[ARC5] [Milsurplus] Name This Bomber

[Kenneth G. Gordon]

On 21 Mar 2012 at 7:52, J. Forster wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> The aft ball turret(s) are on the side of the plane. The center of the
> ball lines up just about exactly with the beginning of the fillet
> from the fuselage to the vertical stabilizer.

Hmmmmm....those don't sound like "turrets" to me, but observation blisters. 
Are there guns in them? I would doubt it, but can you tell for sure?

> The pic says 6 turrets, but I only see 4 (3). I missed the tail turret
> before. I presume the side turrets are symmetric.

>From the other typo (200 miles vs 2000) I would think that whoever wrote the 
captions was not really familiar with aircraft. Therefore, they may call 
observation blisters, "turrets".

> Does a turret have to have a gun?

In my experience, yes. Turrets are turnable to follow attacking aircraft: 
observation blisters are not, but to the untrained eye, they could look the 
same.

> There is a transparent hemisphere on
> the top of the plane, somewhat aft of amidships.

That is an observation blister for the navigator to take star and sun sights. 
This indicates a long-range aircraft of some sort. Generally, short-ranged 
aircraft did not need observation blisters for the navigator...at least not large 
ones.

Is this a high-wing type of plane or a midwing? Is it a flying boat? Is the wing 
"cranked"? I am thinking of the Martin Mars. There were several 
replacements for the PBY, some of which were fairly "rare" in that not many 
were built. There were only 7 of the Martin "Mars" built. The Mars' wing was 
not cranked, but it was a high-wing, single-tail, 4 engined flying boat. Quite 
large.

Your description of that observation blister reminds me of something which I 
cannot quite place or complete in my memory, of some sort of long-range 
observation aircraft or bomber and a story by the navigator that went with it 
which I read on the net some time ago.

The plane in that story was not a Mars though. 

Ken W7EKB