Really cool piece of old aerial footage of a ship deploying a smoke curtain.
That a ship or an airplane making the smoke?
An airplane, not a flying ship doh!
That screen is really effective, pre-radar. Though I guess the conditions have to be pretty right for it to hold up.
Smoke, intentional or unintentional, was a huge part of pre-radar era naval warfare apparently. Makes sense, though like most things it probably cut both ways.
You read about forces laying a smoke screen all the time, but something that stark and opaque, holding together like that? I would not have pictured it.
schurem
2742
I wonder what godawful chemistry was used to generate that smoke screen. Looks like willy pete to me.
Smoke was a legit tactic, especially against the long-range gunnery of the era.
I wonder how they’d contain a WP reaction on board that aircraft? Sounds like a hazard pay job,
I know WP is used for smoke, but usually I think in grenades and artillery shells.
The Wikipedia article for smoke names some pretty ugly chemical combinations used in making smoke.
You got your basic zinc-and-hydrochloric-acid, your hydrochloride-acid-plus-sulfuric-acid, and so on. Nasty stuff.
Dejin
2745
Yeah, this looks like it would be pretty bad for one’s health if breathed in:
Uggh. Good thing destroyers are fast, maybe you can outrun that shit.
Engineers hated it because it meant a whole lot of maintenance work to clean the engine up.
But it’s still probably preferrable to eating a 14-inch shell.
Of course, once you had that wall of toxic smoke obscuring you from the enemy…the enemy was also obscured from you. Generally a defensive tactic I’m thinking!
abrandt
2749
This looks like the technology the Russians use standard on their aircraft carrier.
schurem
2750
Actually, in a purely visual fight, a smokescreen can be a very strong offensive tool. It allows you to cross the gap between your trenches or torpedo range with relative impunity. And of course a safe-ish retreat once the deed is done.
If the wind is right, and you have perfect conditions, sure, light forces can screen heavy forces on the approach and all that. Historically, I’m wondering whether it really worked that way though. Most of the accounts I can recall at least turned into Charlie Foxtrots with fleets flopping about like blind prizefighters.
Land smoke is a different story. There it’s a great offensive tool for covering an assault, but then, your arty probably already has the targets registered and doesn’t need to see much.
Prepare to be inspired and amazed:
Edit: sorry, I thought that story actually linked to the song, but it doesn’t. Here it is on Youtube.
RichVR
2755
Semper Supra. That’s Latin for Always a Toyota, right?
