Medium bombers

[The_Pharoah]

EDIT : here are some shots from our exhibition flight with medium B25s a year ago. If you look at the screens, you will get a feel for what's in a Bomber Squadron event. It takes a serious amount of work in order to fly a large formation in a coordinated manner.

http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?25578-19-01-14-Exhibition-flight-SCREENS

 

Thanks for the screenies - those are awesome pics. I chuckled a little when I saw the close formation takeoff....imagine if the lead bird had an RTO or EFATO :music_whistling:

 

I've flown organised missions in IL2 but only up to about 10 bombers. Even then it looked/felt beautiful (for about the 5 secs I could spare...I was sweating trying to keep formation in a fully loaded B17).

 

This is what I'm hoping we can get in DCS WW2. Its really the bombers that deal out destruction and are usually the focus of a lot of online missions (ie. escorting, attacking, etc). A DCS WW2 withOUT a bomber (medium atleast) would get boring after a while I reckon.

[Solty]

Thanks for the screenies - those are awesome pics. I chuckled a little when I saw the close formation takeoff....imagine if the lead bird had an RTO or EFATO :music_whistling:

 

I've flown organised missions in IL2 but only up to about 10 bombers. Even then it looked/felt beautiful (for about the 5 secs I could spare...I was sweating trying to keep formation in a fully loaded B17).

 

This is what I'm hoping we can get in DCS WW2. Its really the bombers that deal out destruction and are usually the focus of a lot of online missions (ie. escorting, attacking, etc). A DCS WW2 withOUT a bomber (medium atleast) would get boring after a while I reckon.

 

Indeed. I think we need bombers for both sides to make compelling missions

[HeadHunter52]

I love that gunship version. That's a lot of firepower on such a hotrod of a bomber.

[Crumpp]

I think we need bombers for both sides to make compelling missions

 

Definitely.

 

It would be nice to see a Ju188 or He177. Both participated in the last large scale bomber offensive by the Luftwaffe against England in 1944.

 

http://www.pilotfriend.com/photo_albums/timeline/ww2/Junkers%20Ju%20188.htm

 

http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/he177.html

 

We need some tactical aircraft too. I would love get a DCS quality FW-190F8 or FW-190F3.

 

Found some "first's" for the B-26!

 

The B-26 - Firsts

 

(J.K. Havener piloted more than 50 combat missions in B-26 Marauders during WWII and was also a B-26 transitional training instructor. The following was taken directly from his book The Martin B-26 Marauder (Copyright 1988 by TAB BOOKS Inc)

 

It was the first aircraft of WWII vintage to use four-bladed propellers. These were 13-foot 6-inch Curtis electrics that were driven by Pratt and Whitney R-2800-5 Wasp engines, which developed 1850 hp at takeoff and 1500 hp at 15,000 feet. A two-stage blower was employed for a supercharging effect at higher altitudes.

 

It embodied the first horizontal tailplane with a marked dihedral. ( 8 degrees. )

 

It was the first aircraft to carry a power-operated gun turret. The original armament called for four flexible .30-caliber guns, but Martin designed the 250CE dorsal-mounted, electrically operated turret with twin .50-caliber guns for increased firepower. These turrets were also later used on B-25, B-17, and B-24 American bombers as well.

 

It was the first medium bomber in which the tail gunner could sit in an upright position. Original armament included a flexible .30-caliber gun in the tail position, but this was later replaced (in the B models) with twin flexible .50s, and later (in March 1943) by an electric-hydraulic Martin-Bell turret still containing twin .50s.

 

It was the first WWII aircraft to use weapons pods. Two fixed .50-caliber machine guns were mounted in package pods on both sides of the forward fuselage belly, beginning with the B models.

 

It incorporated the first all-plexiglass bombardier's nose-a Martin innovation.

 

It was the first combat aircraft in which the designers used butted seams for the skin covering as opposed to the conventional lapped seams. This enhanced the flow of air over the streamlined torpedo-like fuselage, which increased the speed of the craft.

 

It was the first combat bomber to employ an all-electrical bomb release mechanism.

 

It was the first combat aircraft to have rubber self-sealing fuel tanks installed as regular equipment. These were another Martin innovation and invention called "Mareng Cells."

 

It employed the first flexible tracks for transferring ammunition from the bomb bay storage areas back to the tail gun position. Lionel, the famous toy train manufacturer, furnished these tracks.

 

It was the first combat aircraft to use plastic materials as metal substitutes on a grand scale. Martin had been pioneering the use of plastics to replace metal, and the B-26 contained over 400 such parts.

 

It was the first (and last) Army bomber to use torpedoes in the WWII conflict. An external rack was installed along the keel to carry a standard 2000-pound Naval aerial torpedo.

