US Navy and USMC Between The Wars in 1/100

[Rata]

Thanks for looking in folks.

Karol, don't know if you're aware of it, but Bruno has a Chinese one on his list.

[Rata]

This is Bruno's Great Lakes BG-1 that I've repainted as BuNo 9541 of VB-4M, USMC, ca 1935.
Don Boose can give much more detailed account of the type and this particular one's service so I'll hand over to him.
I'll submit to Ecards if anyone wants a copy of it to try themselves.

[Don Boose]

Garry’s model is of Great Lakes BG-1 bomber, Bureau of Aeronautics Number (BuNo) 9541, in the markings it carried in 1935 as the second aircraft of the third section of Marine Bombing Squadron 4 (VB-4M) of Marine Aircraft Two, the west coast aviation element of the Fleet Marine Force, at Naval Air Station (NAS) San Diego, California.

The Great Lakes Aircraft Corporation was formed in October 1928 as a subsidiary of the Detroit Aircraft Corporation by a group of investors who bought the Glenn Martin Cleveland, Ohio, factory when Martin moved its facilities to Baltimore, Maryland. The firm produced civilian trainer and sport aircraft and continued to produce the Martin TM-1 torpedo bombers under the new designation TG-1.

Based on its experience in building torpedo bombers, Great Lakes designed a new dive bomber in response to a Navy contract of 13 June 1932. The new aircraft, designated XBG-1 (Experimental Bomber, Great Lakes) entered production as the BG-1 in November 1933. A steel-framed, fabric-covered single-bay biplane, the BG-1 was powered by a 750-horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-1535-82 Twin-Wasp Junior two-row 14-cylinder radial engine. Armament consisted of an up to 1,000-pound bomb under the fuselage, one fixed forward-firing 0.30-inch machine gun, and one flexible gun in the rear cockpit fired by the observer-gunner.

Deliveries of the BG-1 to the fleet began in October 1934 when Navy Bombing Squadron 3 (VB-3B) aboard the recently-commissioned USS Ranger (CV-4), then serving with the U.S. Fleet Battle Force, received 18 BG-1s. In 1936, VB-3B was transferred to USS Lexington. In July 1937, VB-3B was transferred back to Ranger and, with the renumbering of fleet air units, was renamed VB-4. In 1938, the squadron’s BG-1s were replaced with Vought SB2U-2s.

Half the production of the BG-1 was delivered to the U.S. Marine Corps. Marine Bombing Squadron 4 (VB-4M) took delivery of its BG-1s in 1935. VB-6M of Aircraft One, the east coast FMF aviation element, in Quantico, Virginia, received its BG-1s in 1936. Two BG-1s also served with Marine Utility Squadron 6 (VJ-6M) at Quantico and one served with VJ-7M at San Diego. BG-1s were also used as command aircraft by the commanders of Aircraft One and Aircraft Two. In July 1937, VB-6M was renamed VMB-1 and VB-4M was renamed VMB-2. VJ-6M and VJ-7M became VMJ-1 and VMJ-2, respectively.

In 1940, the Marine Corps reorganized its aviation units, with Aircraft One becoming Marine Air Group (MAG) One. VMB-1 was divided into Marine Bombing Squadron One (VMB-1) and Marine Scouting Squadron One (VMS-1), each with ten BG-1s. At San Diego, Aircraft Two became MAG 2, with VMB-2 still equipped with nine BG-1s. VMJ-1 and 2 each retained their BG-1 utility aircraft, and BG-1s were still assigned as command aircraft for the commanders of the two MAGs.

By the end of 1940, all the BG-1s had left Marine Corps service, but 17 Marine BG-1s were transferred on 1 July 1939 to newly-established Navy Bombing Squadron 7 (VB-7) assigned to USS Wasp (CV-7). VB-7 flew its BG-1s on Neutrality Patrols until 5 November 1940, when VB-7 was redesignated VF-71 and turned in its BG-1s for Grumman F4F-3s. The BG-1s continued to serve the Navy as a utility aircraft at shore bases, with many of them being converted to target drones.

Garry’s aircraft, BuNo 9541 was assigned to VB-4M of Marine Aircraft Two, FMF San Diego, 1935, and carried the aircraft number 4-B-8 with the “B” enclosed in a circle to identify it as a Marine squadron. The aircraft number is repeated inside the blue formation chevron on the upper wing. The aircraft is in the standard Navy and Marine Corps paint scheme of the time: metal parts painted light gray, fabric parts painted aluminum, with the upper wing surface in orange-yellow. The True Blue formation chevron on the upper wing denotes a Section Three aircraft, and the blue upper cowling front denotes the second aircraft of Section Three. The Marine Corps eagle, globe, and anchor insignia appears under the cockpit, and the Red Devil insignia of VB-4M (previously VF-10M and now VFMA-232) appears on the vertical stabilizer. The blue-white-red stripes on the rudder had been the standard Navy and Marine tail marking prior to the introduction of Navy squadron tail colors and continued to be the standard Marine aircraft tail marking from 1935 to 1941.

