B-25 weapons thread

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Humm, just looks like a patch to replace the window off hand but its on other aircraft. I don't think its an armor plate. Here is a better picture of it. Looks riveted in but you can see the armor plate just behind the window. It is a puzzle.

 
Micdrow said:
Here you go Chuter, the document I was thinking about on landing gear door. Not sure if it answers your question but what I was thinking of.

View attachment 537615
Click to expand...


This really is very interesting. If this is why its (flap, or spring, door) removed then its odd that they would re-install it on aircraft without guns. Chow Hound (door re-installed) flew at least as much as when it was Tondelayo (door off) so it doesn't make a lot of sense, especially as it didn't take much to remove or install it, I'd guess less than 10 mins. I haven't found a single example of a removed for combat spring door anywhere but in the Pacific. Post 200 shows it removed on an open nose gear door (forward lower corner) and most other images since your response show it removed as well.
 
Not sure if many people have seen this before. Its of a M-33 smoke tank mounted in the bomb bay of a B-25 Mitchell using the 2000lb bomb rack to hold it in place. They also modified the bomb bay doors as seen so that the discharge pipe could come through to release the smoke.

 
Thanks guys and great shots there MIflyer. Barbie III a classic B-25H model. Seen her many times. Took this at airventure this year. Note if you look carefully you can see the bomb bay doors half open as just came off a simulated bomb run. Of course below it is the original Barbie III in flight. Pic I think I found on web. Been on my hard drive for a long time.

 
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That Plexiglas window in the nose that was replaced with a metal panel just happens to be exactly next to the Bombardier's Ride Seat. I'd guess that was the reason for the change; for some reason the bombardier probably did not like having that window next to him. Now, on many if not most B-25's the bombardier was also the navigator. He probably was riding in the nose, where he could actually see things outside, rather than in the back at his table. There may have been a problem with glare or other interference with him reading his maps when he sat in the front seat that was corrected by putting a panel over that window.

Supposedly Gen Doolittle said that the biggest problem with the B-24 was that there was no good place for the navigator to see outside and identify landmarks. In the ETO, the Martin B-26's had both a navigators and a bombardier and after takeoff the navigator would have the co-pilot slide back his seat so that he could go down to the nose compartment with the "other" navigator, the bombardier. Not having seats, they would crouch on the floor and spend the flight arguing over where they really were.

By the way, in #227 note that the Bombardier's escape hatch has been removed. I'd guess that was to keep smoke from getting back up in the airplane.
 
So I haven't found anything on the nose window but did find this on the pilot armor along with a few examples with it installed. Sources are web for some of the pictures and B-25 parts manual for drawing.
 
Supposed to been on a road trip, wife not doing so hot so came home and doing some research. Cut this out of a bigger document as only interested in the study of skip bombing.

Enjoy
 

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  • Skip bombing.pdf
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Among other things that the B-25 did during the war was drop propaganda leaflets. Attached is a quote from the 345th Bomb group, 500th bomb squadron of a mission to drop leaflets. Attached also is a pdf file of a leaflet from the Australian Archive along with the English translation. Attached is a picture of the B-25 that flew this mission. Picture from the book WarPath Across the Pacific by Lawrence J Hickey

Enjoy

 

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  • RC04906.pdf
    1.1 MB · Views: 183
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