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       #Post#: 220--------------------------------------------------
       Window crew
       By: Flying Dutchman Date: June 30, 2020, 4:38 pm
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       Anecdote on which crewmember gets to window jul '43:
       From the meridian of 8 degrees 30 minutes East on the way to the
       target, to 8 degrees East on the homeward flight, each aircraft
       was to drop one bundle of ‘Window’ per minute. The announcement
       laid stress on two aspects of this operation. First, the benefit
       from ‘Window’ would be communal. The metal foil giving the best
       protection would come from strips dropped from the bombers
       flying ahead of and above the aircraft, rather than those
       dropped from the bomber itself. That meant it was particularly
       important to stick rigidly to the briefed route and timing
       points to produce a concentrated bomber stream. Secondly, the
       ‘Window’ bundles would need to be dropped down the aircraft’s
       flare chute. That would be not be easy and the crewman assigned
       to the task – the bomb aimer at first, then the flight engineer
       – would be hampered by the oxygen lead and intercom connections,
       the darkness and the general difficulty of making any physical
       exertion at high altitude. He would need to use a torch to see
       his stopwatch. Nevertheless, it was essential that bundles be
       released at the correct one-minute intervals.
       NB. In the Neuremberg raid '44 the dropping rate was increased
       shortly before the TZ to 2 bundles/min.
       Rob.
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