jfb@ihlpm.att.com (Joseph F Baugher) (08/19/90)
From: jfb@ihlpm.att.com (Joseph F Baugher)
There have been a couple of requests for a list of designations of American
bombers. Here is a list which I had sitting around on my PC for a while.
Enjoy!!
The original B-series of Army bombers began in 1926. Prior to that, bombers
were classified in terms of their role; e. g. HB (heavy bomber), LB (light
bomber), NBL(night bomber, long distance) and NBS(night bomber, short distance).
In 1926, all of these categories were combined into one, B for bomber.
Here is the original B-series of Army/Air Force bombers:
Keystone XB-1B Originally was twin-engine adaptation of XHB-1 heavy
bomber. Twin-rudder biplane. Gunner position in
rear of each engine nacelle. Two Curtiss V-1570
liquid-cooled engines.
Curtiss B-2 Condor Twin-engined biplane bomber. Two Curtiss V-1570
liquid-cooled engines. Crew of 5. Gunner position
in rear of each engine nacelle (two guns each).
Two guns in nose gunner position. Twin biplane
rudder. 128 mph at 5000 feet. Up to 4000 lbs. of
bombs. 12 built.
Keystone B-3 Twin-engine biplane bomber. Two P & W R-1690
radials. Crew of 5. Three flexible guns. Steel
tube construction covered by fabric. Single tail.
Two-bladed propellors. 109.5 mph at 50,000 ft.
2500 lb. of bombs. 36 built.
Keystone B-4 Twin-engine biplane bomber. Two P & W R-1860
radials. Crew of 5. Three flexible guns. Steel
tube construction covered by fabric. Single tail.
Three-bladed propellors. 121 mph at sea level.
2500 lb. of bombs. 25 built.
Keystone B-5 Twin-engine biplane bomber. Two Wright R-1750
radials. Crew of 5. Three flexible guns. Steel
tube construction covered by fabric. Single tail.
Three-bladed propellors. 121 mph at sea level.
2500 lb. of bombs. 27 built.
Keystone B-6 Twin-engine biplane bomber. Two Wright R-1820
radials. Crew of 5. Three flexible guns. Steel
tube construction covered by fabric. Single tail.
Three-bladed propellors. 116 mph at 5000 feet.
2500 lb. of bombs. 39 built.
Douglas YB-7 Twin-engine monoplane bomber. Adaptation of XO-35
Two Curtiss V-1570 liquid-cooled engines mounted
under gull wings that were braced by metal struts.
Two .30 cal flexible guns. 182 mph. 7 built.
Fokker XB-8 Twin-engine monoplane bomber. Adaptation of XO-27
long-range observation prototype. All-wood canti-
lever wing, fabric-covered steel tube fuselage.
Two Curtiss V-1570 liquid-cooled engines. 160 mph.
Only one built.
Boeing Y1B-9 Twin-engine monoplane bomber. Two P & W R-1860
radials. Crew of four in separate open cockpits.
Two .30 cal flexible guns. 188 mph at 6000 ft.
All-metal construction, retractable landing gear.
Only 6 built.
Martin B-10 Twin-engine monoplane bomber. Two Wright R-1820
radials. Enclosed cockpits, three 0.3 cal guns.
2200 lbs. of bombs in internal bomb bay.
First bomber with performance superior to
contemporary fighters. 213 mph at 10,000 ft.
103 built. Export version also built which saw
some service at beginning of World War 2.
Douglas YB-11 Twin-engine, long-range reconnaissance amphibian
aircraft. Two Wright R-1820 radials mounted on
pylons above the high-mounted wing. Retractable
wheel undercarriage. Crew of 5, 3 0.30 cal guns.
Redesignated YO-44 and then YOA-5 before delivery
to Army.
Martin YB-12 Version of Martin bomber with P & W. R-1690 radials.
212 mph at 6500 ft. 31 built.
Martin B-13 Proposal to equip B-10 airframe with R-1860 radial
engines. Cancelled before any could be delivered.
Martin XB-14 B-10 airframe with 950hp R-1830 radials. 223 mph at
7900 ft. Only one built.
Boeing XB-15 Experimental four-engine long-range bomber. Crew 10.
Four P & W R-1830 radials. Three 0.3-cal, three
0.5-cal machine guns. Max bombload 12000 lb.
3400 mi range with 2500 lb bombload. Underpowered
for its size and not ordered into production. Only
one built. Later converted into XC-105 cargoplane.
