Bombardier Procedures
 

If I have this right, on British heavy bombers the bombardier had to call out course directions to the pilot during a bomb run eg left-left-steady, right-a-little, and so on.I n American Heavies the bombardier took over control of flight from the pilot using the built in controls of the Norden bombsight.

Anyone know what the procedure was for German or Japanese bomber crew?

Re: Bombardier Procedures
 

There is an article on British bomb sights here:

http://www.lancaster-archive.com/bc_maiorbombsights.htm

A couple of points made. The German bomb sight was similar to the Norden in that it was connected to the autopilot. The British bomb sight controlled a direction indicator (BDI) which allowed the pilot to make corrections (so apparently no verbal commands from the bombardier).

"A more controversial aspect was how the American, British and German sights compared. The Norden, the SABS and the German Lotfe 7D or H were all tachometric sights used in the sitting position Norden and Lotfe 7D/H both had direct connections into the automatic pilot systems. so that in the run up to the target the bomb-aimer effectively flew the aircraft without the intervention of the pilot. Work on a SABS Mk lll was cancelled in 1943 which may have had this facility."

"The SABS Mk llA uses a simpler system in that was connected to an instrument called the Bombing Direction Indicator(BDI) which was mounted on the pilot’s instrument panel. The BDI indicated to the pilot the amount of turn required left or right to bring the sight on to the target."

Re: Bombardier Procedures
 

But the SABS didn't reach operational Squadrons (and then in only very limited use) until late '43. I think it was 617 that used them first.

The CSBS style Mk.VII and IX were the common bombsights up to early '42, when I think they started being replaced by the Mk. XIV. But even that required the bombardier to issue instructions to the pilot on approach.

That chanting of directions by a bombardier a common theme that runs through all Bomber Command bio's.

I didn't know that the German Lofte was so sophisticated. Was that sight in use during the Battle Of Britain?