Napalm Available for Allies on D-Day?

[Craig]

I read that the Allied pre invasion bombardment ceased prematurely to
the invasion, or at least it did not have the effect as expected.

Question. As the concrete gun bunkers were designed to withstand
shelling, was napalm ever considered? I know it was used in the Pacific,
but have not found much info on its use in the ETO. Was it invented
before D-Day? Not enough available in time?

As a direct hit is not required to have napalm work, a hit anywhere near
the front of the bunker would have halted fire for longer than a shell
would have, giving the soldiers a chance to move inland, assuming no
short drops/friendly fire issues.


Craig
--

[Cameron Laird]

In article <c12p7h$fh2$***@nntp6.u.washington.edu>,
Craig <***@earthlink.net> wrote:
.
.
.

Post by Craig
shelling, was napalm ever considered? I know it was used in the Pacific,
but have not found much info on its use in the ETO. Was it invented
before D-Day? Not enough available in time?

.
.
.
Napalm was invented in 1942 by researchers in Cambridge,
Massachusetts.
By that same summer, the British were experimenting with tanks
modified
to throw it. The first napalm-based incendiary bombs were dropped by
USAAF P-38s on 17 July 1944, near St. Lo, *before* its use against
Japanese cities.

[Cameron Laird]

.
.
.
Napalm was invented in 1942 by researchers in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
By that same summer, the British were experimenting with tanks modified
to throw it. The first napalm-based incendiary bombs were dropped by
USAAF P-38s on 17 July 1944, near St. Lo, *before* its use against
Japanese cities.

.
.
.
I just came across a passage in *Sunlight at Midnight* <URL:
http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com/perseus-cgi-bin/display/0-465-08324-2 >:
"The day [8 September 1941] before Pavlov landed in Leningrad,
the Germans dropped phosphorus and napalm bombs on the Badaev
Warehouses ..."

I'm fairly sure author and renowned Russian historian (though
not military or technology expert) W. Bruce Lincoln got this
wrong. I started to write, "simply got this wrong", but I also
bet there's a story to the mistake, one which I haven't yet made
time to track down. The Badaev Warehouses Fire was apparently
quite celebrated (notorious? memorable?) in Leningraders'
memory; there's surely an abundance written about it. Lincoln
himself died about five years ago.

[Steven James Forsberg]

: I just came across a passage in *Sunlight at Midnight* <URL:
: http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com/perseus-cgi-bin/display/0-465-08324-2 >:
: "The day [8 September 1941] before Pavlov landed in Leningrad,
: the Germans dropped phosphorus and napalm bombs on the Badaev
: Warehouses ..."

: I'm fairly sure author and renowned Russian historian (though
: not military or technology expert) W. Bruce Lincoln got this
: wrong. I started to write, "simply got this wrong", but I also
: bet there's a story to the mistake, one which I haven't yet made
: time to track down. The Badaev Warehouses Fire was apparently
: quite celebrated (notorious? memorable?) in Leningraders'
: memory; there's surely an abundance written about it. Lincoln

The word "napalm" is often used as a generic term for incendiary
fuel. There were actually several variations in use prior to the discovery
of the naphthene and palmitate (i.e. Napalm) mixture which proved to be
very effective. In general, common fuels like gasoline burned much too
quickly so various things were added to slow burning and help the fuel
'stick' to surfaces. Thus, I would suppose the Germans dropped incendiary
bombs but they weren't actually of the naphthene and palmitate formula.
For example, though the operational military continues to use
the term "Napalm", the incendiary bombs nows used by the US military are
usually made with a formula of kerosene and polystyrene. Thus, when its
use is publicized, the PR people will often fume that "we didn't use
napalm." It is a term with a generic and a specific meaning.

regards,
----------------------------------------------------------
***@bayou.uh.edu

--

[Richard Macdonald]

Post by Steven James Forsberg
The word "napalm" is often used as a generic term for incendiary
fuel. There were actually several variations in use prior to the discovery
of the naphthene and palmitate (i.e. Napalm) mixture which proved to be
very effective. In general, common fuels like gasoline burned much too
quickly so various things were added to slow burning and help the fuel
'stick' to surfaces. Thus, I would suppose the Germans dropped incendiary
bombs but they weren't actually of the naphthene and palmitate formula.
For example, though the operational military continues to use
the term "Napalm", the incendiary bombs nows used by the US military are
usually made with a formula of kerosene and polystyrene. Thus, when its
use is publicized, the PR people will often fume that "we didn't use
napalm." It is a term with a generic and a specific meaning.