Martin XB-16 Experimental six-engine long-range bomber. Six
Allison V-1710 liquid-cooled engines, four as
tractors, two as pushers. Two tail booms, twin
rudders. Deemed two expensive. Canceled before
any could be built.
Boeing B-17 Fortress Four-engine heavy bomber. Four Wright R-1820
Cyclone radials. 300 mph at 30,000 ft. 1850 mi.
range with 4000-pound bombload.
Early versions (A through D) had inadequate
defensive armament. E version introduced large
vertical tail and tail gun position. G version
had 13 0.50-cal guns; two in "chin" turret under
nose, one in each "cheek" position in nose, two in
dorsal turret, one in upper fuselage position, two
in tail turret, one in each waist position, and two
in ventral turret.
Excellent high-altitude capability, could absorb an
incredible amount of battle damage and keep flying
Total of 12,677 Fortresses built.
Douglas B-18 Adaptation of DC-2 commercial transport to bombing
role. Two Wright R-1820 930 hp radials. 217 mph
at 10,000 ft. 2200 lb. bombload. Three 0.30 cal
guns. 350 built. Most numerous American bomber type
available at beginning of World War 2. Totally
unsuited for long range bombing role. Most used for
training, but a few saw action in antisubmarine
warfare.
Douglas XB-19 Four-engined long-range heavy bomber. Four Wright
R-3350 radials. 224 mph at 13,700 ft. Maximum
bombload of 37,000 pounds for short range missions.
2 37 mm cannon, five 0.50-cal and six 0.30 cal
machine guns. Crew of 16. Lacked armor, self-
sealing tanks. Considered too heavy. Only one
built. Served as flying laboratory for ideas which
later led to B-29 and B-36.
Boeing YB-20 Proposed version of B-15 with 1400 hp. engines.
Canceled before any prototype could be completed.
North American XB-21 Twin-engine medium bomber. Two P & W R-2180 Twin
Hornets with superchargers. Crew of six. Five
0.30-cal guns in power turrets in nose and on top,
and at mounts in waist and ventral positions. Up
to 10,000 lb. bombload for short-range missions.
220 mph at 10,000 ft. Only one built.
Douglas B-22 Proposed adaptation of B-18 to take two Wright
R-2600 radials. Cancelled in favor of B-23.
Douglas B-23 Twin-engine medium bomber. Ordered as part of the
B-18A contract. Two Wright R-2600 Cyclones.
New streamlined fuselage. 0.30-cal guns in nose,
top, and belly positions. 0.50-cal gun in tail
position. 4520-lb bombload. 282 mph at 12,000 ft.
38 built. None saw combat. Some converted to
transport role and redesignated UC-67.
Consolidated B-24 Four-engine heavy bomber. Four Pratt and Whitney
Liberator R-1830 radial engines on high-mounted wing. 300 mph
at 30,000 ft. 1700 mile range with 5000-pound
bombload. J version had ten 0.50-cal guns in nose,
upper, ventral, and tail turrets and in waist
positions. The long range and heavy payload of B-24
made it useful in British service in antisub role.
Liberators in American service concentrated mainly
in Mediterranean and Pacific. Operations over
Northern Europe showed deficiencies in armament and
armor. Not nearly as robust as B-17; was prone to
catching fire as a result of superficial strikes.
Had some bad flying characteristics which made it
not as popular with its crews as was the B-17.
Navy version was PB4Y Privateer used for long-range
maritime patrol. Many converted to transport role
under designation C-87 and C-109.
Total of 18,188 built, greater than that of any
other American aircraft.
North American B-25 Twin-engine medium bomber. Two Wright R-2600
Mitchell Cyclone radial engines. 275 mph at 15,000 ft.
1275 miles range with 3200-lb bombload. J version
had 13 0.5 can guns in nose, waist, upper turret, and
tail positions. Most famous operation of B-25 was
the Doolittle Tokyo raid of April 1942. Flew in
all fronts in World War 2. Many served with British
and Soviet units. H version carried 75-mm cannon.
Total of 9816 Mitchells built.
Martin B-26 Marauder Twin-engine medium bomber. Two P & W R-2800 radials.
High-mounted wing. Streamlined cigar-shaped fuselage
283 mph at 5000 ft. G version had 11 0.5 cal guns:
4 in fixed forward-firing positions, one in manual
nose position, one in each waist position, and two
each in dorsal and tail turrets. High wing loading
and heavy weight gave rather high landing speed.
