2nd Lt. C. A.Kleppner
Lt. Kleppner was transferred to England sometime early in
1944 and Robert James’ crew used a substitute bombardier for most of their
missions.
Since the B-24's ultimate purpose was to bomb targets,
the bombardier had the most important job. The bombardier and the pilot
had to be familiar with each other's job and cooperate during the short bombing
run during which the bombardier took over control of the aircraft either through
the auto-pilot or Pilot Directional Indicator (PDI). The auto-pilot
connected directly to the bombsight; the PDI transmitted desired course changes
to the pilot via a needle instrument in the cockpit. Bombing accuracy
depended on calculating altitude, true airspeed, bomb ballistics for each type
of bomb (intended trajectory from bomber to target), drift caused by lateral
winds, and air density.