WWII Forums Quiz Part VII

[mikebatzel]

The reception party for the japanese planes where sent from the decks of USS Wasp and USS Enterprise. Twas the reason they left just before Savo Island.

[skunk works]

Not the first wave.

Current avatar is hint

[mikebatzel]

Stupid me not double checking. Wasp was not there for the landing Saratoga was
USS Saratoga

[skunk works]

Bingo

Not sure who all got in licks at the second wave, 2 hours later, but "Sara's" Wildcats drew first blood.

yer go

[mikebatzel]

OK than I'll stick with Guadalcanal. The SBD's taking off and landing at Henderson Field created a problem with the runway as the tires where to big and heavy and "plowed" through the runway, destroying it with every takeoff and landing. What was tried to alleviate the problem?

[skunk works]

PSP ? (perforated steel plate)

[Slipdigit]

Chicken wire?

[mikebatzel]

Negative. It was something on the plane that got switched

[skunk works]

Oh man, and after I looked up...
SMT 3" square wire
PHS/PBS burlap
the two together and then PSP (pierced steel plank)(original name)
or a combination of all

the plane huh?

Bigger/better/more "Shock absorbers" ?
less air in the tires ?
mud skis like "Bush-Pilots" ?
better pilot training ?
"Wind-Talkers" to do an anti-rain dance ?

[mikebatzel]

Originally Posted by skunk works

less air in the tires ?
mud skis like "Bush-Pilots" ?

Getting warm

"Wind-Talkers" to do an anti-rain dance ?

Now i gotta clean Gatorade off my computer

[skunk works]

warmer eh?

How bout, a ski instead of a tail wheel ? That would prevent a lot of (90 degree opposite) ruts, no ?
Especially spinning around stuff "Doughnuts", like "Hot-Dog" (or in a hurry) both apply here, pilots do ?

[mikebatzel]

nope, the problem was caused by the hard rubber of the wheels that where designed for carrier landings.
AFAIK no ski's where tried

[skunk works]

So what'd they do? Get big "fluffy" balloon tires? Different tread pattern, no pattern? duals? slicks? low profile, super-wide, raised white letters.
Did softer rubber help on mud? I imagine anything more than "steel wheels" would help.
What a chronic need for a Super-Tanker" full of 1" road stone that place was.
Interesting...did that fix/help the problem?

[mikebatzel]

No, there was no difference so it was decided to deal with the problem as is.

[Slipdigit]

under inflated the tires?

[mikebatzel]

nope, they just started a new show on the ever so accurate HC about people who work with it.

[skunk works]

with the airplane eh?

What could they do except make the plane lighter, or decrease the ground pressure by redistributing the weight. Less fuel ? Less ammunition ? Smaller pilots ? Replace some of the metal "skin" with fabric ? Jato bottles ? Hot air balloons ?

I'll guess Helium bladders in the empty places in the fuselage and wings ?

or...

Launch em from a catapult & catch em with a big butterfly net ?

[skunk works]

Cork, Foam Rubber, styro-foam tires ?
Replace structural supports with bamboo ?
Set the wheels in the empty halves of a "belly" tank to slide along while on the ground and be left behind on takeoff.
Use pontoons, land on the water ?
Cover the field with 6 layers of 4 mill plastic, spray the whole thing with "oil", and come in wheels up ?

another hint ?

[mikebatzel]

Originally Posted by skunk works

Replace structural supports with bamboo?

Close enough.

The heavier SBD dive bombers had it the worst as their hard rubber tires, designed for carrier landings, ripped up the runways like a plowshare. Wooden wheels were experimented with but these did not fare any better

Yer go

[skunk works]

Ah yes....weight reduction....a must do, or you end up with a dog of a plane.

Name the "Dido" class cruiser that met the "most unusual" end?

[mikebatzel]

HMS Spartan who was sunk by a German Hs 293 Guided missile?

[skunk works]

Yep, of the five lost, (other than Spartan) one hit a mine, and the other three succumbed to U-Boats.

yer go