B25

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Wurger, I sometimes forget that you are not a native speaker. Your write English well and much better than several people who are native speakers. The child will get better because you can teach him. There is nothing better than teaching a child a new skill. You are lucky. I hope to post some profiles and a few pictures over the weekend.

DBII
 
Looks like I will have to construct the 37 mm cannons. Can anyone tell me the conversion factor I need to determine the size of a 37 mm cannon in 1/48th scale. Is it as simple as dividing by 48?

DBII
 
Hallo DBII,
Thank you for those nice words.I'm glad that my English is readable for you.Unfortunately,I have some problems with the thinking in the English way.But I hope it will be improved by communication with such nice people like you and many other members of the forum.

Now let's back to the cannon demensions.Do you have the true ones of the gun.If yes the dividing by 48 is enough.
But I'm still not surre if Russian used the 37mm cannons on B-25.I have to check something.

BTW Could you recall me, the guns were mounted at the tail gunner station or the nose one.?
 
I will try and scan the profiles that I have today. It shows the cannon in the postion of the flexible .50 in the noise and also in the tail of both the C and D models. In the Pacific, some of the C and D models also had field modificaions. They installed a .50 cal in the tail and the gunner fired laying down.

DBII
 
I was able to use the scanner but there is so much junk in memory that I am not able to save the image long enough to post it. I will try again next week.

David
 
My model has been put on hold until I pick up an airbrush. I was reading where the Russians installed a fuel tank in the bomb bay and attached a hard point on each wing. The planes would carry only two 250 lbs bombs. They would try and keep the nightfighters from taking off by bombing and straffing the runways when the Germans attempted to take off. Once I finish the J model, I want to convert a B/C model into a long range raider. Any guesses where the hard point was located?

DBII
 
Hi DBII,
It is very interesting what you have written about the Russian B-25 bombload.
I've found a bit different info on that.
Firstly,when 605 B-25Cs were produced The Inglewood factory assambled 258 C-1s version of B-25 where the outer bomb racks were mounted.There was possibility to load on them 8X113.4kg bombs or one torpedo 907.2 kg.When the torpedo was mounted B-25 couldn't take any bombs .Instead of this the a/c could take an additional fuel tank installed in the bomb bay.
Secondly, Russian variants of B-25 bombload with Russian bombs.

1. 10 X FAB50,ZAB50,SAB-15 and SAB-25,
2. 8 X FAB-100ck,FAB-100sw, FAB-250ck and SAB-100-55 and 12XP-40,
3. 4 X FAB-250ck + 4 X FAB-250sw,
4. 6 X FAB-100 + 2 X BieTAB-200

Total bomblad for Russian bombs was 2000kg.But usually it was 1400kg.
The most used variant of bombload was 4X FAB-100 and 4X FAB-250.

I'm trying to find pics of the hard point location.
 
I've found the pic only.It presents B-25J with additional bomb racks. I think that it is similar to the B-25C1 hard point and it was at the same places on the Russian B-25.

Source: Aviation Publication no.60 "In detail" serie.
 

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Thanks for the bomb loads. I have read a couple of different stories. One was when the fist planes arrived at the Long Range Aviation units, they were convered by added a horseshoe shaped aux fuel tank in the bomb bay and mounting two 250 lbs bombs on the wings. I do not understand why a horseshoe shaped fuel tank? I think that the payload was not worth the risk of losing the plane. Once, I read that the Soviets had women flying old Bi-planes over Germany cities at night. They would throw bombs like in WWI so I guess that this is possible.

I did see that later the Kanas City plant were adding an aux tank. My father has a nice book on the B25 and it shows the dimensions for the North American fuel tank. I also found out the the Russians received a few of the G models. After two test flights they, were transfered to the Navy of anti-sub patrols. The major drawback, no room for the Navigator and the cannon blinded the pilot. The Russins used the plane at night and preferred the B26 for daytime work.
 
Really interesting.THX for that DBII.

As far as the women pilots are concerned.I know what you are talking about.But I cannot agree with you totally.It is true that Russian VVS used old Bi-planes as night bombers.These were Polikarpov U-2/Po-2 bombers.Also well-known as "kukuruźnik" in Poland ( after the end of WW2 these were assembled also in my country and called CSS-13).During WW2 these Po-2 bombers were used by The Second Bomber Squadron "Kraków". All these bombers including the Russian ones flown by women were equipped with bomb racks under the fuselage and lower wings.

The tactic of usig was quite simply.At night, one by one with some minutes of breaking , Po-2s took off and climbed at its flight level.Then were flying to a target.At the some distance a pilot reduced power of the engine or simply switched off this and started gliding to the target almost in silence.Over target the bombs were running off.Then a pilot increased power of the engine and flied away.Some time later the second was over target and then the next and next... and it was running up to a morning.

The women unit you have mentioned was the 46th Guardian Squadron of night bombers.All personel consisted of women.During three years of fighting the unit participated in 24000 flights.23 women-pilots and navigators got the name of USRR hero.
The German soldiers named Po-2 bomber - Nahmaschine ( a sewing-machine ) or Russfanier ( the Russian plywood ).
 
Hi DBII, I have the book Wurger posted along with this one. Both are excellent sources on the B-25.
 

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Thanks, for the diagrams and the photos Micdrow. It looks like the hard points were more common than I thought. Wurger thanks, I have always been inrested in equipment and Order of Battle information.

Can I get by with a single action air brush?

DBII
 
The Russians were also using cardboard expendable drop tanks. Any chances that someone has a drawing or picture?

DBII
 
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