The 1930s was a decade of massive change for the US Army Air Corps.
It was a decade that began with the aftershocks of the Great Depression hampering development
budgets, the rapid progression from the cloth-covered Biplane to the sleek, all-metal monoplane,
and the gradual realisation that, like it or not, the United States would probably find
itself at war in the early years of the 1940s.
As a result of these factors many aircraft designed during this period became rapidly
obsolete, sometimes before they had even officially entered military service.
One such design was the Douglas B-18 Bolo, a twin-engine bomber that had been based off
the hugely successful DC-2, and had been offered to the Air Corps as a budget friendly medium
bomber.
However, within a few short years its modest performance was rendering it obsolete in the
face of newer designs, and Douglas proposed some modifications to bring it up to standard.
Chief among these was the fitting of a pair of upgraded Wright R-2600 cyclone engines;
each put out 1600hp, which was a significant jump over the 1000hp models fitted to the
B-18A, and this aircraft would have been dubbed as the XB-22.
But the calculated performance of this upgraded bomber still fell short of the Air Corps requirements
and the project was abandoned.
Despite this, Douglas refused to throw in the towel.
In place of the previous, modified B-18, they proposed a major re-design instead.
Like on their previous model, Douglas made use of existing features that had been tried
and tested on their commercial aircraft.
The re-designed bomber made use of the stronger wings of the DC-3, it had a brand new, streamlined
fuselage (which was also lighter, courtesy of advancements made designing the DC-3),
and it featured larger tail surfaces to improve directional stability and control.
This sleek, modern airframe, combined with a pair of 1600hp Wright Cyclones, allowed
Douglas to calculate some very promising performance figures, particularly the estimated top speed
and range.
As a result of this, the Army Air Corps modified an existing production contract for 38 B-18As,
with the aircraft being replaced by the newly designated B-23.
This was considered an unusual decision, as although it was virtually a brand-new design,
the B-23 was ordered without the usual requirement for prototype and service trial models – which,
had they been built would have been designated the XB-23 and YB-23 respectively.
The first B-23, which would later receive the official name of Dragon, was completed
in July of 1939.
Overall it was slightly larger than the B-18, with a 98 foot – or 28 meter – wingspan,
compared to the 89 foot 6 inch – or 27.2 meter- wingspan of its predecessor.
But for roughly the same size, it provided vastly superior performance.
It had a top speed of 282 mph – or 454 kmh – compared to the 216 mph – or 348 kmh
– of the B-18.
It also had a range of 1200 nautical miles, or approximately 2300 km, which represented
an increase of over 50% without compromising the bombload or the quality of the defensive
armament.
Speaking of defences.
The B-23 came equipped with what was at the time the standard .30 calibre browning machine
guns.
One was mounted forward in a glazed turret in the nose, one was on a swing mount that
could be fired through beam hatches or a dorsal panel, and a third was fired through a ventral
hatch.
Additionally, the B-23 featured a first when it came to defences, and that was a .50 calibre
machine gun that was installed in a glazed tail gunner position.
This was the first use of a tail gunner position in a frontline bomber for the United States,
and it was rapidly introduced across many other bomber designs in the near future.
Though there never was a prototype, the first production B-23 still completed the requisite
trial flights and service evaluations before the series was accepted.
After being evaluated by the Material Division at Wright Field, the B-23s entered service
in 1940 with the 89th Reconnaissance Squadrion in California.
A reconnaissance squadron may seem like a bit of a strange assignment for a medium bomber,
but the B-23s had also been planned with photo-reconnaissance in mind owing to their good range and stability.
In-fact, the aircraft had permeant provision for photographic equipment, with mounting
points for cameras being installed on the portside of the fuselage.
In service the crew comprised of a pilot, bomb-aimer, navigator, radio operator, camera
operator, and a dedicated tail gunner.
The bomb aimer would operate the nose gun, and the navigator and radio operator would
usually operate the ventral and beam guns.
Though they were a substantial improvement over the old B-18, the life of the B-23 as
a bombing aircraft was incredibly brief.
