vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
"Douglas B-18 Bolo - The Ultimate Look: from Drawing Board to U-Boat Hunter"
by William Wolf
A Schiffer Military History Book - 2007
ISBN: 978-0-7643-2581-6
Having been a member here since April of 2009, there are several things I probably will never hear on this site:
European friends: "European Beer is ok, but I'd rather have an American Budweiser"
Aussie friends: "Eeek spider, and it looks poisonous!!!"
Anybody: "Sure the B-17 and Lancaster were ok, but give me a B-18 Bolo any day!"
The Douglas B-18 Bolo was without a doubt the official red-headed step child of the American bomber fleet and never got the credit it deserved.
The book is 215 pages long divided into 12 Chapters with a lot of photos. The book takes you from the early years of Donald Douglas Company's famous DC series of passenger aircraft to the B-18 to the improved version (the B-23 Dragon) to the restoration of the sole survivor at the PIMA Air and Space Museum located in Arizona (they also have a B-23 that as of when the book was published had yet to be restored).
The Bolo was the most numerous bomber in the USAAC arsenal after Pearl Harbor and had it's basis in the DC-2 passenger aircraft. It was the first US Bomber to have a tail gun (single .50 Cal MG) though to use it you had to open a set of clam doors to be able to move it. The top turret retracted completely until flush with the fuselage. One of the more unique features was the ability to float, not just for hours but for days. At least 3 had to be sunk by navel fire to clear shipping lanes when they had landed in water. Others were towed by boats to shore for salvage.
Since B-17s and B-24s were being shipped directly to the front lines, the Bolo was fitted with Radar and drafted for anti-submarine patrols. The fact it was patrolling probably did more to scare away the U-Boats from the American Coast and Caribbean then the actual damaged inflicted upon them (credited with 3 kills).
They also served with the RCAF (as the Digby) as well as in Australia Brazil. Though the last 2 it sounded like the US retained ownership.
The B-18 was used as a test bed for the 75mm Canon and anti-submarine radar (as mentioned before) and the B-23 was used as a test bed for one of the US's first smart bombs in 1941 (known as the "GB").
The book is wonderful but I did notice a couple of misstated items. It listed the Bismarck as a Pocket Battleship and the HMS Hood as a Battleship. When I see obvious errors like this it makes me wonder what other items are incorrect. I give the book 9 out of 10.
by William Wolf
A Schiffer Military History Book - 2007
ISBN: 978-0-7643-2581-6
Having been a member here since April of 2009, there are several things I probably will never hear on this site:
European friends: "European Beer is ok, but I'd rather have an American Budweiser"
Aussie friends: "Eeek spider, and it looks poisonous!!!"
Anybody: "Sure the B-17 and Lancaster were ok, but give me a B-18 Bolo any day!"
The Douglas B-18 Bolo was without a doubt the official red-headed step child of the American bomber fleet and never got the credit it deserved.
The book is 215 pages long divided into 12 Chapters with a lot of photos. The book takes you from the early years of Donald Douglas Company's famous DC series of passenger aircraft to the B-18 to the improved version (the B-23 Dragon) to the restoration of the sole survivor at the PIMA Air and Space Museum located in Arizona (they also have a B-23 that as of when the book was published had yet to be restored).
The Bolo was the most numerous bomber in the USAAC arsenal after Pearl Harbor and had it's basis in the DC-2 passenger aircraft. It was the first US Bomber to have a tail gun (single .50 Cal MG) though to use it you had to open a set of clam doors to be able to move it. The top turret retracted completely until flush with the fuselage. One of the more unique features was the ability to float, not just for hours but for days. At least 3 had to be sunk by navel fire to clear shipping lanes when they had landed in water. Others were towed by boats to shore for salvage.
Since B-17s and B-24s were being shipped directly to the front lines, the Bolo was fitted with Radar and drafted for anti-submarine patrols. The fact it was patrolling probably did more to scare away the U-Boats from the American Coast and Caribbean then the actual damaged inflicted upon them (credited with 3 kills).
They also served with the RCAF (as the Digby) as well as in Australia Brazil. Though the last 2 it sounded like the US retained ownership.
The B-18 was used as a test bed for the 75mm Canon and anti-submarine radar (as mentioned before) and the B-23 was used as a test bed for one of the US's first smart bombs in 1941 (known as the "GB").
The book is wonderful but I did notice a couple of misstated items. It listed the Bismarck as a Pocket Battleship and the HMS Hood as a Battleship. When I see obvious errors like this it makes me wonder what other items are incorrect. I give the book 9 out of 10.
Last edited:
