Ezzie, the use of eye patches by the aircrew is a fact.
The V Bomber pilots had them although the V Bombers also had some kind of cockpit blinds as well. This was not an option for single/dual crewed aircraft.
The idea was that the nuclear 'Flash' or pulse of light would render only one eye of both pilots blind. The senior pilot would then remove his eye patch and continue to fly the aircraft using his good eye. If another nuclear strike took place and the resulting 'Flash' rendered the senior pilot completely blind then the junior pilot would remove his eye patch and take over flying the aircraft.
As the crews knew it was a 'one way trip' with nothing left at home to return to they had no 'Post Mission' flight plan. There is a well known anecdote about a Squadron Commanders response to a fresh faced V Bomber pilots question about what to do if he and his crew survived after attacking their target. The Squadron Commander is reported as saying "Carry on flying East until all your fuel has gone and shack-up with a nice Mongolian girl".
A little humour is always good when discussing the end of the world don't you think?
The USAF having more money to throw at the problem developed what are known as PLZT Goggles. These goggles were designed to instantaneously go opaque when exposed to a nuclear flash.
Attachment 38608
RAF pilots in Mongolia after World War 3
Attachment 38609
PLZT GOggles
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Originally Posted by ATAG_Vampire
Ezzie, the use of eye patches by the aircrew is a fact.
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