Operation Aphrodite was the code name of a secret program initiated by the United States Army Air Forces during the latter part of World War II. The United States Eighth Air Force used 'Aphrodite' both as an experimental method of destroying V weapon production and launch facilities and as a way to dispose of B-17 and B-24 bombers (although only two B-24 were modified for the operation) that had outlived their operational usefulness. A code name or cryptonym is a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word. ... The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) was the aviation component of the United States Army primarily during World War II. The title of Army Air Forces succeeded the prior name of Army Air Corps in June 1941 during preparation for expected combat in what came to be known as... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force (NAF) of the major command (MAJCOM) of Air Combat Command of the United States Air Force and it is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. ... The Vergeltungswaffe 1 Fi 103 / FZG-76 (V-1), known as the Flying bomb, Buzz bomb or Doodlebug, was the first modern guided missile used in wartime and the first cruise missile. ... The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed for the US Army Air Corps (USAAC). ...

The plan called for B-17 aircraft which had been taken out of operational service to be loaded to capacity with explosives, and flown by remote control into bomb-resistant fortifications such as German U-boat pens and V-1 missile sites.It was hoped that this would match the British success with Tallboy and Grand Slam supersonic ground penetration bombs, but it is now remembered as one of the most dangerous, expensive and unsuccessful projects ever undertaken. Preparing C-4 explosive This article is concerned solely with chemical explosives. ... U-boat is also a nickname for some diesel locomotives built by GE; see List of GE locomotives October 1939. ... The V-1 (German: Vergeltungswaffe 1) was the first guided missile used in war and the forerunner of todays cruise missile. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... A British 22,000 lb (10,000 kg) Grand Slam bomb The Grand Slam (Earth Quake bomb), was a very large freefall bomb developed by the British aeronautical engineer Barnes Wallis (who also made the bouncing bomb) in late 1944. ...

Proposal

The plan was first proposed to Major General James H. Doolittle some time in 1944 (the original author and date of submission are unknown). Doolittle approved the plan on June 26, and assigned the 3rd Bombardment Division with preparing and flying the drone aircraft, which was to be designated BQ-7.^[1] Final assignment of responsibility was given to the 562nd Bomb Squadron at RAF Honington in Suffolk. Similarly, on July 6, 1944, the US Navy Special Attack Unit (SAU-1) was formed under ComAirLant, with Commander James A. Smith, Officer in Charge, for transfer without delay to Commander Fleet Air Wing 7 in Europe to attack German V-1 and V-2 launching sites with PB4Y-1's converted to assault drones.^[2] Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... General James Harold Jimmy Doolittle, Sc. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1944: Events January January 11 - in one of the largest air raids to date, 570 USAAF bombers strike Brunswick, Halberstadt, and Oschersleben. ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... RAF Honington (IATA: BEQ, ICAO: EGXH) is a Royal Air Force station 6 miles south of Thetford near Ixworth in Suffolk, England. ... Suffolk (pronounced ) is a large historic and modern non-metropolitan county in East Anglia, England. ...

Mission theory

In preparation for their final mission, several old B-17 Flying Fortress bombers were stripped of all normal combat armament and all other non-essential gear (armor, guns, bomb racks, transceiver, seats, etc.), thus relieving the bomber of about 12,000 lb of weight. The stripped aircraft were then equipped with an Azon[1] radio remote-control system and loaded with up to 18,000 lb (8,200 kg) of explosives, more than twice the normal bomb payload. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed for the US Army Air Corps (USAAC). ... A transceiver is a device that has both a transmitter and a receiver which are combined in to one. ... AZON (AZimuth ONly) was one of the worlds first smart bombs, deployed by the Allies and contemporary with the German Fritz X. Officially designated VB-1 (Vertical Bomb), it was invented by Major Henry J. Rand and Thomas J. ODonnell during the latter stages of World War II... This radio control airplane is carrying a scale model of X-33 and is taking part in NASA research. ... For other uses, see Bomb (disambiguation). ... In cargo transport, the payload is the valuable contents of the vehicle. ...

Remote control

To facilitate control of what was essentially a slow guided missile, two television cameras were fitted in the cockpit of each B-17, providing a view of both the ground and the main instrumentation panel. This view was transmitted back to an accompanying control aircraft, designated CQ17, (referred to as the 'mothership'), allowing the craft to be flown remotely. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Missile. ... A professional video camera (often called a television camera even though the use has spread) is a high-end device for recording electronic moving images (as opposed to a movie camera, that records the images on film). ...

Because the crude remote control thus created did not allow for safe takeoff from a runway, each craft was taken aloft by a volunteer crew of two (a pilot and flight engineer), who were to pilot the aircraft to an altitude of 2,000 ft.(600 m), at which point control would be transferred to the remote operators. After successful turnover of control of the drone, the two-man crew would arm the Torpex explosive payload and parachute out of the cockpit, the canopy of which was removed to speed their exit. The 'mothership' would then direct the missile locking it onto a course for the target. When the training program was complete, the 562nd Squadron had ten drones and four 'motherships'. A Ryanair Boeing 737 takes off from Bristol International Airport, England Takeoff is the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground (taxiing) to flying in the air (see flight), usually on a runway. ... Torpex is a secondary explosive 50% more powerful than TNT by weight. ... VC-10 (1960s) Airliner Cockpit. ...

