The 6 pounder is a gun, the RP-3 (3inch diameter) rocket is sometimes called a 60ib rocket (explosive) or 25ib rocket (armour piercing).
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The 6 pounder is a gun, the RP-3 (3inch diameter) rocket is sometimes called a 60ib rocket (explosive) or 25ib rocket (armour piercing).Im not so sure about rockets being effective against aircraft/bomber formations. Didnt the Luftwaffe try that on US day bomber sorties? From what i've read it wasn't all that successful or even practical. A bit haphazard with mixed results. Not to mention aircraft loaded up with rockets and heavy canon were meat on the table for escorting fighters.
I'm sorry but I don't think you understand what I am trying to say. The 6pd in the Mosquito was very accurate capable of hitting a coasters bridge or main AA guns at a closing speed of approx. 300mph. Obviously they would be pretty useless against a small fast fighter, but against a large B17 type bomber they stood a good chance of a hit and downing the bomber with one hit.Exactly. 6 pdr or rocket, the odds of even getting the gunsight on a fast moving airborne target would be hard enough for a ww2 a/c nevermind actually hitting the thing. I would have thought bomber gunners poor to non existent kill rates was proof enough of that, and they were only using .50's.
Now add a proximity fuse
I know its getting to the realms of fantasy but anyone thought of putting a proximity fuse on the rockets?
Despite claims of a ROF at 3s seconds per round period film demonstrates other claims of just under one round per second are more representative.
Well said.For an HE round the 6 pounder could have been built around the 75mm case/shell as was done for tanks. Not a rebore, as sometimes stated, but a new barrel and the chamber made for the French/US case. So now you are firing a 3 inch semi automatic gun at a destroyer. Despite claims of a ROF at 3s seconds per round period film demonstrates other claims of just under one round per second are more representative. Now add a proximity fuse and you get a plausible bomber downing capability. The down side is that you have a large twin engined aeroplane with a heavy load (gun/loader) at the mercy of escorting single engined fighter and a larger target for the bombers defence guns.
The 75mm swapped velocity of flight for weight of shell with the end result being little difference in the forces involved at the firing end. As said above, what the 3" rocket projectile brought was flexibility, even if the accuracy was appalling.
BTW just to mention. The B25 75mm gun was hand loaded which is hard enough on the ground never mind in a small space moving in 3 dimensions with huge gravity issues. Worse than a tank. Reloading 20mm cannon drums in a night fighter Beaufighter was bad enough.
Then why have i heard claims from ex ww2 mossie pilots that the six pounder version, even with small calibre bullets to use as a means of sighting/gauging accuracy, were absolutely rubbish. The recoil alone (The six pounder kicked like a mule) often sent the shell off to the left or right of target and to make more than one firing pass was basically suicide. So they had one go and maybe 4-6 rounds to get it right and hit their targets. A lot of mossie pilots preferred the cannon/machine gun + underwing rocket version. And thought the molins cannon to be too much. Not to mention firing the gun repeatedly often caused structural damage that although minor to begin with could prove fatal if missed by ground crew and left to deteriorate.I'm always wary of using films for that sort of thing, as you don't know the speed/frame rate at which the footage was captured or played back (or copied/recopied in the intervening decades).
British tests say the 6pdr ROF on automatic 'is slightly more than one round per second' - but that it was worse in every way compared to semi-automatic fire.
An aimed shot could be fired at 1.1 to 1.5 second intervals on semi-automatic. Accuracy was most impressive - in good weather reasonable results could be expected against a medium tank-sized target from ranges up to 1200 to 1300 yards(!).
Then why have i heard claims ...
Then why have i heard claims from ex ww2 mossie pilots that the six pounder version, even with small calibre bullets to use as a means of sighting/gauging accuracy, were absolutely rubbish.
All I can add to this posting are the comments from the father of my son's girlfriend. He served in the German navy on the flak boats off Norway and they hated the accuracy of the big gun Mosquito as he called them. If you were on a flak island or the bridge you just hoped that the pilot wanted to shoot at the other target. It seemed personal, that they were aiming at you not just the ship.Then why have i heard claims from ex ww2 mossie pilots that the six pounder version, even with small calibre bullets to use as a means of sighting/gauging accuracy, were absolutely rubbish. The recoil alone (The six pounder kicked like a mule) often sent the shell off to the left or right of target and to make more than one firing pass was basically suicide. So they had one go and maybe 4-6 rounds to get it right and hit their targets. A lot of mossie pilots preferred the cannon/machine gun + underwing rocket version. And thought the molins cannon to be too much. Not to mention firing the gun repeatedly often caused structural damage that although minor to begin with could prove fatal if missed by ground crew and left to deteriorate.
Do some research before posting and you will find that most RAF pilots in Aug/Sept 1940 had very poor shooting skills.
My bad
RAF pilots were incompetent and couldn't hit a flying barn door at 5 yards.
The Battle of Britain was a resounding victory for the superior numbers of the Luftwaffe.
Operation Sea Lion was able to go ahead and I'm writing this in German.
All Hail the Thousand Year Reich
There are many factors to consider before you roundly criticise ALL RAF pilots of being unable to shoot
You need to do some serious rethinking
Many RAF pilots in 1940 couldnt hit the proverbial Barn door even if they had been holding the Barn door handle. Its not insulting or derogatory its an easily provable fact.