Boeing YB-40 Flying Fortress

[Yaab]

Operational only in ETO. Learned about it just yesterday.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_YB ... g_Fortress

[Grfin Zeppelin]

Allied shenengians, in Germany it would have also required dive bombing capability. This is what this plane obviously lacked to be successfull

Regards
Hermann Göring

[Yaab]

For years I have believed that He-177 was a twin-engine bomber. I guess YB-40 must have its own secrets.

[rustysi]

Known about them for a long time now. An attempt to turn some B-17's into gunships to escort deep raids. Not successful for various reasons.

in Germany it would have also required dive bombing capability.

Failure of being able to differentiate between a tactical and strategic air force.

For years I have believed that He-177 was a twin-engine bomber.

The result of trying to give a four engine strategic bomber a tactical capability. Better stated as a failure of doctrine.

[spence]

The He-177?

I think that Goering/Udet destroyed its usefulness and delayed its deployment by demanding that it be capable of dive-bombing.

Wasn't its powerplant overly complicated by putting two engines in each engine nacelle and then having counter-rotating propellors. Was that arrangement necessary to get it to dive-bomb?

[tanksone]

And another what if...[:D]

[spence]

A more aerodynamic nose arrangement of 8 x .50 cals on the PV-2D (only 30 or so delivered out of 500 ordered because the war ended).

[Reg]

Other B-17 field modifications.... [:)]



The 20mm nose gun was ordered removed once the engineers got wind of it as the B-17 nose was not stressed for a weapon of this size. Supposedly the pilots couldn't read their instruments while the weapon was firing due to the vibrations. [X(]

[Yaab]

Matches the reports of B-25 noses being damaged from gun vibrations.

[Denniss]

The dive bombing requirement excluded the use of 4 single engines - no wing would be able to cope with the stresses during recovery from dive.
Germany had no large engine powerful enough for such a big bomber (the Jumo 222 never materialized) so they had to couple two smaller engines.
This beast actually worked from late 43/early 44 after fixing many problems especially with the too tight engine installation.