eBay: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

[Wurger]

 

[Snautzer01]

30040 (96th BG, 337th BS, "Wabbit Twacks III") shot down by Obfw Friedrich May in a Fw 190A-6 of JG 2/3 at Vavincourt, near Bar-le-Duc, France Oct 14, 1943. 1 KIA, 5 POW, 4 evaded. MACR 837

 

[Wurger]

 

[Old Wizard]

 

[johnbr]

B-17 Bob Hope and his USO Tours in ETO and PTO

 

[Old Wizard]

 

[Gnomey]

Nice shots!

 

[johnbr]

 

[Wurger]

 

[johnbr]

 

[Wurger]

 

[johnbr]

B-17 grave sad to see.

 

[Wurger]

An interesting shot.

 

[Old Wizard]

 

[johnbr]

B-17 with 6 gun nose on and off.
B-17 Experimental 6 gun nose turret, Delivered Cheyenne 31/10/43; Gt Falls ...

 

[Wurger]

 

[johnbr]

Delivered Geiger 419BS/301BG 20/4/42; experimental armament equipment installed at Bovingdon; never involved in combat; Returned to the USA 14/2/43 for Project Reed; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 7/10/46. DREAMBOAT.

the only time something like this was attempted. There was also The Reed Project, which sought to correct weaknesses in the firepower and layout of the B-17E. The plane used for this project was 41-9112, taken from the 92nd BG in England and modified by Major Robert Reed at Bovington. Consolidated power turrets were grafted onto the nose and tail and the radio room gun installation was altered as well (2 guns instead of one, power assisted, plus a wider field of fire). Due to the nose reconfiguration, the bombardier position was moved to a tunnel under the chin. The bomb-bay doors were also split, so they did not extend as far into the slipstream. It was later returned to the States and did not, as far as I am aware, fly any combat missions in this configuration.

The plane was given the name "The Dreamboat". Talk about mis-naming a plane!

 

[Old Wizard]

 

[Capt. Vick]

the only time something like this was attempted. There was also The Reed Project, which sought to correct weaknesses in the firepower and layout of the B-17E. The plane used for this project was 41-9112, taken from the 92nd BG in England and modified by Major Robert Reed at Bovington. Consolidated power turrets were grafted onto the nose and tail and the radio room gun installation was altered as well (2 guns instead of one, power assisted, plus a wider field of fire). Due to the nose reconfiguration, the bombardier position was moved to a tunnel under the chin. The bomb-bay doors were also split, so they did not extend as far into the slipstream. It was later returned to the States and did not, as far as I am aware, fly any combat missions in this configuration.

The plane was given the name "The Dreamboat". Talk about mis-naming a plane!View attachment 356551 View attachment 356552

I have seen a bunch of pictures of this modification, but no closeups of the remote-controlled 50 aimed from the former radio compartment. You wouldn't have one would you?

 

[Airframes]

Good pics.
BTW, the location was Bovingdon, in Hertfordshire, not Bovington, Dorset, the location of the Tank Museum.