B-25 Chin Gun Pack

[Michael Turner]

I was wondering if the B-25's that were used in the North Africa/MTO had the chin mounted gun packs installed? From the pictures that I have seen so far, most didn't but I am still checking on this.

Thank you.

Michael

[drgondog]

Michael - like you I have not seen any cheek installations for the B-25 until the factory equipped G model came to Europe - after Africa campaign over.

Of course virtually all of the PTO B-25s were field modified from early 1943 forward.

Of course I have been wrong before.

[Michael Turner]

Hi dragondog:

Thank you for your reply. I am beginning to think that the reason that the fuselage mounted "chin packs" weren't used as much by the B-25's in the MTO/ No.Africa is that there might have been a lot more low level strike missions in the PTO then in the No.Africa and the MTO? Most pictures of B-25's from the PTO that I have seen show a lot of low level raids on air fields and shipping.

So far, the pictures that I have seen of the B-25's in the MTO/No Africa show both styles and I even found a web site to download "skins" for computer games that showed them with/with out as well.

Thank you again.

Michael

E-Mail: Fyrtog@aol.com

[drgondog]

You are correct on the low level emphasis in PTO for both B-25s and A-20s. Pappy Gunn was the architect of the field mods for the heavy nose armament in both ships. The original airframes were the C and D versions of B-25. The cheek mods and nose mods were incorporated in later production versions like the G.

The heavy nose package including cheek 50's were dominantly for shipping and strafing airfields. In most ships the bombadier was not used - unlike MTO and ETO.

These ships were crucial in the Battle of Bismark Sea... with forward firing 50s and skip bombing techniques.

I still have to do some checking but I don't think field mods were performed on the B-25 C/D/F versions - only when G came to theatre did the cheek mounts come with it to the MTO and ETO. German flak much better than Japanese flak..