Azon
Encyclopedia
AZON was one of the world's first smart bombs
, deployed by the Allies
and contemporary with the German
Fritz X
.
Officially designated VB-1 ("Vertical Bomb 1"), it was invented by Major Henry J. Rand and Thomas J. O'Donnell during the latter stages of World War II
, as the answer to the difficult problem of destroying the narrow wooden bridges that supported much of the Burma Railway.
AZON was essentially a 1,000 lb (450 kg) bomb
with an octagonal ring-style radio control
led tail fin design, allowing adjustment of the vertical trajectory in two planes, making basically a guided fall. There were gyroscope
s mounted in the bomb to stabilise it, and a radio control system, which had about three minutes of battery life
, long enough to guide it from a 5,000 foot (1,500 m) drop height. On the tail of the bomb was a 600,000 candela
flare
, to enable the pilot to observe it from the control aircraft
. It was dropped from a modified Consolidated B-24 Liberator. Only ten crews, of the 458th Bombardment Group, based at RAF Horsham St Faith
, were trained to drop the device.
Precision-guided munition
A precision-guided munition is a guided munition intended to precisely hit a specific target, and to minimize damage to things other than the target....
, deployed by the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
and contemporary with the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Fritz X
Fritz X
Fritz X was the most common name for a German guided anti-ship glide bomb used during World War II. Fritz X was a nickname used both by Allied and Luftwaffe personnel. Alternate names include Ruhrstahl SD 1400 X, Kramer X-1, PC 1400X or FX 1400...
.
Officially designated VB-1 ("Vertical Bomb 1"), it was invented by Major Henry J. Rand and Thomas J. O'Donnell during the latter stages of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, as the answer to the difficult problem of destroying the narrow wooden bridges that supported much of the Burma Railway.
AZON was essentially a 1,000 lb (450 kg) bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
with an octagonal ring-style radio control
Radio control
Radio control is the use of radio signals to remotely control a device. The term is used frequently to refer to the control of model vehicles from a hand-held radio transmitter...
led tail fin design, allowing adjustment of the vertical trajectory in two planes, making basically a guided fall. There were gyroscope
Gyroscope
A gyroscope is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of angular momentum. In essence, a mechanical gyroscope is a spinning wheel or disk whose axle is free to take any orientation...
s mounted in the bomb to stabilise it, and a radio control system, which had about three minutes of battery life
Battery life
Battery life can refer to*How long a mobile device can work on a single charge of a rechargeable battery.*Battery lifetime degrading of battery quality over time....
, long enough to guide it from a 5,000 foot (1,500 m) drop height. On the tail of the bomb was a 600,000 candela
Candela
The candela is the SI base unit of luminous intensity; that is, power emitted by a light source in a particular direction, weighted by the luminosity function . A common candle emits light with a luminous intensity of roughly one candela...
flare
Flare (pyrotechnic)
A flare, also sometimes called a fusee, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a brilliant light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for signalling, illumination, or defensive countermeasures in civilian and military applications...
, to enable the pilot to observe it from the control aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
. It was dropped from a modified Consolidated B-24 Liberator. Only ten crews, of the 458th Bombardment Group, based at RAF Horsham St Faith
RAF Horsham St Faith
RAF Horsham St Faith was a Royal Air Force station near Norwich, Norfolk, England from 1939 to 1963. It was then developed as Norwich International Airport.-RAF Bomber Command use:...
, were trained to drop the device.
Azon operations
| Target | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Melun Melun Melun is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Located in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris, Melun is the capital of the department, as the seat of an arrondissement... |
June 8, 1944 | Mission 400: an attack on the Melun bridge by an Azon unit is foiled by clouds. |
| Ham-sur-Somme | June 14, 1944 | Mission 412: 7 of 15 B-24s hit the Ham-sur-Somme Bridge and 5 use Azon bombs against targets of opportunity; no losses. |
| Etaples Étaples Étaples or Étaples-sur-Mer is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is a fishing and leisure port on the Canche river.There is a separate commune named Staple, Nord.-History:... |
June 15, 1944 | Mission 414: 12 B-24s use Azon bombs against Etaples railroad bridge and 7 others use the bombs against the Pecrone railroad bridge. |
| Samur Samur Samur is a specialized and highly qualified emergency system of Madrid, Spain. The name stands for S.A.M.U.R.... |
June 22, 1944 | Mission 432: 9 of 10 B-24s use Azon bombs against the Samur Bridge. |
| Les Foulous | August 17, 1944 | Mission 558: 10 B-24s are dispatched to drop Azon bombs on the Les Foulous, France rail bridge but the mission is abandoned due to deteriorating weather. |
| Moerdijk Moerdijk Moerdijk is a municipality and a town in the South of the Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant.- History :The municipality of Moerdijk was founded in 1997 following the merger of the municipalities of Fijnaart en Heijningen, Klundert, Standdaarbuiten, Willemstad and Zevenbergen. At that... |
August 25 & 26, 1944 | Mission 571: 10 of 10 B-24s fly an Azon bomb mission to Moerdijk, the Netherlands but the target is missed. Mission 577: 9 of 10 B-24s fly an AZON bomb mission to Moerdijk rail bridge, the Netherlands but clouds prevent an attack. |
| Ravenstein Ravenstein -Places:*Ravenstein, Germany in the district Neckar-Odenwald, Baden-Württemberg*Ravenstein, Netherlands in Oss, North Brabant-People:*Johann von Ravenstein a Lieutenant in World War I and Lieutenant general in the Wehrmacht during World War II... |
September 1, 1944 | Mission 597: 12 of 12 Azon-equipped B-24s hit the Ravenstein rail bridge, the Netherlands without loss. |
| Hemmingstedt Hemmingstedt Hemmingstedt is a German municipality in the district of Dithmarschen in the state of Schleswig-Holstein.-History:Hemmingstedt is the namesake of the Battle of Hemmingstedt, which took place south of the place in today's municipal area of Epenwöhrden... & Kropp Kropp Kropp is a municipality in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approx. 13 km south of Schleswig.Kropp is the seat of the Amt Kropp-Stapelholm.... |
September 13, 1944 | Mission 629: 6 of 11 B-24s dispatched on an Azon mission attacked the Hemmingstedt oil refinery Oil Campaign of World War II The Allied Oil Campaign of World War II was directed at facilities supplying Nazi Germany with petroleum, oil, and lubrication products... and 5 hit the secondary target, ammunition dumps at Kropp. Operation Aphrodite Operation Aphrodite Aphrodite and Anvil were the World War II code names of United States Army Air Forces and United States Navy operations to use B-17 and PB4Y bombers as precision-guided munitions against bunkers such as those of Operation Crossbow.... guided bombs also attacked Hemmingstedt the next day. |