WWII Aircraft Trivia [Edit: Final Answers]

"ClassicDatsunDebate" (gmagnusson) 10/08/2020 at 11:32 • Filed to: None

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1. What Armament does (did?) this aircraft have?

GRS1 gets it! The Belgian block of Hurricane Mk1 had 4x Browning FN .50 cal in place of the usual 8x.303. The Belgian rondel and espadrille markings give it away as such.

2. What heavy bomber had more defensive armament than any other built in WWII. ( Hint: My reference materials vary, but there was only 1-3 of this variant built )

Well, no one got 2. The answer is the Junkers JU290A-8.

The JU290A-8 had 10x MG151/20 20mm cannons and 3 turret mounted MG131 13mm cannons. If I did my calculations right, if all guns were firing, it could expel ~1750 lbs/minute of defensive fire.

At least one A-8 variant survived the war and was scrapped in Czechoslovakia in 1956.

Thanks for playing!

Spaceball-Two > ClassicDatsunDebate 10/07/2020 at 18:55

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4 20 mm

I’m going to guess a G model B17

ClassicDatsunDebate > Spaceball-Two 10/07/2020 at 18:59

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No and No :)

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > ClassicDatsunDebate 10/07/2020 at 19:07

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That looks like a Hurricane, so 8 .303 mg?

Douglas XB-19?

ttyymmnn > ClassicDatsunDebate 10/07/2020 at 19:14

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My first guess for No. 2 is the YB-40 with 18 .50s.

GRS1 > ClassicDatsunDebate 10/07/2020 at 19:23

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1. 4 12.7mm/.50

2. Old 666, a B-17E with 19 .50s

Ermahgerd! > ClassicDatsunDebate 10/07/2020 at 19:50

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1) Hawker Hurricane with 4x 20mm cannons

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > ClassicDatsunDebate 10/07/2020 at 20:21

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My WAG for the day:

1. My guess is it’s a Hurribomber*, based on what looks like dive brakes. So, bombs + the standard 8 .303s?

2. My guess is some B17 variant. A quick google confirms the YB40 is a thing that existed, but there were definitely more than 3 produced.

*Not sure if this is the true name or just a nickname. Just know it's a thing that existed.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > GRS1 10/07/2020 at 20:36

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Had to look that up, since that’s obviously far more than a B17E normally carried. Found this. You've probably already read it but had to share for everyone else.

https://www.historynet.com/suicide-run-final-flight-old-666.htm

ClassicDatsunDebate > ttyymmnn 10/07/2020 at 20:41

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Good guess but The YB-80 was a heavy escort not a bomber, per se.

ClassicDatsunDebate > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 10/07/2020 at 20:42

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Great deduction but no on both counts.

ClassicDatsunDebate > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 10/07/2020 at 20:42

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No and no :)

ClassicDatsunDebate > GRS1 10/07/2020 at 20:48

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Excellent! The Belgian block of Hurricane Mk1 had 4x Browning FN .50 cal in place of the usual 8x.303.

2. I learned something new today.  Not the aircraft I am looking for although it is more heavily armed with its one off mods.  Also, technically it’s a photo recon aircraft and not a heavy bomber.

ttyymmnn > ClassicDatsunDebate 10/07/2020 at 20:56

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I didn’t think that looked like a British roundel.

ClassicDatsunDebate > ttyymmnn 10/07/2020 at 21:06

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Correct.  Also the tail number wasn’t used by the Brits or the squad art beside the rondel.  Tricky details.

ClassicDatsunDebate > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 10/07/2020 at 21:07

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By the way, those were the Hurri’s regular flaps in full down position.  I’m sure our brave pilot wanted to take her in as slowly and gingerly as possible.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > ClassicDatsunDebate 10/08/2020 at 07:12

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:(

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > ClassicDatsunDebate 10/08/2020 at 07:15

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...that moment you forget flaps are a thing... and also reading too much forest into the trees I could see.

Meh WAG it is what it is

ttyymmnn > ClassicDatsunDebate 10/08/2020 at 08:55

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So....what’s the answer to No. 2?

ttyymmnn > ClassicDatsunDebate 10/08/2020 at 12:09

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more defensive armament

I think you had all of us chasing number of guns, but you were looking for an answer to the amount of lead it could put down range. I looked at all the German bombers ( and all the American ones, and all the British ones, and all the Japanese ones, and all the Italian ones) and was comparing the number of guns.

ttyymmnn > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 10/08/2020 at 12:33

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I thought WAP was what it is. 

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > ttyymmnn 10/08/2020 at 12:46

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ClassicDatsunDebate > ttyymmnn 10/08/2020 at 12:55

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What I like about trivia questions is the thought experiment it takes us down and the interesting reading that the research takes one down. There is some interpretation, yes, and quantitative words like “most” or “biggest” always lend themselves to different perspective.

Take the question of the most defensive armament by a heavy bomber. You rightfully brought up the YB-80 and GRS1 brought up Old 666. By default I disqualify experimental (US X, German V or British P) or Test aircraft (US Y), unless specifically noted. Production aircraft only. The JU290A-8 barely holds that designation. I’ll layout the “terms of reference” better next time and also maybe frame the questions less of a finite answer and more of a discussion. The chase is better than the catch.

The B17-G had 13 guns such as the JU290A-8, true but they were “only” .50 cal’s. I can’t think of any other production heavy bomber that comes close, can you? The TB-3 had 5 pairs of 7.62mm machine guns. Haven’t run across anything else close in numbers or firepower.

ttyymmnn > ClassicDatsunDebate 10/08/2020 at 13:03

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I love a good puzzle, so long as the parameters are clear. 

Maybe your question could have been about the heaviest defensive armament?

ClassicDatsunDebate > ttyymmnn 10/08/2020 at 13:39

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true. A lthough I’m struggling to come up with a better answer to the original question even if I was more clear. 13 cannons is an absurd amount of firepower even for an Attack aircraft.  

GRS1 > ClassicDatsunDebate 10/08/2020 at 20:25

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It’s all in good fun, I’m just in it for the puzzles and learning new trivia.

That said, I’m not sure the distinction between experimental/test and extremely limited nominal production run is really valid if the experimental/test aircraft saw action.

GRS1 > ttyymmnn 10/08/2020 at 20:32

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That just has me looking for an example of an air-to-air bombing. Sadly, all I’m finding is an F-15E “shooting down” an Mi-24 with a 2,000-pound GBU-10

ttyymmnn > GRS1 10/08/2020 at 21:50

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There were instances of the Luftwaffe dropping bombs into Allied bomber formations. It wasn’t very effective unless you were the one bomber that got its wing blown off.