Turretless Avengers (1 Viewer)

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Maxrobot1

Senior Airman
318
410
Sep 28, 2009
Someone had a bad day.
This is the only wartime photo I've seen of an Avenger with the turret removed. I've seen the drawings and post-war photos but this one is unusual. Anyone have any to post? Anti-sub patrols from escort carriers did not expect to meet enemy aircraft, so the turretless types were not needed. By the way, does anyone know of an Avenger gunner shooting down an enemy aircraft?
A screenshot from a compilation of accidents with no context.
 

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1) What might that be in the center of the fuselage rounded?
That's an early version of an Early Warning system (AN/APS-20) mounted on a TBM-3W and the extra outrider vertical stabilizers were to help stabilize the aircraft (that radome played hell with it's aerodynamics).
 
Someone had a bad day.
This is the only wartime photo I've seen of an Avenger with the turret removed. I've seen the drawings and post-war photos but this one is unusual. Anyone have any to post? Anti-sub patrols from escort carriers did not expect to meet enemy aircraft, so the turretless types were not needed. By the way, does anyone know of an Avenger gunner shooting down an enemy aircraft?
A screenshot from a compilation of accidents with no context.
That's the Atlantic/ETO scheme, insignia white with gull gray (?). As noted, ASW aircraft were seldom concerned with aerial opposition, especially when they flew at night.
 
If you're talking about the Kiwi Avenger, it's a silver fern. It was used post-war by the RNZAF.
Close, Wildcat. That Fern is the earlier 'White Fern' which first appeared in 1958, and was superseded by the 'Silver' fern in 1960, after complaints that the white one looked too much like a 'white feather'.
The White fern was a simple outline that was painted or stenciled on to the roundel, whilst the silver version was a detailed (if somewhat fragile) decal.
 

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Great pictures. Who would have been doing the modifications on these to convert them to this configuration?
 

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