Norden Bomb sight store

[Karl H]

There is a small lean-to section on the BS Store opposite of the entrance of these buildings. There are no openings from it into the main building, so I wouldn't think there would have been a boiler for heating in there (it appears that the heat A/C unit is above the entryway) and it is too small for a sentry (and the entrance would not be visible from there). So I am curious as to its purpose? TIA, Karl

[PETERTHEEATER]

There is no picture linked to your post Karl. What airfield are you referring to?

Peter H

[Karl H]

Here are a couple of photos of the Norden Bombsight Store at Bungay. The first image is the side of the building with the entrance to the right. The area I am curious about is the low roofed area to the left. The second photo shows this area a little better. These buildings were on most (I am guessing all?) 8th AF, and probably 9th AF, bomber airfields.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a259/KPHB17FE/Buildings/England07186.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a259/KPHB17FE/Buildings/England07187.jpg

[REF]

I saw this on the Norden Bombsight Building at Beccles, http://airfields.fotopic.net/p50489883.html

I thought it was an added on store room, but now that you have mentioned it Karl it is visible on all of the Norden Bombsight Buildings I have seen.

Could it be something as simple as a shed / store room?

[Karl H]

It appears to be on all of them. If you take a look at your photos of Debach, you will see the one there is missing its roof. As I recall, it had a dirt floor. I guess storage is a possibility. Are there many buildings from this era that had storage facilities? Denis and I had discussed this once and he suggested a possible place for a guard to get out of the weather. To me, the location in relation to the building entrance and the small size would argue against that.

[Carnaby]

A short but interesting piece of information. It is generally believed that the Norden was a top-secret bit of kit, fitted to the B17s each day under an armed escort, and laden with explosives to keep it from enemy hands at all cost.

This article (http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1004.htm) suggests it wasn't that simple!

[PETERTHEEATER]

The full and technical history is published in THE LEGENDARY NORDEN BOMBSIGHT by Albert L Pardini, Shiffet Military history Book, ISBN 0-7643-0723-1.

At an early stage, Bombardiers (Bomb Aimers) had to swear an oath to protect the secrets of the device.

Peter H

[norwichpaul]

Not really sure, only a guess. The small annexe might be a compressor house or battery / acumulator DC supply store. Having said that, I spy a pressure stabiliser on the wall there, I think this building was sealed, had an air-lock entry system and the internal air pressure raised above ambient. The small annexe may have housed the plant to do this.

[Karl H]

Paul, for what it's worth: there is some kind of a heating/air conditioning unit in the entry corridor (mounted overhead). That grate to the right and above the vertical window is the intake for it. Inside all the duct work is fed from that unit. Also, there are no openings from that small annex into the rest of the building. I think there are a grand total of 6 of those units you refer to as pressure stabilizers (I didn't know what those were called, thank you). And there is another door just inside the entry, so I believe that goes along with your thinking the building was pressurized.

[norwichpaul]

OK so it is def not connected with the air conditioning plant, and thinking about it, it could not be anyway as the plant would have to be in the main building. I wonder therefore, if it is a switchroom (electric mains and standby changeover). Perhaps not though, it obviously had a minor ancillery function as its only temp brick with a corr asbestos roof whereas the main blg has a 6in concrete slab roof and either 9 or 13.5in solid walls. The air-lock would have had rubber seals on the door jamn and the door ends probably rounded in section to form a gas-tight seal.

[Richard Drew]

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn23/atlantikwall-photos/Airfields/meetingmarck2008021.jpg

Is this a Noden Bombsite?

Richard
www.atlantikwall.co.uk (http://www.atlantikwall.co.uk)

[Karl H]

Yep, that's it. The building in question had a vault for storing the sights and a work area for repairing them. The sights were stored in the vault when not in actual use.

Technically, the top portion (in your photo) is the sight and the lower portion is the stabilizer. The stabilizer was part of the autopilot. Mechanical links (the metallic colored, parallel rods on top of the stabilizer) from the sight fed inputs into the stabilizer, and thus, the autopilot.

[Richard Drew]

And they managed all that without Microsoft, fascinating thank you.

Richard

[REF]

Another photo of one here; http://airfields.fotopic.net/p50581216.html taken at the Framlingham Control Tower museum

[Karl H]

Seething:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a259/KPHB17FE/Norden%20Store/Seething.jpg

Bury St. Edmunds:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a259/KPHB17FE/Norden%20Store/Bury071.jpg

Here is a photo of the one at Bungay:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a259/KPHB17FE/Norden%20Store/Bungay071.jpg

Also Halesworth although in rather rough shape.

[REF]

Where is the Norden Bombsight Building at Rattlesden located?

[REF]

Old Buckenham
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb198/Flyer719/Old%20Buckenham/20090130OldBuckenham34-1.jpg

[Denis]

USAAF Willingale/Chipping Ongar.
http://i394.photobucket.com/albums/pp24/airfieldimages/Willingalearchive81.jpg

[jason]

Where is the Norden Bombsight Building at Rattlesden located?

