B-17G m2 browning ammo belts capacity

[me 262]

does anyone know the amount of ammunition in the b-17G'S m2 browning guns? and how many belts were carried on the plane?

 

[eagledad]

Checkout this link for ammo loadout on B-17s

https://www.generalstaff.org/CDA/Air/WW2_Charts/WW2_Charts.ht

Eagledad

 

[MIflyer]

Any of y'all ever hear of the phrase, "I gave him the the whole nine yards"? Is it true this is based on the length of a machine gun ammo belt?

 

[fubar57]

Yes, WW1is what I've heard but I have heard earlier and later references

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I'd trust what Bill has to say about it:

At least 2000 rounds total. The radio hatch gun typically had 100+, the tail gunner and nose turret had 300+, top and ball turret had 250 each and the waist guns had 250 each with another several boxes stored near radio hatch as reserves for waist, radio hatch and ball turret. The Cheek guns had only 100 each IIRC

 

[fubar57]

B-17 Flying Fortress - Martin Bowman - Crowood Press - 1998​

 

[Greyman]

B-17 Flying Fortress - Martin Bowman - Crowood Press - 1998​

British data is exactly that of this diagram, with the following additions:

- each of the two extra hand-held nose guns had 300 rds/gun
- the waist guns had an alternate 300 rds box available

 

[ThomasP]

re

. . . and how many belts were carried on the plane?

100-rounds was the standard length of the .50 cal belt at the start of the war, but sometime in 1942 (?) they started issuing ammo cans with a capacity of 105-rounds. So divide the total number of rounds carried by 100 to get the number of belts carried. Bear in mind that the 100-round belts (or partials) would be linked to each other when loaded into the ammo can arrangement(s) for the turrets, or for the larger ammo cans for the waist guns used mid- and late-war. (I do not know if the cheek guns and/or individual nose gun used individual 100-round boxes for the entire war or if they were eventually fitted with larger capacity ammo cans during the war.)

Any of y'all ever hear of the phrase, "I gave him the the whole nine yards"? Is it true this is based on the length of a machine gun ammo belt?

AFAIK, the standard length of a WWII .50 cal 100-round disintegrating-link belt was ~7' 8". For approximately 9 yards (27') you would need a ~350-round belt (3.5 x 7' 8" = 26'10"), so pretty close to 9 yards.

However, the exact phrase "the whole nine yards" was used pre-WWI (as was the phrase "the whole six yards") though not for not for the length of belts of ammunition. It is possible the US adopted the phrase in WWII but it would have been borrowed from an earlier time.

 

[MIflyer]

I had assumed that the 9 yards phrase was from WWI and thus reflected the .30 cal/.303 canvas belts of that time.

I could take the single .50 cal round I have or some .30 cal or some .303 (note the base diameter of thirty ought six and .303 is different) and see how many you could fit in 9 yards, but it is too cold for that.

There was a movie named The Whole Nine Yards and a sequel named The Whole Ten Yards but I don't recall them exploring the origin of the phrase.

 

[larrymc]

Any of y'all ever hear of the phrase, "I gave him the the whole nine yards"? Is it true this is based on the length of a machine gun ammo belt?

My understanding was always that the "whole nine yards" was a sailing-ship term. My guess it that it came from clipper ships, which had, IIRC, three masts with three yardarms each. The whole nine yards then would mean that all sails were set and she was trimmed for maximum speed.
That would make it not an aviation term at all. In the 50s and 60s it was usually used to connote maximum effort.

 

[ThomasP]

Addition to my post above,

Just ran across a bit of info on the Hangar Thirteen website. It covers some of the war-time modifications relative to the amounts of ammo carried at the various positions.

"Ammo Boxes in 3D - Hangar Thirteen"

 

[me 262]

View attachment 865919
B-17 Flying Fortress - Martin Bowman - Crowood Press - 1998​

i think im going to trust this one