B-17 + Loon = Weird!!!

[Jack Cook]

[Former Member]

Cool pic Jack...I've never seen one with a B-17 test launching a captured V-1 before (or any allied aircraft test launching a V-1 ).

John

[k5083]

Not a captured V-1. The U.S., while decrying the indiscriminate use of the V-1 as a terror weapon by Germany, decided that it was actually a great idea and put it into production as the JB-1 Loon to soften up Japan prior to the inspected invasion through, uh, indiscriminate use as a terror weapon. The softening up turned out not to be needed but quite a bunch of the V-1 knock-offs were built and tested. Several survived and are displayed at museums, including a nice one at Udvar-Hazy. I agree though, a pic of an air test is rare.

August

[tom d. friedman]

that 17 must have banked hard upon release!!!

[bdk]

Not a captured V-1. The U.S., while decrying the indiscriminate use of the V-1 as a terror weapon by Germany, decided that it was actually a great idea and put it into production as the JB-1 Loon to soften up Japan prior to the inspected invasion through, uh, indiscriminate use as a terror weapon.

Sheesh! Luckily we perfected "the bomb" instead.

Does the U.S. in your opinion have any redeeming value at all? I'm curious to hear what it might be.

[wendovertom]

Yes - JB-2 is the official designation. There is a launching rail/pad and launch control bunker here in Wendover. I am not aware of any B-17 launched versions that were tested here but it may well have been. I have been told and talked with range control officers at the UTTR who have seen complete JB-2s sitting out on the salt flats just rotting away. I have not been able to talk anyone into getting me out there to see one but I am hopeful!

Tom P.

[Larry Kraus]

Here are a couple of links with more info and pictures on the Loon.

http://tanks45.tripod.com/Jets45/Histor ... n/Loon.htm

http://tanks45.tripod.com/Jets45/Histories/B17/B17.htm

[wls3]

Pic of Republic JB2 at Cradle of Aviation Museum in Long Island from visit Jan. 06.

Bill

[DCogdon1]

I've heard of it but never seen one. Cheers for posting the pic.

Somehow it just looks weird in US markings, though!

[ww2John]

Jack, any idea about the date and location of your initial posted picture?

thanks, john.

[wls3]

Was trying to come up with a date and location of Jack's photo for John.
No real luck there except obviously sometime after Jan. 1947 when the
horizontal red stripe was added to the white bar on the National Insignia.

What I did find interesting is some history on the B-17 in the photo, 44-85815.
After the war, 16 B-17's were selected for Operation Crossroad.
This operation was for the Nuclear testing done at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific during 1946.
10 of the B-17's were used as drones and did atomic cloud sampling.
6 B-17s were used as drone controllers (motherships)and had large
roman numerals painted on their tails. The unit was located on Enewetak Island.

I found in Scott Thompson's Final Cut that 44-85815 was one of
these 6 mothership aircraft in Operation Crossroad.

In Jack's photo you will notice the large roman numeral II is still painted on
the tail after January 47 when the a/c was then involved with the JB2 testing.

Jack, your photos are always very interesting. Keep-em coming!

Bill

[JDK]

Not to cast doubt on Jack's honesty, but there's something about that photo that just doesn't seem quite right. It has the feel of one of those photos a picture of the subject the aircraft is pasted onto the backdrop. At the resolution here, you can't tell. Jack, can you do a higher resolution scan?

[PatM]

How much ground clearance could there possibly be while the B-17 is on its gear?

[Larry Kraus]

Pat,there's a view of a B-17 on the ground with two Loons under the wings on the following link:

http://tanks45.tripod.com/Jets45/Histories/B17/B17.htm

To answer your question,I'd say,not much clearance.

[Jack Cook]

Jack, can you do a higher resolution scan?

nope.
You got what I got.