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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 0788.PDF
Thirteenth of the Series APRIL 3RD, 1941. FRIEND or FOE? Rival Bomber-transports : the Bristol Bombay and the Ju 86K Bristol Bombay. Cantilever high-wing ; dihedral outboardof radial-engine nacelles. Gun-turrets in nose and tail and auxiliary gun-position amidships. Fixed undercarriage.Almost rectangular tailplane which bisects twin fins and rudders set well inboard. Horizontal and vertical tailsurfaces strut-braced. FROM the point of operational duties there is an impor-tant difference between the Bristol Bombay and theJunkers Ju 86K. The former was designed from the start as a bomber-transport, whereas the latter was origin- ally designed as a civil air-liner, modified for military duties as a bomber and subsequently relegated to the role of troop- carrier when the Heinkel 1UK began to replace it at about the time of the Polish invasion. For that reason the precise armament of the Ju 86K at the moment is not too certain ; the retractable '' dust-bin '' gun turret mentioned below the above picture may have been removed to increase man space. In any case it would not be visible when retracted as shown above. These two troop-carriers are quite dissimilar in appear- ance (though they have cer- tain constructional features in common) and the possi- bility of confusion does not arise. The Bombay, in fact, is one of the easiest of the big British multi-engined types to recognise. Apart from the Harrow (which is obsolescent) she is the only British air- craft of her type with fixed undercarriage and can fairly easily be distinguished from the Harrow by her much more graceful proportions. The Bombay has an appre- ciably greater span in relation to her length, and the under- side of her fuselage makes a smooth curve from nose to tail in contrast to the Harrow's elongated angu- larity ; the high-wing of the latter, also, tapers very sharply to small angular tips whereas the wings of the Bombay have only a moder- Junkers Ju 86K. Low-wing, dihedral from roots, sharptaper ; double-wing flaps in three sections. Radial or in-line engines. Gun-turret in nose, retracting " dust-bin " beneathfuselage, open gun position above. Retractable under- carriage. Rectangular, strut-braced tailplane ; outriggedtwin fins and rudders. ate taper. In any case there is no potential danger should the spotter confuse two somewhat similar British machines. The slender oleo legs of the Bombay undercarriage are set beneath the nacelles of the twin radial engines, the undercarriage being of the divided type and braced to the bottom of the fuselage by "V" struts. There is a rotatable gun-turret in nose and tail and a row of small cabin windows (or portholes) extending along the flank beneath the wings. The tailplane, of generous span, has a slight taper on its leading-edge and a straight trailing- edge beyond which the rear turret projects. Twin fins and rudders, set well inboard from the tailplane tips, are palette-shaped and project above and below the r-
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