wdolson -> RE: Attack Bombers (9/29/2014 10:58:43 PM)
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Attack bombers represent the bombers modified by Pappy Gunn's people in Australia to make them better at attacking transports and escorts. They did experiments with B-17s and found they could serve well in the low level attack role, but the supply was very small and there was a big demand for them to fly other missions. The B-25 and A-20 were picked for conversion. The B-26 was a very marginal airplane flying from unimproved airstrips cut out of the jungle, which is why they were diverted to Europe. B-25s and A-20s did much better in rough conditions. The B-25 was the better plane for this role because it had a bigger cross section and longer range than the A-20, but they converted both. They loaded them up with as many .50 caliber machine guns they could fit. The B-25 usually had 2 per side just behind the cockpit and the early versions had 4 more in the bombardier's compartment. Many B-25s were also field modified with a tail gun position and waist guns. By late production of the B-25D and Gs, the waist guns were factory standard. The tail gun position became standard with the B-25H when the top turret was moved forward. The modified A-20s and B-25s were devastating in the low altitude skip bombing role. The suite of .50s was enough to sink small craft and kept flak gunners cowering on larger ships. The attack came in fast at mast height and was usually so quick the defending ship had no opportunity to maneuver. The most famous use of these bombers was the Battle of the Bismark Sea. Douglas and North American started factory producing these types of bombers after a while. The extra guns were often removed in other theaters, but usually kept in the Pacific. The 8 .50 forward package was in common use in all B-25 units against Japan by late war, even if they had someone riding in the nose. The B-25 had a modular nose that could be changed out replacing the bombardier with a solid nose with an extra 4 .50 calibers. The B-25G and H was the first attempt to make a more effective, factory built attack bomber, but the 75mm gun had different ballistics than the .50 calibers and aiming the gun was very difficult. In some cases the 75mm was removed in the field and 1-2 .50s was put in its place. Late A-20s came with a bombardier version and a solid gun nose version. Typically a unit in Europe would have a couple of bombardier versions for flight leaders and the rest with gun noses. When the A-26 began to replace the A-20, there was a shortage of glass nosed A-26s, so the glass nosed A-20s continued to fly with gunned up A-26s. In the original WitP there were poor rules for skip bombers that could lead to gamey use. For AE, the category of the attack bomber was created to represent these modified bombers. Bill
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