Bob

NA turned out 406 B-25G models with one 75mm and two 50 cal in the
nose.

Navigator/Cannoneer loaded the single shot canon. Bird carried 15
rounds which weighed 15 lbs each.

NA built cannon birds started arriving Brisbane in 1943.

Gun was a 75 MM CANNON, Army type M4 (not a howitzer). Gun was
descended from the French 75 of WWI fame.

Follow on was the B-25H which had the 75 mm cannon plus eight 50 cals
in nose (all fired by pilot)
..
The only bird I know of that uses a bigger gun (105 mm) is the C-130,
Spector, Gun Ship.

Not trying to take anything away from Gunn story, just giving
additional data on the NA built Cannon equiped birds.


Big John


On Fri, 14 Nov 2003 20:46:24 -0500, "Bob Chilcoat"
wrote:

It's my understanding that after Pappy Gunn had modified a B-25 for
straffing, with six 50 Cal Brownings in the nose and a 75mm field howitzer
under the floor of the cockpit, and had used it very successfully against
Japanese shipping, North American sent an engineer out to see what this
lunatic was doing. After looking over Gunn's field modification he just
shook his head and asked "Where the hell is the center of gravity?" Gunn
just shrugged and told him "Aw, we threw that out to save weight." The
engineer went home and North American started mass producing a properly
engineered variant of Gunn's cludge, the B-25G.