Description: You are bidding on a STUNNING and EXTRAORDINARILY RARE BOXED example of a WW2 United States Army Air Force Norden Bombsite P-2 (CP-17 / APA-46) End Rate Computer! Used in conjunction with the H2X (AN/APS-15) Radar System, this was installed in the Being B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator in the later stages of the war! The Norden bombsight was a tachymetric bombsight used by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and the United States Navy during World War II, to aid the crew of bomber aircraft in dropping bombs accurately. Key to the operation of the Norden were two features; an analog computer that constantly calculated the bomb's trajectory based on current flight conditions, and a linkage to the bomber's autopilot that let it react quickly and accurately to changes in the wind or other effects. Together, these features allowed for unprecedented accuracy in day bombing from high altitudes; Both the Navy and the AAF saw this as a means to achieve war aims through high-altitude bombing, without resorting to area bombing, as proposed by European forces. To achieve these aims, the Norden was granted the utmost secrecy well into the war, and was part of a then-unprecedented production effort on the same scale as the Manhattan Project. Carl L. Norden, Inc. ranked 46th among United States corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts. The H2X (officially known as the AN/APS-15), was an American ground scanning radar system used for blind bombing during World War II. It was a development of the British H2S radar, the first ground mapping radar to be used in combat. It was also known as the "Mickey" set and "BTO" for "bombing through the overcast" radar. The H2X differed from the original H2S primarily in its X band 10 GHz operating frequency rather than H2S' S band 3 GHz emissions. This gave H2X higher resolution than H2S, allowing it to provide usable images over large cities which appeared as a single blob on the H2S display. The Royal Air Force (RAF) initially considered using H2X as well, but would instead develop their own X band system, the H2S Mk. III. The RAF system entered service in late 1943, before the first use of H2X in early 1944. The desire for even higher resolution, enough to image individual docks and bridges, led to a number of variations on the H2X system, as well as the more advanced AN/APQ-7 "Eagle" system. The first H2X-equipped B-17's arrived in England in early October 1943, and were first used in combat on 3 November 1943 when the USAAF VIII Bomber Command attacked the port of Wilhelmshaven. Those missions where bombing was done by H2X were called "Pathfinder missions" and the crews were called "Pathfinder crews", after the RAF practice of using highly trained Pathfinder crews to go in before the main bomber stream and identify and mark the target with flares. Further information: Pathfinder (USAAF) and Pathfinder (RAF) American practice used their Pathfinder crews as lead bombers, with radar equipped aircraft being followed by formations of radar-less bombers, which would all drop their loads when the lead bomber did. The ventral hemispherical radome for the H2X's rotating dish antenna replaced the ball turret on B-17 Flying Fortress Pathfinders, with the electronics cabinets for the "Mickey set" being installed in the radio room just aft of the bomb bay. The system was used extensively by The 91st Bomb Group in 1945 with occasional excellent but generally inconsistent results. The H2X on later B-24 Liberators also replaced the ball turret, being made retractable as the ball turret was for landing on the Liberator. The operators panel was installed on the flight deck behind the co-pilot (where the radio operator's normal position was). In combat areas the Mickey operator directed the pilot on headings to be taken, and on the bomb run directed the airplane in coordination with the bombardier. The first use of Mickey was against Ploie?ti on 5 April 1944. Made of solid brass, aluminum, and steel with an black crackle-paint finish, this Norden Bombsight End Rate Computer is in is in AMAZING unused condition! Dated 1945, it comes complete in the original transportation & storage crate, it is 100% COMPLETE, and still retains 99% of it's original paint and finish, with NO damage or corrosion! The clear plastic on the dial indicator has shrunk over time, and has cracked, but that is fairly common and easy to rectify, if one wished. It is 100% mechanically functional, however, I have not rested it electrically, so I am selling as-is. The data labels are intact, and clearly indicate: U.S. NAVY ARMY AIR FORCES END RATE COMPUTER P-2 3139 45-12353 P CP-17 / APA46 1639 Some slight marks and wear, due to the age, but nothing that detracts. Come complete in the original storage crate, where it appears to have been originally assigned to the 831st AAF DSO. Though this Computer was manufactured in 1945, there are a few post-war labels over top of the original wartime one. Dates on the labels range from 1947 to 1953. Used primarily in the B-17 Bomber (replacing the standard Norden End Rate Computer), I have shown an image of the Radar Station this was used in conjunction with in the last image. An EXACT example of this item can be seen on display in the Smithsonian. A SUPERB example, RRELY seen on the market, it would make a PERFECT addition to any collection or display!
Price: 2999.99 USD
Location: Thousand Oaks, California
End Time: 2025-01-09T17:16:35.000Z
Shipping Cost: 100 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money back or replacement (buyer's choice)
