Bouncing-Bomb Man: The Science of Sir Barnes Wallis
by Iain Murray - published by Haynes Publishing
Foreword by Richard Todd OBE
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Details
Published 29th October 2009 but now out of print - hardcover, 288 pages (27 x 21 x 1.7 cm approx.). It includes 125 black & white illustrations (plans, photos and other images),
glossary and unit conversion table. Also included throughout the book are a number of sideboxes giving additional background information on, for example, Wallis's patents, The Dam Busters film and bomb aiming.
Outline of Contents
- Foreword by Richard Todd OBE
- Preface
- Chapter 1 - Barnes Wallis - The Man
- A short biography of Wallis - 19th century values and 21st century ideas
- Chapter 2 - Airships
- A Brief History of Airships
- Wallis's early airship work - HMA 9, HMA 23, R.80
- The Imperial Airship Scheme
- Technical comparison of R.100 and R.101
- R.100 with hindsight and airship revivals
- Chapter 3 - Geodetic Aircraft
- The concept and theory of geodetic construction
- Wellesley and the Long Range Development Unit
- Wellington, its variants and service
- Warwick
- Intermission - the "Tin Mosquito"
- Windsor, the Victory Bomber and the end of geodetics
- Chapter 4 - The Bouncing Bombs - Early Development
- Grand plans and early ideas for "dam busting"
- Determining the charge size
- The Mystery of Backspin
- The "Bouncing Bomb"
- Prototypes
- Chapter 5 - Upkeep - the anti-dam bomb
- Flight trials
- Mounting, spinning and releasing
- Setting the height and the distance
- Defences on the dams
- Operation Chastise - Wallis's great experiment
- De-briefing and aftermath
- Further "Dam Busting" Operations
- What happened to the Lancasters?
- Chapter 6 - Highball - the anti-ship bomb
- To sink the Tirpitz
- Setting the distance
- Operation Servant and further trials
- Operation Oxtail - Highball against the Japanese
- Tunnel attacks
- Highball on the Grumman Avenger and Douglas A-26 Invader
- Baseball and Kurt - the German "bouncing bomb"
- Further developments
- Chapter 7 - The Earthquake Bombs
- An idea revisited
- The casing and trials
- Operational deployment and results
- Tallboy
- Grand Slam
- German countermeasures
- Further developments in Britain and America
- Chapter 8 - Early Supersonics and Wild Goose
- To the Sound Barrier - and beyond
- Miles M.52 and the Vickers Transonic Rocket
- The wing Controlled Aerodyne
- Heyday
- Green Lizard
- Wild Goose
- Wild Goose tests at Thurleigh and Predannack
- The Mysterious Heston JC.9
- Chapter 9 - Swallow
- Swallow - a new shape
- Tests at Predannack and Larkhill ... but not at Woomera
- OR.330 and the Great Hydraulic Wing Pivot
- The Sandys Report and its aftermath
- The threat from the Americans
- The threat from the British
- Variable Geometry takes off - eventually!
- Chapter 10 - Towards the Universal Aircraft
- Death of the delta - Cascade
- Isothermal flight
- Limited jet lift
- The ducted wing
- The aircraft of the future
- The Universal Aircraft
- The square aeroplane
- The Future
- Chapter 11 - Miscellaneous projects
- Smoke-laying glider
- Boom patrol boats
- The stratosphere chamber
- Telescopes
- Momentum bombing
- Sub-orbital aircraft
- Submarines
- Bridges and cooling towers
- Sports and medical projects
- Wallis - the artist
- Chapter 12 - Wallis with hindsight
- Modern analysis of Wallis's variable geometry
- Modern analysis of Cascade
- Modern analysis of Wallis's high pressure submarine
- TSR.2 and Concorde - why was Wallis not involved in these developments by his own company?
- Computers and the future
- Wallis's legacy - so much more than bouncing bombs
- Appendices
- Glossary
- Notes and Sources
- Bibliography
- Biographies of Wallis's associates
- Papers written by Wallis
- Awards given to Wallis
- Complete list of Wallis bomb test drops
- Wallis bomb statistics
- Wallis bombs on display
Bouncing-Bomb Man: The Science of Sir Barnes Wallis is now out of print, but copies can be found in the second-hand market.