mike siggins
Airman
does anyone know how efective those b17 armored cars do
yb 40
- Thread starter mike siggins
- Start date
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FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
hedge hopper
Airman
- 61
- Dec 26, 2012
From my many books concerning the 8th AF, sadly this 'Great Inventive' was very short-lived ! I think it was a great idea !! But, obviously not to be proved so in combat.
FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
From Wiki...
The YB-40's mission was to provide a heavily gunned escort capable of accompanying bombers all the way to the target and back. Of the initial order of 13, one (43-5732) was lost on the delivery flight from Iceland to UK in May 1943; it force-landed in a peat bog on an offshore Scottish island after running out of fuel. Although removed to Stornoway and repaired, it never flew in combat. The remaining 12 were allocated to the 92d Bombardment Group (Heavy), being assigned to the 327th Bombardment Squadron, stationed at RAF Alconbury (AAF-102) on 8 May 1943.
YB-40s flew in the following operational missions:
29 May 1943 - attacked submarine pens and locks at Saint-Nazaire. Smaller strikes were made at Rennes naval depot and U-boat yards at La Pallice. In the attack, seven YB-40s were dispatched to Saint-Nazaire; they were unable to keep up with B-17s on their return from the target and modification of the waist and tail gun feeds and ammunition supplies was found to be needed. The YB-40s were sent to Technical Service Command at the Abbots Ripton 2nd Strategic Air Depot for modifications.
15 June 1943 - four YB-40s were dispatched from Alconbury in a raid on Le Mans after completion of additional modifications.
22 June 1943 - attack on the I.G. Farben Industrie Chemische Werke synthetic rubber plant at Hüls. The plant, representing a large percentage of the Germany's synthetic rubber producing capacity, is severely damaged. In the raid 11 YB-40s were dispatched; aircraft 42-5735 was lost, being first damaged by flak and later shot down by Uffz. Bernhard Kunze in an Fw 190A-4 of JG 1/1 over Pont, Germany. The 10 crew members survived and were taken prisoner.
25 June 1943 - attack on Blohm Voss sub shops at Oldenburg. This was the secondary target, as the primary at Hamburg was obscured by clouds. In this raid seven YB-40s were dispatched, of which two aborted. Two German aircraft were claimed as destroyed.
26 June 1943 - scheduled but aborted participation in attack on the Luftwaffe air depot at Villacoublay, France (primary target) and also the Luftwaffe airfield at Poissy, France. The five YB-40s assigned to the attack were unable to form up with the bombing squadron, and returned to base.
28 June 1943 - attack on the U-boat pens at Saint-Nazaire. In the raid the only serviceable lock entrance to the pens was destroyed. In this attack six YB-40s were dispatched, and one German aircraft was claimed as destroyed.
29 June 1943 - scheduled participation in attack on the Luftwaffe air depot at Villacoublay, but aircraft returned to Alconbury due to clouds obscuring the target. In the raid two YB 40s dispatched, one aborted.
4 July 1943 - attacks on aircraft factories at Nantes and Le Mans, France. In these raids two YB-40s were dispatched to Nantes and one to Le Mans.
10 July 1943 - attack on Caen/Carpiquet airfield. In this raid five YB-40s were dispatched.
14 July 1943 - attacked Luftwaffe air depot at Villacoublay. In this raid five YB-40s were dispatched.
17 July 1943 - YB-40s recalled from a raid on Hannover due to bad weather. In this raid two YB-40s were dispatched.
24 July 1943 - YB-40s recalled from an attack on on Bergen, Norway due to cloud cover. In this raid one YB-40 was dispatched.
28 July 1943 - attack on the Fiesler aircraft factory at Kassel. In this raid two YB-40s were dispatched.
29 July 1943 - attack on U-boat yards at Kiel. In this raid two YB-40s were dispatched.
NO YB-40S WERE EVER USED OVER ITALY!!!!!!!
