RAF Thunderbolt Questions

[Ranger626]

I'm planning to model a British P-47D Thunderbolt in WWII Burma operations.   I want to load it with two 500 lb. bombs on the wing pylons and a drop tank on the belly.   I have seen photos of these aircraft carrying 90 imperial gallon drop tanks that appear shaped like the 108 US gallon impregnated paper tanks used by US aircraft in Europe.    Are these the same tanks?    There seems to also have been a different style 90 imperial gallon drop tank sometimes belly mounted on spitfires.    Could this have been the tank sometimes used by Burma P-47's?   My available photos are not detailed enough to say for sure which tank was used.     Can anyone shed some light?   Thank you.

[72modeler]

From the photos and text I was able to find, there seem to be three different types of external tanks fitted to PTO P-47D's. I have attached a link to some photos and description of the three. IIRC, the pressed paper 108 gallon tanks were used in the ETO only. The 175 gallon tanks were the same ones carried by P-38's, I believe. I  hope this helps.

Mike

 

http://p47.kitmaker.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=172919

[Procopius]

19 hours ago, Ranger626 said:

I'm planning to model a British P-47D Thunderbolt in WWII Burma operations.   I want to load it with two 500 lb. bombs on the wing pylons and a drop tank on the belly.   I have seen photos of these aircraft carrying 90 imperial gallon drop tanks that appear shaped like the 108 US gallon impregnated paper tanks used by US aircraft in Europe.    Are these the same tanks?    There seems to also have been a different style 90 imperial gallon drop tank sometimes belly mounted on spitfires.    Could this have been the tank sometimes used by Burma P-47's?   My available photos are not detailed enough to say for sure which tank was used.     Can anyone shed some light?   Thank you.

Hiyo,

 

According to Geoff Thomas's book Royal Air Force Thunderbolts, the 90-gallon tanks were impregnated paper; given that 90 imperial gallons = 108 US gallons, it seems likely these are the same as the American ones.

[72modeler]

11 hours ago, Procopius said:

Hiyo,

 

According to Geoff Thomas's book Royal Air Force Thunderbolts, the 90-gallon tanks were impregnated paper; given that 90 imperial gallons = 108 US gallons, it seems likely these are the same as the American ones.

Did I miss something? In the Geoff Thomas book there is a paragraph that describes the jettisonable tanks carried by 8th AF P-47's but no mention of the 108-gallon paper tanks being used in the CBI. There were two versions of the 108-gallon tank used in WW2, one made of impregnated paper and the other of metal. To distinguish between the two, the metal tanks were painted grey and the paper tanks were painted with silver dope. Looking at all of the photos in the Thomas book that show P-47's carrying 108-gallon tanks, they do not appear to be painted with silver dope, but with what looks like grey paint.  As soon as the tanks were filled, the fuel began to decompose the paper, and thus were not filled until right before take-off. Add to that the high heat and humidity of the CBI theater, it appears that the P-47's in Thomas' book that were fitted with drop tanks had metal ones. That being said, Ranger wants to do his Jug with a single belly-mounted tank, which would have to be a 75/90/108 gallon tank, as the 125 and 137 gallon tanks did not allow enough ground clearance, from the written sources I found. It's hard to find good photos of CBI Thunderbolts- they are not nearly as numerous as those that cover the MTO and ETO!

Mike

 

http://www.warbirdsnews.com/warbird-articles/necessity-mother-invention-paper-drop-tanks-wwii.html

[Procopius]

1 hour ago, 72modeler said:

Did I miss something?

No, probably not. I'm not an expert on drop tanks and I have a week old baby in my house and haven't slept much. 

[Marvel Onkey]

Anyone with a small baby knows why the KGB used sleep deprivation as an interrogation technique...

[Welkin]

9 hours ago, Marvel Onkey said:

Anyone with a small baby knows why the KGB used sleep deprivation as an interrogation technique...

In my experience a new puppy has much the same effect!

[72modeler]

16 hours ago, Procopius said:

No, probably not. I'm not an expert on drop tanks and I have a week old baby in my house and haven't slept much. 

You have my sympathy, P- been there, done that twice, and it was definitely exhausting and mind-numbing...hang in there!

Mike

[Gwart]

Yes they were used (the cigar shaped paper/metal ones).Ones that looked grey were metal.There's pictures of RAF T'Bolts with ones on the centreline or on all 3 hardpoints.

 

 

Both pics appear to show metal ones.

Edited September 28, 2017 by Gwart
pics!

[Ranger626]

Thanks to everyone who commented on my question and shared their knowledge.    That last set of photos was just what I needed.    It seems to show that the rear of the metal tank has a very different profile (truncated cone?) than the paper version.    Anyone know of a kit or aftermarket 1/48 version of this metal tank?  The paper ones are easily available in several kits and from aftermarket, but I have never seen a 1/48 metal version with the more pointed rear half.

[Gwart]

There's a chance they were made by the Hindustani air company like these 75 gal ones for Mustangs/P-47's.

 

 

Which is almost but not quite the same shape as the standard US 75 gal.

Should be quite easy to modify an existing paper tank.

 

Shane.

[72modeler]

9 hours ago, Gwart said:

There's a chance they were made by the Hindustani air company like these 75 gal ones for Mustangs/P-47's.

 

 

Which is almost but not quite the same shape as the standard US 75 gal.

Should be quite easy to modify an existing paper tank.

 

Shane.

Those are some butt-ugly tanks!

Mike