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08/15/2008. The British Purchasing Commission ordered 417 Hudson Mk.IIIAs, s/n BW361 to BW777. With the Lend-Lease Bill coming into force on March 11, 1941, this order was taken over by the USAAC on May 29, 1941, when it ordered 416 A-29s (s/n 41-23223 to 41-23638) for Lend-Lease. The first twenty (s/n 41-23223 to 41-23242, RAF s/n BW361 to BW380) were diverted to the USN as PBO-1s, while the USAAF (as the USAAC was named on June 20, 1941) retained 153 aircraft. Described as an 'early American Services' aircraft, the pictured aircraft is most likely a PBO-1, as it has retained the powered Boulton Paul turret of the Hudson IIIA (fitted with two 0.30 in, 7.62 mm, machine guns), while they were replaced in the USAAF A-29s by a single hand-operated .50 in (12.7 mm) Browning machine gun on an open mount. Note the sixth window to the rear has a beam gun position addition of two field-of-fire restriction fences.