**** DONE: GB-40 1/72 B-25J - Heavy Hitters III

N4521U · Nov 1, 2018

Username : N4521U
First name : Bill
Category : Advanced
Scale : 1/72
Manufacturer / Model : Hasegawa 1/72 / B25J Mitchell
Extras : Decals JY from a Canadian friend here
Yankee Doodle Dandy / I did the art / custom printed
Serial / spares. Masks / Eduard
Lots of scratch build and mods!!!! of course.

9/01/19
Because there are only THREE bombas in the kit, substituting with 6 after market 500 pounder bombas!
Also Eduard seat belts and IP........

Adding another Davidson to my group.
340th BG, 486th BS, B-25 #43-27670 Yankee Doodle Dandy.

From the web somewhere!!!!! Pinterest........

Saved from
Patrick Claflin
340th BG, 486th BS, B-25 #43-27670 Yankee Doodle Dandy, Shot-down 13 Feb'44 - My father was on board that day - he was the flight engineer.

N4521U · Nov 1, 2018

His story some 9 years ago I figure.

340th BG, 486th BS, B-25 #43-27670 Yankee Doodle Dandy.
COOS BAY - Jim Davidson has a scale model of the World War II B-25 bomber "Yankee Doodle Dandy" hanging in his Coos Bay home. It's the very same plane he was shot down in over Italy in 1945.
Being blasted out of the sky by German flak is not a happy memory for Davidson. But it's still one he wants to hang onto.
"I guess it's just about remembering those times," said the 83-year-old Davidson.
And "those times" are a period of Davidson's life that, 64 years later, are earning the man accolades. Davidson, who returned from Europe a U.S. Army Air Corps sergeant and retired a colonel after 20 years in the Oregon National Guard Reserve, is being inducted into the Oregon Military Hall of Fame in Portland on April 18.
Administered by the nonprofit group Remembering America's Heroes, the Oregon Military Hall of Fame is inducting all Oregon POWs this year.
In 1945, Davidson was a 19-year-old tailgunner flying B-25 bombing missions over the Po Valley in Northern Italy, trying to take out a German railroad supply line.
"We were shutting them off (from supplies)," said Davidson. "They shut some of us off, too."
On a Feb. 13 mission, German anti-aircraft fire ripped the left engine off Davidson's plane and the pilots ordered the crew to bail out. But as a tailgunner, Davidson was in the back of the aircraft and the damage had cut off communication with the pilots. He was still scanning the skies for German fighters, thinking the plane was returning home.
Turret gunner Cecil Claflin saved Davidson's life.
Claflin was about to jump out the hatch when he noticed Davidson and the radio-man hadn't answered the bail-out bell. Seconds were precious, but he climbed back into his turret, put on his radio and told the pair in the back of the plane to get out.
"If he hadn't got back in and done that …" Davidson said, unable to finish the sentence.
Davidson and Claflin, of the tiny town of Phoenix south of Medford, were later reunited when they were both captured on the ground. They remained close friends until Claflin died in 2008. (Claflin's earning a posthumous induction into the hall of fame this month as well).
"Best friend I ever had," Davidson said.
Davidson jumped from Yankee Doodle Dandy at perhaps 6,000 feet elevation and landed in a field with what he guessed was a 15-year-old "Italian fascist" shooting a rifle at him as he tried to gather his parachute. Unarmed - his captain's orders were they not carry weapons, as it would just make it more likely they'd be shot by enemies if they had to bail - he was taken captive and handed over to German soldiers.
"I flew two-and-a-half missions," Davidson said with a laugh.
After being taken prisoner, Davidson and his six crewmates - they'd all survived and been captured in similar fashion - were taken to Verona, Italy, were they were interrogated and kept in stone solitary confinement cells "with rats running around, just to see if they'd talk to us, I suppose," he said.
Then it was a 24-hour, standing room only train ride to Munich, Germany, and on to Camp 13D at Nuremberg. From there Davidson endured a 100-mile forced march in the elements to Moosburg.
Tough living, however, was nothing new to Davidson. He grew up on a 160-acre homestead in Douglas County without electricity or many other amenities.
"I think it was because I was raised on that homestead out there, and we didn't have nothing," Davidson said. "Some of the (prisoners) who were from cities, they had a hell of a time."
Davidson was liberated, along with some 100,000 other POWs, from Moosburg on April 29, 1945, by Gen. George S. Patton's 14th Armored Division of tanks.
"At that point, the war was over (for me)," Davidson said.
Davidson came home to much fanfare in New York. Ferryboats full of playing bands in the harbor and firefighters blasting water in the air greeted the returning soldiers.
For decades, though, Davidson, didn't recount his experiences.
Then he wrote a book, "Yankee Doodle Dandy and the last mission of 6Y," relating his experiences, which were a surprise to his own family - he's married with two sons and several grandchildren.
"For 40 or 50 years, nobody ever talked about (the war)," Davidson said. "You didn't push the subject, because I didn't think anyone wanted to hear about it or gave a damn."
Now people listen, and Davidson is happy to talk about it. And he's proud to be recognized, after all these years.
"It's something I'd never expected," he said. "Not a necessity by any means, but a very nice happening."

