learns how 'io calculafe wind driff and olher such problems. As he grows more proficieni he works our advanced problems in- volving all fhese faclors on his iraining plaiform, so ihaf by +he fime he is ready fo +ake fo fhe air for his praclice frips he has a clear idea of iusi whai' problems he will 'Face and wha? his responsibiliiy is. When fhe lime comes for him io make his praciice bombings he is carried in a modern 'fasf bomber. He bombs al' day and he bombs af night He lives and fhinks bombing. The pracfice bombs are loaded wifh black powder insfead of high explosive and when fhese defonafe fhe bombardier can see iusi' how 'far he missed his fargei. He ge+ praciice bombing from all angles and under all kinds of condifions. He learns io bomb from high alfifude when his bombs are released fhree miles before he reaches his obieciive, and he learns io bomb from low aliifudes when his bombs crash righf on iop of his obiecfive. He is schooled in fhe use of fhe Norden and Sperry bombsighfs, our mosf vifal milifary secref. Af fhe end of nine weeks he makes his record runs, lhe 'Final examinaiion for a bombardier which defermines wheiher he is a firsl, second or ihird class bombardier. If he graduaies as a firsi' class bombardier his posifion will probably be in 'ihe nose of +he leading plane in his 'ilighi' so fhai he can help ihe following bombardiers in fhe proper releasing of iheir bombs. During his lasl' lhree weeks of lraining lhe bombardier is in fhe air almosf consianily, bombing on +he pracfice range under all fypes of combai condilions. He learns how fo release his bombs af very low alfifudes when he can'+ use his sighf, buf musl rely on his own sighi and iudgmenig he also learns 'ro bomb from so high fhaf he has fo use oxygen 'io enable him fo breafhe. He learns how fo check his lnsfrucfor af fhe blackboard explaining diagram illusfrafing lhe fall of Where fo fhis lrip? The cadefs check fhe mission schedule 'io gel +he bomb as avialion cadels look on. +heir desiinaiion and fargei for fhe flighf. - 'VM'

Page 38 text:

fs 'Mk . '. 1 HITS OR MISSES? Whether our bombers, hurtling across thousands of miles of ocean waste like this, smash targets or miss obiectives completely, depends largely on the navigator, dubbed The Little Tin Guy. Above, a training ship from one of the Navigation Schools flies a plotted course over the Atlantic. Below, left, a student navigator keeps on course by shooting the sun through the blister in the ship's top. After graduation, young navigators with motto, Get 'em there-Get 'em back! can take bombers anywhere-Tokyo not excluded. muster ,,,. s il ..f- X + Hundreds of two-engined training ships like this whisk students aloft on l,000-mile missions. Ships carry a crew of five, the pilot, navigation instructor, and three students. They call him the Little Tin Guy. His nerves seem all metal, his mind works like a compass, and his iob is to get our bombers there and get 'em back, over land, over water, through weather and rain and hail and fog-through anything! He is better known as the navigator and he is being trained at specialized schools. The Little Tin Guy is being hammered out by the hundreds, and he will be hammered out by the thousands. He was present to smash the Jap fleet at Midway, and he carried the tire to Tokyo with General Doolittle. If he had not been along with his octant, his dividers and compasses, his maps and charts and unpronounceable gadgets, there would have been no victory at Midway, no tires at Tokyo. Below, right, in the back seat, another cadet navigates the same course by pilotage, or by checking points on his map with corresponding points on the ground. The river he sees coiled below is a well-known landmark, l