2. Ruski planes were equipped with really bad 20s, but great .50s. The 109 had probably the best all around 20 on the planet at the time. No matter how weak you think the 109's firepower was, it shot down more planes than the next three allied types combined.
How about comparing the guns using facts and figures, not opinion.
The MG 151 was good but hardly a "WONDER" weapon.
Gun....................weight....................rate of fire............MV in M/S.........Shell weight
MG 151/20..........42kg.........................700rpm...............800/710.............92/117grams
ShVak..................42kg.........................800rpm..................860....................97 grams
Hispano MK II......50kg.........................600rpm..................880...................128-130 grams.
Russian gun used a light conventional shell with lousy down range ballistics but since most combat was done at short ranges (under 400 meters) that hardly matters. High velocity at the shorter ranges means less lead is needed in deflection shooting. Weight of Hispano is low because the belt feeding mechanism doesn't seem to be included. Now if you want to discuss this further their are other threads but please use
facts.
"Box score" results are hardly accurate because they don't account for such variables as target availability. You can't shoot down what isn't there no matter how wonderful the gun/airplane is.
3. Turning circle has many connotations and definitions depending on what you are talking about. In this case it refers to the ability of a slatted plane to either pull more G at any given speed, or it's ability to shoot farther across the circle than any other plane in the war?
It is statements like this that make people doubt if you have ever flown a real plane.
A slated plane can only pull more "G"s
after the slats have deployed and since they deploy just above stall (and yes I know that stall varies a great deal depending on bank and "G"s being pulled) that means the slats only "help" a very small percentage of the time.
See.
http://www.spitfireperformance.com/spit109turn.gif
Slats are ONLY going to work near the stall boundary. Also note that neither plane can sustain an over 3 "G" turn without loosing altitude. In fact the 109E can't sustain a 2.5 "G" turn. Granted the "F"s and Early "G"s were better.
The ability to shoot across the circle is
pure hokum. The slat are roughly 1/3 of the span and the airflow only stays stable (non-stalled) over the area of wing behind the slats. Since the wing behind the slats is of narrower cord than the more inboard areas the slats are affecting about 1/4 of the wing area. You really think you have time to shoot (you sure aren't aiming) with about 1/4 of the wing holding the plane "up"? Up being relative in a steep bank.
And then we have the
aiming problem. Doesn't really matter if you can pull even 14 degree angle of attack if you can't even see past 7 degrees (and the 109 was less) below the nose. You are hosing an area of sky
hoping your enemy flies into the shells.
4. Wing mounts did not work fine, or it would have been more effective! The 109 only had one 20 mm gun, but it was vastly more effective than the tempest's four. As an example; Head on pass, open fire at 700 meters. The Tempi starts taking hits at once, if the aim is true. The Tempi can not get hits if the pilot aimed true until the wing guns range is about 300-350 Meters at best, or 50-100 meters after the Messer has broken off the attack to avoid a head on collision! get the idea?
Oh Boy. I thought I was kidding about Photon torpedoes. Apparently somebody perfected phaser beam guns in WW II.
Yes you did say "if the aim is true" but that followed "Head on pass, open fire at 700 meters. The Tempi starts taking hits at once..."
Lets think about that. Even at each plane doing 300mph the closure rate is 880fps or 267meters per second. Of course the time of flight for the projectiles is about 1 second or worse to 700 meters so the "Tempi" won't start taking hits "at once". It may start taking hits at around 560meters due to the rate of closure. Of course the German 20mm shells have longer time of flight than the Hispano shells, like
20mm HET 117g...........0.477...........1.101 (from a MG 151) times are in seconds to 300 and 600 meters. The mine shell was worse at long distance even though it started out faster.
So the "Tempi" may not take any hits until even closer. Then we get into the "
if the aim was true" bit If both planes are doing 300mph and the super duper German pilot breaks at just 350 meters he will have had time to fire 15 rounds of 20mm ammo. Lets hope he had his 20mm loaded with all one kind of ammo and not a mixed belt as the different 20mm ammo had different times of flight and different trajectories at these longer ranges (over 400 meter) as did the cowl guns of whatever caliber.
The "Tempi" will have fired about 60 rounds of 20mm ammo in the same period of time at the 109i. 109 is gambling that the Tempest pilot doesn't wobble or snake while firing.
BTW here is a list of German guns and times of flight to 300 and 600 meters at sea level. Higher altitudes are less.
7.92mm AP 10 g............0.453..........1.159
13mm HEI 34 g.............0.49............1.22
15mm HEI 57.5g...........0.357...........0.816
20mm HEI 92g..............0.551..........1.428 (from a MG/FFM)
20mm HET 117g...........0.477...........1.101 (from a MG 151)
30mm HEI 330g............0.696...........1.66 (MK 108 )
edit. Chart is copied from "Flying guns of WW II" By Williams and Gustin