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Ki-48 Sokei, aka "Lily"


Subdeacon Joe

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I saw on FB a photo of the ventral gunner position and looked up information on it.  Weird gun station.

 

 

Ki-48 Sokei

Country Japan
Manufacturer Kawasaki Aircraft Company Limited
Primary Role Medium Bomber

 

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseKi-48 Sokei light bombers, designated by the Japanese Army as the Type 99 Twin-engined Light Bomber, were originally designed by Takeo Doi of Kawasaki Aircraft Company Limited, who began this project with the Ki-45 heavy fighter design. Meant to be used as a light bomber, they could only each carry 800 kilograms of bombs and only had three machine guns for defense. They first saw service in China starting in late 1940, where they were adequate against Chinese forces which generally lacked modern fighters and anti-aircraft weaponry. When the Pacific War started, they were deployed across all of southeast Asia. In China and Burma, they remained in active service, often used as dive bombers for ground support; in the Pacific islands, however, they were out-classed by American fighters. Near the end of the Pacific War, some Ki-48 aircraft were re-equipped as special attack weapons for suicide missions. During the design's production life, 1,997 examples were built, most of which were of the Ki-48-II variant.

ww2dbaseDuring the war, both the Chinese Nationalist and Communist forces operated captured Ki-48 aircraft; some of these aircraft remained in service until the 1950s. Indonesian forces had one of them, put together from a number of captured inoperable aircraft; it was used against Dutch forces during the Indonesian National Revolution in the late 1940s.

 

ww2dbaseThe Allies gave the Ki-48 aircraft the codename of Lily.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

 

Last Major Revision: Mar 2011

SPECIFICATIONS

Ki-48-II

 

Machinery Two Nakajima Ha.115 radial engines rated at 1,130hp each
Armament 3x7.7mm Type 89 machine guns, 800kg of bombs
Crew 4
Span 17.45 m
Length 12.75 m
Height 3.80 m
Wing Area 40.00 m²
Weight, Empty 4,550 kg
Weight, Loaded 6,500 kg
Weight, Maximum 6,750 kg
Speed, Maximum 505 km/h
Service Ceiling 10,000 m
Range, Normal 2,400 km

FB_IMG_1626626959746.jpg

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"Crew

4?"

 

Lessee.... one nose gunner, pilot, copilot?  No copilot?  One or two rear gunners?  If one, he's gonna be mighty busy!  :huh:

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25 minutes ago, Seamus McGillicuddy said:

Similar layout to the Polish PZL 23 Karas. 
 

Seamus

 

 

3FFA39DA-5169-4928-BD78-B1A217B7DD23.jpeg

 

 

That seems to have an enclosed "bathtub" gunner's position rather than the sort of drop down opening unconfined station.

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12 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

No copilot.  Like an A-20 Havoc. 

 

Well then... that pilot was a busy booger!   ^_^

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9 minutes ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

 

Well then... that pilot was a busy booger!   ^_^

Nose gunner's probably the bombardier, too, and the rear dorsal gunner's probably the navigator/radio operator.  Belly gunner's probably does double duty as flight engineer.

 

There weren't a lot of room for malingering on any of those light bomber crews back then.

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11 minutes ago, Smuteye John SASS#24774 said:

Nose gunner's probably the bombardier, too, and the rear dorsal gunner's probably the navigator/radio operator.  Belly gunner's probably does double duty as flight engineer.

 

There weren't a lot of room for malingering on any of those light bomber crews back then.

 

I had a boss once who'd been a B-47 navigator/bombardier/radar operator.  Ol' Tony said that he could have never imagined being that busy - it was the busiest he'd ever been in his life, before or since.

 

But at one point he and a few of his colleagues were pulled and re-assigned to KC-97's (and later KC-135's).  He said they were insulted to the point of being incensed!  Madder'n hell!  But after a period of time they were offered opportunities to move back to bombers - "Uh... No thanks.  We're just fine right here."  :lol:

 

 

 

 

 

       

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The early model B-17's had the belly gun in a "bathtub", where, I think, the gunner lay on his stomach.  Those -17's also had NO tail gun.  The "bathtub" was replaced by the ball turret, and a pair of M2 Brownings and a tailgunner's position added. The G-model also got the twin .50 chin turret in the nose.

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2 hours ago, Trailrider #896 said:

The early model B-17's had the belly gun in a "bathtub", where, I think, the gunner lay on his stomach.  Those -17's also had NO tail gun.  The "bathtub" was replaced by the ball turret, and a pair of M2 Brownings and a tailgunner's position added. The G-model also got the twin .50 chin turret in the nose.

The chin guns were controlled by the co-pilot.   They were added as a counter to head on attacks.

 

I was always fascinated by the B-25G and H models that had a 75mm cannon that fired through the nose.  It was set up for ship interdiction in the Pacific.

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