A B-24 "Liberator" bomber of the No. 565 Squadron, 389th Bomb Group of the US Army Air Force fliy over the burning French town of Saint-Malo.

Fly over St.-Malo

US pilot John Ledbetter "Jack" Taylor (1919 - 1944). Killed in an aircraft accident during training at Mokuleia Air Field, Territory of Hawaii on 8 Jul 1944.

P39 pilot 

“A BRILLIANT MISTAKE-” YB-40 Gunship – The flying destroyer -June ,1943 – July ,1943
The second production B-17F-1 was converted into the first  YB-40  Prototype. The  development of the Lockheed – Vega built XB-YB-40 ,was the Army Air Forces attempt to bring additional defensive firepower to the bomber formations flying against the German Luftwaffe fighters.The X in XB   was used  for” EXPERIMENTAL” and the  Y  in YB  signified ” SERVICE TEST “.They were rushed into combat in May, 1943 with the  92ndBG at ALCONBURY.
These aircraft were to fly on the wings of the regular  formations and provide extra  FIRE  power. Twenty two aircraft were built , one -XB-40 and twenty two YB- 40s. It carried a crew of nine , without a bombardier. The aircraft probably should have been given a “P ” for  pursuit designation  because it was more like a fighter than a bomber.No bombbay,bombs or bombardier. 


The YB-40 was crammed with ammunition . They  carried  triple supplies , 11,275 rounds compared to 3,900 rounds  carried on a standard B-17F. The aircraft was modified with an additional BENDIX turret mounted in the place of the radio compartment guns. Additionally a TWIN  CHIN turret was mounted  and the SINGLE. waist gun was replaced  by TWIN GUN mounts . Both waist guns and TWIN GUNS  were  hydraulically boosted for better control. Receptacles for increased ammunition were provided for all positions.
The YB40s retained full bombing capabilities although seldom used , due to the extreme weight of the extra  ammunition load. Their career came to a quick end when it was discovered that the heavier YB-40s could not keep pace with the mainbomber stream they were  intended to protect . Since no one wanted to be a straggler in the  campaigns against the LUFTWAFFE the  YB-40 s  were now more a  burden than a help. Although this aircraft provided massive firepower, the two additional gun positions on each ship did not add  materially to the combined firepower of a Group formation. By Aug, 1943 all the YB-40s were withdrawn from combat and the YB-40 Program was discontinued.

Source: http://forum.armyairforces.com
You can see some more photos on:
http://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/a-brilliant-mistake-yb-40-gunship-the-flying-destroyer-june-1943-july-1943.html
