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NOTES TO TABLE 48
The principal trend to be noted in the 1945 carrier ordnance expenditures is the shift from 100-lb. and 250-lb. GP bombs to the 260-lb. fragmentation bomb in the last three months of the war. These bombs, with the new VT fuzing, were used by all types of planes against such primary targets as grounded aircraft and A/A guns. Heavy bombs received scant use in 1945, except in the heavy anti-shipping strikes of January and July. In the latter month armored warships were the principal targets, and 21% of total tonnage consisted of 1000 or 2000-lb. Bombs.
TABLE 48. ORDNANCE EXPENDITURES OF ALL CARRIER-BASED AIRCRAFT, BY TYPE OF ORDNANCE, MONTHLY, 1945 |
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|
TYPE OF ORDNANCE |
January |
February |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July-August |
|||||||
|
Tons |
% |
Tons |
% |
Tons |
% |
Tons |
% |
Tons |
% |
Tons |
% |
Tons |
% |
|
|
100-lb. GP |
331 |
14 |
252 |
20 |
856 |
27 |
887 |
18 |
665 |
19 |
523 |
28 |
85 |
2 |
|
250-lb. GP |
101 |
4 |
106 |
8 |
236 |
7 |
244 |
5 |
132 |
4 |
16 |
1 |
90 |
2 |
|
500-lb. GP |
1318 |
57 |
696 |
55 |
1692 |
53 |
3066 |
61 |
2401 |
68 |
1058 |
57 |
2649 |
60 |
|
1000-lb. GP |
249 |
11 |
57 |
5 |
62 |
2 |
209 |
4 |
85 |
2 |
39 |
2 |
636 |
14 |
|
2000-lb. GP |
35 |
2 |
16 |
1 |
12 |
* |
211 |
4 |
18 |
1 |
8 |
* |
260 |
6 |
|
500-lb. SAP |
72 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
23 |
1 |
13 |
* |
30 |
1 |
23 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
1000-lb. SAP |
42 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
80 |
3 |
56 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
32 |
1 |
|
Armor-Piercing |
17 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
* |
10 |
* |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Napalm (Tank) |
0 |
0 |
109 |
9 |
85 |
3 |
193 |
4 |
87 |
2 |
97 |
5 |
2 |
* |
|
Other Incendiary |
2 |
* |
0 |
0 |
16 |
1 |
4 |
* |
44 |
1 |
1 |
* |
1 |
* |
|
Fragmentation |
28 |
1 |
19 |
2 |
42 |
1 |
42 |
1 |
53 |
2 |
104 |
6 |
689 |
15 |
|
Depth Bombs |
8 |
* |
0 |
0 |
1 |
* |
12 |
* |
5 |
* |
7 |
* |
4 |
* |
|
Torpedoes |
109 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
72 |
2 |
111 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
TOTAL |
2312 |
100 |
1255 |
100 |
3179 |
100 |
5058 |
100 |
3520 |
100 |
1876 |
100 |
4448 |
100 |
|
* Less than of one percent, |
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NOTES TO TABLE 49:
Torpedoes accounted for 12% of the total weight of bombs, torpedoes and mines expended by Naval and Marine aircraft against enemy shipping during the war. In carrier-based attacks they accounted for 14%, in land-based attacks only 5%.
In shipping attacks by carrier VTB torpedoes represented 29% of the total weight of heavy ordnance carried, and in shipping attacks by land-based VTB only 15%. The proportion of torpedos to total weight of ordnance carried by VTB against shipping declined throughout the war, as indicated by the following figures:
|
Year |
% of Torpedoes to Total Ordnance Expended on Shipping, by Weight |
|
|
Carrier VTB |
Land-Based VTB |
|
|
1942 |
73% |
94% |
|
1943 |
68 |
5 |
|
1944 |
32 |
3 |
|
1945 |
16 |
0 |
Torpedoes constituted over one quarter of the total weight of ordnance expended against armored warships, slightly over 10 percent of expenditures against unarmored warships, and slightly less than 10 percent of expenditures against large merchant vessels. Nearly half of the total torpedo expenditures were directed against armored warships.
The table shows, monthly, the targets against which torpedoes were expended, and the types of planes carrying them. All but 3% of total aircraft torpedo expenditures were by VTB, largely TBFs or TBMs.
TABLE 49. AERIAL TORPEDOES EXPENDED ON TARGETS, MONTHLY |
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|
MONTH |
TOTAL NO. OF TORPEDOES EXPENDED |
NUMBER DROPPED BY |
NUMBER DROPFED, BY TARGET TYPE |
|||||
|
WARSHIPS |
MERCHANT VESSELS |
DATA NOT AVAILABLE |
||||||
|
Carrier VTB |
Land- Based VTB |
VPB |
Armored |
Unarmored |
||||
|
February 1942 |
9 |
9 |
0 |
|
9 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
March 1942 |
13 |
13 |
0 |
|
0 |
0 |
13 |
|
|
May 1942 |
64 |
64 |
0 |
|
64 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
June 1942 |
24 |
17 |
4 |
3 |
21 |
0 |
3 |
|
|
August 1942 |
12 |
12 |
0 |
|
11 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
September 1942 |
5 |
0 |
5 |
|
5 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
October 1942 |
32 |
8 |
24 |
|
23 |
5 |
4 |
|
|
November 1942 |
48 |
8 |
40 |
|
39 |
0 |
9 |
|
|
December 1942 |
7 |
0 |
7 |
|
7 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
January 1943 |
15 |
0 |
15 |
|
0 |
6 |
9 |
|
|
February 1943 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
|
0 |
3 |
0 |
|
|
July 1943 |
4 |
0 |
4 |
|
0 |
0 |
4 |
|
|
November 1943 |
77 |
73 |
0 |
4 |
59 |
14 |
4 |
|
|
December 1943 |
44 |
43 |
0 |
1 |
35 |
0 |
9 |
|
|
January 1944 |
56 |
48 |
6 |
2 |
16 |
16 |
6 |
18 |
|
February 1944 |
67 |
66 |
|
1 |
14 |
16 |
36 |
1 |
|
March 1944 |
35 |
35 |
|
|
0 |
16 |
16 |
3 |
|
June 1944 |
22 |
22 |
|
|
20 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
August 1944 |
39 |
39 |
|
|
4 |
11 |
19 |
5 |
|
September 1944 |
72 |
72 |
|
|
0 |
0 |
70 |
2 |
|
October 1944 |
354 |
354 |
|
|
239 |
13 |
74 |
28 |
|
November 1944 |
136 |
136 |
|
|
34 |
13 |
89 |
0 |
|
January 1945 |
109 |
109 |
|
0 |
3 |
28 |
78 |
0 |
|
March 1945 |
73 |
72 |
|
1 |
0 |
10 |
60 |
3 |
|
April 1945 |
114 |
111 |
|
3 |
103 |
9 |
2 |
0 |
|
May 1945 |
12 |
0 |
|
12 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
|
June 1945 |
8 |
0 |
|
8 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
|
July 1945 |
6 |
0 |
|
6 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
|
TOTALS |
1,460 |
1,311 |
108 |
41 |
710 |
173 |
515 |
62 |
|
NOTE: 1944 totals are from AirPac data, and 1944 breakdowns by type of target are approximate only. No torpedo expenditures were reported for months not listed above. |
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