 

It was the first Allied bomber in the European Theater of Operations to complete 100 operational missions. This was accomplished by Mild and Bitter on an afternoon raid on a Nazi airfield at Evreux/Fauville, southwest of Rouen, France, on 9 May 1944. She was a B-26B-25, Serial Number 41-31819, of the 450th Squadron in the 322nd Bomb Group (M) of the 9th Air Force and had flown her first mission on 23 July 1943. She did all this on her original engines, amassing a total of 449 hours and 30 minutes on them, 310 hours and 40 minutes of that in combat! During this time she never aborted due to mechanical failure, and not one of her many crewmen was a casualty. She was taken off operations after her 100th mission and flown back to the States to conduct War Bond selling tours.

 

Even more amazing was the fact that a B-26 was the first Allied bomber in the European Theater of War to fly 200 operational missions! In fact, Flak Bait, Serial Number 41-31733, actually flew 202 combat missions over a 21 month period. She was assigned to the 449th Squadron of the same 322nd Bomb Group and flew her first mission on 16 August 1943; when Mild and Bitter had completed her 100th, Flak Bait had 99. She never did get the press coverage that Mild and Bitter received, but she persevered and it paid off in the end. She flew her 202nd and last mission in early May 1945 from Airfield Y-89 at Le Culot, Belgium, from which she had also flown the now-famous 200th. (Sgt. W.J. Johnston, now of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was the engineer-gunner on the third crew assigned to Flak Bait, and, although he didn't realize it at the time that it was to be her last mission, he was on it. His crew flew approximately 30 missions in Flak Bait, including numbers 199, 201, and 202. Why not number 200 when it was "their" airplane? The old military truism "Rank has its privileges" reared its ugly head for this historic event, and Sgt. Johnston's crew had to stand down that day so the top brass of the outfit could receive the glory. At least the Sarge flew on that last one and now gloats over the fact that Flak Bait is probably the most famous Marauder of them all. She was appropriately named, having absorbed over 1000 enemy hits during her combat days. Her nose section -well preserved but unrestored and in original condition- now resides in a place of honor at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. After the war, Devon Francis even wrote a book about her, appropriately titled Flak Bait.

 

Another B-26 may have been the first American bomber to complete 300 combat missions -and probably the only one of any type in the USAAF to do so. A photo of this unnamed ship shows her after 336 missions, during which none of her many crew members had been injured. (Unfortunately, the negative for that photo, which is the only print in the Martin Photo Library, had been destroyed by deterioration, and attempts to discover the identity of the ship or to which group she was assigned proved futile.)

 

The army was anxious to get into production; and although the first order included a prototype, none was built, and the first production model was the first of the line to fly!

 

It had the first aerodynamically perfect fuselage. One of its early nicknames was "The Flying Torpedo".

 

It was the first twin - engine bomber to carry more payload of bombs than the B-17 of the time.

 

Lastly, the B-26 was the first aircraft to test the bicycle-type landing gear that would later be adopted for use by the Air Force on the B-47 and B-52 jet bombers. The test bed was a G-25 model, Serial Number 44-68221, and was called the XB-26H. It carried the name Middle River Stump Jumper.

 

It is doubtful that any other World War II aircraft could lay claim to that many firsts.

 

Although Mild and Bitter was the first B-26 to complete 100 missions in the ETO and Flak Bait 200, the honor of the first B-26 to complete 100 missions anywhere has to go to Hells Belle II of the 17th Bomb Group in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. She was a B-26B-10, Serial Number 41-18322, and beat Mild and Bitter by eight days in racking up her 100th mission on 1 May 1944, bombing the Calaviria rail viaduct in Italy. At that time she had flown a total of 724 hours, 450 to 500 of which were in combat.

 

The 336-mission mystery ship was undoubtedly from a Mediterranean Theater outfit also, substantiated by the fact that B-26s had been flying combat in that theater since late 1942.

 

The heretofore unpublicized accomplishments of Hells Belle II and the mystery ship only point out the fact that public relations tend to distort or embellish the facts somewhat, or are guilty of omission. The latter is probably the reason in this case, since the air war in the ETO was the closest to Hitler's heartland, was blessed with the greatest number of USAAF combat groups, and therefore, made the juiciest news copy.

 

http://www.b26.com/page/b26_history.htm

[Crumpp]

Here is the B-26 Marauder Historical Society.

 

http://www.b-26mhs.org/

[The_Pharoah]

I'm certainly hoping some of the devs are reading this!

[msalama]

No love for the A-20? Only six votes, including mine ;)

[Solty]

I'd like to see 2 planes of this list the most. Those are ju88 and b25 they have potential to fit into other theatres and time periods.

[NineLine]

No love for the A-20? Only six votes, including mine ;)

 

Well honestly we needed an "all the above" option :)

[NineLine]

I'm certainly hoping some of the devs are reading this!

 

Yeah, devs seem to be a little shy of bombers right now, I would like to see that change with things like multi-crew coming, and improvements in the core game coming with 2.0.

