Planelopnik stuff I didn't know about

"415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)" (415s30) 04/01/2019 at 20:16 • Filed to: Planelopnik, planelopnik history

2

18

After some time well spent reading random historical type stuff, I was most interested in these two planes I had never seen before . I present the Schwalbecat.

Experimental version of the B18 armed with a 75mm gun, Big Bang Bolo

Second one, well say hello to my little friend.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 04/01/2019 at 20:33

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Those seem like ideas I would have

WilliamsSW > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 04/01/2019 at 20:47

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The bottom one looks like a proto-Warthog.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > WilliamsSW 04/01/2019 at 21:04

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Exactly, it’s the biggest gun I’ve ever seen mounted to such a small plane. Although the Warthog is famous for being designed around the gun and this is a crazy addition. For example I think a Sherman Tank had a 75mm gun, I don’t know about the rate of fire on this thing or what it was like to fly it while shooting. 

WilliamsSW > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 04/01/2019 at 21:11

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Yeah, this one just looks like ir was designed around the gun. Bet it shook like crazy when the gun fired.

ttyymmnn > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 04/01/2019 at 21:12

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Is this for April 1? Because that top photo is a shop.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > WilliamsSW 04/01/2019 at 21:12

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I bet it was pretty dramatic. I can’t find anything else about it, maybe it ripped the plane in half. 

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 21:15

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I kind of wondered about the second one , I can’t find anything about it. Although maybe it never flew, they have it blocked up for test firing I would guess. Perhaps it broke the plane and they scrapped the idea.

WilliamsSW > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 04/01/2019 at 21:19

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This says they stopped testing because the gun vibration was too much-   it’s a ways down the page :

http://www.aviation-history.com/douglas/b18.html

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > WilliamsSW 04/01/2019 at 21:21

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Ah, did it fly? The pic had it up on blocks. 

InFierority Complex > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 04/01/2019 at 21:22

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It wasn’t unheard of to mount 75mm on aircraft. The smallest I can think of is the HS 129B-3 up from 30-37mm in earlier models. Only a couple dozen or so were made

There was a B-25 Mitchell version with a 75mm howitzer in the nose

Then there was the Piaggio P.108 with a 102mm cannon in the nose. Although that was a 4 engine heavy bomber. I think it was tested but never used in action

WilliamsSW > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 04/01/2019 at 21:30

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Yes, it flew - 2 of them. Led to the B-25G which had the same cannon aboard.

WilliamsSW > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 21:34

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  The bottom one is real and actually flew.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > WilliamsSW 04/01/2019 at 21:38

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I did see that led to the B-25G, at least it did that. 

ttyymmnn > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 04/01/2019 at 21:48

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In 1939, the DB-1 prototype (which had been delivered to the Army as serial number 37-51) was modified to test the feasibility of firing large-caliber cannon from aircraft. A forward-firing 75-mm cannon was mounted in a fixed position in the bomb bay and the nose was cut down to accommodate the muzzle. Initial tests were carried out over Lake Erie and at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. Vibration during firing proved excessive, and the experiments were eventually discontinued. However, the data gathered was of great value in developing the B-25G and H cannon-firing versions of the North American Mitchell medium bomber during the war.

http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_bombers/b18.html

T his guy is a reliable source.

ttyymmnn > WilliamsSW 04/01/2019 at 21:49

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Yes. See my reply.

WilliamsSW > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 21:57

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Ha - yes, elsewhere I linked a different source but I think it was the same  text.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 22:18

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And this one?

http://longislandairpower.tumblr.com/

ttyymmnn > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 04/01/2019 at 22:21

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Totally real.

(not really)

Although it does remind me of the Boulton Paul Defiant , which was a real plane. A so-called turret fighter, the Defiant lacked forward-firing guns and was eaten up by Bf 109s. It had more success as a night fighter.