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Snautzer01
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- Mar 26, 2007
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AM528
Glad to see my Coastal Command Fortress book is proving to be a useful reference.I spend too much time looking at this picture.
I spend too much time looking at this picture.
Replying to Snautzer01's photo post of FK185, it is equally possible that the white paint is wearing away to reveal Deep Sky. Research for my 2nd edition confirmed that an unknown number of initial deliveries of B-17Es for the RAF were painted in Temperate Land and Deep Sky for the originally intended role of high-level bombing. This was the scheme in the well-known colour series that includes 41-1941 (which was not delivered to Britain) and to FK198 (which was delivered to Britain) which Snauzter01 posted here: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
View attachment 681145
WWII: B-17 FLYING FORTRESS ORIGINAL AIR MINISTRY PHOTOGRAPH 27TH FEB 1944 | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for WWII: B-17 FLYING FORTRESS ORIGINAL AIR MINISTRY PHOTOGRAPH 27TH FEB 1944 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!www.ebay.com
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
View attachment 681145
WWII: B-17 FLYING FORTRESS ORIGINAL AIR MINISTRY PHOTOGRAPH 27TH FEB 1944 | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for WWII: B-17 FLYING FORTRESS ORIGINAL AIR MINISTRY PHOTOGRAPH 27TH FEB 1944 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!www.ebay.com
I have found loads of "cooked off" 50 Cal Casings and parts from this plane - this round is totally inert after the fire of the crash as the primer has exploded out and all the gunpowder inside has burnt leaving the bullet slightly out of the casing and the casing all deformed.*WWII photo- 401st Bomb Group- B 17 Bomber plane on BOMB RUN (42-97872) KIA* | eBay
Baugher: 42-97872 (401st BG 614th BS "Rosie's Sweat Box") lost Sep 17, 1944 on takeoff for mission to Groesbeck. The plane failed to clear the hedge at the end of the runway on takeoff and exploded, killing all but the tail gunner who died the next day.
View attachment 579082
Liberty Belle, wasn't it?Yes it was. IIRC Later restored and burnt-out after forced landing in a field?
OK. Didn't know that. I actually flew in that then with Ed and Connie Bowlin as pilot and co-pilot. Around 2004.Liberty Belle, wasn't it?