Warbird Information Exchange

Can someone please explain to me the lineage of the Drop Tanks used in the ETO.

The ones I'm most aware of are the Paper Tank and the 75 Gallon (Name?) tank.

I've seen lots of pictures of both types but was there one more prolific than the other?

Paper


The 75 Gal



Thanks

Shay
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Shay, I can't answer your question, but those are some nice pics of some nice models!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Too cool!!!!!!

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Shay
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Semper Fortis

During the research for my 4th FG P-47 painting "Eagles of Thunder", I made the following notes, culled from various sources:

28 Jul 43 - 1st 200-gallon "ferry tank" mission (4th FG debuted tank for 8AF). This large bathtub tank was unpressurized, and filled to 100 gallons only on these early shows. 4th FG removed outboard .50s at this time to save weight.

22-26 Aug 43 - B-7 shackles/plumbing kits added at Debden to 4th FG (starting with 334th FS) C-models to enable mounting of 75-gallon pressurized metal tanks to centerline.*

*On or about 12th August '43, 78th FG first to fly missions with 75-gallon tanks.

27 Sept 43 - 1st 4th FG P-47 show with 108-gallon silver-doped paper tanks (4th FG debuted the 108-gallon silver paper tank for 8th AF). Outboard .50s (in 4th FG) generally re-installed on P-47s at this time.


Notes:

108-gallon silver dope tanks - impregnated paper, originally Hurricane ferry tanks; these were manufactured by Bowater and initially used only due to delays in the development of the 108-gallon "steel" (gray-painted) tank, but became very popular, and used alongside the later-introduced steel (gray) tank.

108-gallon steel (gray) tanks - this was the production version of VIII Service Command's experimental long-range tank.

With the introduction of the P-51s, the Mustang's shackles were not initially certified for the full 108-gallon capacity/weight, so with the P-51 8th AF went "back" to the 75-gallon metal tank (aka "the P-39 tank"). Later, as stocks of the 75-gallon metal tanks were depleted - roughly May 44 or so - the Mustang was cleared to fly with two full 108-gallon tanks, and started carrying those in the silver (paper) and steel (gray) versions through the rest of the war.

As a "personal" note, since I've done quite a bit of research on this one plane, Don Gentile's famous P-51B "Shangri-La" is shown in well-known model box art (Tamiya, IIRC) flying with the 108-gallon silver-doped paper tank. She never carried them.

Also, I don't have my books handy, but later some 8th AF P-51s also used the 110-gallon silver natural metal "teardrop" tanks, which looked like the 75-gallon tank's big brother, and of course the later P-47s used the larger flat tanks (150-gallon? I forget.). There were, IIRC, one or two other 8th AF tanks, but the ones I mention were the most widely used on ops.

FWIW,
Wade

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Wade has most of them. There was also a 160 gallon Ferry tank that represented max pylon load for the P-51D.

Wade - I have never seen the 110 gal tank that looks like a big 75. Are you sure it wasn't a 160 that you saw.

PS - Shay - beautiful models. Didn't 354FG also carry a white horizontal stripe on the vertical stabilizer/rudder?

No ( afew early ones that were removed) just wings, horizontel stabs/elavators and nose art although many had the white on the nose removed.

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Gonna make me hit the books, eh Bill? Well, if I have to ...

"Flying Jeanie III 42-106944 of 376th FS, 361st FG carrying two US-made 110 gallon steel tanks. Of similar tear-drop shape to the 75 gallon tanks but longer, they were painted silver."

Roger Freeman, The Mighty Eighth War Manual, bottom photo caption, page 220.

As I hint in my earlier post, it was 'rarer', but I was pretty sure the 110 gallon teardrop tank was used at some point. It may have been that the 361st and maybe two others IIRC, were the only 8th AF units to use that type (based on my recollection of available photos).

EDIT - just read a bit in Freeman's text, and he says that, "[they arrived in England] in the summer of 1944 . . . selected units used these (110 gallon steel teardrop) tanks which, being heavier than the paper 108, were not popular with pilots or ground crews. The supply was mostly exhausted by the end [of 1944], and standardization on 108s continued from there on."

Wade

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We have one of the 110 gallon tear drop tanks that looks like a big 75 gallon tank. I've used it on our P-40N to fly non-stop from Boise to Chino. I understand that they were used on P-47's and boy is it UGLY on a P-40!

You're right! learned somethin' today..

I have never seen that tank before. I know the 355th was apparently not part of that experiment and I don't remember seeing them on any other Mustangs

Jack - about what time did 354 drop the horizontal white stripe? When 4th got their 51s in late Feb, 1944?

The 4th definitely had them also in the Feb/March 44 period as well as 355th and theirs started going away in mid March.

I think all of the 354FG shots I sent you had the same horizontal band just above the serial number - but I don'y know when they were taken

The 354 probably removed the white cowl nose band about the time the 355th FG got their Mustangs as they had that same motif until November 1944. March is when the 4th went Red and 357 went Red/yellow, etc, etc

And Short Fuse Sallee is shown with 5 scores (Feb 11, 1944)??

110 gallon type on a 361st FG ship



Martin

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Roger Freeman said they were ordered to be removed by an order issued on 23rd March 1944.

HTH,

Laurent

I think those are 75 Gal tanks, they have a more streamlined look, compared with the 110 Gal one seen below, which nose is bigger thatn the rest:



Laurent

The 110 gallon tanks do not hang level with the aircraft the way the 75 gallon tanks do. The 110 droops down in the front and looks like the spoon on a Bass Plug fishing lewer. The second pic above shows this and is why they look so ugly.