sharkmouth Posted March 14, 2025 Share Posted March 14, 2025 (edited) Next installment is on the life raft locations. Here we see what appears to be an A20B but pay attention to the verbiage about difference in models. "Airplane models and equipment stowage vary... Adapt this procedure to fit the specific model you are flying" I don't know the publication date but the inset on the top right does show a life raft and supplies in the walkway behind the pilot's cockpit: A close up of text instructions for each crew member: However, the actual A-20B manual has this figure stating that the gunner is to remove and inflate the raft, see step III: Another ditching instructions for the early Boston/Havoc. Locations of parachutes, circled, and the dinghy (boxed). Note that the locations did vary from model to model. Text for pilot from illustration below. Left side: Pilot - Exits through top hatch either by turning plane on its back and dropping out, or by crawling back over port wing and dropping from trailing edge. Last to leave plane. Right side text for Pilot: Pilot - Wears back-type parachute and dinghyi n seat position. Exits through top hatch, either by turning plane on its back and dropping out, or crawling over port wing and dropping from trailing edge. Last to leave plane. Pay attention to the caution box on the upper left: My point is to take care to cross-check documents prior to believing them blindly. Moving backwards in the production timeline for USAAF aircraft. The A-20A manuals do not state anything about life rafts, simply life preservers. Here is a USAAF A-20A serial 40-109, named Spook, and written off in an accident on November 5th, 1941. Flying from New Guinea over open water and should be equipped with a life raft, if at all. However, the walkway behind the pilot is clear, as you can see in the video after the screen grab: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ0esWOZ56c No mention of rafts in the Havoc Mk. IIIa/A-20C manuals I have... The Boston Mk.III manual mentions K type dinghies for the crew. These are one-man rafts. This is the raft, the container, Type C, will follow. Sources of image and others: https://www.historicflyingclothing.com/en-GB/ww2-raf-survival-equipment/raf-k-type-dinghy-complete/prod_16130 https://www.airministrymilitaria.com/en-GB/escape-survival-gear/raf-k-type-dinghy/prod_10118 RAF type C dinghy pack, for the single man K type dinghy. Source of image plus others: https://www.airministrymilitaria.com/en-GB/escape-survival-gear/raf-k-type-dinghy-pack/prod_10388 Now, for the Boston Mk. IIIa based on the A-20C - A screen grab from a video claiming these to be Havoc Mk. IIIa (again, I defer to Wing Leader's greater knowledge) but I do see the horizontal windscreen brace introduced with the A-20C production for the armored windscreen glass. While the USAAF had it inside the cockpit with a folding mount. The British seem to have it mounted here on the outside, like the Spitfire. Video source for the screen grab: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q87tdo--QZU Since HKM has released a 1/48th scale Boston Mk.III, I also took a look at that - I believe this is a Boston Mk. III. The ground crew is obviously standing where you placed a life raft. The video from which this screen grab was taken: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7J_QZlI4xg After the A-20C, the A-20G entered full scale production. From the A-20G-1-DO to the A-20G-15-DO, I have not found any images or videos showing a life raft positioned in the pilots walkway. Screen grab from an A-20G-15-DO, serial 42-54282: Video source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpGcFnqnfwo However, with the introduction of the Martin turret, the life raft, when so equipped, would be too cumbersome for the hatch aft of the turret so all models produced from the A-20G-20-DO on, to include the A-20H/J/K, would have the stowage standardized at this location: Edited March 28, 2025 by sharkmouth Corre Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dogsbody Posted March 28, 2025 Share Posted March 28, 2025 I've got this, from an old National Geographic: Chris Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sharkmouth Posted March 28, 2025 Author Share Posted March 28, 2025 33 minutes ago, dogsbody said: I've got this, from an old National Geographic: Chris Many thanks Chris as it allowed me to see, and fix, the broken image links! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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