Mystery Boston, Opportunity Lost

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Back in 1979 a leading State Museum was offered the nose section of a Douglas A20G Boston by a member of the public who described the aircraft, and it's salvage, in the following terms...."It came from an entire crashed airplane from which a few parts such as doors had been removed prior to my finding it....I put it on top of my Beetle volkswagon and drove it to the nearest railhead, which was Julia Creek, Queensland, and shipped it by rail to Armidale, NSW, where it resided for many years on my front porch. I offered it to the XXX Museum and was told that it would be picked up, but years passed and no one came to take it. Later a private collector passed through Armidale and saw it. He wanted it, and so I gave it to him".

And so I'm left wondering.....which Boston? The only A-20Gs that I know force-landed or crashed in this part of the continent were 42-86724 (# 14125) and 42-86620 ( #14021), which force-landed on Bountiful Island (see http://www.ozatwar.com/ozcrashes/qld256.htm).

The latter is only 276 nautical miles north-west of Julia Creek, and the absence of any impact damage is certainly consistent with contemporary descriptions (and images) of the Bountiful Island incident.

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What 's confounded me a little however are the penciled bulkhead numbers still visible in this 1979 slide. I was expecting some correlation between these, and the corresponding USAAF (or manufacturer's serials). This isn't evident however, 42-86620 being Douglas serial number 14021, and 42-86724 being Douglas serial number 14125.

Perhaps someone else has something to offer?


Mark

I received this reply from Mark Harbour

G'day Martin, as I've forgotten my password to the ADF message board again , I'll tell you here,
All the A-20's I know that crashed in Oz pre 44 were stripped/recovered for the RAAF and US Boston/Havoc's in PNG as no spares were available, from the start of 44 several hundred A-20's started arriving in country first the early G-1's (4 x 20mm, 2 x .50) and G-10's (std 6 x .50's) with open Gunners positions , the G-20's with the turret arrived in Jan 44, I would say this nose is off the machine that belly landed at Bountiful Island A-20G-20 42-86620, as it has crash damage to the bottom and right side as photo's of this aircraft show, the other aircraft 42-86724 landed on its wheels so no damage. As large numbers were now coming thru a complete recovery was not undertaken like in pre 44, only easily removable parts, if this was mid 43 they would have been recovered on barges and repaired. This nose is off a 6 x .50 nose as it has feed shuts for the .50's in it the earlier 20mm were drum fed. The numbers on the panels I believe are drawing numbers for the panels put on during assembly to assist assembly , The A-20G at Amberley has numbers similar to this pencilled on many internal structures , it would be interesting to get in the nose of the Amberley machine and see if the numbers are the same as the numbers on the "Nose".
Also does bauple58 know were this nose is now? I would love to get a hold of it and restore it. Syd

Martin

Can we find out where, in the nose, the subject numbers are. I could try to locate them to fill in more blanks.

Thanks Aardvark, I will contact Bauple 85

Falls in line with one of 350 G-20's produced at Santa Monica,...AC26294,..per Serials 42-86562 to 42-86912. Had 4 Type M-10 Chemical tanks assemblies with support and fairing assemblies, rack hangers and racks on wings. Change in lower flexible mount, from 0.30cal to 0.50cal with 400 rds. Martin Turret with twin 0.50cal gals.US O2 System in place of British system.
From G-15,..had "Y" Board reinforcement panel added to back and both ends of each wing fuel tank positions

In fact, when I was researching my C-76 Article,. There it was smack in the middle of them.

Hope that may help. Oh,..SM Line numbers 13963 onwards refer to 1550 A20-G/J models

A-20G-20-DO 42-86563/42-86912 350 AIRCRAFT
A-20G-25-DO 43-9038/43-9229 192 AIRCRAFT
A-20J-1-DO 43-9230 1 AIRCRAFT
A-20G-25-DO 43-9231/43-9437 207 AIRCRAFT
A-20J-5-DO 43-9438/43-9457 20 AIRCRAFT
A-20G-30-DO 43-9458/43-9637 180 AIRCRAFT
A-20J-5-DO 43-9638/43-9664 27 AIRCRAFT
A-20G-30-DO 43-9665/43-9837 173 AIRCRAFT
A-20G-35-DO 43-9838/43-9856 19 AIRCRAFT
A-20J-10-DO 43-9857/43-9880 24 AIRCRAFT
A-20G-35-DO 43-9881/43-9909 29 AIRCRAFT
A-20J-10-DO 43-9910/43-9917 8 AIRCRAFT
A-20G-35-DO 43-9918/43-10104 187 AIRCRAFT
A-20J-10-DO 43-10105/43-10144 40 AIRCRAFT
A-20G-35-DO 43-10145/43-10237 93 AIRCRAFT


Pic of a G-20 (In Europe)

Gordy :o

Attached Image

The two A-20G's that crash landed on Bountiful Island are in the same production batch as the restored A-20G-20 "Hell N Pelican II" at Amberley.
Two machines on Bountiful- 42-86620 (crashed), 42-86724 (landed)
Hell N Pelican II, Amberley- 42-86786

Thanks all for your feedback. Unfortunately, as the initial quote suggests, the collector's identity is lost to us.

Enlarge the following image and you'll find the pencilled numbers, one on the bottom right hand panel, and the other on the large, horizontal, transverse spar.

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