The YB-40's mission was to provide a heavily gunned escort capable of accompanying bombers all the way to the target and back. Of the initial order of 13, one (43-5732) was lost on the delivery flight from Iceland to UK in May 1943; it force-landed in a peat bog on an offshore Scottish island after running out of fuel. Although removed to Stornoway and repaired, it never flew in combat. The remaining 12 were allocated to the 92d Bombardment Group (Heavy), being assigned to the 327th Bombardment Squadron, stationed at RAF Alconbury (AAF-102) on 8 May 1943.
YB-40s flew in the following operational missions:
29 May 1943 - attacked submarine pens and locks at Saint-Nazaire. Smaller strikes were made at Rennes naval depot and U-boat yards at La Pallice. In the attack, seven YB-40s were dispatched to Saint-Nazaire; they were unable to keep up with B-17s on their return from the target and modification of the waist and tail gun feeds and ammunition supplies was found to be needed. The YB-40s were sent to Technical Service Command at the Abbots Ripton 2nd Strategic Air Depot for modifications.
15 June 1943 - four YB-40s were dispatched from Alconbury in a raid on Le Mans after completion of additional modifications.
22 June 1943 - attack on the I.G. Farben Industrie Chemische Werke synthetic rubber plant at Hüls. The plant, representing a large percentage of the Germany's synthetic rubber producing capacity, is severely damaged. In the raid 11 YB-40s were dispatched; aircraft 42-5735 was lost, being first damaged by flak and later shot down by Uffz. Bernhard Kunze in an Fw 190A-4 of JG 1/1 over Pont, Germany. The 10 crew members survived and were taken prisoner.
25 June 1943 - attack on Blohm Voss sub shops at Oldenburg. This was the secondary target, as the primary at Hamburg was obscured by clouds. In this raid seven YB-40s were dispatched, of which two aborted. Two German aircraft were claimed as destroyed.
26 June 1943 - scheduled but aborted participation in attack on the Luftwaffe air depot at Villacoublay, France (primary target) and also the Luftwaffe airfield at Poissy, France. The five YB-40s assigned to the attack were unable to form up with the bombing squadron, and returned to base.
28 June 1943 - attack on the U-boat pens at Saint-Nazaire. In the raid the only serviceable lock entrance to the pens was destroyed. In this attack six YB-40s were dispatched, and one German aircraft was claimed as destroyed.
29 June 1943 - scheduled participation in attack on the Luftwaffe air depot at Villacoublay, but aircraft returned to Alconbury due to clouds obscuring the target. In the raid two YB 40s dispatched, one aborted.
4 July 1943 - attacks on aircraft factories at Nantes and Le Mans, France. In these raids two YB-40s were dispatched to Nantes and one to Le Mans.
10 July 1943 - attack on Caen/Carpiquet airfield. In this raid five YB-40s were dispatched.
14 July 1943 - attacked Luftwaffe air depot at Villacoublay. In this raid five YB-40s were dispatched.
17 July 1943 - YB-40s recalled from a raid on Hannover due to bad weather. In this raid two YB-40s were dispatched.
24 July 1943 - YB-40s recalled from an attack on on Bergen, Norway due to cloud cover. In this raid one YB-40 was dispatched.
28 July 1943 - attack on the Fiesler aircraft factory at Kassel. In this raid two YB-40s were dispatched.
29 July 1943 - attack on U-boat yards at Kiel. In this raid two YB-40s were dispatched.
NO YB-40S WERE EVER USED OVER ITALY!!!!!!!
wuzak
Captain
There was some consideration, after the XB-38 was dropped, for using the V-1710s for the YB-40 concept, but it never went much beyond that.
Aaron Brooks Wolters
Brigadier General
From what I have read over the years, with the amount of ammunition and guns it was just to much weight. The ships had a hard time holding formation. Especially after the bomb drop.
There was a an XB-41 version of the B-24 that employed a similar gunship concept. The XB-41 was built as a one off conversion of a production line aircraft. There was a concept for a B-29 variant, but I'm not sure if there was ever a designation number assigned to it.
