Most innovative bomber of WWII
In my opinion the most innovative bomber of WWII was the Armstrong Whitworth Mole. Best known for the twin engined “Whitley” Armstrong Whitworth also produced the lesser known “Mole” as an experimental aircraft in 1941 to protect London’s Metropolitan underground system in case of invasion. Equipped with very short but broad wings for added lift this twin engined plane was equipped with one right-hand drive engine & one left-hand drive engine to counteract the effect of torque. With a two man crew, pilot in front bomb aimer behind him, the aircraft was designed to fly through the tunnels on the London Underground system & with the aid of photocells & an analogue computer bomb-sight could fire bombs through air-shafts to the street above using compressed air. The aircraft was tested in secret on 2nd January 1942 at 2 am when it successfully flew from Bethnal Green to Bank on the Central Line but was never put into service partly because Britain was not invaded & partly due to take-off & landing problems in the confines of a tunnel.
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