This lead to lots of training accidents, which gave
the Marauder a rather unsavory reputation. However,
it excelled in tactical operations in the European
and North African theaters of operation. Also served
with British, South African, Free French, Australian,
Canadian, and Greek air forces.
Total of 5157 Marauders built.
Martin XB-27 High-altitude adaptation of B-26. Two turbo-
supercharged P & W R-2800 Wasps. Pressurized cabin.
Project cancelled before any could be built.
North American XB-28 High-altitude adaptation of B-25. Two turbo-
supercharged P & W R-2800 Wasps. Pressurized cabin.
Single rudder. Crew of 5. Six 0.50 cal guns in
upper, lower, and tail turrets remote-controlled
from periscopes behind the pilots' seats. 372 mph
at 25,000 ft. No need was perceived for high-
altitude medium bombers, and only two were built.
Boeing B-29 Long range, high altitude heavy bomber. Four
Superfortress Wright R-3350 radials. Unbroken nose, crew of 11,
pressurized cabin. Four remote-controlled turrets,
plus tail gun position. Up to 40,000 pounds of
bombs. 357 mph at 30,000 ft. 2560 mi. range with
10,000 pound bombload.
Used exclusively in strategic bombing campaign
against Japan. Best known as the airplane which
dropped the two atomic bombs which ended the war.
After the war, B-29 provided the basis of the
American strategic deterrent at beginning of the
Cold War. Extensive service in Korean War. Some
briefly transferred to Royal Air Force. A couple
landed in USSR during WW 2 and were interned.
These served as the basis of the Tu-4, a bolt-
for-bolt copy of the B-29 which served for a
period as the main strategic bomber of the Soviet
Air Force.
3970 built (in USA). I don't know how many were
built in the USSR.
Lockheed XB-30 Long range, high altitude bomber. Canceled before
any prototypes could be built. Later served as
basis for Constellation airliner.
Douglas XB-31 Long-range, high altitude bomber. Four R-4360
radial engines, large single tail fin. Canceled
before any prototypes could be built.
Consolidated B-32 High-altitude development of B-24. Four Wright
Dominator R-3350 radials. Ten 0.50 cal guns paired in power
turrets; one in the nose, two on top, one in the
tail, one retractable in ventral position. First
two prototypes had twin tail, later versions had
single vertical tail. 357 mph at 30,000 feet.
Originally developed in parallel with B-29. Success
of B-29 led to cutback in orders of B-32. Only
155 built. Some very limited action at end of
World War 2.
Martin XB-33 Long range bomber project with four 1800 hp R-2600
radials and twin tails. Crew of seven, eight 0.50
cal guns, 12,000 lbs of bombs. Canceled in favor of
B-29 before it ever got off the drawing board.
Lockheed B-34 Ventura Midwing twin-engine medium bomber with twin rudders.
Originally produced to meet British requirements for
a successsor to the Hudson light bomber. Two P & W
R-2800 radials. 2500-lb bombload. Two fixed 0.50
and two flexible 0.30 cal guns in nose, two 0.30 cal
guns in top turret, and two 0.30 cal guns in ventral
position. 315 mph at 15,500 ft. 875 built. Many
sent to Allies. 400 supplied to the RAF. In USAAF
service, used primarily for training, target towing
and coastal patrol. Primary production version was
the Navy PV-1 patrol bomber, of which 1600 were
built and saw service on the Pacific front.
Northrop YB-35 Long-range flying-wing bomber. Four P & W R-4360
radials with double turbosuperchargers driving
pusher propellers. Crewo of 9 in pressurized center
section. Seven remote-controlled turrets aimed from
central sighting stations (Four-gun turrents above
and below the center section, two-gun turrents above
and below the engines, four-gun turret in tail cone).
Up to 50,000 lb. of bombs could be carried. 391 mph
at 35,000 ft.
Convair B-36 Six-engine long-range heavy bomber. Six P & W
Peacemaker R-4360 radials driving pusher props. Crew of 16 in
two separate pressurized compartments connected by
tunnel passing through bomb bay. 16 20 mm cannon
in 8 remotely-controlled turrets (6 of which were
retractable). 381 mph at 34,500 ft. Combat radius
of 4300 miles with 10,000-pound bombload. D version
had four General Electric J-47 jets in pods under
outer wing to increase over-target speed.
Key part of American deterrent in early years of
Cold War. Very controversial because of high cost
and doubts about survivability against determined
fighter opposition.
