# Question about B-24's and scrap metal to protect the bum.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-b-24s-and-scrap-metal-to-protect-the-bum/280765>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 20, 2004, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-b-24s-and-scrap-metal-to-protect-the-bum/280765 "2004-12-20T08:54:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-b-24s-and-scrap-metal-to-protect-the-bum/280765/21 "2004-12-21T05:57:16Z")

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> [@racer72](#):
>
> 737 final assembly, interior functional test. I saw in another thread you said your hubby is a firefighter so I would assume he is part of the Boeing fire department. The only time we see them is when the Vesda fire system is activated or someone gets hurt.

I told him that… He’s such a nudge. Yes, He’s one of the big silly guys. He/they do inpections all over the plant, so you probably just don’t notice when he’s around at other times.  
He says to say “Hi” now. :dubious: I think he was afraid you were one of his bosses. I told him that the SDMB is much too intelectual for his bosses, but he doesn’t believe me. 😃

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**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-b-24s-and-scrap-metal-to-protect-the-bum/280765/22 "2004-12-22T02:03:31Z")

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> [@Roland Deschain](#):
>
> My now deceased father flew as a bombadier in a B-24 Liberator on Missions over Italy and Germany (I think from Corsica, but cannot remember for certain). Anyway, one of the things I remember him saying was that good metal was in great demand because people sought it to “sit on” while on missions to avoid being shot in the butt (from anti-aircraft guns I guess). He said that in one Poker game he witnessed that a good piece of flat metal was used to call a $50.00 dollar raise. The recent reports of American soldiers in Iraq getting in trouble for taking metal from Iraqi scrapyards made me think about this and raised several questions I had never before thought to ask:
> 
> 1. Was this a common practice during the War?
> 
> 2. Why would “another” piece of metal make any difference with regard to a projectile that had already penetrated the fusalage of the airplane?
> 
> Also, although this is not the OP question why is it that most of the movies and documenteries I see concerning WWII bombing talk about B-19’s and B29’s, but don’t mention the B-24? Was this a rare or “booring” aircraft?

A flying WWII colonel I knew called it “hubcapping” because he actually used a steel automobile hubcap.

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**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-b-24s-and-scrap-metal-to-protect-the-bum/280765/23 "2004-12-22T15:42:33Z")

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I’ve heard it was common for Soviet fighter pilots to “borrow” iron frying pans, too.

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