Author Topic: B-25 (Read 3035 times)

Karnak · « **Reply #15 on:** August 23, 2005, 12:09:31 PM »

The B-29 had a max payload of 20,000lbs.

Why people keep talking about the nuke I don't know as it will never happen. We'll get a B-29A with the turrets, not one of the whopping two B-29's modified to carry the nukes. Just as the 22,000lb bomb the Lancaster carried requires a modified Lancaster so we will never see that either.

The B-29A will also be heavily perked, mark my words on that. You'll see no suicide 29s and very few low altitude 29s.

I don't recall the payload of the B-25 off hand, about 3,000 to 5,000lbs as I recall, depending on the version.

Iceman24 · « **Reply #16 on:** August 23, 2005, 12:13:28 PM »

ohhh that would be sweeeet you can keep the B25's I want the B29 with the hvy ord... would give me something to spend my 5,000 bomber perk points on lol

hubsonfire · « **Reply #17 on:** August 23, 2005, 12:19:38 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Karnak
We'll get a B-29A with the turrets, not one of the whopping two B-29's modified to carry the nukes.

The B-29 has officially been mothballed. We won't be getting any version of it. HOOORAY

Stil like the idea of smaller bombers being added, as long as a single gamey form can't immolate an entire field.

Krusty · « **Reply #18 on:** August 23, 2005, 12:24:49 PM »

The B-25 is a medium bomber, but it's also a small plane. I think it's max payload is 1500 (3x 500lb GP bombs) because I built a model kit once and that's all it could carry. Or maybe that was just a "typical" bombload. I don't know. LOL I better go check, brb

EDIT: Must have been 3x 1000lb on my model lol

Found a site that's talking about the -H (and the -J, which had all the features of the H, waist guns, dorsal moved forward, tail guns, etc etc.)

"Provision was made to carry three 1000 pound bombs rather than just two. Alternatively, two 1600-pound armor-piercing bombs could be carried. Provisions were made for the carrying of six 325-pound depth charges on underwing racks"

"Beginning with the 151st B-25J-1 (43-4019), provisions for the carrying of a single 2000-pound bomb were deleted. As it turned out, the 2000-pound bomb was rarely carried during actual combat, and the bulky and restrictive shackles for the 2000-pound bomb took up a lot of space in the bomb bay. This enabled a normal offensive load of two 1600-lb or three 1000-lb bombs to be carried internally, plus combinations of smaller bombs of various types, including 20-pound parafrags."

"Provisions were made for the carrying of wing-mounted T-64 zero-length rocket launchers beginning with 44-31338. These launchers could carry up to eight five-inch high-velocity aircraft rockets (HVAR). "

"The transparent nose for the bombardier could be replaced by a factory built solid gun nose that was equipped with eight 0.50-inch machine guns. With this modification, the aircraft was designated as B-25J-11, -17, -22, -27, -32, or -37, depending on which production block the modification took place. With its maximum armament of eighteen guns, the solid-nosed B-25J was one of the most heavily-armed attack aircraft in the Allied arsenal. Sometimes, however, the package guns on the sides of the fuselage were deleted, the remaining fourteen guns being more than enough."

Iceman24 · « **Reply #19 on:** August 23, 2005, 12:37:34 PM »

Krusty from the sound of things the B25 sounds pretty freakin cool wish we could get some... don't want to sound dumb but isn't the B25 the plane that the Doolittle raid used ?

Krusty · « **Reply #20 on:** August 23, 2005, 12:45:32 PM »

Iceman, yes. The Doolittle raid used early B25Bs and stripped them down totally (broomsticks for tail guns) and loaded them with hundreds of gallons of gas more than standard.

Found some more info on the armament of the B-25H. It turns out the 75mm wasn't all that popular, nor that practical.

"The first B-25Hs arrived in the FEAF in February of 1944, entering service with the 498th Squadron. The B-25H carried the extraordinarily potent armament of fourteen 0.50-inch machine guns and a 75-mm cannon, and could also carry up to 3200 pounds of bombs or a 2000-pound torpedo. The cannon carried by the B-25H was bore-sighted at 1000 yards and was generally fired at altitudes from 1000 feet at the beginning an attack to 500 feet at the end. The sighting was done with the N-6A sight, and the guns were fired by the pilot, there being no bombardier or co-pilot aboard. During an attack, cannon fire was usually opened at 2000 yards, with an average of three rounds being fired by the time the aircraft closed to 1000 yards.

"Combat sorties confirmed that the cannon-armed B-25H offered no particular advantage over specially-adapted strafers armed exclusively with machine guns. At this stage in the war, targets specifically suited for cannon attack were relatively few and far between, and many targets that were vulnerable to the cannon were also vulnerable to a battery of 0.50-inch machine guns or to bombs. Consequently, the use of the heavy cannon was generally abandoned in the South-West Pacific by August of 1944.

"In September, the B-25Hs were either passed along to the 38th Bombardment Group (which was already operating B-25Gs) or returned to depots. Unlike most other groups, the 38th Bombardment Group actually welcomed the H model.