When VB-4M was renamed VMB-2 in July 1937, 9541 may have become 2-MB-8, but we have been unable to find photographic evidence of its actual aircraft number. When Marine BG-1s were transferred to USS Wasp in 1940, 9541 became 7-B-1, lead aircraft of the squadron, and was emblazoned with the “Burglar Wasp” insignia of VF-7 as well as the Neutrality Star insignia on its forward fuselage. On 5 November 1940, 9541 went ashore, where it was converted to a target drone. It was expended on 8 April 1942.

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Debbie Saracini, Librarian of the San Diego Air & Space Museum, for her assistance in establishing the history of BuNo 9541.

Images

Image 1: BuNo 9541 as Marine 4-B-8 in 1935 when it was assigned to Marine Fighting Squadron 4 (VB-4M) of Aircraft Two, Fleet Marine Force San Diego, California. Source: Aviastar Virtual Aircraft Museum, available at Great Lakes BG-1 - dive-bomber

Image 2: Painting by Paul Imhoff (Lauhof) of BuNo 9541 as 4-B-8 of VB-4M.
Source: Wings Aviation, available at http://wings-aviation.ch/28-Marines/...-BG/Bomber.htm

Image 3: BuNo 9541 as 7-B-1 in 1940. The cowling and fuselage stripe were Insignia Red, denoting the lead aircraft of the squadron and the first aircraft of Section One. The upper wing formation chevron was also Red. VB-7 painted the formation chevrons with the point to the rear, unlike the standard practice of having the point forward. The tail was Black, the color assigned to the USS Wasp air group. The Burglar Wasp insignia is visible forward of the cockpit, and the Neutrality Star is on the forward fuselage just behind the engine cowling. Source: U.S. National Museum of Naval Aviation photo No. 1996.253 via Wikipedia. Available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:G..._BG-1_VB-7.jpg Photo caption: “A U.S. Navy Great Lakes BG-1 of bombing squadron VB-7 at Naval Air Station Norfolk, Virginia (USA), in 1940. VB-7 was flying the Neutrality Patrol.”

Sources:

Joe Baugher, “US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos, First Series (A6002 to 9999),” available at US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos--First Series (A6000 to 9999)

Neil Baumgardner, Navy Strike Fighter, Fighter, Attack, Bombing and Torpedo Squadrons: Past and Present, available at Squadrons

Douglas E. Campbell, BuNos! Disposition of World War II USN, USMC, and USCG Aircraft Listed by Bureau Number, Middletown, DE, Douglas E. Campbell, 2012.

Michael E. Fader, Wings Aviation, Great Lakes BG, Aircraft of the U.S. Marine Corps, available at http://wings-aviation.ch/28-Marines/...-BG/Bomber.htm

--- Wings Aviation, Great Lakes BG, Aircraft of the U.S. Navy, available at http://www.wings-aviation.ch/21-USNa...vy-Basis-e.htm

Great Lakes Airplane Company History, available at http://www.greatlakesaircraftcompany...ACHistory.html

Edward C. Johnson, Marine Corps Aviation: The Early Years 1912-1940, Washington, DC: History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, 1977 (reprinted 1991).

E.R. Johnson, United States Naval Aviation 1919-1941: Aircraft, Airships and Ships Between the Wars, Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2011, pp. 81-83.

William T. Larkins, U.S. Marine Corps Aircraft 1914-1959, Concord, CA: Aviation History Publications, 1959.

---, U.S. Navy Aircraft 1921-1941, Concord, CA: Aviation History Publications, 1961.

Robert Sherrod, History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II, Washington, DC: Combat Forces Press, 1952.

Gordon Swanborough and Peter M Bowers, United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911, New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1968.

U.S. Marine Corps, Third Marine Air Wing, Marine Air Group 11, Marine Strike Fighter Squadron 232 (VMFA-232) history, available at https://www.3rdmaw.marines.mil/Units...A-232/History/

[Butelczynski]

Thanks for pointing it out.Somehow I missed this 818 model.It's very long list

I never heard of this Great Lakes planes.I'm vaguely familiar with maker but that's that.Neat work.

[gomidefilho]

Very fine model as always and excellent research as always!

[CMDRTED]

great addition to the yellow wing gaggle.

[Rata]

Thanks for looking in and taking the time to comment people.

[southwestforests]

Originally Posted by Butelczynski

I never heard of this Great Lakes planes.I'm vaguely familiar with maker but that's that.Neat work.

Similar here, know of the company but not this product.
Model and real deal both make a handsome late-period biplane.
I suppose that "form follows function" thing is why it has a moderate similarity to the Royal Navy's Swordfish.

[Rata]

Great Lakes produced some really smart looking civilian types but as far as I know the BG-1 was they're only military one though other members may know of others. They built a retractable landing gear version that only appeared as a prototype:

[Vinalssergio155]

Another impressive work together gentlemen. Again other great yellow wings!