Perspex Panels Identification

Peter and tbyguy, looks like you were both right. Those second two pictures and the video are both pretty convincing.

Thanks for everyone’s help.

Concerning the navigator’s dome, some Martin B-26 factory footage exists at about 9:23 of the following:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XjVpb3L8UE

As the dome is rotated in the video, one can make out a flatter section in the plexi, much like the example in the original poster’s pics.

Can’t be. They are not the same shape.

Perhaps I am overdue for a trip to the optometrist, but what I’m seeing is a match.

Start with the last, two attached pics from the original post. If one rotates the panel in those pics 90 degrees counter-clockwise, plexi attachment “tabs” would now be located at top left and bottom left corners.

The plexi panel in the Marauder pics below have attachment tabs in those same locations. The plexi dome slides inside the duralumin skin as the guns rotate left and right.

I must be missing something terribly obvious. Sorry to be such a bother, but I thought we hit paydirt.

Look closely along all the edges of the curved panels to see if there are any engraved numbers or anything that may help

Thanks for the ideas so far, keep them coming! Other suggestions made to me include the idea that they may all be a part of a single glazed nose section (with the dome as the furthest point) and even that the dome section was made to house a search-light or something similar.

Hmm back to square one then..

Can’t be. They are not the same shape.

From another forum.. possibly B-26 Marauder astrodome and rear gunner panels??

Looks like a winner.

From another forum.. possibly B-26 Marauder astrodome and rear gunner panels??

The dome is only about 20″ in diameter (and 11″ deep), so is indeed probably a bit small for bomb aiming. Canberra blister has previously been mooted, but the dome appears to be too small. The flat panel is also a part of the dome rather than being a framed insert as seems to be the case on the Canberra.

Can’t think where they’d fit on a B-17… The dome almost looks like it has a optically flat section for bomb aiming-but perhaps it’s a bit small? Reminds me of the nose blister on a bomber Canberra.