Also it could just as easily be a translation error from Russian to English.
A classic example of this problem is a translation of "Hydraulic Ram" as
"Wet Male Sheep"
--
Richard A Macdonald, CPA/EA
Dedicated student of Fr Luca Paccioli, Master Juggler.
Gib mir schokolade und niemand wird verletzt!!
--

[ArtKramr]

Subject: Re: Napalm Available for Allies on D-Day?
Thus, when its
use is publicized, the PR people will often fume that "we didn't use
napalm." It is a term with a generic and a specific meaning.

I flew only one mission where we carried Nepalm (Ruhr Valley) . But back then
it was called Jellied Gasoline. At the morning breifing we were warned not to
bring it back or try to land with it. If it failed on the bomb run we were to
salvo it.,If we failed to Salvo it we were to bail out rather than try to land
with it. I was sure glad when it cleared my Bomb Bay on
bombs away.


Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

[Colin McGarry]

Napalm was invented in 1942 by researchers in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

One of the Hobart funnies was a tank with a flame thrower towing a trailor
with 1000 liters of napalm.
I beleive they arrived in Normandy after D day.


www.cpmac.com/normandy

[Cameron Laird]

.
.
.
Napalm was invented in 1942 by researchers in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
By that same summer, the British were experimenting with tanks modified
to throw it. The first napalm-based incendiary bombs were dropped by
USAAF P-38s on 17 July 1944, near St. Lo, *before* its use against
Japanese cities.

.
.
.
I just came across a passage in *Sunlight at Midnight* <URL:
http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com/perseus-cgi-bin/display/0-465-08324-2 >:
"The day [8 September 1941] before Pavlov landed in Leningrad,
the Germans dropped phosphorus and napalm bombs on the Badaev
Warehouses ..."

I'm fairly sure author and renowned Russian historian (though
not military or technology expert) W. Bruce Lincoln got this
wrong. I started to write, "simply got this wrong", but I also
bet there's a story to the mistake, one which I haven't yet made
time to track down. The Badaev Warehouses Fire was apparently
quite celebrated (notorious? memorable?) in Leningraders'
memory; there's surely an abundance written about it. Lincoln
himself died about five years ago.

[JDupre5762]

Post by Craig
I read that the Allied pre invasion bombardment ceased prematurely to
the invasion, or at least it did not have the effect as expected.

I recall that the bombardment was not as effective because the ships
gunners
naturally not wanting to hit the landing craft kept their shelling
longer than
it shoud have been. The beaches were supposed to be cratered with
shell holes
just before the landing craft grounded giving the invading soldiers
someplace
to hide and regroup before assaulting the the bluffs or seawall etc.
Don't
know that landing on a beach burning with Napalm would have been a
better
alternative.

Post by Craig
Question. As the concrete gun bunkers were designed to withstand
shelling, was napalm ever considered?

Napalm was the flaming component in flamethrowers and those were
available. I
don't know that airdropped Napalm was even used in Europe or why not
if not.

John Dupre'

[Charles Hawtrey]

Post by Craig
Question. As the concrete gun bunkers were designed to withstand
shelling, was napalm ever considered? I know it was used in the Pacific,
but have not found much info on its use in the ETO. Was it invented
before D-Day? Not enough available in time?

Napalm was invented in 1942 but apparently it took a while for
delivery methods to be developed. I have read that the first use of
napalm bombs was July 1944 near St. Lo.


--
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women are the same sex! Our forefathers took drugs! Your brain
is not the boss! Yes, that's right - Everything you know is WRONG!