Lockheed B-37 Ventura Adaptation of Ventura for observation role. Was
initially designated O-56. Two Wright R-2600
radials. Only 18 built.
Vega XB-38 B-17E airframe converted by Vega corporation to take
four Allison V-1710-89 liquid-cooled engines. Max.
speed raised to 327 mph. Sole example was destroyed
by fire. Further work abandoned because of pressing
need for Allison engines by P-38 and P-40 fighters.
Boeing XB-39 Conversion of B-29 airframe to take four Allison
Superfortress V-3420 liquid-cooled engines of 3000 hp. each.
405 mph at 25,000 ft.
Boeing YB-40 Conversion of B-17F as escort fighter to improve
defensive power of B-17 bomber formations.
Additional guns and armor mounted. Additional
ammunition carried. Twin 0.50 cal guns replaced
the single guns in the waist position. Two-gun
"chin" turret added. Total of 20 built. Armament
varied considerably from one plane to another.
Reports of YB-40s carrying as many as 30 guns.
Heavily-laden YB-40s could not keep up with the
"normal" B-17s in climb and combat cruise. YB-40
recognized as failure, and surviving YB-40s were
converted back to B-17F configuration or used as
trainers. 285 at 25,000 ft.
Consolidated XB-41 Escort fighter conversion of B-24D. Fourteen 0.50
cal guns. Two guns in chin turret, a pair of guns in
each of two top turrets, two guns in tail turret, two
guns in tail turret, and a pair of guns at each waist
position. 289 mph at 25,000 ft. Only one built.
Did not enter operational service because of success
of P-47 and P-51 escort fighters.
Douglas XB-42 High-speed long-range bomber. Envisaged as low-
cost alternative to B-29. Two Allison V-1710
water-cooled engines buried in fuselage driving
pusher propellors behind the tail. Six guns (two
in trailing edge of each wing, two fixed in nose)
488 mph at 14,000 ft. Range of over 5000 miles
with a one-ton bombload. 1800 mile range with
8000-pound bombload. Crew of 3.
Douglas XB-43 First American jet bomber. XB-42 airframe fitted
with two General Electric J-35 jets fed by intakes
located behind the cockpit. Crew of 3. 8000-lb
bombload. No defensive armament. 515 mph at sea
level. Two built.
Boeing XB-44 B-29A with four P & W R-4360 radials in redesigned
nacelles. Became prototype for B-29D which evolved
into B-50. Three built. 405 mph at 25,000 ft.
North American B-45 Four-jet medium bomber. First all-jet powered bomber
Tornado to enter service with USAF. Four General Electric
J-47 jets. 571 mph at 3500 ft. Two 0.50 cal guns
in tail turret. 140 built.
Convair XB-46 Four-jet medium bomber. Four General Electric J-35
jets. 491 mph at sea level. Lost out to B-45
Tornado for production orders.
Boeing B-47 Stratojet Six-jet swept-wing medium bomber. Six General
Electric J-47 jets. Crew of 3. Pair of 20 mm
cannon in radar-controlled tail turret. 607 mph at
16,300 ft. 18,000-lb bombload. Combat radius of
2000 miles with 10,800 pound bombload. 2041 built.
Formed mainstay of American nuclear deterrent until
1966, when the last B-47E was retired.
Martin XB-48 Six-jet medium bomber. Six Allison J-35 jets mounted
three each in underwing pods. Crew of 3. Total
bombload of 22,000 lbs. 516 mph at 20,000 ft.
Failed to achieve guaranteed speed. Only two built.
Northrop YB-49 Conversion of B-35 to all-jet power. Eight Allison
J-35 jets. Wing fences and vertical stabilizing fins
were added. All turrets and guns were eliminated.
Unstable and difficult to fly. Program was canceled
in 1949 in favor of B-36.
Boeing B-50 Superfortress Adaptation of B-29 to accommodate four P & W R-4360
radials of 3500 hp each housed in modified nacelles.
Enlarged vertical tail. 13 0.50 cal guns. 395 mph
at 31,000 ft. 368 built. Equipped several Strategic
Air Command wings in late 1940s and early 1950s.
Many converted to training, reconnaissance, tanker,
and weather research roles.
Martin XB-51 Three-jet light bomber. Three General Electric J-47
jets, two under forward fuselage and one in tail.
Crew of 3. 8 20-mm cannon in nose. 645 mph at
sea level. Up to 10,400 pounds of bombs. Lost out
to B-57 in competition for production orders.
