B-17 50 cal

**Lasse i gatan** · 04-22-2017, 03:12 PM

1. Salvaged from the Baltic sea there is not much resemblance to a General Motors made 50 Cal Browning. This gun was situated on the left side in a nose turret under the plane.

2. The plane hit the surface hard and is scattered all over the seafloor. After a little cleaning and chiseling things are starting to look a little better.

3. Oops moment, when I realized ive been chiseling away with a live round in the barrel. Notice how the impact with the water when the plane went nose down have lodged the bullet into the cartridge.

4. Cleaned ,electrolysis bath, cleaned, greased and mounted.

**MAP** · 04-23-2017, 05:07 AM

Nice restoration!

Time now for a live fire test?? Lol

**Wagriff** · 04-23-2017, 06:35 AM

Excellent job! It looks great-and with such known History,no less! Well done!

**m3bobby** · 04-23-2017, 08:26 AM

What is the significance of Thompson in the title?

**ruddersrangers44** · 04-23-2017, 08:47 AM

Awesome find and restore..............

**Lasse i gatan** · 04-23-2017, 10:52 AM

havent got a clue why i wrote that (?). Thanks . Ill try to change it.

**BlackCat1982** · 04-24-2017, 08:29 PM

Do you know the identity of the aircraft it came from? Nice clean up!

**Lasse i gatan** · 04-25-2017, 07:47 AM

On 12 September 1944, the 398th Bomb Group left its base at Nuthampsted, England on a long 10 hour flight to bomb the chemical factories and oil refinery in Brux, Czechoslovakia. James Fields, of the 602nd Bomb Squadron, was an element lead in the high group. He reported problems with his supercharger and was falling out of formation but continued on the mission following behind the Bomb Group. He salvoed his bombs, but still fell about five miles behind the formation. As he went over Berlin, Germany, he was told to return to base. The group was hit by fighters and a FW-190 found Field"s B-17G, nicknamed "Stinker". His number 1 engine began to windmill, and his number 2 began to fail also. Nuthamsted was over 400 miles to the west, while Sweden was only 120 miles. The decision was made to try to cross the Baltic Sea and reach Sweden. With the Swedish coastline in sight, a ME-109 hit "Stinky". Lyman Cranston, Field's co-pilot described it in a 398th Bomb Group's newletter: "We were immediately on fire and Fields rang the bail-out bell. I got to the front hatch and motioned for White to jump. He said, "go ahead' and so I jumped. At the same time I hit the water the plane also hit and exploded. It came in on fire at 45 degrees. Nobody still in the plane could have survived that crash." Cranston was the only crewmember to survive the mission. James Field and Navigator Goodrich White's bodies washed ashore. Bombadier Billy Gonser, engineer Edward Mullendore, radio operator Richard Goodman and gunners Marvin Leach, James Somers and George Van Luven are inscribed on the Wall of the Missing at Cambridge, England. (exerpted from the 398th BG website)