Name This...(321)

[Brady]

???

[Ron Saueracker]

A 20 Havoc nose.

[Marten]

A20 [:'(]

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Marten

A20 [:'(]

I am not a wingnut - but ...

In looking at pictures of the A20 on the net, it seems that this nose is much more slender than the A20 - at least for the Boston A20. If it is an A20 Havoc, it would have to be a relatively early model, as i thought the USAAF took the bombadier out and replaced it with solid nose with .50 cal MGs. Or am i mistaken?[&:]

Anyway - could this be an F5 (P38) Recon? Is the F5 a one-man or two-man aircraft?

Here is a picture of a Boston A20 shot from the front (wartime color pic!)




EDIT: Studying our unknown - there is an open set of doors behind the nose that looks like a bomb bay. If it is a bomb bay - i guess this would eliminate the F5.

[Marten]

ORIGINAL: rtrapasso
anyway - could this be an F5 (P38) Recon? Is the F5 a one-man or two-man aircraft?

with bomb bay? no no.

ORIGINAL: rtrapasso
Here is a picture of a Boston A20 shot from the front (wartime color pic!)

the one on your photo looks like b25 to me [&:]

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Marten

ORIGINAL: rtrapasso
anyway - could this be an F5 (P38) Recon? Is the F5 a one-man or two-man aircraft?

with bomb bay? no no.

ORIGINAL: rtrapasso
Here is a picture of a Boston A20 shot from the front (wartime color pic!)

the one on your photo looks like b25 to me [&:]

OK - you agree then it is a bomb bay.[:D]

Well, the photo was on an Boston A20 site, and was identified as "a wartime colour photo" of said aircraft - including the name of the jpg called "Boston_A20wartimecolor1.jpg". I would have to find the site again, but i can do it later.

All the A20 shots seemed to have one or more horizontal support structures in the "glass" nose - while this appears to be a (more or less) one-piece structure. That is, the ones that have clear noses. Most of the A20s Havocs had solid noses in the pictures i saw - except for the early models.

[Cap Mandrake]

Could be an A-26

[rtrapasso]

OK - here is the link with the original photo i uploaded:

http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/aircraft/Boston.htm

Now, if they misidentified it, i would never know. As i said, i am not an aircraft specialist.

However, here is another picture - notice the horizontal support members in the nose. All of the A20 pics i have seen (so far) have these in the ones with clear noses.

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Could be an A-26

I like this for a Douglas A26 Invader. It has that funky window in the nose that our mystery pic has.

[Dutchgy2000]

ORIGINAL: rtrapasso

OK - you agree then it is a bomb bay.[:D]

Well if those are bomb bay doors... then where is the nosewheel?

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Dutchgy2000

ORIGINAL: rtrapasso

OK - you agree then it is a bomb bay.[:D]

Well if those are bomb bay doors... then where is the nosewheel?

Hmm - comparing the 2 photos - it would look like the nosewheel should be coming out of the rectangular door starting just behind the clear nose. But - then how is this photo shot? Somebody holding up the tail?[&:]

EDIT - the only other thing i can figure IF this is an A26, maybe this is staged from a damaged A26 with a damaged nosewheel, sitting on its tail while someone poses in the nose. That might account for the high-angle aspect of the mystery shot. Either that or some VERY high speed color film, freezing the prop while in flight while someone got suicidally close to the front of the aircraft (or had a REALLY excellent telephoto lens). I think the former is the case.

[Cap Mandrake]

Hatches are for nose gear. The equipment in the bubble is the bombsite. The limt of the metal skin on the side of the nose bubble is vertical.....it is not vertical on every pic of the A-20 I can find. It is vertical on the A-26


I say A-26 (although the top of the bubble on the mystery pic differs from the every A-26 pic I can find)

[Ron Saueracker]

Pretty sure A 26 Invader had a wider nose.

F-3 version of A 20 was a recon variant...hmmmm.

[grossmetzger]

perhaps its a Martin Type 187 Baltimore

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Ron Saueracker

Pretty sure A 26 Invader had a wider nose.

F-3 version of A 20 was a recon variant...hmmmm.

But it still looks like a bomb bay in mystery pic. Wouldn't think a recon variant would carry bombs.

[grossmetzger]

now im sure it´s a baltimore....

[rtrapasso]

Well - it COULD be an A30 Baltimore IV.

EDIT - it even has the letter behind the nose!

[grossmetzger]

if it´s a baltimore IV then it´s the a-30a...[;)]

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: grossmetzger

if it´s a baltimore IV then it´s the a-30a...[;)]

Well - with more research - the III and IV were the same except for the dorsal turret.

[Cap Mandrake]

I am losing confidence in my A-26 guess. That open bay now does look like a bomb bay on a third look. I think I can see 2 rows of 3 bombs..even the fin stabilizer on the front row. Now look at the rectangualr hatch in front of the bay...perhaps that is the front landing gear bay and its closed[X(] The front landing gear bay doors are paired in the A-26 but apear to be single in the mystey pic.

As rtpasso noted...the starboard prop is stopped...what then, is the front gear doing stowed if the plane is on the ground?

It may be some type of publicity pic where they faked a live bombing run shot for the folks back home. Ergo the chap looking though the bombsite and the doors open. Perhaps a prime mover is attached to the tail?