B-29 Gunnery Training Equipment

[B29B24crewchief]

Thanks for the update! I'll be patient.
I may have another Amplidyne if that would help? Let me know if you want me to send it.

Dave

[Second Air Force]

Hey Scott,

If I was sitting on WWII radar gear it probably wouldn't be worth much all smashed flat. I try hard not to sit on that rare delicate equipment!

Sorry I don't have much in the way of H2X stuff available. If you come up with extra gear please keep me in mind though.

Thought I'd ask since we seem to have a mutual affinity for such things. I'll post a few more neat CFC photos here soon.

Scott

[Taigh Ramey]

Dave,

Yes please send it out. Hopefully is will work.

Scott,

Yeah we are two nuts with similar dysfunctional traits. If you are ever near Stockton you darn well better stop by.

[Second Air Force]

Here's another CFC photo, Taigh. This first one kind of makes me mad when I think about the similar trainer that I wanted to restore. This training equipment was photographed at Orlando.

[the330thbg]

Nice!!

I love the bare wall insulation.,. the high windows, for light, ventilation and keeping prying eyes at bay!!!!

Very nice.,.

Many thanks!!!!!

[Taigh Ramey]

What a great photo Scott.

What trainer did you want to restore?

[Second Air Force]

I think I'll PM you on that trainer, Taigh.

Here are a couple more pictures to continue the thread. These photos were taken at Marietta during the summer of 1943. I found them in the 58th Bombardment Wing files, and are of a CFC training truck that was being perfected at the time.




Scott

[Taigh Ramey]

Wow Scott your photo and information finds never cease to amaze me.

I am one big (more ways than one) turret truck nut and just as big a B-29 Central Fire Control fanatic.

Your wonderful photos combine two of my most favorite subjects!

The detail is amazing and also helps to answer questions for the stabilizing jacks and other parts. It also gives me good documentation to put the remote turret on the truck to duplicate your photos. Could I possibly get hi res scans?

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[Second Air Force]

Yeah, I had plans to put all my B-29 research to good use a while back.........but that is water under the bridge now. I quit researching the stuff for a good bit, but maybe I'll get back into it. Hopefully I can help the DOC folks when they are able to restart their restoration.

Here are a few more of that same truck/turret setup. Notice the upside down shotgun in place of the fifties!






They were quite proud of the sighting station add-on as evidenced by these two photos:



I'll be glad to email them, Taigh--just let me know what email address you want them sent to.

Scott

[the330thbg]

Hey.., is that a shotgun mounted instead of a 50?

[Second Air Force]

Yep. This was a really early training turret and I suppose the shotgun was part of the testing process. The cover sheet for the photos dates the pictures to late '43, so everything you see was new and in development. The pictures were taken at Marietta Army Air Field according to the cover sheet. The Bell plant was essentially the reason the airfield was constructed, so it could be a factory building you see in the background.

Scott

[the330thbg]

Need to print some of these photos out and take them uptown to an old tailgunner in the 330th. See if any of these trainers ring a bell for him.

Thanks!!!

[sgt hawk]

Boy, if you could get one of those for your pickup truck you could revolutionise quail hunting down here!

[the330thbg]

mount it with the four 50's and you could revolutionize high speed police chases as well.

[sgt hawk]

Naw, it'd end um!