Does anyone have any links or information on the damage that “Black Jack” sustained over her combat career? I’m getting to that stage on my model, so I need to know where to apply “patches”, replaced sections, smoke/fire streaks, etc.
The sources I have show that “Black Jack” was shot up severely twice.
The first time was the night of November 24, 1942 when she atacked five Japanese ships in the Huon Gulf at very low altitude. She took a hit in the tailgunners ammuntion boxes which started a small fire and detonated about 70 rounds. Then the number one engine was hit and the controls to feather the propeller were shot away. As a result the propeller windmilled until it, along with the crankcase, melted off the engine. Finally the number three engines fuel lines were hit and the engine was shut down for a time.
The second occasion was another night mission to Rabaul on February 14, 1943 .“Black Jack” was caught in a searchlight and an antiaircraft shell went through the number 3 turbosupercharger and exited out the nacelle above, apparently without exploding.
HTH
Tony H.
http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-17/41-24521.html
Hmmm…Is this too much damage?
Interersting find though.
Jeff
do you know which side of the fuselage the fire was on in the tail?
My info didn’t specify which side.
But if I had to make an educated guess, it would be the left side. Primarily because skip bombing was more a function of the pilot than the bombadier. The pilot, sitting on the left side, would find it easier to keep the target in sight looking out his side of the cockpit. In so doing he would expose his aircraft to antiaircraft fire coming from his left. Note also that the number one engine, left outter engine, was hit on a subsequent bomb run over the same target.
CODY614, in his reply above, included an image of a painting, “Rabaul Night”, that shows “Black Jack” executing just such a bomb run.
HTH
Tony H.