Boeing B-52 Eight-jet long-range strategic bomber. Eight P & W
Stratofortress J-57 engines mounted in four pods underneath swept-
back wings. Crew of 5. Early versions had 4 .50
cal or 2 20-mm cannon in tail gunner position.
Later versions had single rotary cannon in tail.
D and F versions flew operational missions in
Vietnam, each carrying up to 50,000 pounds of bombs.
G version had shorter vertical tail. H version
powered by TF-33 turbofans. Earlier versions of
B-52 now retired. G and H versions remain a mainstay
of American airborne nuclear deterrent to this day.
639 mph at 20,700 ft. Total of 744 built.
Convair XB-53 Three-jet light bomber project. Canard design with
swept-forward wing. Three J-35 jets. Was formerly
XA-44. Canceled before completion.
Boeing XB-54 Proposed version of B-50 with P & W R-4360-51
compound engines. Would have required complete
redesign of the airframe. Canceled in favor of B-36
before any prototype could be completed.
Boeing XB-55 Long-range heavy bomber powered by four Allison T-40
turboprops housed in pods under a slightly swept-
back wing. 12 20-mm cannon in three turrets. Top
speed of 490 mph anticipated. Abandoned before
prototype could be completed because of greater
promise of B-52.
North American XB-56 Version of B-47 with four Allison J-71 jets.
Project was canceled before prototype could be
completed.
Martin B-57 Canberra American-built version of English Electric Canberra
twin-jet light bomber. Two Wright J-65 jets. 609
mph at 4500 ft. Crew 2. Total of 403 built.
High-altitude reconnaissance and target towing
versions also built. Saw action in Vietnam and in
Kashmir conflict (in Pakistani service).
Convair B-58 Hustler Four-engine supersonic medium bomber. Four General
Electric J-79 jets with afterburners in individual
pods under a delta wing. Crew of 3. Offensive load
housed in detachable pod carried under the fuselage.
Single rotary cannon in radar-controlled tail turret.
Total of 116 built. 1321 mph at 63,000 ft. Service
life was curtailed because of high accident rate and
advent of strategic missiles.
Boeing XB-59 Supersonic bomber project powered by four General
Electric J-73 engines. Lost out to Convair B-58 for
Air Force orders. Never got off the drawing board.
Convair YB-60 Jet-powered version of B-36. Eight J-57 jets, swept
wing and tail. 72 percent commonality with B-36.
72,000 pound bombload. Crew of 5. All guns removed
except the twin 20 mm cannon in the tail.
508 mph at 39,250 ft. Much slower than B-52. Only
two built.
Martin B-61 Matador Single-engine ground-launched cruise missile. Later
redesignated TM-61
Northrop B-62 Snark Single-engine ground-launched strategic cruise
missile. Later redesignated SM-62.
Bell B-63 Rascal Air-launched strategic missile. Later redesignated
North American B-64 Ground-launched strategic supersonic cruise missile.
Navajo Later redesignated SM-64.
Convair B-65 Atlas Ground-launched intercontinental ballistic missile.
Later redesignated SM-65.
Douglas B-66 Destroyer Air Force adaptation of carrier-based A3D Skywarrior
light bomber. Two Allison J-71 jets. Crew of 3. Up
to 15,000 lbs. of bombs. Two 20 mm cannon in radar-
controlled tail turret. Reconnaissance and
electronics countermeasures versions also produced.
Total of 294 built.
Radioplane B-67 Decoy missile. Designation later changed to GAM-67.
Crossbow
Martin XB-68 Two-seat tactical bomber powered by two P & W J-75
engines. High T-tail and rotary bomb door. Radar-
aimed rotary cannon in tail. 1580 mph at 54,700 ft.
Canceled in 1957.
Lockheed B-69 Neptune Designation allocated to seven P2V-7U Neptune patrol
planes ordered from the Navy for special electronic
intelligence missions.
North American XB-70A Mach 3 strategic bomber. Six General Electric J-93
Valkyrie engines. Delta wing. Twin rudders. Crew of 2.
No defensive armament. Originally conceived as
replacement for B-52. Production order canceled
because of high cost and perceived vulnerability
to surface-to-air missiles. RS-70 version (RS :
Reconnaissance/Strike) proposed but not ordered.
1982 mph at 75,550 ft. Only two prototypes built,
used exclusively for experimental tests. One
destroyed in a mid-air collision, the other was
relegated to the Air Force museum.
