B-25 weapons thread

[Micdrow]

Better picture of Runts Roost

 

[Leutnant]

Damn she looks fierce!

 

[Micdrow]

Thanks,

Below are a few modified tail turrets I have found through the years.

 

[Micdrow]

Thanks David, you might find this interesting as I did, it has the bomb bay doors modified to carry a pair of 4.5 inch rockets for a B-25. Kind of reminds me of the James Bond type stuff. Nothing like a little extra forward fire power by opening the bomb bays with a pair of rockets. Added manual for 4.5 inch rockets for aircraft as well located under the pictures. Another interesting set of pictures of a rotary system tested on a B-25 with these rockets. Pictures from the book B-25 The Ultimate Look by William Wolf.

View attachment 282749 View attachment 282759 View attachment 282760

Few more pictures found of this nose rocket system for this link, wish I new of a way to make all of this info together other then making a book.

 

[GrauGeist]

By the way, Paul...have you read about Pappy Gunn's custom strafers and other shenanigans early in the war?
I understand that one of his B-25s had an Oldsmobile 37mm cannon installed, which was pilfered from a P-39.

 

[Micdrow]

By the way, Paul...have you read about Pappy Gunn's custom strafers and other shenanigans early in the war?
I understand that one of his B-25s had an Oldsmobile 37mm cannon installed, which was pilfered from a P-39.

I have heard of it but so far found nothing on it other than in books. He also had installed 30 caliber machine guns in the wing landing lights but was told to remove them even though supposedly they where used a few times as the engineers from North America said it would compromise the strength of the wing. I would love to find pictures of that one as well.

 

[Micdrow]

Little off topic but betting a lot of aircrews wished this was there ground crew during the war.

 

[Greg Boeser]

I always have a hard time when an author mentions a field modification "that became standard".
Aside from a few squadrons, whose planes were all modified at the same time, there was no such thing as "standard", especially in the Pacific.
Even a group-wide modification would be implemented by the squadron crew chiefs leading to all kinds of variation, and replacement aircraft may or may not be modified to the same "standard".

 

[GrauGeist]

Major Gunn's custom gunships were adopted by North American (through Jack Fox's direction) and introduced as the B-25G, so it appears that a field mod did, in fact, become a standard.

 

[Micdrow]

Major Gunn's custom gunships were adopted by North American (through Jack Fox's direction) and introduced as the B-25G, so it appears that a field mod did, in fact, become a standard.

Tail modifications for a gunner position became standard as well later in the war on the J model's. But at the same time there was no standard so they all looked different till North America made a standard tail gun position.

I still think its funny though on the Gunn's modification. North America was not happy yet in there design they added 4 more to the nose LOL.

 

[Micdrow]

Other than fuel tank modifications has any one ever seen modifications done to the Mitchell by the British or the Soviets. I know on some American aircraft the Soviets installed there machine guns but so far have not found any Mitchells armed up with Soviet weapons.

 

[fubar57]

Little off topic but betting a lot of aircrews wished this was there ground crew during the war.

I bet. When I worked in the paper-mill, my 4th and 5th hands were two hot women with implants. Probably every other mill in the world had men in their 30s-50s. I wanted to send all the 3rd hands in those mills a photo of them and say, "This is my winder crew, what does yours look like?"

 

[Dimlee]

Other than fuel tank modifications has any one ever seen modifications done to the Mitchell by the British or the Soviets. I know on some American aircraft the Soviets installed there machine guns but so far have not found any Mitchells armed up with Soviet weapons.

Most probably weapons modifications on B-25 in VVS were limited to bomb loads only. Lend leased bombs, Soviet and even German ones were used. I don't remember anything about field modifications of machine gun installations. Overall, Soviet crews liked weapons of B-25 except the early (B-25D, I guess?) variant with belly turret which was considered unreliable and not really necessary. Extra waist guns and rear gun were requested and they were installed in US, not on the fields in USSR.

 

[Micdrow]

Most probably weapons modifications on B-25 in VVS were limited to bomb loads only. Lend leased bombs, Soviet and even German ones were used. I don't remember anything about field modifications of machine gun installations. Overall, Soviet crews liked weapons of B-25 except the early (B-25D, I guess?) variant with belly turret which was considered unreliable and not really necessary. Extra waist guns and rear gun were requested and they were installed in US, not on the fields in USSR.

Many thanks for the info

 

[Micdrow]

I was going through some pictures on my hard drive when I noticed this under the fuselage. Black arrows pointing to a pipe running along the fuselage. Anybody have any idea's what its for.

Thanks Paul

 

[Barrett]

Just FWIW: LONG ago (I was a kid, which was LONG ago!) one of the ag pilots at our duster strip had flown a B-25 gunships. He said that with one round loaded, with a good navigator (or whatever) he could get off three 75mm rounds in one pass. I forget the zeroed range but probably c. 500 yds which meant that at first he had to hold high, and getting closer he had to hold low.

 

[CATCH 22]

I was going through some pictures on my hard drive when I noticed this under the fuselage. Black arrows pointing to a pipe running along the fuselage. Anybody have any idea's what its for.

Thanks Paul

It's a gun gas vent for the additional nose guns. Seen on B-25 from the 345-th BG.:

"Cactus Kitten" was a B-25J-11-NC, s/n 43-36041 from 501-th BS./ 345-th BG. and had 5 nose guns:

It was a standard mod to (almost) all PBJ-1D of the USMC:

 

[Micdrow]

It's a gun gas vent for the additional nose guns. Seen on B-25 from the 345-th BG.:
View attachment 538420
View attachment 538421
View attachment 538422
View attachment 538423
"Cactus Kitten" was a B-25J-11-NC, s/n 43-36041 from 501-th BS./ 345-th BG. and had 5 nose guns:
View attachment 538424
It was a standard mod to (almost) all PBJ-1D of the USMC:
View attachment 538425
View attachment 538426

Many thanks Yves, I guess I never noticed it before. Must have worked like a vacuum effect to draw out the smoke. Many thanks for the info

 

[Micdrow]

Just FWIW: LONG ago (I was a kid, which was LONG ago!) one of the ag pilots at our duster strip had flown a B-25 gunships. He said that with one round loaded, with a good navigator (or whatever) he could get off three 75mm rounds in one pass. I forget the zeroed range but probably c. 500 yds which meant that at first he had to hold high, and getting closer he had to hold low.

Many crews and pilots where not fond of the 75mm cannon because they had to fly higher which made a bigger profile for anti aircraft gunners and zero's to shoot them down. Because of the limited firing rate per run they felt that the 50's in the nose could do just as much damage and that they felt safer closer to the deck.

 

[CATCH 22]

Must have worked like a vacuum effect to draw out the smoke.

Yep, difference in air pressure always works!
There is something interesting on all these 345-th BG.-birds photos. Look at the third (last window) of the greenhouse nose. It' s exactly where the bombardier sits during the flight. They all have an opaque fairing - obviously metal, not plexy. Some are painted, some not. It doesn't look like an armour plate to me but I really don't know what it is. Is it just a shade against the sun or is there something mounted on the back? Does anybody know what is this?
Yves