Warbird Information Exchange

Hey Airnutz did you get up to Lubbock yet? I made it all the way from Michigan the first of March.

Any of you want to see various pictures of all the various original snatch planes (UC-81, XC-81D, B-23, B-24, C-47, B-17), double snatch, mid-air retrieval snatch, first human snatch, etc., find a copy of Silent Ones WWII Invasion Glider Test & Experiment CCAAF Wilmington Ohio, by yours truly.

The photo of C-47 #42-23710 posted earlier in this thread is not just another C-47 doing a snatch. It is a photo made during a double CG-4A snatch. The C-47 pilot was Lt. Edward L. Jett. The crew chief, Sgt. Louie Winters, has pulled in the hook, reset the first glider tow line to a line previously attached to the C-47 tow release, reset the hook in the pickup arm, lowered the arm and is ready to release the line holding the first snatch.

Note there are two lines going into the door. The upper line (looks whiter) is the previously attached line just long enough to reach into the cargo section from the tow release. The lower line is the glider snatch line which was pulled in and connected to the line to the tow release. They are being held inside the cargo section by a short holding line anchored to the C-47 floor on both ends. On the first tests of the double snatch Winters merely chopped this holding line with a fire axe to release the on-tow glider line, allowing it to trail normally behind the C-47. Later, a special release mechanism was made and located inside the cargo section to hold, then release one end of the holding line rather than having to chop it.

Charles Day

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Charles Day,
Silent Ones WWII Invasion Glider Test & Experiment CCAAF Wilmington Ohio

Not with my truck you didn't...glad to see you made the pilgrimage successfully, but it's not
nice to prod the caged animals.

Like I mentioned back when..not a trip in the cards for awhile. When it does happen, Midland
and the AAHM would be on the itenerary as well...and that requires a little planning. I was reading
some of Randy Wilson's old articles last week of his Fiesler experience and was reminded AAHM has
some rare photos of the Fiesler Fi 256..I'd kinda like to see those, and of course a few other bits.

Thanks for the history on this double snatch event! Rare stuff..

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He bowls overhand...He is the most interesting man in the world.
"In Peace Japan Breeds War", Eckstein, Harper and Bros., 3rd ed. 1943(1927, 1928,1942)
"Leave it to ol' Slim. I got ideas...and they're all vile, baby." South Dakota Slim
"Ahh..."The Deuce", 28,000 pounds of motherly love." quote from some Mojave Grunt
DBF

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EVERYTHING that CAN fly should be ALLOWED to FLY!
IWO JIMA'S best narative..."GOD ISN'T HERE"
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P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.

S: Took hammer away from midget.

I have jpg image of parapack racks being installed and an image of a parapack being hung on the rack but I'm too dumb to know how to post them here?

Any help on image posting?

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Charles Day,
Silent Ones WWII Invasion Glider Test & Experiment CCAAF Wilmington Ohio

The B-17 at the Evergreen Museum was converted by the CIA to pick up agents by a cord suspended by a large balloon; equiped with a large set of pincers and an open and padded tail gunner's position for entry. Remember the Bond movie "Thunder Ball"? That was the same B-17.

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Curtis Block

I've seen too many airplanes destroyed by the term "Static Restoration."

Curtis,

I am not a James bond fan and don't remember seeing Thunder Ball. That system you describe was the Fulton system developed in the late 1940's.

The first B-17 to do a snatch was in 1944 at Clinton County Army Air Field, glider test base, Wilmington, Ohio. B-17 #42-30501 was equipped with a model 160 winch (16,000 lb capacity) and was first flown by Capt. Lloyd Santmeyer. The first snatch was an XCG-13A. Shortly, the XCG-10A on a demo flight to Laurinburg-Maxton from CCAAF made an emergency landing in a bean field in NC. National soaring champion, rated GP and PP, Lt. Chet Decker flew #230501 from CCAAF to L-M and snatched the XCG-10A on the first pass.

In 1944-45, B-17, 43-37881 at CCAAF was equipped with what I call a "short-arm" snatch hook. I have not completely researched this system, but here is what I know. The system did not use a winch to absorb the shock and bring the snatch article up to speed. The line with the hook and a stabilizing wind sock attached to the tail of the B-17 and was less than the length of the B-17. The system still used the same collapsible, upright post system to present the snatch line same as used for the winch system. This "short-arm" system was also used successfully with a P-47 and a P-38. The system intent was to snatch tow targets which were very light weight. All these photos are in my book.

gliderman.one@verizon.net

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Charles Day,
Silent Ones WWII Invasion Glider Test & Experiment CCAAF Wilmington Ohio