N4521U · Nov 1, 2018

The kit.
I figured five decals would be enough, 3 to bugger up.

Now on with the build, soon!

Wurger · Nov 1, 2018

SANCER · Nov 1, 2018

It will be very instructive to see how the scratch build and mods downloads.
Saludos :thumbup:

Airframes · Nov 1, 2018

Nice one Bill.

Crimea_River · Nov 2, 2018

Good one Bill. Nice seeing the story of the plane and people.

parsifal · Nov 2, 2018

Very interesting

N4521U · Nov 2, 2018

SANCER said:
It will be very instructive to see how the scratch build and mods downloads.
Saludos

I hope I don't disappoint.
I also hope my taking the liberty of using your fine build as a guide.....
along with the assembly manual for other details.
Something I often do, find a larger scale build and try to use what I can for my own.

Micdrow · Nov 3, 2018

Humm, some one got my attention on a B-25

Found these in my stash so far

destrozas · Nov 3, 2018

nice choose bill

Wurger · Nov 3, 2018

N4521U · Nov 3, 2018

Micdrow said:
Humm, some one got my attention on a B-25 Found these in my stash so far

Got all those, it may have been you passed them on to me ay!

N4521U · Nov 3, 2018

Okay, I need help in the nose area of this one.
By the photo in post #1 it appears to have a single 50 cal gun.
My problem is I cannot find a single photo of the glass house with one gun.

Can anyone help me out on this???????

I want to work on this area first, just to get me into the kit......
Thanks in advance........

T Bolt · Nov 3, 2018

Great choice Bill, and a great story behind it. My father was one of the 100,000 prisoners with him being liberated at Moosberg

SANCER · Nov 4, 2018

N4521U said:
I hope I don't disappoint.
I also hope my taking the liberty of using your fine build as a guide.....
along with the assembly manual for other details.
Something I often do, find a larger scale build and try to use what I can for my own.

I am sure that we will spend very entertaining moments and a lot of learning in this GB.
I regret I can not help with images of the glass house with one gun, because I've only been in contact from my cell phone. Sure someone else can do it.
It is a compliment that you can support and guide with my B25 work bench, if I can do something else for you, do not hesitate to ask.

Cuenta con ello amigo Bill :thumbup:

$\\:D/$

parsifal · Nov 4, 2018

cant help much sorry Bill but I did find this

Source : From Wikimedia, but source is described thus;

This image or file is in the public domain because it contains materials that originally came from the United States Marine Corps. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

Source:
"Flickr" no other credits given

I was embarked a single 50 cal in the nose, I was always led to believe that in the basic bomber configuration the B-25 had a single gun in the nose but there were many variations to that especially for anti shipping missions

........surely someone knows more.....

Wayne Little · Nov 4, 2018

great choice Bill, look forward to it.

Micdrow · Nov 4, 2018

N4521U said:
Okay, I need help in the nose area of this one.
By the photo in post #1 it appears to have a single 50 cal gun.
My problem is I cannot find a single photo of the glass house with one gun.
Can anyone help me out on this???????
I want to work on this area first, just to get me into the kit......
Thanks in advance........

Took these this year at Airventure

, Last one at combat air museum. As you can see the single vs the twin look pretty much identical except that the bottom one in this case is not present. Hope that helps.