Lecture Material: Operation Aphrodite

Introduction

World War II was a large global conflict between the Allied and Axis Powers. The United States joined after the incident at Pearl Harbor caused by Japan. During the whole six years, it was a power struggle for either side to diminish. Many tactics were used during that time, but one that stands out is Operation Aphrodite. This operation is lesser known, but it was a different approach to a bombing run and also involved UAS. World War II is definitely not known for this type of technology being used. The main purpose of Operation Aphrodite was to take out well-built German bunkers. They served as last stand points from any types of invasions, including the one on Normandy. Many efforts to seize these bunkers were proven to have little to zero success. 

Methods

To conduct the bombing runs for this operation, B-17's and Consolidate B-24 Liberators were used. Instead of the usual payloads dropped for bombing, the aircraft themselves were used to bomb. Figure 1 shows an image of the B-17. 

Figure 1: This is a B-17, but more specifically the B-17F.

For the aircraft to be used as bombs, the pilot and crewmen were instructed with leaving the aircraft while flying so that it can be flown remotely. The aircraft was outfitted to make it easier for the crew to exit the aircraft quicker than the aircraft's counterparts. Since a good portion of the aircraft had to be altered, it allowed it have a higher potential payload, which was used exclusively for explosives. When the crew was flying over Allied territory, that was when they were instructed to drop out of the aircraft so that they would be able to land safely and not be captured by the enemy. An operator at a remote location would then control the aircraft so that it is directed on certain targets.

Discussion

Although at the time the operation seemed like a good idea, it proved to be more fatal than beneficial. Operation Aphrodite proved to kill more Allied pilots than Germany infantry. The aircraft that was used was also not as developed as today, so many times the explosives detonated prematurely  while the crew was on or near the aircraft. Many times they were instructed to arm the explosives and then jump, but many times the turbulence would cause the explosives to go off. The technology used to direct the aircraft was inaccurate and still in its infancy. Because of these short falls, it caused Operation Aphrodite to be a failure but in another perspective, it was not. The operation allowed for engineers and scientists to work on the technology of remote piloting. Without a doubt, there were lessons learned and ideas that arrises to make the technology better because just looking into the UAS industry today, it has gone through lots of developments and changes.

Conclusion

Operation Aphrodite was not a success in the sense of the effectiveness on the German forces, but was rather a success in terms of learning about remote piloting. The technology was still very young, but even with that, pilots and engineers collaborated to create a new primitive system to be used for bombing. Through their efforts, it was learned that the precision and accuracy needed for this technology is a necessity. Without a doubt, Operation Aphrodite helped to improve and landscape the UAS industry into what it is today.

References

Operation Aphrodite. (2020, April 6). Retrieved April 20, 2020, from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Aphrodite

Tapalaga, A. (2020, February 20). Operation Aphrodite: The US Air Force Suicidal

Tactics. Retrieved April 20, 2020, from

https://medium.com/history-of-yesterday/operation-aphrodite-the-us-air-force-suicidal-tactics-e432dddeddc