Although not the version I am building, the gunship-Boston was apparently numerous - even dominant - at both the Battle of the Bismarck Sea and with 22 Squadron RAAF generally. More than that, though: they were 'way cool! As obviously also felt by the squadron, whose identification with this plane is clearly expressed in this pic:


Despite some web-attributions to the contrary, this photo dates from June, 1944, and depicts the latest of their (3) versions of Boston gunship (see below). The earliest-observed fit of Boston gunships with 22 Squadron had a significantly diffferent layout - and, presumably, different capabilities, as well:


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FULL RESAll three of these pics, encountered in the Victory at Sea series, episode 13: "Mellanesian Nightmare" (though not ascribed to 22 Squadron), portray the earliest-known Boston gunship fit. Note all nose armament of the original Boston-II is retained: each side having a bulging 20mm cheek blister (note exposed cannon, at bottom, where the aeroshell is removed), and - just ahead, looking like a short stogie clenched in the teeth - a 50cal MG, buried in the fuselage. To these, and the (up to three) flexible-mounted 30cal machine guns of the original nose greenhouse, the conversion added a fourth, bundling them together to fire fixed, extending forward through the nose plexiglass, all of which was (at least) painted-over: note remaining traces of the greenhouse framing, especially at top-left. In low-quality/resolution images, (particularly as at top-right), these nose guns can be very hard or impossible to discern.

This fit appears to have been an ad hoc - maybe even uniquely RAAF - field modification to the production, glazed-nosed A-20 - with obvious intent to greatly increase the strafing ability - and appears to have been common among 22 Squadron Bostons:


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___FULL RES_____FULL RES____At left, the top pic clearly shows the remnant pattern of greenhouse panels - some or all of which may be flashed-over or replaced outright with sheet metal or perhaps fiberglass, and both 20mm- and 50cal gunports are covered with maintenance/safety tape. The 30cal barrels extending from the nose are only faintly visible, but shown clearly in two pics of aircraft "K" (bottom), the one at left - as at top - taken 10/42 at Port Moresby, 22 Squadron's first base on (extreme southern) New Guinea - while the one at right, seen about a year later, after redeployment to Vivigani (just around the southeastern tip of New Guinea). Note all four nose MG barrels extend from well below its tip/midpoint: a distinguishing feature of this fit - also the only gunship to retain the cheek 20mms.

At right, the top pics are various renditions - obviously of the same original photo - found attributed to 22 Squadron, but with additional data incorrect - just as they don't reliably (and then only faintly) depict nose guns - though cheek packs positively ID them as the early fit. Again at middle-right, subtle glimpses of a low-mounted nose MG, as well as cheek pack tag aircraft "F" as an early-fit gunship - anotated "December, 1943" and "Kiriwina", which must refer to the province (Kiriwina-Goodenough) containing Vivigani airstrip, to which the squadron redeployed no earlier than April, 1943, when the Allied advance first built it.

At bottom, by 8/44 we get a clear, side-by-side comparison between the early gunship (left foreground) versus a new fit visible on aircraft "U": now lacking cheek 20mms and with only stubby MG muzzles protruding from the very tip of the nose. By that time, this second-type conversion had been in service with 22 Squadron for (at least) the better part of a year:


Click on Image to EnlargeAt top, note this fit restores the number of nose guns to three, now mounted line-abreast across (actually slightly above) the tip of the nose, which now preserves - as the earlier configuration did not - the bomb-aimer's (clear) panels below: the obvious goal being to retain more of the original, level-bombing capability while upgrading strafing capability - the "best of both worlds" (as well as photo-recon, through the bomb-aiming glass). Note the pattern of greenhouse framing remains clearly visible - again looking like a field-conversion of the stock A-20, including strengthening (top-right) apparently with fiberglass and/or possibly sheet metal - glued (not rivetted, nor screwed) onto the plexiglass. Retaining the chin-mounted 50cals (at top-left removed only for servicing), this fit deleted the cheek 20mms - never to reappear on this, or any subsequent gunship (see below). Again, this would have better retained bombing capability: saving weight, accordingly available for bomb loads.

These pics of the same plane, plus another of aircraft "W" (middle, which could also be of the same plane) all originate 12/43, again from Vivigani ("Kiriwina"), while a glimpse of aircraft "U" (bottom, in background) was taken about 9 months later, at Kamiri airfield on Noemfoor Island, just (east) off the north tip of New Guinea: yet another redeployment with the Allied advance, building this airstrip in July, 1944. By then, for (at least) 3 months yet a third type of Boston gunship conversion had appeared in service with 22 Squadron:


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____FULL RES_____FULL RES__At left, this fit is clearly seen (at top-left especially) to be the most refined so far: without trace of the greenhouse, nor its bomb-aiming glass, but of all-metal construction - its nose-cap accommodating (again back to) four guns, spread equally above- and below the tip of the nose: the unique ID feature of this fit. If not a production gunship straight from the factory, then this must certainly be a production kit, for conversions at (more) forward areas. Again lacking not only the 20mm cheek pods, but now even their attachment hard points as well - again, no doubt to save payload weight for bombs - though now also without the bomb-aiming/photo-recon windows. Explainable as, by 1944 - in fact, largely due to successes at Bismarck Sea - low level/"skip" bombing, aimed solely by the pilot, had been widely adopted (for attack bombers like these), and photo/recon work taken over by better-suited aircraft (e.g., "droop-snoot" P-38s, etc.).

In any case, this was the last type of Boston gunship seen in service with 22 Squadron - first over Hollandia (top-right) 4/3/44, and then mainly at Noemfoor Island: roughly two months later (bottom), again in August, 1944 (top-left), and at right (top- and middle, a single plane) again on 10/29/44. About a year later, a pic of aircraft "H" (bottom) may be the last-observed late- (or any) type Boston gunship with 22 Squadron - seen at their next deployment: Morotai, in the Palau Islands, north of New Guinea. Its canopy under a tarp, this was one of the few survivors of a Japanese bombing raid destroying 11 Bostons there - after which the squadron re-equipped with Bristol Beaufighters.

So - how cool is all that?!!

Although I'll still proceed with my clear-nosed Boston, the updated photo-record now argues strongly that the truly characteristic 22 Squadron Boston would be one of the above, gunship fits. Ironically, my original Airfix Boston mold started out as a solid-nosed, gunship version! ( So now this new greenhouse unpgrade better not give me any more problems - or else...)

Cheers,

-Matty