B-14 Desert Dawg!

[John Howling Mouse]

Hey, Brian da Basher and I were talking and I brought up this old, old idea of mine and I thought I should share it with you folks as well.  The more people who know about it, the more pressure I'll feel to actually get it accomplished!

Concept: Convert a DC-3/AC-47 into a medium bomber.

Naturally, I discovered the B-18 Bolo and the B-23 Dragon at some point after I had come up with the idea, which really freaked me out.  But mine will be a GOOD-looking aircraft concept-----more like a mini-B-17, right down to turrets, waist gunners and even an enlarged tail cone taper and revised tailfin to accommodate a tailgunner position.

Oh, and did I happen to mention that I'm planning this conversion not for sensible 1:72 but using the big 1:48 Monogram and B-17 kits?!?!  Lots of troubles at that size, right down to the DC-3 kit's built-in wingspars but I'll manage!

Here is a sample of the noseart decal I drew for it.  The artwork looks rough on purpose as it would be noseart applied in the field by a hobbyist artist. I was thinking it would have been stationed somewhere in North Africa.  Maybe Tunisia, 1943?  Desert Dawg!!!!  To be finished in heavily weathered, stained and sunbleached tan and brown.

And my friend just bought a nice laser printer and has offered to print some a few decal sheets for me, too!  Just awaiting the blank decal sheets from U.K.

Backstories, anyone?

[Rafael]

Extraordinary concept!!!

I'm not a WWII conossieur, but it is tempting.
If I manage to come up with something, I'll let you know.

DC-3 bomber. Wow!
Rafa

[Brian da Basher]

Wow Mr Howling Mouse, this is a truly inspiring concept! I love the idea of it fighting in the desert circa 1942/1943 as that early in the war production of larger more modern bombers hadn't ramped up yet and the Desert Air Force would've had to use whatever was available including obsolescent types.

That nose art is absolutely perfect! Desert camo will only add to this build and will set off the colors in that nose art nicely!

I am hoping to see this one started soon and taken all the way to completion without pause!

Brian da Basher

P.S. Don't forget to have the yellow outline on the U.S. insignia and to add that cool British fin flash for some added realism and color!

[Radish]

Ooooooh baby, ooooooh, baby.....YES!!
YES!!!YES!!!!!

[B777LR]

Soviets made C-47s into bombers using Lim-2s, the soviet copy of C-47

[nev]

y'know Baz, if you hadn't have said, I would never have guessed that that nose-art wasn't real, merely a figment of your own imagination.  Very, very realistic.

"A bit rough" he says......    

[Keith Diamond]

y'know Baz, if you hadn't have said, I would never have guessed that that nose-art wasn't real, merely a figment of your own imagination.  Very, very realistic.

"A bit rough" he says......  

Looking forward to some pics!  And I agree with Nev, if you didn't say they were created by you, I would have thought you found that noseart from another aircraft during WWII

[retro_seventies]

Sounds good to me - very fond of that nose art too!

you DO realise the immense amount of work that this will take, right (he said, knowing full well that JHM not only realises the amount of work involved, but RELISHES it)??

i honestly can't wait to see it!    

[John Howling Mouse]

you DO realise the immense amount of work that this will take, right

Yes, I have pooped my pants several times with nervous tension just thinking about it....can I say "poop" here?

The Monogram kit has some fully functional wingspars, too.  I might have to remove or modify these to make way for a worthwhile-sized bomb-bay.  

But it's the aft fuselage rework that has me worried.

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Tail from a passing B-25 ?

Twin booms, a la C-119/Noratlass ?

Like Nev says.... Just messing with your head, Barry   ..... Maybe    

Ian

[PanzerWulff]

Maybe something like This???

I cobbled this up with some aircraft profiles and a lil artistic licence in Paint

[retro_seventies]

cor...  

[John Howling Mouse]

Maybe something like This???

I cobbled this up with some aircraft profiles and a lil artistic licence in Paint

Oh yeah, freaky, baby----this is how I saw it.  You can see the fun I'm going to have in getting the aft tail bulked out enough to accommodate a live tailgunner.  I'll also cover most (but not all) of the passenger windows.

