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I´m assuming from things obvious the standard crew for a dive bomber is 2 (dauntless, stuka, val, etc.), a pilot who fly the plane and drops the bomb with a tail gunner.

Now it seems the standard crew for a torpedoe plane is three. Why three people? Anyone have any operational knowledge as to why dropping a torpedo from an airplane requires 3 people and a bomb just two?

The third crewman, the one in the middle, was the bombardier.

PoE (aka ivanmoe)

The third crewman, the one in the middle, was the bombardier.

Hmmm...and why a dedicated crewman for a torpedo launch? In these torpedo planes did the bombadier have a sort of periscope to aim his torpedo with as he sits behind the pilot?

I´ve played some submarine simulators and had to calculated a torpedo firing solution by hand before and I´m assuming they had to have some sort of system such as this but this is a wild guess.

TBD's carried 2 on torpedo missions.

ORIGINAL: Ike99

... Now it seems the standard crew for a torpedoe plane is three. Why three people? Anyone have any operational knowledge as to why dropping a torpedo from an airplane requires 3 people and a bomb just two?

Re the Encyclopedia of Aircraft of World War II: The B5N2 had a crew of three: a pilot, a radio operator, and an observer/navigator, who also doubled as a bomb-aimer; he was seated between the pilot and radio operator, and could view the target thru a small pair of folding doors in the fusalage. The radio operator also manned the single trainable machine-gun in the rear cockpit.

These a/c also doubled as level-bombers and were notable for use in this role in actions such as the Pearl Harbor attack.

The TBD and most versions of the Avenger carried the same Norden bombsight as that employed aboard U.S. multi-engine bombers.

As the war continued, however, the "T" class bombers, were employed mostly for low-altitude attacks with bombs, rockets and, of course, torpedoes.

PoE (aka ivanmoe)

ORIGINAL: Joe D.

Re the Encyclopedia of Aircraft of World War II: The B5N2 had a crew of three: a pilot, a radio operator, and an observer/navigator, who also doubled as a bomb-aimer; he was seated between the pilot and radio operator, and could view the target thru a small pair of folding doors in the fusalage. The radio operator also manned the single trainable machine-gun in the rear cockpit.

There was considerable divergence among the nationalities in regard to the other duties assigned to the third crewman on torpedo bombers. In contrast to the duties that Joe D. notes as being associated with the Kate, the American configuration was such that the third crewman was both navigator and radio operator (and ventral gunner on a TBF/TBM).

PoE (aka ivanmoe)

So the basic answer is that since the torpedo planes did both torpedo duty and level bombing they had the thrid. The pilot could have lined up the torpedo shot but using a real bombsight required the third.

It is also possible that the nature of the torpedo run, especially in the earlier planes like the TBD, was probably a concentration consuming task.&nbsp; Flying at low altitude (<100 feet) at something approaching stall speed, potentially in a cross-wind, probably took 2 hands, both feet and most of your brain.&nbsp; Having a second set of eyes and hands to track the target and drop the torp probably helped.&nbsp; In contrast, dive bombing

ORIGINAL: Panther Bait

It is also possible that the nature of the torpedo run, especially in the earlier planes like the TBD, was probably a concentration consuming task. Flying at low altitude (<100 feet) at something approaching stall speed, potentially in a cross-wind, probably took 2 hands, both feet and most of your brain. Having a second set of eyes and hands to track the target and drop the torp probably helped. In contrast, dive bombing

Nope, the bombardier just did the aiming on level-bombing attacks, like a B-17 might do.

The pilot handled everything else, torpedo-runs, glide-bombing and rocket attacks.

Of course, there was still work to be done, radios, NAV and so on.

PoE (aka ivanmoe)

The pilot handled everything else, torpedo-runs, glide-bombing and rocket attacks.

Really...I always thought the person in the middle dropped the torpedo on a torpedo mission. I´m thinking on a torpedo mission this person in the middle then must have had way too much time on his hands for thinking about getting killed. [:D]

That has got to be one of the most dangerous missions to do! Low, slow and straight. I know the Japanese Kates get savaged in UV during torpedo attacks...

ORIGINAL: Prince of Eckmühl

ORIGINAL: Joe D.

Re the Encyclopedia of Aircraft of World War II: The B5N2 had a crew of three: a pilot, a radio operator, and an observer/navigator, who also doubled as a bomb-aimer; he was seated between the pilot and radio operator, and could view the target thru a small pair of folding doors in the fusalage. The radio operator also manned the single trainable machine-gun in the rear cockpit.

There was considerable divergence among the nationalities in regard to the other duties assigned to the third crewman on torpedo bombers. In contrast to the duties that Joe D. notes as being associated with the Kate, the American configuration was such that the third crewman was both navigator and radio operator (and ventral gunner on a TBF/TBM).

PoE (aka ivanmoe)

Re my same source, in the TBF, the plot fired the fixed forward guns and released the torp, the bomb-aimer in the lower fuselage also manned the ventral gun (as was already said) and the radio operator aft of the pilot was also the turret gunner: at least everyone on this plane would be busy during combat!

I don't know if torpedo plane crews were cross-trained, or for that matter if they could even physically get to the other positions while in flight.

I recall a discussion with my gaming gruop one day at lunch how the torpedo man was responsible for making sure the torpedo hit the wave at a specific point to insure that the torpedo would not malfunction. He had a picture somewhere of a british swordfish with the torpedo man hanging outside the fusalge, with his feet being held by the radio operator so he could judge the correct hieght of the wave to release the torp for the attack on the Bismarck.

ORIGINAL: bigred

... He had a picture somewhere of a british swordfish with the torpedo man hanging outside the fusalge, with his feet being held by the radio operator so he could judge the correct hieght of the wave to release the torp for the attack on the Bismarck.

You're joking, right? Sounds more like a circus act than an aerial attack.

He had a picture somewhere of a british swordfish with the torpedo man hanging outside the fusalge, with his feet being held by the radio operator so he could judge the correct hieght of the wave to release the torp for the attack on the Bismarck.

Well tell your friend to scan it and post it...

Then we can have a big fight if the picture is staged or not. [;)]

Right Joe?

[:D]

[:-]

ORIGINAL: Ike99

He had a picture somewhere of a british swordfish with the torpedo man hanging outside the fusalge, with his feet being held by the radio operator so he could judge the correct hieght of the wave to release the torp for the attack on the Bismarck.

Well tell your friend to scan it and post it...

Then we can have a big fight if the picture is staged or not. [;)]

Right Joe?
[:D]

LOL Ike! One of the first thoughts that came to my mind was who took this Swordfish "photo" since most of the Bismark's crew went down w/the ship and the other torpedo planes were busy dodging flak.

But don't get me started!

You obviously haven't seen pictures taken&nbsp;by tourists&nbsp;from the top of the twin towers on 9/11 as the planes were coming in.&nbsp; They're proof that the most unusual pictures can be salvaged despite impossible odds.
&nbsp;
[:D]
&nbsp;

ORIGINAL: Ike99
Why three people?

It's a French idea, actually...

ORIGINAL: Joe D.

ORIGINAL: bigred

... He had a picture somewhere of a british swordfish with the torpedo man hanging outside the fusalge, with his feet being held by the radio operator so he could judge the correct hieght of the wave to release the torp for the attack on the Bismarck.

You're joking, right? Sounds more like a circus act than an aerial attack.

Sounds to me like something went wrong with the release mechanism on that particular plane and the crew was trying to get to the release mechanism to try and free it up. I doubt seriously that it was SOP.