[ The old pre-1962 B-series ends at this point ]
In 1962, the Defense Department decided to restart the B-series bomber
designations over again from 1. The designations of the bombers already in
service in 1962, however, were unchanged. Here is the new B-series of bombers.
So far, there are only two entries.
Rockwell B-1B Four-engine variable sweep strategic bomber and
cruise missile carrier. Four General Electric F101
turbofans. 795 mph above 30,000 feet, 610 mph on
the deck. Variable-sweep wing. Two internal
weapons bays capable of carrying up to 50,000 pounds
of iron bombs, cruise missiles, nuclear bombs and
defense suppression missiles. 8 external hardpoints
capable of carrying additional bombs and cruise
missiles. B-1B is extensively revised version of
B-1A which was cancelled after only four were built.
Total of 100 B-1Bs were built.
Northrop B-2 Two-seat, four-engine low-observable multi-role
bomber. Four General Electric F118 turbofans buried
in wing. 625 mph at 50,000 ft (estimated). 8000
miles maximum unrefuelled range. 75,000 pounds of
ordinance in 3 internal bays. No vertical tail
surfaces. Structure primarily of carbon fiber and
Kevlar, with some titanium in high-stress areas.
Extensive use of radar-absorbent composite skinning.
Engines exhaust over the inboard trailing edges
of the wing to screen out infrared emissions.
Fly-by-wire control system. It is uncertain how
many B-2s will ultimately be produced, because of
high unit cost and uncertainty about the role.
Sources:
American Combat Planes (Third Edition), Ray Wagner, Doubleday, New York,1982.
Observers Aircraft, William Green, Frederick Warne and Co, 1989.
Famous Bombers of the Second World War (first and second series),
William Green, Doubleday, Garden City, New York, 1959.
The Aircraft of the World, William Green and Gerald Pollinger, Doubleday,
Garden City, New York, 1965
Hey, I really enjoyed this!!! I would appreciate hearing from anyone who
can enlighten me on any errors or omissions in this list.
Joe Baugher **************************************
AT&T Bell Laboratories * "Round up the usual suspects." *
200 Park Plaza **************************************
Naperville, Illinois 60566-7050
(708) 713 4548
ihlpm!jfb Who, me? Speak for AT&T? Surely you jest!
jfb200@cbnewsd.att.comcfreund@PICA.ARMY.MIL (CCL-L) (08/22/90)
From: "Charles T. Freund" (CCL-L) <cfreund@PICA.ARMY.MIL>
For those with an interest in American bombers, this is an excellent book
on the subject:
U.S. Bombers, B1 - B70, Lloyd S. Jones,
Aero Publishers Inc, Fallbrook, CA 1966
It contains detailed specs of performance, design, armament, etc, for each
bomber, including some of the odder variations and mods (ever see a B-24
biplane). over 200 photos and 74 3-view scale drawingsfiddler%concertina@Sun.COM (Steve Hix) (08/22/90)
From: fiddler%concertina@Sun.COM (Steve Hix) > From: jfb@ihlpm.att.com (Joseph F Baugher) Great list! > Consolidated B-24 Four-engine heavy bomber. Four Pratt and Whitney > Liberator R-1830 radial engines on high-mounted wing. 300 mph > at 30,000 ft. 1700 mile range with 5000-pound > Liberators in American service concentrated mainly > in Mediterranean and Pacific. Operations over > Northern Europe showed deficiencies in armament and > armor. Not nearly as robust as B-17; was prone to > catching fire as a result of superficial strikes. One problem resulting in catching fire was that the fuel crossover system was in a vulnerable position up around the wing root. Hit it and the plane would burn brightly. The B-24's bomb bay doors were kind of cute: instead of a couple of doors that swung outward, they were implemented as a pair of rolling blinds, somewhat like a rolltop desk. > Had some bad flying characteristics which made it > not as popular with its crews as was the B-17. It was faster than the B-17, which led to jibes against B-17 crews that "our plane gets you home quicker", usually countered with "but ours gets you home more often". > Martin B-26 Marauder Twin-engine medium bomber. Two P & W R-2800 radials. > High-mounted wing. Streamlined cigar-shaped fuselage Had the lowest loss-rate of any American bomber. Something on the order of less than 1% combat losses. The B-26 designation was shared with Douglas' A-26 Invader when it was redesignated sometime after the Martin B-26 had been retired. The Invader saw combat service up though Viet Nam. Also a fast, twin-engined light bomber. ------------ The only drawback with morning is that it comes at such an inconvenient time of day. ------------