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RAF Coastal Command B-17 nose cannon FK185

Fortress IIA FK185, ex USAAF (4)1-2514, ex NR-E of 220 Sq and the gun a 40mm Vickers S gun in a Bristol B.16 nose turret. The experiment was a response to the inadequacy of forward-firing Fortress armament (one 0.30" Browning that frequently jammed after the first round) against U-Boats, culminating in the loss of Fortress II FA704 "R" of 206 Sq to U-417 on 11 Jun 1943: no doubt the crew, which included the squadron CO, made their views known forcibly after drifting around in heavy seas for 3 days! The aircraft was taken from service with 220 Sq, whereupon the NR codes (aft of waist window) were painted out (though still faintly visible) but the individual letter E (forward of waist window) retained and repeated in a darker colour on the new nose. The aircraft was tested at A&AEE from December 1943: 700 rounds were fired. During trials all other armament was removed. The aircraft was subsequently converted back to standard configuration and arrived with 251 (Met) squadron on 4 April 1945.
The gun had limited traverse and elevation and was sighted by a gunner in the gondola under the gun. I seem to recall that sighting the gun was the main problem with the installation: it wasn't as simple as just pointing the aircraft at the target. I could be wrong about that though in Stitt's book a 220 Sq crewman says it was unusual to have the time to correct the fire even of the 0.30" gun during an attack. A port side view of FK185 at A&AEE in Feb 44 in Mason The Testing Years and Stitt: Boeing B-17 Fortress in RAF Coastal Command Service shows very heavy weathering, especially to the fin, exposing the Olive Drab paint and original serial underneath. Stitt even has photos, from the Boeing archive, of the internal arrangements. RAF B-17 with large ? nose gun ( 40mm ? ) and chin mod

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42-29991 390th BG, 571st BS, "We'll Never Know/Patches") shot down by Uffz Hermann Bolten in Me 410A-1 of KG 2/14 at Gondelsheim, Bader-Wurt, Germany Oct 14, 1943. 10 POW. MACR 858

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B-17E Fortress 41-9043 Peggy D 97th BG, 342nd BS) Polebrook Mar 1942, was flown on first 8AF mission Aug 17, 1942; transferred to (92nd BG)
Bovington Sep 1942; transferred to ("Little Rock-ette" 381st BG, 534th BS) Ridgewell and became the base hack. Was used to collect bodies from the Isle of Man tradgedy Apr 25, 1944; Transferred to RFC and sold for scrap at Altus Oct 29, 1945

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