Missions

Pas-de-Calais is a département in northern France named after the strait which it borders. ... is the 216th day of the year (217th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Suffolk (pronounced ) is a large historic and modern non-metropolitan county in East Anglia, England. ... Siracourt is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais département of northern France. ... is the 216th day of the year (217th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... FLAK was a punk rock side project of members of the band Machinae Supremacy in 2001. ... Loch Watten Watten, is a small village in Caithness, Scotland, on the main highway between the county town of Wick and the burgh of Thurso, about twelve kilometres (eight miles) west of Wick and close to the Wick River and to Loch Watten. ... is the 218th day of the year (219th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the landscape in Norway, see Helgeland. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image:Heide-holst-lage. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mimoyecques was a German fortification in Europe during World war 2,consisting mainly of large cement bunkers, mainly built for testing of the newly built jet propelled aircraft and small versions of the v-2 rocket. ... is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. ... For the landscape in Norway, see Helgeland. ... is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the landscape in Norway, see Helgeland. ... is the 254th day of the year (255th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the landscape in Norway, see Helgeland. ... is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Herforder Münster Herford is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the lowlands between the mountain chains of the Wiehengebirge and the Teutoburg Forest. ... is the 339th day of the year (340th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Edermünde is a community in northern Hesse, Germany. ... Oldenburg (Low German: Ollnborg) is an Independent City in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ...

Conclusions

Concluding that the BQ-7 was not successful against the 'hard targets' it had been designed for, United States Strategic Air Forces Headquarters ordered that it be sent against industrial targets instead. Two more missions were flown, and both were failures as well. Bad weather and control problems caused misses. The only drone that actually hit the target didn't explode, supplying the Germans with an intact B-17 and a set of radio controls. The United States Strategic Air Forces was the command body of the American strategic bomber forces in Europe during World War II. It was formed on 22 February 1944 by the redesignation of the Eighth Air Force. ...

After the last mission, the Strategic Air Forces decided that the concept behind Operation Aphrodite was unfeasible, and scrapped the effort. In the course of the operation, only one drone had done any damage, and none had hit their targets. The failure of the program was attributed to the lack of suitable implementations of available technology. One contributing factor to the difficulties may well have been the changed flight characteristics due to the different weight distribution of the 'Aphrodite-equipped' craft versus un-modified aircraft.

See also

• Mistel
• Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.
• B-17 Flying Fortress variants
• Smart bomb

Mistel (Ger. ... Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. ... <B-17 Flying Fortress A B-17 nicknamed Sally B in England in 2001 The following is an extensive catalogue of the variants and specific unique elements of each variant and/or design stage of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber. ... BOLT-117 laser guided bomb Precision-guided munitions (smart munitions or smart bombs) are self-guiding weapons intended to maximize damage to the target while minimizing collateral damage. Because the damage effects of an explosive weapon scale as a power law with distance, quite modest improvements in accuracy (and hence...

References and Notes

1. ^ BQ-7. Encyclopedia of American Aircraft. Joseph F. Baugher. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
2. ^ WORLD WAR II 1940-1945. Naval Aviation Chronology in World War II. Naval Historical Center. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
3. ^ 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-39758 to 42-50026). Encyclopedia of American Aircraft. Joseph F. Baugher. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
4. ^ 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-30032 to 42-39757). Encyclopedia of American Aircraft. Joseph F. Baugher. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
5. ^ US Navy and US Marine Corps Bureau Numbers, Third Series (30147 to 39998). Encyclopedia of American Aircraft. Joseph F. Baugher. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
6. ^ Lt. Joe Kennedy. Norfolk & Suffolk Aviation Museum. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
7. ^ 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-57213 to 42-70685). Encyclopedia of American Aircraft. Joseph F. Baugher. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
8. ^ 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-30032 to 42-39757). Encyclopedia of American Aircraft. Joseph F. Baugher. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
9. ^ 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-39758 to 42-50026). Encyclopedia of American Aircraft. Joseph F. Baugher. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
10. ^ 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-30032 to 42-39757). Encyclopedia of American Aircraft. Joseph F. Baugher. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
11. ^ 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-39758 to 42-50026). Encyclopedia of American Aircraft. Joseph F. Baugher. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
12. ^ 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-30032 to 42-39757). Encyclopedia of American Aircraft. Joseph F. Baugher. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Further Reading

• Jablonski, Edward (1965). Flying Fortress. Doubleday. 
• Olsen, Jack (1970). Aphrodite: Desperate Mission. Putnam's Sons. 
• Gray, Edwin (1996). Operation Aphrodite's B-17 "Smart Bomb". Aviation History. 
• Werrell, Kenneth P. The Evolution of the Cruise Missile (see p.43)