We have in our french group ''anciens aérodromes'' one member who worked about wooden bombs droped by allied bombers against some dummy germans airfields.
Some says that it's a urban legend, other say that it's possible because we have witness ???
I join to you text written by Pierre Courouble who worked in this topic.
Maybe you can help him.
The only reference I have found relating to attacking enemy dummy airfields is the following account, taken from the West Raynham ORB, but this was with real bombs:
10-04-42 (114 Squadron) 21.33 to 22.00 hours. Four Blenheims (V6262 'G', V6431 'M', V6264 'X' & V6510 'H') were allotted the task of bombing aerodromes in Holland. Two set out to attack Soesterberg but one was unable to penetrate the intense searchlight and flak defences in the De Kooy-Mendemblik area and after 20 minutes returned for base, jettisoning bombs off the Dutch Coast. The second failed to locate the primary target, and dropped two, 250lb and sixteen, 40lb bombs at 21.15 hours from 1,500ft on a beacon NW of Vught, and bursts were seen to encircle the beacon. One aircraft was unable to find Schiphol owing to the absence of lights in the area and bombed a lighting system south of Zandvoort, believed to be Rygenhosk / Nordwljkerhout dummy aerodrome with two, 250lb and sixteen, 40lb bombs at 22.55 hours from 1,500 feet. The fourth Blenheim ('X') got bogged down on taxiing to the flarepath and was forced to abandon the attack on Schiphol aerodrome.
You can tell a builder from an archaeologist by the size of his trowel. Mine is a small one!
Thanks for this document, I send it to my friend Pierre Courouble.
If you found witness in particular pilot who have dropped wooden bomb, thanks if you send to me.
I'm the translator into Dutch of "L'Enigme des Bombes en Bois" from the Frenchman Pierre-Antoine Courouble (was also translated into English by Frances Harper "The Riddle of the Wooden Bombs"). I'm quite sure by now that the wooden bombs have been used in WW2. Courouble found one of these bombs in a museum in Normandy and he interviewed several direct witnesses. He was even able to buy some bombs from the internet !!
The only thing we don't have is the testimony of a RAF-pilot who did those 'wooden bombings'.
Can anybody help us? This would be the final touch of our quest.
I'm prepared to cross the Channel to meet him for a small talk. As a matter of fact I'll be in Scotland/Britain early June for a holiday.
Jean Dewaerheid
Leeuwerikenlaan 17
1830 Machelen
Belgium
0032 230 567 00
Sounds familiar but I don't think it was on AiX. If it was we can merge at some point.
I assume the wooden bombs were for practice? The only other reasons I can think of is something to do with anti-magnetic or that wood was more available than metal.
Sounds intruiging though
No Amount Of Evidence Will Ever Persuade An Idiot (probably not Mark Twain)
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This would be the final touch of our quest.
