Drake's Drum

[lordroel]

Oct 1, 2021 15:02:54 GMT nicksumner said:

I'm very pleased to announce that the third part of Drake's Drum is now available.



Amazon UK

Amazon US

Amazon Canada

Looks good.

[sandyman]

Well the third book is now on the Kindel I am looking forward to reading it

[nicksumner]

On Sunday 25th April 1948, Boston, Massachusetts, became the first city in the world to be attacked with an atomic weapon.



Central Boston, the aiming point for the attack.



The Ta 400 V5 prototype being prepared for 'Fall Pfingsten' (Operation Pentecost).



Arado Ar. 340s of the Kreigsmarine's Seeluftstreitkraft, approach the American coast. Part of Gruppe Hector (Force Hector), their mission was to distract the formidable air defences of the continental United States.



A captured B29 bomber of Gruppe Priamos (Force Priam). Operated by KG200, Grupe Priamos was also part of the deception operation. This aircraft was rebuilt by the Germans after belly landing in Holland during a raid in November 1947. The two lower turrets are missing because they were damaged beyond repair in the crash.



The Ta 400 V5 in flight.



The empty casing of Beirfas zwei (Beer Barrel Two), the second German atomic weapon was abandoned on a Luftwaffe base postwar. Its inner mechanism was found in a mine some distance away.

[lordroel]

Oct 14, 2021 14:58:17 GMT nicksumner said:

On Sunday 25th April 1948, Boston, Massachusetts, became the first city in the world to be attacked with an atomic weapon.



Central Boston, the aiming point for the attack.



The Ta 400 V5 prototype being prepared for 'Fall Pfingsten' (Operation Pentecost).



Arado Ar. 340s of the Kreigsmarine's Seeluftstreitkraft, approach the American coast. Part of Gruppe Hector (Force Hector), their mission was to distract the formidable air defences of the continental United States.



A captured B29 bomber of Gruppe Priamos (Force Priam). Operated by KG200, Grupe Priamos was also part of the deception operation. This aircraft was rebuilt by the Germans after belly landing in Holland during a raid in November 1947. The two lower turrets are missing because they were damaged beyond repair in the crash.



The Ta 400 V5 in flight.



The empty casing of Beirfas zwei (Beer Barrel Two), the second German atomic weapon was abandoned on a Luftwaffe base postwar. Its inner mechanism was found in a mine some distance away.

So the Focke-Wulf Ta 400 took of from German occupied France.

[nicksumner]

It took off from Axis Spain.

[lordroel]

Oct 14, 2021 15:05:08 GMT nicksumner said:

It took off from Axis Spain.

okay, so a one way trip for them then.

[nicksumner]

The BMW 803 engine was designed for long range aircraft and the Ta/FW 'Fernkampfflugzeug' was initially designed for a bombload of 4000 kg and a range of 13,000 km. The weapon load for the Pfinsten mission would be around 4000 kg. The flight from northern Spain to Boston would begin from an airfield near Santiago di Compostela and cover roughly 5,400 km (3,325 miles) on the way out (with course corrections to disguise the true flight path) and 4,990 km (3,101 miles) on the way back. I am perhaps being kind to the German designers and in the 'Beta' version of the Luftwaffe appendix I'm going to post next week on the Drake's Drum website, in the Ta 400 section, it's noted that 'it was understood that if unusual headwinds were encountered on the Pfingsten mission, then the aircraft might have to glide the last part of its flight back to Axis territory.'

One of the drawings in the Luftwaffe appendix shows part of the internals of the 'Fernkampfflugzeug,' The fuselage is all fuel tanks.

[lordroel]

So what did a B29 do to be captured, where they operated from Iceland as long range bombers.

[stevep]

Oct 14, 2021 17:16:59 GMT nicksumner said:

The BMW 803 engine was designed for long range aircraft and the Ta/FW 'Fernkampfflugzeug' was initially designed for a bombload of 4000 kg and a range of 13,000 km. The weapon load for the Pfinsten mission would be around 4000 kg. The flight from northern Spain to Boston would begin from an airfield near Santiago di Compostela and cover roughly 5,400 km (3,325 miles) on the way out (with course corrections to disguise the true flight path) and 4,990 km (3,101 miles) on the way back. I am perhaps being kind to the German designers and in the 'Beta' version of the Luftwaffe appendix I'm going to post next week on the Drake's Drum website, in the Ta 400 section, it's noted that 'it was understood that if unusual headwinds were encountered on the Pfingsten mission, then the aircraft might have to glide the last part of its flight back to Axis territory.'

One of the drawings in the Luftwaffe appendix shows part of the internals of the 'Fernkampfflugzeug,' The fuselage is all fuel tanks.

  I would be interested in how the Germans got a nuclear weapon, especially by 1948?  Do they have spies in one of the western programmes?

  This is potentially very bad for Britain and could be a good reason for it to sit out a US-German war, at least for the moment.

[nicksumner]

Oct 14, 2021 17:31:50 GMT lordroel said:

So what did a B29 do to be captured, where they operated from Iceland as long range bombers.

The Superfortress is the standard US bomber and operational in Europe. In OTL, many shot down allied aircraft were salvaged by the Germans and returned to service. Many served with KG200. Same thing here.

[nicksumner]

The ‘Beta’ version of the Luftwaffe appendix has been added to the Drakes Drum website. It is unfinished, but the sections for the issues and aircraft that are most integral to the Drake’s Drum timeline are complete. This includes the most important German strategic bombers, the Messerschmitt Me 364, Heinkel He 274 and the Tank Ta 400. The sections for the Junkers 338 transport aircraft and the DFS 346 supersonic research aircraft are also complete. Updated versions of the Heer, Kriegsmarine and Seeluftsteitkraft appendices have also been uploaded.

This image is Photoshopped



The DFS 346 mounted on its He 274 carrier aircraft. "It is now universally acknowledged that although Commander Eric Brown of the Royal Navy was the first man to break the sound barrier, he was not the first human being to exceed the speed of sound in controlled flight."

[lordroel]

Oct 21, 2021 16:59:16 GMT nicksumner said:

The ‘Beta’ version of the Luftwaffe appendix has been added to the Drakes Drum website. It is unfinished, but the sections for the issues and aircraft that are most integral to the Drake’s Drum timeline are complete. This includes the most important German strategic bombers, the Messerschmitt Me 364, Heinkel He 274 and the Tank Ta 400. The sections for the Junkers 338 transport aircraft and the DFS 346 supersonic research aircraft are also complete. Updated versions of the Heer, Kriegsmarine and Seeluftsteitkraft appendices have also been uploaded.

This image is Photoshopped



The DFS 346 mounted on its He 274 carrier aircraft. "It is now universally acknowledged that although Commander Eric Brown of the Royal Navy was the first man to break the sound barrier, he was not the first human being to exceed the speed of sound in controlled flight."

First, good Photoshop, second i going to check the Luftwaffe appendix out to see what you have added.

[sandyman]

Well I have finished the latest book for the second time and can happily say I loved it especially the chapter re how Hitler was found and died.

[nicksumner]

(The images in this post are photoshopped)

Top: A G10N 'Fugaku' during the raid on Portland. Gun camera footage from an American interceptor.

[lordroel]

Nov 20, 2021 12:11:59 GMT nicksumner said:

(The images in this post are photoshopped)

Top: A G10N 'Fugaku' during the raid on Portland. Gun camera footage from an American interceptor.

So no Operation K type of operation like OTL but a land base attack, that is cool.