I'm loading this into the archives, thanks!  

[Alvis 3.1]

You know, the B-26 is maybe more close in size for a tailgunner position. That way you can hack up THREE classic era Mongram 1/48th scale aircraft!

As for bomb load, why not a semi-recessed bomb load, instead of a full out "proper" bomb bay. That way you avoid any real world issues over that cursed main spar. Myself, I can't see how you'd get a bomb bay in with that in the way...

Back story:

During the Re-Taking of North Africa by Nazi forces, USAAF and RAF forces were cut off from many sources of resupply. Trans-Atlantic deliveries were being regularly sunk by U-Boat, and the B-24 lifeline from Britain was only able to bring in bare essentials. Too bad the Germans had finally taken Malta, as the RN was getting a rough time in the Med as well. However, with the brilliant tactical attacks by South African and Free French forces, with the newly re-allied African Vichy units, the Germans and Italians were stalled in Tunisia. Egypt was still threatened though. A turn about was drastically needed.

At a backwater USAAF base, technical staff and mechanics were frantically keeping everything they had airborne. The lack of spares, and the differing airframes was slowly whittling down what they had, until one of them hit upon one of those typically American can-do ideas: Combine the most common airframes, weapons, and payloads into something they could keep airborne. Almost at once, the 4 engined bombers were cannabalised for parts, their strategic role being dropped as tactical support had become far too urgent. Every B-17 and B-24 that went down took 4 engines with it, as well as many crew and machine guns. And, furthermore, their record against Rommels tanks weren't that good. Me-109s had a field day with the lumbering Forts and Libs at low altitudes.

A profusion of C-47s led the tech teams to redesign the Skytroopers into medium bombers, with a secondary transport role. Each plane was capable of a decent bombload over a medium range, or carry paratroops, or cargo. The addition of turrets and bomb bays did lessen top speed, but they were mostly flown at lower altitudes and against ground targets where a high top speed wasn't essential. The Luftwaffe didn't know what they'd be facing when they attacked any Twin Engined Douglases, as some had been stripped down and were basically flying gunships, some even mounting .50 cal guns and 20 mm cannon out the side windows and blasting away like sailing ships of the Spanish Main! Getting caught by a broadside had suddenly become a concern again.

Back in the Staes, a crash program began at Douglas, with the Vega factory and Boeing themselves involved as well, frantically converting as many C-47s, DC-3s and DC-2s as could be run through the factories. Rosie the Riveter began to look a lot worse for the wear with 14 and even 18 hour shifts not being unusual. Canadian and Brtish factories also engaged in what is now known as "Douglas Summer", converting many Dakotas into something more potent...

With the capture of Rommel at the hands of the LRDG, the Germans began to lose the initiative, and while they were regrouping, a massive force of "CB-47s"* or "SkyDroppers" engaged the Wehrmacht ground forces in "Operation Nutcracker", along with newly reinforced British Africa Corps forces along the Secondary Egyptian Front. In what is now known as a classic force of Inter-Allied Cooperation, Patton and Montgomery utilised their meagre resources to route a far superior enemy. Airpower had been a major factor, as was the Indian Army units the British had fielded. Both would be called upon again in the war, but for the CB-47, it was soon superceded by more specialised aircraft expressly designed for each role. However, it holds a very important part in the history of WW II, a patchwork design that surprised everyone.

*CB-47 was an in-field and unofficial designation applied, not to be confused with the WW III bomber, the B-47 StratoJet


Alvis 3.1

[PanzerWulff]

I remember an old WWII movie were the crew cut off the tail cone of an early B-17.  Then installed a single 50 cal and the gunner manned it in the prone position.

I was also thinking of a Cross between the B-17's tail gunner position and the early "Tunnel Gun" positions on some aircraft "I saw the same movie but can't remember the name" I have both the mono B-26 and the C-47 and the tails REEEEEEALY don't match up the B-26's Butt end is a Bit deeper than the C-47's Kiester so Maybe grafting the B-17's Arse end may be easier