The VB-13 Tarzon was essentially a British 12,000-pound Tall Boy bomb fitted with forward and rear shrouds having control surfaces to permit bomb control in both range and azimuth.
The video featured in this post shows a US Air Force (USAF) Boeing B-29 Superfortress strategic bomber dropping the then-recently developed VB-13 Tarzon. As demonstrated in the footage, this bomb was not only highly destructive but also remarkably accurate. Unlike the free-falling bombs used during World War II, the Tarzon could be released and actively guided toward a specific target, allowing for much greater precision.
Introduced in 1946, the massive VB-13 Tarzon delivered significantly more destructive power than its predecessor, the VB-3 Razon, on which it was based.
The VB-13 was essentially a British Tall Boy bomb weighing 12,000 pounds, equipped with front and rear shrouds that featured control surfaces, allowing the bomb to be steered in both distance and direction. It was visually tracked using a tail flare and guided by the bombardier via radio control. The name “Tarzon” is a blend of Tall Boy and Razon.
Development of the bomb was still in progress when World War II ended, leading to the suspension of the project. However, it was revived in 1950 for testing with the B-29 and B-36 aircraft. The B-29 had to be modified to carry a single VB-13, while some reports indicate that eighteen Convair B-36 Peacemaker bombers were adapted to carry two Tarzons each.
According to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, the first use of the Tarzon bomb in Korea occurred in December 1950. By the end of January, B-29s from the 19th Bomb Group had destroyed sections of four bridges. Although the Tarzon bombs were still scarce, and after a B-29 was reportedly lost while trying to jettison one, the Air Force decided to cancel the Tarzon program in August 1951. Out of the 30 Tarzons dropped during the Korean War, 11 hit their intended targets, successfully destroying six bridges and damaging another.
Photo by U.S. Air Force
