b25 variants...

[tedrbr]

Originally posted by Ack-Ack
The A-26 would be just as potent against a GV as the B-25 would be.

ack-ack

More so vs GV's.
 
A-26 Invader 6,000 pound ord options included:
1000 lb bombs (up to 4 internal)
500 lb bombs (up to 8 internal, 4 wing mounted)
250 lb bombs (up to 8 internal, 4 wing mounted)
100 lb bombs (up to 12 internal, 4 wing mounted)
5 inch rockets (up to 14, wing mounted)
2 - 230 gallon drop tanks

Largest gun package on B model was:
8 nose mounted .50 cal MGs X 400 rpg
6 wing mounted (internal) .50 cal MGs X 400 rpg
2 twin .50 barbettes (remote turrets, 1 gunner) with 500 rpg.

A-26 Invader is faster, with a better climb rate, and more maneuverable than a B-25 (and IL2, and most other heavy ground attack plane I can think of).

An A26B Invader with 8 X 500 lbs bombs, 14 X 5 inch rockets, and 14 forward firing .50's with 400 rpg would make life interesting for any GVrs.  Be pretty good at deacking and vulching too.  

A light (no ord) A-26 Invader would be a good buff hunter too.  Maximum speed was 355mph at 15K feet.  425 mph maximum speed in a dive if running light.  Service ceiling was only 22,100 feet, so high buffs could still avoid it.  14 X .50's will do a number on any target.


75mm Spud Gun
The first 30 A-26 Invaders delivered mounted 1 X 75mm cannon and 2 X .50's in the nose.  These saw front line evaluation in the PTO and ETO.  The evaluation which led to the 8 .50s in the nose becoming the standard later, as well as redesigned cockpit canopy, as well as internally mounted wing guns as opposed to gun pods (drag and reduction of airspeed issues with gun pods).  Don't know if any of these first 30 planes ever saw combat with that spud gun though, or how they may have been refitted later.  Only took a couple hours to change out the nose configuration of an Invader in the field.

Now, the 75mm in the Invader was manually fed from a 20 round ready rack by a loader sitting in a jump seat, and fired by the pilot.  The 75mm in the B-25 was probably similar, and I have read where the use of the 75mm in the B-25 usually resulted in retiring the airframe after 15 to 20 rounds had been fired from it.  The rivet holes actually started to oval out, and frames cracked.  The Invader was a different design, and purpose built with the 75mm option (USAAF and USN requirement), but, as they did not stay with that cannon configuration, I'm not sure if the Invader suffered from the same airframe problems.  In any case, they found mass use of many API fed .50 cal M2 MG's was much better in anti-shipping role than a single slow loaded 75mm was.

And it was mainly anti-shipping these were intended for, AFAIK.  Not really meant for AT use.  And 14 X 5 inch rockets would work well for that any ways.

No idea if HTC would even consider a spud gun in any plane in AHII.

[moot]

Ted, Pyro mentionned the 75mm as one of the reasons one would want the B25 in the game.

[tedrbr]

Originally posted by moot
Ted, Pyro mentionned the 75mm as one of the reasons one would want the B25 in the game.

Didn't catch that one.  Thanks.   But, a B25, even with a 75mm, just not going to carry the votes away from a fighter in the popular vote, IMHO.  I'm voting for and pushing the A-26 hard myself, but unless something unexpected happens, I expect it to lose out to a fighter.  Just hoping for a good showing to help argument to get buff drivers another perk ride at SOME point in the future, besides the Arado.

If 75mm is all that, very early A-26's had them.  They also could carry 2 torpedoes.  Don't think they ever did either on a combat operation.  So I guess it comes down to whether the fact that it was a fielded option is enough to add it to a particular plane's capabilities.   I'd rather have the 14 X 5 inch rockets and the 14 X .50's of a Invader than 1 X 75mm manually loaded with 20 rounds and 6 or 8 X .50's anyways.

[moot]

Yeah, I saw that too.  If there was a 75mm-gunned variant that was feasibly included with the other more common A26 variants, then strictly MA speaking, the A26 would steal at least some of B25's votes.