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Dutch B-25 Field Mod ??

Sun Jan 15, 2023 12:05 pm

Anyone know what this is under the nose of a Dutch 18 Sq B-25?
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Thanks in advance Duggy.

Re: Dutch B-25 Field Mod ??

Sun Jan 15, 2023 12:36 pm

Slipstream assisted spent casing chute?

Re: Dutch B-25 Field Mod ??

Sun Jan 15, 2023 1:52 pm

Or maybe smoke and fumes extractor? I'm not a B-25 expert but do those look like factory installed guns or a field installation?

Randy

Re: Dutch B-25 Field Mod ??

Sun Jan 15, 2023 7:03 pm

I believe it is part of a factory kit. If I recall it is intake for a heater, but may be remembering wrong. You can find a similar scoop on other aircraft.

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Re: Dutch B-25 Field Mod ??

Sun Jan 15, 2023 7:48 pm

rwdfresno wrote:I believe it is part of a factory kit. If I recall it is intake for a heater, but may be remembering wrong. You can find a similar scoop on other aircraft.

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I’m not saying it’s not a heater but, considering where and how they operated, why would you want a heater on a PBJ?

Re: Dutch B-25 Field Mod ??

Sun Jan 15, 2023 8:51 pm

Craig59 wrote:
rwdfresno wrote:I believe it is part of a factory kit. If I recall it is intake for a heater, but may be remembering wrong. You can find a similar scoop on other aircraft.

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I’m not saying it’s not a heater but, considering where and how they operated, why would you want a heater on a PBJ?


I struggled with that as well before posting, but that is just what I recall. It could easily be incorrect since the memory of the conversation is 20ish years old.

Re: Dutch B-25 Field Mod ??

Sun Jan 15, 2023 9:38 pm

rwdfresno wrote:I believe it is part of a factory kit. If I recall it is intake for a heater, but may be remembering wrong. You can find a similar scoop on other aircraft.

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This ex-NEI (N5-229) RAAF machine also has the fitting - perhaps the Dutch ordered a batch of theirs with them?

http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/picture.p ... y/mitchell

Re: Dutch B-25 Field Mod ??

Sun Jan 15, 2023 9:52 pm

According to B-25 expert Carl Scholl, it used the Venturi effect to pull smoke out of the nose and expel it out the back-end of the tube. It was installed on a lot of USAAF glass-nose B-25s in the South Pacific and CBI too. I seem to recall the Revell 1/48 B-25J has this piece as an option (perhaps other kits too?).

This is just a small sampling of the many photos that can be found of Pacific and CBI based USAAF B-25s with the same or similar tube.

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Sometimes easy to pass up in photos, unless you're looking for it:
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Re: Dutch B-25 Field Mod ??

Mon Jan 16, 2023 8:10 am

Some of the airplanes in the followup photos also appear to have an additional blast plate installed below the factory armor - it's just forward of the lower package gun. The factory installed a smaller section of reinforced skin, but, in these photos, the new section looks nearly the same dimension as the upper armor plate.

Ken

Re: Dutch B-25 Field Mod ??

Mon Jan 23, 2023 6:18 am

If I were to "guess", I would agree to the smoke extraction. I just went through the pics I have of the 3rd Attack Group B-25's (C/D) and nary a one has that tube installed. Also, the greenhouse glass not painted over, AND, the side stacked position of the nose guns, it makes me believe the a/c might be set up for observation or have retained the bombardier, hence the need for the ventilation. I remember Bill Webster and Jim "Two-Gun" Brown saying they felt like they came out of a coal mine after a mission from gun smoke in the cockpit.

Re: Dutch B-25 Field Mod ??

Mon Jan 23, 2023 6:19 am

If I were to "guess", I would agree to the smoke extraction. I just went through the pics I have of the 3rd Attack Group B-25's (C/D) and nary a one has that tube installed. Also, the greenhouse glass not painted over, AND, the side stacked position of the nose guns, it makes me believe the a/c might be set up for observation or have retained the bombardier, hence the need for the ventilation. I remember Bill Webster and Jim "Two-Gun" Brown saying they felt like they came out of a coal mine after a mission from gun smoke in the cockpit.
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