PH435M

{A\GC\AM435-HP} Nose Gun Story by H Perry

[05-__-42] Sometime during the last of May, Japanese zero fighters began concentrating their attack on the nose of our B-17s. They would fly ahead of our formation, slightly to one side, just out of gun range. Suddenly they would make a quick, 180 turn, and come head on into the formation with all guns firing. Colonel Hobson, having been through one these attacks, stated that what went or before was mere child’s play compared with these new tactics.

The very next day the armament section of the 435th began working on a 50 cal. gun installation for the vulnerable nose.

At the time we had a wrecked B-17 that had been strip for parts. A trial installation was made in this ship to determine if the plastic cell material would withstand the shock of twin 50 caliber machine guns firing together. The mounting consisted of fitting a steel plate in the center of the nose section. Ball sockets were set in this plate enabling the guns to operate in a 30 deg cone. Inside the plane the guns were supported by a system of pulleys and shock cord.

They worked--and how! On the first trial we fired at a hill about 3000 yds distant. Tracers set the grass afire and the squadron spent the afternoon fighting a grass fire.

The first combat test came over Tulagi, in the Solomon Islands. A Jap four-engined flying boat -was lying at anchor in the harbor. As we dove on the Jap airplane, we could see tracers piercing the fuselage and rebounding from the water.

We know that this gun definitely bagged a zero. Capt. Horgn was jumped by a flock of zeros over New Guinea. Lt Pascoe was behind the nose guns and poured 50 caliber slugs into one until one zero literally disintegrated in mid air.