approximately 4,735 B-17s were lost out of the 12,731 built, a total of 414 B-29s were lost, with the majority (267) due to mechanical failures, engine fires, and operational accidents,
while 147 were lost to enemy fire from Japanese anti-aircraft guns and fighters. At least that’s what Wiki tells me. The percentage of losses for the B-17 exceed the B-29 by a factor of ten. B-24 were higher then that, Wiki dose not have production number
for the Liberator but says 3,500 B-24 Liberators were lost with the highest percentage rate for the war. Over 73 were lost in a single raid against oil fields in Ploiești, Romania alone.
Think around 7,000 B-24 were built, 13,000 B-17, 4000 B-29 and just under 10,000 B-25 Mitchells, 5,000 B-26 Marauder and not taking into account transport and cargo aircraft that’s
around 39,000 aircraft that would have BC-348 receivers.
Looking at that would assume that I was wrong about BC-342/312 numbers in comparison to BC-348 production numbers and would tend to think that the overall production number of 120,000
receivers may be correct.
Estimated production numbers for the BC-342/312 receivers produced for the SCR-299, SCR-399, and SCR-499 radio sets built between 1942 and 1945 is 14,706 units but that’s not taking
into account receivers produced for the SCR-287 (BC-342/312 receiver and BC-375 transmitter) installations. Western Historic Radio says the GE received a contract to build 100,000 BC-375 transmitters, if just 20,000 were used in aircraft how many went to SCR-287
installations and required BC-342/312 receivers? And don’t forget one of my favorites just due to its three hundred pounds of radio for less than ten watts the SCR-245(BC-312 and BC-223) Before FM replaced the SCR-245 in armor and recon that was a go to
set.
I have a SCR-245 in the cue for restoration and use as a possible 3885 base at Hamvention next year but have not gotten to it yet.
Just a crazy speculation but going to say maybe 75,000 or more BC-342/312 and 314 receivers were built? Don’t know myself.
Wiki also tells me that 1,450,000 command sets (receivers and transmitters) were produced in WW2 along with 47,000 SCR-300 and 130,000 SCR-536 (BC-611) radios.
Man that’s a lot of radios!
Ray F/KA3EKH
I remember reading that it was procedure to pull radio equipment after a mission and replace it with a fresh checked unit to avoid comm problems due to tube failure because of
vibration. That and B29s high losses make for a lot of radios