Carry on past the Control Tower with it on your left and the Store is on the same side further up, the front wall is gone and farming equipment is housed in it.

I have shots of it but can't post it ?????????

Denis. Your incon at the bottom of the page, That's me( though without the blood)

[REF]

Thats what I thought but it just seems to be in the wrong location, the admin site is the other side of the road I thought

[jason]

Thats what I thought but it just seems to be in the wrong location, the admin site is the other side of the road I thought

Some sites have no logic. :D

[P Bellamy]

Having had a good look at the one at Bury St Edmunds today, I've only just realised it's two buildings, not one.

What presumably was the Bombsight Store is the slightly wider room at the back (in white below), and the workshop area along with the airlock and plant room is butt-joined to the front of that. The roof slab is also two sections, and only the workshop area is rendered, the "vault" being bare brick with a tar coating.

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/ramc181/BSSW1.jpg

I wonder if this is why the identical store at Deenethorpe has two AM drawing numbers, Bombsight Store and Repair Building for USA Stations 1906/43 and 3922/43.

All the best,
PB

[REF]

If I'd have known you were at Bury St Edmunds today I would have joined you, its only 30 mins from me!

Great drawing by the way.

[P Bellamy]

I'll be back there next weekend for the "Ploughs to Propellers" show, and quite often over the next few weeks.
Might be worth booking the "Archive Roadshow" in for next weekend, I might even have a set of RAF kit spare you could borrow for the evening entertainment. ;-)

TTFN,
PB

[REF]

I'll be in touch during the week re next weekend.

Back on topic, where is the Norden BS Building at Bury St Eds??

[P Bellamy]

It's on the Technical Site rather than the Admin Site at Bury, at the southern end of the remaining Crew Rest, Locker and Drying Rooms.
Directly opposite is the 4-bay MT section, which still retains the original painted signs inside and over the doors.

TTFN,
PB

PS. Thanks to whoever moved this into the correct section. ;)

[REF]

Thanks for that Paul. It is a odd position for it?? I wonder why it wasn't built on the admin site. The one at Raydon is in a similar position as well.

Does anyone know where the one at Rattlesden is as well??

Cheers

[P Bellamy]

You mean THIS (http://airfields.fotopic.net/p48714554.html) one at Rattlesden, Richard? ;)

I'm guessing it's the building beside the road to the control tower and flying club, 140 yards due north of the T2.

All the best,
PB

[REF]

Thats the one Paul, but I can't for the life of me remember where it is on the tech site!!!

Looking at Flash earth, that sounds about in the right location, cheers Paul!

[Able Mabel]

Having visited the site at Bury a while ago, i too looked into this building.
I presumed that the visible ceiling ventilation ironwork would have been to allow the right 'climate' in which to work on and store these sentitive pieces of equipment. Bury had the bars at the window for security no doubt and although i measured it up with a view to drawing it, i didnt have the time to do the inside so again, but there was a partition wall in the main larger room as the photo sshow in the 'Operations Block' thread
Nice to see the computer images.

[REF]

The Norden Bombsight Store at Shipdham, Norfolk taken on 11 April 2010. I couldn't get any closer as the guard dog was doing his job so I stood on the car and photographed it from the road!!

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb198/Flyer719/Shipdham/20100411Shipdham93-1.jpg

[P Bellamy]

Interior of the workshop section of the bombsight store at Great Dunmow, August 1944:

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/ramc181/GtDNBS1.jpg

All the best,
PB

[PETERTHEEATER]

Looks like the lights were turned off for the posed shot! The two officers are at the calibration stand and pretending to refer to the technical data. I suspect that behind the blind conceals wall mounted diagrams of the secret sight and stabiliser. Note too the air-conditioning ducts essential to maintain a constant temperature to enable accurate calibration.

But what is the guy at the far end right listening too? VOA?

[P Bellamy]

I think it's a blackout blind over a window.

All the best,
PB

[PETERTHEEATER]

Probably is Paul but a bit late in the war to worry about leaking light especially as there are no lights on!

Although I am sure that I have been in a Norden workshop/store in Rattlesden or Ridgewell, I would not then have been aware of its purpose. One feature in the workshop would have been a massive concrete (below floor level) block isolated from the structure by an air gap. This was the anti-vibration mount for the sight calibration pedestal.

Can anyone recall seeing this feature?

The image is captioned as August 1944, by this time several bomb sight specimens had fallen into enemy hand via crashed aircraft and the security classification of the sight had been downgraded to Restricted.

[Carnaby]

But what is the guy at the far end right listening too?
Possibly that old Renaissance song 'Norden Sights' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV8uvKqlcQY) :D

[ww2ni]

Seems to be same design for them all.

I had a good look around one at Toome. - There is what appears to be a storeroom inside the main building which retains a strong smell of oil.