Japanese B-17's (4 Viewers)

[Oliverlovesplanes]

In late May 1945, U.S. intelligence officers were intrigued by photos of what seemed to be a new Japanese four-engine bomber at Tachikawa, only to discover it was actually a captured and rebuilt American B-17E Flying Fortress. After the destruction of U.S. bombers in the Philippines in 1941, Japanese technicians salvaged and reconstructed several B-17s from wreckage in both the Philippines and Java, eventually flying them back to Japan for testing and study. Despite extensive technical analysis and use of these planes in research and training, Japan's aircraft industry gained little practical benefit due to material shortages and production difficulties, and the ultimate fate of these captured B-17s remains a mystery since none were found by Allied forces after the war.

 

[Warspite63]

In late May 1945, U.S. intelligence officers were intrigued by photos of what seemed to be a new Japanese four-engine bomber at Tachikawa, only to discover it was actually a captured and rebuilt American B-17E Flying Fortress. After the destruction of U.S. bombers in the Philippines in 1941, Japanese technicians salvaged and reconstructed several B-17s from wreckage in both the Philippines and Java, eventually flying them back to Japan for testing and study. Despite extensive technical analysis and use of these planes in research and training, Japan's aircraft industry gained little practical benefit due to material shortages and production difficulties, and the ultimate fate of these captured B-17s remains a mystery since none were found by Allied forces after the war.
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The leader is probably one of the last 'operational' shark fins

 

[Count de Bastrop]

In late May 1945, U.S. intelligence officers were intrigued by photos of what seemed to be a new Japanese four-engine bomber at Tachikawa, only to discover it was actually a captured and rebuilt American B-17E Flying Fortress. After the destruction of U.S. bombers in the Philippines in 1941, Japanese technicians salvaged and reconstructed several B-17s from wreckage in both the Philippines and Java, eventually flying them back to Japan for testing and study. Despite extensive technical analysis and use of these planes in research and training, Japan's aircraft industry gained little practical benefit due to material shortages and production difficulties, and the ultimate fate of these captured B-17s remains a mystery since none were found by Allied forces after the war.
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What's with the aircraft in the middle of the second photo? It should be a Curtiss-Wright CW-21B. But the rear of the canopy is wrong - it looks like the aft end of a CW 22 canopy. Is this an AI-manipulated version of the photo? Or a modified CW-21B? If the latter, then was it modified by the Dutch, or by the Japanese? If the latter, why?

 

[Oliverlovesplanes]

 

[Count de Bastrop]

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Note here that the canopy does NOT match the one in the photo in post #1. I have searched for "un-enhanced" versions of the above photo in question, but all I have found are too grainy to make out the canopy details on the CW-21B. I strongly suspect that the rear canopy portion was added by AI. There is also a colorized version of the same photo floating aroung the web.

 

[cvairwerks]

Deleted

 

[Wurger]

What's with the aircraft in the middle of the second photo? It should be a Curtiss-Wright CW-21B. But the rear of the canopy is wrong - it looks like the aft end of a CW 22 canopy. Is this an AI-manipulated version of the photo? Or a modified CW-21B? If the latter, then was it modified by the Dutch, or by the Japanese? If the latter, why?

That's what happens when it the AI used to enhance photo quality. In the actual engine of that piece of junk, the area behind the cabin was supposed to be glazed while there could be a tilt rather.

 

[Count de Bastrop]

Found the image on Wikipedia with the caption that it was a CW-21. Looks like one of 27 build kits shipped over there. The prototype was over there as well, but has a different cowling from the photos I found. CAMCO, the assembler was located at Loiwing, China, and was overrun by the Japanese in 1942 before any were completed and flown. The Dutch aircraft were all either shot down or destroyed on the ground in Java, per the article.

The ones to be assembled/license-built in Loiwing were for the Chinese Air Force. Three of them were assembled in Rangoon but crashed enroute to their Chinese base. The prototype was a CW-21A and it also went to China, where it was used by the Curtiss-Wright test pilot Bob Fausel to shoot down a Japanese Fiat BR-20 on April 4, 1939. The ones for the Netherlands East Indies were built in the US by Curtiss-Wright.

 

[Count de Bastrop]

That's what happens when it the AI used to enhance photo quality. In the actual engine of that piece of junk, the area behind the cabin was supposed to be glazed while there could be a tilt rather.

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I concur wholeheartedly with your assessment. Though the CW-21 was pretty much useless in combat, it's one of my favorite "pieces of junk" anyway! lol

 

[Count de Bastrop]

The ones to be assembled/license-built in Loiwing were for the Chinese Air Force. Three of them were assembled in Rangoon but crashed enroute to their Chinese base. The prototype was a CW-21A and it also went to China, where it was used by the Curtiss-Wright test pilot Bob Fausel to shoot down a Japanese Fiat BR-20 on April 4, 1939. The prototype not only had a different engine cowling, but also different main gear retraction - retracting backward into clam-shell enclosures under the wing. The CW-21Bs for the Netherlands East Indies were built in the US by Curtiss-Wright.

 

[Wurger]

I concur wholeheartedly with your assessment. Though the CW-21 was pretty much useless in combat, it's one of my favorite "pieces of junk" anyway! lol

Oh you got me wrong I guess. The CW-21 is not the scrap but the AI software engin ...
Indeed, the aircraft is a quite interesting kite. But using the AI may make it looking like LWS Żubr for instance.
And the AI faild again. I'm almost afraid to think what would come out if this photo were run through the AI mill again.