"24 B-25Hs were taken on strength by the 11th Bombardment Squadron of the Fourteenth Air Force for interdiction work in China in early 1944. They were first employed on river sweeps. In November the 11th Squadron received a few examples of the new APG-13A radar ranging equipment for use with the 75-mm cannon. This enabled the precise range to a target to be determined at all times during an attacking run, making precise aiming much simpler. This equipment was operated by the navigator, and was installed in B-25Hs 43-4584, 4071, 4924, 4989, and 4601."

EDIT: One thing about the H/J vs the early C... The C was the fastest, breaking 300mph (I think 323 or something), but the H/J only had a top speed of 275mph. This was due to improvements in armor and guns. So while the C was lighter and could fly faster, it also was easier to shoot down. I think that makes it worth having 2 versions (early/late)

parker00 · « **Reply #21 on:** August 23, 2005, 12:53:38 PM »

Yes it was Iceman, that alone is why i was thinking it would be nice to have in the game. I know the payload was light but if they made it so you could launch it from a carrier it would be cool. I know some people would complain but oh well. I also liked the part on the website that said some versions carried a 75mm cannon in the nose and carried something like 20 rounds in the plane for it. Be a nice CV killer if they put that in them, but don't see it happening anytime soon.

Edit: Well i didn't see your post before mine Krusty so i guess the 75mm might not be all that great but I would still like to see this plane in the game.

Iceman24 · « **Reply #22 on:** August 23, 2005, 12:54:45 PM »

all I know is I have about 5-10 thousand bomber perk points and the only thing I can buy is the porking AR234 need some new toys to use em on lol... a B25 with 14 .50 cals sounds sweeet... I don't think i would even bother carrying ord. just use it as gun platform lol

Iceman24 · « **Reply #23 on:** August 23, 2005, 12:59:49 PM »

I thought so, I was pretty sure it was the B25 but didn't want to make a mistake.... Parker you can land and launch any plane in this game from a cv, lancs, b24's, 262's whatever... If its a plane in this game you can land it and take it off again from a cv... I never thought it was possible to get a 262 to stop but someone posted a film, can't remember who, might have been a BK member but I practiced it a while and can stop em every time... Its pretty fun to drop a lanc on the deck of a cv while others are upping and landing on it, you'll notice everyone kinda circle around and watch because they don't think you can do it... Not sure how many ppl know this but if your cv gets sunk, you can actually land on the cruiser / destroyer, its a lil tricky but you can do it

SMIDSY · « **Reply #24 on:** August 23, 2005, 04:36:51 PM »

parker, did you not read the specs on how the b25 was launched? they had to drop all thier guns and ammo just to get airborn. personally i would rather stay with the trusty TBM or B5N for carrier bombers.

Hornet33 · « **Reply #25 on:** August 23, 2005, 05:00:19 PM »

yeah but you can't take a formation of TBM's or B5N's. B-25's you could. If HTC does a B-25 though it needs to have the para-frag bombs. They should be easy to model also. Pretty much a 5" AAA shell with a parachute attached. Could even model both Frags and HE like the 5" guns have.

Krusty · « **Reply #26 on:** August 23, 2005, 05:43:12 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by SMIDSY
parker, did you not read the specs on how the b25 was launched? they had to drop all thier guns and ammo just to get airborn. personally i would rather stay with the trusty TBM or B5N for carrier bombers.

To be fair they had an extra fuel tank in the bomb bay, an extra fuel tank in the crawl space above the bomb bay, a huge fuel tank where the waist gunners would have been, a fuel tank where the remotely operated ventral turret would have been (they were pulled), and on top of that 5 jerry cans for in-flight refueling, so this thing was TOTALLY weighed down with gas, to be able to make the flight plan. A NORMAL B25 not loaded with gas but loaded with guns and people may or may not have weighed the same (I don't know). Also the Doolittle raid was 2000lbs per bomber for bombs, 4x500lb.

Tails · « **Reply #27 on:** August 23, 2005, 09:05:01 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Hornet33
yeah but you can't take a formation of TBM's or B5N's. B-25's you could. If HTC does a B-25 though it needs to have the para-frag bombs. They should be easy to model also. Pretty much a 5" AAA shell with a parachute attached. Could even model both Frags and HE like the 5" guns have.

Parafrags were just small fragmentation bombs, or really big frag grenades. Be really nice for town and strats, but lousy for antitank and airfield strat. I'm still all for them, combined with either the 75mm or the 'tons-o-guns' hardnose B-25's

Krusty · « **Reply #28 on:** August 23, 2005, 11:21:44 PM »

While I like the hard nose idea, I also read that it only had 400 rpg for the "8-pack" in the nose, and each cheek blister had only 400rpg as well. Sure it would only take one burst to destroy something, but you'd only get so many bursts before guns dry

So I'd take the ord to start things off then finish with guns.

SMIDSY · « **Reply #29 on:** August 23, 2005, 11:37:42 PM »

a hard noser is good for only one thing in my opinion: bomber busting. imagine if the hard nose had formations BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! you could erode the armor of tigers (mini-gun theory).