Cheers Steve! So a version of the E-2 with nose turret may actually have existed then, as the -WT. Interesting...
Yes,some E-2s were converted. One used for testing the weapons system was W.Nr.330005,RL+UE,originally built as an E-1 but converted to an E-2/WT.
Standard armament was nine MG 151/20s and three MG 131s.
Erwin Walter flew as an engine mechanic on RL+UE,his position was in the wing between engines two and three,another mechanic was positioned in the other (starboard) wing between engines four and five.
He described the armament thus:
"The Kamfkommandant on my aircraft was Oberleutnant Romer. During the flight he sat in the cockpit next to the radioman and from here,directed the air gunners over the intercom.Armament consisted of two HDL 151 weapon stands equipped with MG 151/20s on each wing,with a rotateable fifth stand in the fuselage nose.On the sides near the nose were two MG 131s and the forward third of the fuselage was a MG 151 ball turret on each side.At the fuselage centre was a MG 151 lateral stand on each side,plus a further MG 131 in a C-Stand in the fuselage that fired downwards. In all this meant nine 20mm and three 13mm guns."
Walter spent some weeks with this aircraft at Tarnewitz,the Luftwaffe E-Stelle for weapons testing.
"When the wing gunners were commanded to open fire the whole aircraft trembled. The noise from the rounds fired from the four MG 151s even drowned out the drone of the engines."
Sounds like fun!
The "Waffentrager" was not used in the Mediterranean and the few pictures show a standard 70/71/65 camouflage.
Cheers
Steve