B-25 weapons thread

[Micdrow]

Hi Paul! I had the feeling I've seen a B-25 with the strange pipe already. Didn't remember where and when. Thanks for the reminder.!
The H in Burma I have from the internet (it's obviously from a book) and it was in my "B-25 in the CBI" collection of photos. And here is an article about spraying DDT over Rockford
with some dark photos but it's a Mitchell for sure.
The tank and spraying nozzle are the same as in your last Bulletin - thank you for that one!
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No problem Yves I owe you a few , very interesting article you posted. Many thanks

 

[Crimea_River]

Just completed going through this whole thread. Great stuff guys.

 

[Micdrow]

Here is one of the closest view I have found of a Pacific modified B-25C/D tail turret

 

[Micdrow]

Found this in the RAAF archives and modifying B-25 Mitchells.

 

[Micdrow]

More interesting stuff.

 

[Micdrow]

Again on the RAAF Mitchell for RAAF on bomb shackles

 

[Micdrow]

I put these pictures in Andy's B-25 model thread but figured for those that don't look at the model thread they worked well here as well.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Micdrow]

Getting close to calling it a day when I noticed this, Early picture of the famous Pappy's Folly straffer, note the blisters on the side blisters that I pointed to in yellow. Now here must be a later blister cover for the B-25 Old Dutch Cleanser in second photo. Getting tired but interesting none the less.

 

[Micdrow]

Heading to bed but one finally thing for Yves before I go LOL

 

[CATCH 22]

Getting close to calling it a day when I noticed this, Early picture of the famous Pappy's Folly straffer, note the blisters on the side blisters that I pointed to in yellow. Now here must be a later blister cover for the B-25 Old Dutch Cleanser in second photo. Getting tired but interesting none the less.

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The second blister is the factory manufactured one. The middle portion is hinged and can be opened for service without taking the blister down. The first one is the original Pappy Gunn design used in the SWPA only. Paul, I guess you already posted the photo below:

 

[CATCH 22]

Here is one of the closest view I have found of a Pacific modified B-25C/D tail turret

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Paul, in this particular case I would say it's probably a factory (Fairfax resp. Kansas City) modification or a "hybrid model" D (blocks -25, -30, -35). The complete plexiglass enclosure of the gunner station (not open to the back), the small metal cover on the top of the gun-bag substituting the plexiglass and the circular front "cap" for the canvas bag are all standard features. BTW I have photos marked as B-25 from the MTO with the exact same details:

 

[Micdrow]

Kind of a engine history for the B-25 Service News issue Vol 2 No 16.

 

[Micdrow]

Interesting document on Radar for the B-25 in RAAF

 

[Micdrow]

Yves,

You might find this interesting per our conversation of nose guns, rest of pictures of Old Dutch Cleanser from RAAF Archives.

 

[Micdrow]

Close up of nose artwork and source but this might be prior to a modification as there looks to be no side blister pack guns installed. You can just make them out in picture B or the person that colorized the photo removed them.

 

[Micdrow]

Found this in February 1944 Airforce magazine, never new this but found it interesting.

 

[Wurger]

 

[CATCH 22]

Yves,

You might find this interesting per our conversation of nose guns, rest of pictures of Old Dutch Cleanser from RAAF Archives.

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Paul thanks! Great find!
In this case we have a B-25D-25, one of those 3 blocks produced in the Kansas City factory as "hybrids", rather than being modified afterwards. Great detail of the waist gunner's position, showing clearly the top and bottom fairings are the same in size and differ from those on B-25H/J. As for the nose guns: those 2 might be already factory installed - the last blocks of D have been manufactured simultaneously with J in the same building and even the first J came out with 1 fixed gun only, the later standard was with 2. Another plausible explanation might be that the top fixed gun is a standard one and the bottom one was added later - see how the cut outs in the plexiglass are different. The blister guns are from the factory type (as discussed 2-3 posts earlier in this thread).
It is not impossible that the colorized photo is a later one (end of the war, after the war) and the a/c is without the blister guns (similar to those a/c that returned to the States for War-bonds campaigns), but what you suggest is also possible.
All in all a great collection of photos of one and the same a/c !
Cheers!

 

[MiTasol]

A little more on the Bell tail gun installation - and no I do not have the missing page.

Interestingly same unit in Martin B-26