B-25D-1 Strafer Conversion

The transformation of the standard B-25 medium bomber into the low-level offensive, aviation and naval, weapon of denial that would dominate the pacific air battle space for the duration of the war was undertaken at Townsville, Australia. These lethal sea-skimming ship-busters became popularly known as “Townsville Strafers”, and they struck terror into the heart of an unprepared and overwhelmed enemy.

The conversion began with the removal of the bottom turret, which was faired over, and an extra fuel tank was added to fill the space. The greenhouse nose section normally manned by the bombardier/navigator was completely rebuilt to accommodate the devastating new focused firepower.

The nose section would now house four forward-firing .50-caliber machine guns with 500 rounds per gun installed through a small metal nose cap. Metal access panels were installed on each side of the plexiglass nose section for servicing of the four Browning M2 .50 caliber machine guns now menacingly jutting from the prow of the Strafer.

Two side-pack .50-caliber machine guns with 500 rounds per gun were added on each side of the lower fuselage just aft of the cockpit, giving the aircraft eight fixed forward firing fifty-caliber machine guns. The trigger to all this new firepower was wired to the cockpit and was fired by the pilot depressing a button on the control yoke. To prevent the fuselage skin from rippling due to the blast of the side-pack guns, heavy foam rubber-backed sheet metal was riveted to the fuselage under the gun muzzles.

Automatic K-21 cameras, taking a frame a second, were installed on the underside of the rear fuselage of most of the Strafers. These were aimed downward and to the rear at about a 15-degree angle and were wired to switches in either the cockpit or turret. They were to be activated as the aircraft began its run over the target and shut off at the conclusion of the attack, providing a sequence of high-resolution 4x6 inch photographs of the devastating damage of the assault. These images became an invaluable tool for intelligence officers in accessing the results of the aerial attack.

A “can do” spirit permeated the Fifth Air Force and as a result this Air Force gained a reputation for innovative approaches to warfare. When it encountered problems it solved them, generally discounting their “impossibility.”