WWII B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 E-13 Waist 50 Cal. Machine Gun Mount RARE

ORIGINAL, RARE WWII TYPE E-13 50 CAL. THESE WERE USED IN BOTH THE B-17 AND THE B-24 WAIST GUN POSITIONS. E-13'S WERE MANUFACTURED BY SEVERAL COMPANIES, THIS ONE WAS PRODUCED BY THE TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT COMPANY INC.

THE MOUNT IS 29" LONG, 8" WIDE AND HAS TWO BAKELITE HANDLES/GRIPS. AS THE WAR PROGRESSED THERE WERE ALSO SEVERAL VARIATIONS OF THIS MOUNT, SOME OF THE LATER VERSIONS HAD A "DUCK BILL" COVER AND TRIGGER MOUNT TO ALLOW FOR THE USE OF THE NEW "COMMUTING" GUN SIGHTS. TO BE CLEAR, THE MOUNT HAS SOME MINOR DAMAGE (THERE IS A CRACK UNDER THE HAND GRIP ON THE RIGHT SIDE-- SEE PHOTO) AND IS MISSING THE TWO "ARMS" THAT CONNECT WITH THE FORKED CRADLE MOUNT THAT ALLOWS THE GUN TO MOVE IN ELEVATION, AND THE TWO RECTANGULAR PLATES THAT HOLD THE BOLT THAT GOES THROUGH THE GUN AND ATTACHES IT TO THE E-13 MOUNT. THESE MISSING PARTS WERE MADE SEPARATELY AND ATTACHED LATER AND MAY BE AVAILABLE, ALTHOUGH THEY, LIKE THE MOUNT, ARE RARE.

(SEE THE PHOTOS FOR CLOSE UPS OF THESE MISSING PARTS IF YOU ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH THEM). A MORE PRACTICAL SOLUTION WOULD PROBABLY BE TO FABRICATE REPLACEMENTS FOR THESE PARTS.

I'M INCLUDING A SIMPLE SOLUTION I USED TO ALLOW ME TO ATTACH A RESIN 50 CAL. GUN TO THE MOUNT IN PLACE OF THE BOLT PLATE. IT CONSISTS OF TWO RADIATOR HOSE CLAMPS AND TWO MOUNTS LIKE YOU WOULD USE TO ATTACH A ROD OR AXEL TO A PIECE OF WOOD SEE PHOTO. THESE WERE USED TO MOUNT THE THE BACK PART OF THE RESIN GUN TO THE E-13 MOUNT FROM UNDERNEATH THE MOUNT RODS AS THE ORIGINAL RECTANGULAR ALUMINUM MOUNTS DID (SEE PHOTOS). I ALSO CUT OUT TWO FLAT PIECES OF PLASTIC IN THE BASIC SHAPE OF THE ORIGINAL TWO "ARMS" AND DRILLED A HOLE FOR THE BOLT THAT ATTACHED THE TWO "ARMS" TO THE FORKED CRADLE, I THEN USED RADIATOR CLAMPS THROUGH TWO SLOTS IN THE ARMS TO ATTACH THE ARMS TO THE E-13 MOUNT (SEE TWO PHOTOS OF ONE OF THESE AND IN THE COLOR PHOTO OF THE GUNNER IN A B-24, IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY BEHIND THE RIGHT SIDE ARM IN THE CIRCLED AREA TOWARD THE FRONT OF THE E-13 MOUNT YOU CAN SEE THE SIDE OF THE FORKED CRADLE MOUNT) THIS ALLOWED FOR ELEVATION. WORKED WELL ENOUGH, BUT THE SAME THING COULD BE DONE IN METAL AND WOULD BE MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE AND PERMANENT. HOWEVER, IF YOU MOUNT A RESIN MODEL OR LIGHT WEIGHT REPLICA 50 CAL, DISPLAY GUN YOU COULD ALSO JUST WIRE OR SCREW THE GUN TO THE E-13 MOUNT-- THIS WOULD ABSOLUTELY NOT WORK WITH REAL 50 CAL, BECAUSE OF THE WEIGHT OF THE GUN. I'M INCLUDING A PHOTO OF THE RESIN GUN I NOW HAVE ATTACHED TO ONE OF THE LATER VERSIONS OF THE E-13 ALONG WITH AN AMMUNITION TRACK WITH DISPLAY 50 CAL, AMMO. I ALSO CUT OFF THE HB TYPE BARREL ON THE RESIN GUN AND REPLACED IT WITH A PVC BARREL AND PVC VENTED COOLING JACKET I FABRICATED TO MAKE IT MATCH THE AERIAL TYPE M2 50 CAL. SOME OF THESE PHOTOS ALSO SHOW WHAT THE ORIGINAL MOUNT PIECES LOOK LIKE. PLEASE UNDERSTAND, THAT NOTHING IN THIS PHOTO IS OR WILL BE FOR SALE, IT IS INCLUDED (AS THE PHOTOS OF THE MISSING PIECES AND OF OTHER MOUNTS) FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY. THE ONLY THING FOR SALE IN THIS LISTING IS THE E-13 MOUNT PICTURED IN THE FIRST FEW PHOTOS OF THIS LISTING.