[msalama]

Well honestly we needed an "all the above" option :)

 

But of course! I just have a wee soft spot for the Havoc; flew the arse off her in IL-2 back in the day, and even if its overall modelling might've left something to be desired, I still loved that bird to pieces... well, even literally on occasion, now that I think of it :unsure:

 

Another big fave would be the Mitchell. That's one helluva cool bird too. But yeah, I'd eventually buy all WW2 medium bombers / attack AC as well if they became available, so consider me supportive of the "all of the above" option :thumbup:

[Charly_Owl]

We need a bomber. I'll take anything... I just want one!

[NineLine]

We need a bomber. I'll take anything... I just want one!

 

+1000

[AG-51_Razor]

I'm embarrassed to say that I have not read through this entire thread, so if what I am going to say has already been said...Great!! :thumbup:

 

I would propose that the Douglas A-26 be added to the list, not because it was the best, the most used, or the sexiest, but because, of all the Allied medium bombers used in WWII, the Douglas A-26 is the only one that continued to soldier on in Korea and again in Cuba and Viet Nam.

 

I would think that the developers would see the advantages of bringing out aircraft that are more versatile within the whole DCS world rather than one specific time period. :pilotfly:

[Friedrich-4B]

I'm embarrassed to say that I have not read through this entire thread, so if what I am going to say has already been said...Great!! :thumbup:

 

I would propose that the Douglas A-26 be added to the list, not because it was the best, the most used, or the sexiest, but because, of all the Allied medium bombers used in WWII, the Douglas A-26 is the only one that continued to soldier on in Korea and again in Cuba and Viet Nam.

 

I would think that the developers would see the advantages of bringing out aircraft that are more versatile within the whole DCS world rather than one specific time period. :pilotfly:

 

Seconded and thirded! The A-26 did excellent work over Europe in some tough conditions; same again over Korea and Vietnam.

Edited March 10, 2015 by Friedrich-4/B
Add Mitchell III PNs

[The_Pharoah]

Yeah, devs seem to be a little shy of bombers right now, I would like to see that change with things like multi-crew coming, and improvements in the core game coming with 2.0.

 

yeah fair enough...I guess thats where single pilot ops a/c would probably get preference eg. A20, Mossie, Beaufighter vs the true two pilot a/c. Atleast that way they can avoid the whole multi-crew option and try and use what the Belsimtek guys did with the Huey (ie. goes into autopilot when you crew a gunner position).

 

I think the responses here indicate there is definitely a demand for it.

 

There is no way for me to edit the poll now is there?

[Bulldog51]

Which medium bomber? The P-38! :smilewink:

 

:thumbup:

[BigJimMcBob]

Definitely.

 

It would be nice to see a Ju188 or He177. Both participated in the last large scale bomber offensive by the Luftwaffe against England in 1944.

 

http://www.pilotfriend.com/photo_albums/timeline/ww2/Junkers%20Ju%20188.htm

 

http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/he177.html

 

We need some tactical aircraft too. I would love get a DCS quality FW-190F8 or FW-190F3.

 

Found some "first's" for the B-26!

 

 

 

http://www.b26.com/page/b26_history.htm

 

Flak Bait flew its 200th on April 17 1945. F-for-Freddie (Mosquito) flew its 213th seven days earlier. As for 100, DK331 (Mosquito) flew its 100th on April 18 1944.

Edited March 11, 2015 by BigJimMcBob

[Crumpp]

This was the first power-operated turret to be fitted to an American bomber.

 

Reading the site helps to cut down on misunderstandings.

 

Except for the Messerschmitt Bf 109, Bf 110, F4U Corsair...

 

None of those aircraft use butted seams AFAIK.

 

It certainly does not appear that way on the Bf-109...

 

http://s747.photobucket.com/user/groverpics/media/Funny/Bf109E4_spine1_zpsc968343f.jpg.html

 

I think you are confusing the welding with the type of joint used to join the sheet metal. The Bf-109 has an overlap joint which was the most common in aviation at the time.

 

 

You should probably take up the nitpicking with the website owner. I am sure he would be happy to have the information!

[NineLine]

Guys this is about what bombers you would like to see in DCS World, please don't turn it into yet ANOTHER thread of you guys trying to prove how much more this person knows compared to another...

[Siegfried]

Any Ju88 or variants are fine with me. Or any german attack/bomber twin engine. Ummm well A-26 it's ok too and flew over Korea too, and Vietnam.

 

Give me twin engines ED pleaseeee!!! :joystick:

[Mobius_cz]

I would love to see He-177, such a nice and unique plane for that time, but it is heavy bomber :-D I can't say why but i really love He-111, simply the plane i like the most.

[The_Pharoah]

A-26 it's ok too and flew over Korea too, and Vietnam.

 

I'd love for there to be say an A-26 esp if it covers multiple wars.

[DB 605]

So, as the poll says, it's JU 88 for axis and B-25 for allied. Great! :D Devs can choose the exact models for them...Seriosly, if there was Ju 88 in game i would probably spent most of the time in it's cockpit. It's easily my favourite in Clod and it's now coming to BoM too.

[Vinny002]

Hi, guys!

 

I vote for the B-25 Mitchell! Thanks!

 

Cheers,

Vincent