Re: Bed Check Charlie

["Harold Stockton" <snolep@texas.net>]

During the Second World War, the VVS Nochnoi Bombardirovochnaya Aviatsioniy
Divisiy (NBAD, Night Bomber Aviation Division) used their approximately 72
Polikarpov U-2NB (Po-2, nicknamed "Kukuruznik", "Maizer" for its low- level
flight) night bombers to wreck havoc on every inch of the German front
lines. The Germans for the most part had no answer to these attacks, except
the occasional "Wilde-Sau" ("Wild-Boar", free-hunt) missions, or the
occasional night-fighter foray.

Because of their more nuisance value than real destructive abilities, as
their bombs usually fell far
away from the airfield, the Romanian pilots soon started to call these
nocturnal visitors the
"disturbing squadrons" as they only disturbed the men from sleeping. The
German units took
these night-time attacks a little more seriously as they named the all-woman
unit the "Night
Witches".

German anti-aircraft batteries took some toll of these units when they were
slaved to radar-direction. The usual tactics were to attack an area from
different directions, altitudes and timing, starting from a higher altitude
and to then throttle back so that there was little or no noise from the
exhaust.

Weapons ranged from 25, 50, or 110 kg. bombs, or, mortar shells or
hand-grenades that were simply dropped over the sides of the aircraft from
the rear-cockpit, though there were cases of molotov-cocktails being used as
well as nails and other shrapnel.

The only real answer that the Germans came up with was to send out there own
versions of these aircraft by using their bi-plane trainers in the same
role. These caused the Russians no end to the effort to stop these similar
nuisance raids.

Harold Stockton

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ed Evanhoe" <evanhoe1@korean-war.com>
To: <KOREAN-WAR-L@listproc.cc.ku.edu>
Sent: Friday, October 03, 2003 11:37 AM
Subject: RE: Bed Check Charlie


> At 10:48 AM 10/3/2003, you wrote:
> >We called it the Maytag Messerschmitt
>
> That's three names for the same AC -- a PO-2 -- Bed Check Charlie, Washing
> Machine Charlie and Maytag Messerschmitt.  Any more names out there?
>
> Ed
>
> Ed Evanhoe, PO Box 916, Antlers, OK, 74523
> Life Member: Special Forces & Special Operations Associations
> Author: DARKMOON: Eighth Army Special Operations in the Korean War
> Web site:  http://www.korean-war.com
>