By the end of 1941 the Army Air Force was rapidly expanding its inventory with newer
designs that were eclipsing the B-23 as quickly as it had the B-18.
The B-17 Flying Fortress was superior in terms of payload and defensive armament, while the
twin-engine B-25 Mitchell and B-26 Marauders were both faster, better armed, and could
carry a heavy payload.
Other factors kept the B-23 out of combat service as well, a big one was the complete
lack of de-icing equipment on the wings.
And considering that if, for instance, it was to be used as a bomber over in Europe,
it would have to fly through some pretty chilly weather to get there, and a lack of de-icing
equipment made the prospect of ferry flights rather disconcerting.
It was this shortcoming that led to the loss of a B-23 that crashed near Loon Lake, in
Idaho in 1943.
The crew of the bomber had attempted to make an emergency landing on the lake, at the time
being frozen, but they overshot into the surrounding woods.
After performing an impromptu logging operation through 200 feet of dense pines, the bomber
came to rest in remarkably good condition…albeit missing its outer wings, the end of the tail,
and a bit of the nose.
The whole crew actually survived, and it’s a story I plan to cover in a video one day,
but it was at least a testament to the sturdiness of the airframe…if not its ability to cope
with poor weather.
Owing to its obsolescence in its intended role, the Army Air Force made the B-23s available
for conversions and use in experimental programs.
Between 12 and 18 of the 38 B-23s built were modified as transports, being redesignated
as the UC-67 in 1943.
Several of the B-23s that weren’t converted found themselves being used for unique experiments,
usually as part of a development test for another dedicated project.
As the importance of gliders in military operations grew steadily, particularly in the case of
the planned invasion at Normandy, a B-23 was used to test the idea of picking up a glider
without the need for landing.
The glider’s tow line was held off the ground between two poles, and the B-23 would fly
low and catch the towline with a hook mounted beneath the fuselage.
When the hook engaged the wire, the towing rope was paid out from a winch on the plane,
and gradually a brake was applied; this, combined with the natural stretch of the rope, reduced
shock loading to under 1g for a duration of about 6 seconds, by which point the glider
would hopefully be airborne and the b-23 would still hopefully have a tail.
This technique was used successfully during the war, and during the D-Day landings it
was used to evacuate allied casualties back to the United Kingdom.
After the war, the surviving B-23s and UC-67s were sold by the Army Air Force as surplus,
and they quickly found a new role as corporate transports.
Sharing many of the redeeming qualities of the DC-3, they were highly appealing as company
transports for executives, but these executives had certain tastes when it came to style and
comfort.
As a result of this, most of the B-23s went to the Engineering Department of Pan American
Airways for special modifications, with Howard Hughes himself retaining one of them as a
personal transport.
Fitted with a new and longer metal nose, and with a crew of two and full washroom facilities,
the re-vitalised B23 Dragons could accommodate twelve passengers across two cabins in luxurious,
business-like comfort.
Though it was unsuccessful as a bomber, as a corporate shuttle the Dragons did themselves
proud.
Some of these civil B-23s were still flying in the early 1970s, and then, thirty years
after being declared surplus by the Army Air Force, one aircraft found itself back in military
service.
Bristling with instruments and flown by a crew of 7, it was used to sample cloud particles
as part of a research project sponsored by the Space and Missile Systems Organisation.
As a result of their later use as corporate transports, quite a few B-23s survive today.
Some are on display at various museums across the United States, along with a single example
down in Ecuador as well, and a few examples were restored to an airworthy condition.
Only one seems to still be flying though, last seen in the air in 2017, and with a strikingly
retro paint scheme.
Though they were never a major success, the B-23s were undeniably one of the best-looking
aircraft from their time.
As always thank you all so much for watching, and a big thank you of course to the patreons,
with a special shoutout to Kevin, Delliardo, Bane, FB, Christopher R, Tronathon, Erik Hindman,
John Austin Jr, Ray Culotta, Keith Tarrier, Greenseaships, Northlincsweb, MCT, Ted Parsons,
and Capitano Lorenzo for their support as Wing Commander Tier Patreons.
Thank you all so much, and I’ll catch you next time, goodbye.