Warbird Information Exchange

Has anyone ever heard of PBYs armed with a 75 mm cannon in the nose? As many of you know, there's a small access plate/panel just offset from the glass panel in the nose. I've always been told that allowed a crewmember to stick his arm out and remove any schmutz that was on the glass so the pilot could have a good view for an attack run.

Today, I heard a story from what should be a reliable source, stating that the hole was put there so 75mm cannon could be mounted to allow the PBYs to "duke it out" with Axis subs.

Frankly, I don't think I buy that story, but I figured with the wealth of knowledge amongst all you warbird enthusiasts (I started to write "booger eaters", but didn't want to insult any of us!! ) some of you may have some info about this!

Standing by for your well informed replies!!

_________________
"Thou shalt maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground reach up and smite thee."

20mm is the biggest I've seen.

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/attach ... cannon.jpg

_________________
It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

Your version is the correct one for the use of that circular panel.

_________________
David Legg
Editor, The Catalina News
The Catalina Society
Author: Consolidated PBY Catalina - The Peacetime Record

I know where the 75mm concept came from Ed. A well intentioned veteran.

Alas, the Cat internal design is such that it would not facilitate that size (read length) cannon. You could not utilize the mount and the loading tray ( a la B-25) forward of the flight deck. It would extend through the right seat rudder pedals and into compartment 'C'.
I doubt even Gary Norville could fit that gun inside.

Moreover, you would need a significant blast tube as depicted on the B-25G or H model faired nose. Look to the Black Cats for the 'Pappy Gunn' styled ingenuity! Four 50's or two 20's is all I have seen, short of the turret.

Cheers....

I always thought it was for the bomb aimer to get a clear view through the bomb sight. I think the driver would have to stand on his head to see through that window.

Here's a quad .50 set up in the nose of a PBY. Reminds me of a short story I read recently by Stephen Coonts, called the "Sea Witch". It's about a PBY "Black Cat" crew in the S. Pacific. They field mod their bird with 4 .50 Cal machine guns in the nose section, only he describes them as being two per side and the front turret gunner having to straddle the ammo cans in order to operate his own set of .30 Cals.

I'm thinking the set up pictured would only be good for a land based bird...otherwise water would be coming into the forward compartment?

A guy who lived two doors down from me, Bud LeSauvage, flew with VP-101. He said the quad-50s were great at cutting Japanese barges in half. He also said they had a lot of fun dropping empty beer bottles on enemy bases at night because they whistled on the way down, but that's another story.