testtest

Friendly Fire Over the Marianas

Talyn

Talyn

Emissary
Founding Member
Friendly fire is a ubiquitous feature of warfare, past and present. While typically more prominent in ground engagements, the aerial domain is not immune to its influence, especially during periods of increased combat activity and confused tactical dynamics.

1781406951850.png

The PBM-3D Mariners of Patrol Squadron 16 depart Saipan for Palau after suffering three friendly fire incidents during Operation Forager.
National Archives

During the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the largest carrier battle of the war during which these conditions were manifest, the PBM-3D Mariners of Patrol Squadron (VP) 16 paid a heavy price, suffering two significant fratricidal incidents in as many days.

1781407076931.png

Lieutenant Leo Blocker’s PBM-3D being towed back to the USS Pocomoke after suffering extensive damage during an F6F Hellcat attack. After a friendly fire incident ravaged the plane and killed one of its crew, Blocker nursed the damaged Mariner back to Saipan with the help of squadron- and tender-based damage-control teams. National Archives

VP-16 was one of the first squadrons to bring the PBM-3D variant to the Pacific; the first had been VP-216, participating in the Marshalls only months before. Unlike its Atlantic counterparts, which operated in a broadly permissive environment and spent their time stripping armor, guns, and other equipment to lighten the load and extend the patrol radius of its antisubmarine variants, this version of the Mariner was optimized for combat in the Pacific.

It had enhanced armor, additional guns, and more powerful engines with four-blade propellers to compensate for the increased weight. These engines still had severe teething problems that led to the loss of three aircraft and one crew during VP-16’s trans-Pacific deployment to the war zone.


1781406858403.png


1781406795306.png

Lieutenant Blocker’s Mariner being craned aboard the Pocomoke. Either through failed IFF or simple
misidentification, his plane was the first victim of three friendly fire incidents over the Marianas. National Archives
 
The Martin PBM Mariner is a twin-engine American patrol bomber flying boat of World War II and the early Cold War era. It was designed to complement the Consolidated PBY Catalina and PB2Y Coronado in service. A total of 1,366 PBMs were built, with the first example flying on 18 February 1939, and the type entering service in September 1940, with the last of the type being retired in 1964.

1781410001983.png


The Martin PBM Mariner—the world's largest twin-engine flying boat—was noted for its range, bomb load, ruggedness, and seaworthiness. This graceful aircraft succeeded the PBY Catalina as the U.S. Navy's principal flying-boat patrol bomber and was flown by most of the Navy's patrol squadrons at the end of World War II. While not as famous as the Catalina or its successor, the P5M Marlin, the Mariner was an important aircraft in World War II and the Korean War.

The PBM was planned by the Glenn L. Martin Company as competitor to the Consolidated PBY, but the Mariner was actually a later design.

en.wikipedia.org

Martin PBM Mariner - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

PBM-3D (Model 162D) Patrol bomber with increased power (two 1,900 hp (1,417 kW) R-2600-22s) and increased armament (twin 0.50 in machine guns in nose, dorsal, and tail turrets, plus two waist guns). 259 built.

1781409426358.png




1781409704236.png


The PBM-3D had R-2600-22 Wright engines with a capacity of 1,900 hp each. (1417 kW) with four-blade propellers, had enhanced armoring of the cockpit.

The bomb load was increased to eight 500, four 1000 or two 1600 lb. conventional, or eight depth charges. Bomb load options could include four mines or two torpedoes, which in later versions could be hung under the wing. The fuel tanks are protected with the possibility of installing additional fuel tanks in the engine nacelles.

The PBM-3D introduced a large surface-search radome immediately aft of the flight deck. Radar indicators were located at the pilot and navigator-bombardier (see photo).

The PBM-3S was an antisubmarine warfare version with increased range, the weight of additional fuel being offset by deletion of power turrets and less armor protection for the crew. The follow-on PBM-5S had electronic countermeasures equipment to detect submarine radio transmissions, magnetic anomaly detection gear, and a large searchlight, and could launch and monitor sonobuoys. A single PBM-5N was modified for all-weather operations, an oxymoron considering how Mariners operated during the war.

The PBM-3R was an unarmed cargo variant built for the Naval Air Transport Service. It had strengthened decks for 9,000 pounds of cargo or seats for 20 passengers, and large cargo loading doors. Although only a few were built, older aircraft subsequently were modified to the cargo/transport role.


1781409508899.png


1781410114922.png
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top