One of the most closely guarded secrets of World War II was this odd-looking instrument called the Norden bombsight. Dropping bombs during World War II was, at best, an inexact science and the Norden was far and away the most accurate system at the time. Crews of aircraft that carried the Norden swore an oath to protect the bombsight at all costs, including their lives.
The bombsight is shown here mounted on top of an autopilot device. When the bombing run commenced, the bombardier would actually fly the aircraft.
You can read about what it was like to maintain the bombsight by clicking here.
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Image information:
Camera:NIKON D70  Date:Saturday February 19,2005 10:15 AM
Shutter speed: 1/15  F-stop: 8.0  Focal length: 25.0mm (35mm equivalent: 37.0mm)  
ISO: 400   Lens: 18.0-70.0 mm f/3.5-4.5   Metering mode: Center-weighted average