Clayton Magnet
Staff Sergeant
- 903
- Feb 16, 2013
The He 177 had a 4x 13mm machine gun rear turret, but I have no idea how many actually made it into service
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The He 177 had a 4x 13mm machine gun rear turret, but I have no idea how many actually made it into serviceWas a four .50 cal manned rear turret ever tried before the B-52? It would be a beast.
Here's the M45 Quadmount for scale.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfLEq2PrgME
The Americans considered a single Hispano to be equal to three .50's in regards to effectiveness which has to be considered also. Personally I'm thinking the Mauser was a better option than the Hispano due to weight and size and maybe the British should have gone that way but then again the Luftwaffe all but ditched the FF/M after the BoB for the MG 151/20 so jumping straight from the .303 to the 20mm was the better overall strategy.The Browning M2 indeed did strike a good balance between punching weight and firing duration.
However, it was a decidedly poor option when total weight of installation was considered, especially for fighter aircraft. Just about any of the major 20mm auto cannons used in the conflict provided a more efficient balance between destructive potential, and aircraft performance penalty due to the weight of the installation.
But of course, only the Ma Deuce had the magical ability to saw an aircrafts wings off, or destroy a Tiger tank from below.
No, for a start each .303 was good for around 1150-1200 RPM where's the .50 cal was if we are being honest good for about 450 RPM so we are talking 150-160 .303's per second to 15 .50 cals, also remember they were lower velocity rounds not M2's. You also have to take into account both the .50's would most likely jam in combat and didn't have specialised ammunition, the first incendiary rounds for the .50 we upscaled de wilde .303 rounds. In 1940 the .50 cal wasn't even close to being a developed aerial weapon and in my opinion 300 de wilde AP and ball rounds from eight .303's, 2 second bursts are the quoted figure for an effective hit on the target would be far more effective than what two .30's or two .50's or four 8mm's could do.
American's are very good at writing non bias factual accounts of WW2, it's a credit to them.The .50 cal. Browning has been called "The Gun That Won the War" because it gave the Allies global air superiority.
Yes we did.The .50 cal. Browning has been called "The Gun That Won the War" because it gave the Allies global air superiority.
Available online: The Machine Gun Bible remains the late Col. George Chinn's three-volume 1950s series. He cited the early Browning M2 .50 cal. at about 550 rpm. Army-Navy ordnance sources state that aircraft guns were boosted to around 800 rpm to produce a denser pattern.
Sidebar:
Seven years ago I wrote an article about the Douglas SBD titled "The Plane that Won the War."
WOW did the B-17 fanboys get cranky!
The .50 cal Browning specifically gave the allies global air superiority? For such a wonder weapon, its a wonder why it was replaced so quickly as a fighter armament.The .50 cal. Browning has been called "The Gun That Won the War" because it gave the Allies global air superiority.
The .50 cal. Browning has been called "The Gun That Won the War" because it gave the Allies global air superiority.
War was being won (or lost) in Europe and in North Atlantic. SBDs played almost no role there.Sidebar:
Seven years ago I wrote an article about the Douglas SBD titled "The Plane that Won the War."
RAF pilots were scared to cross the channel?, thats a new one.even the ones they did have the pilots were scared to cross the channel with them.
From what I know it was the FN13.2mm guns that were to fitted not .50's.I recall reading that Belgium's Hurricanes had four .50's rather than eight .303. If the guns were not available, where did those come from?
I recall reading that Belgium's Hurricanes had four .50's rather than eight .303. If the guns were not available, where did those come from?
according to some figures, most of the weight came out of the barrel. This helps (but not entirely) the rate of fire. It does not help the number of rounds that can be shot before overheating/barrel damage occurs.This was an improved version of the M2 Browning (lightened and higher RoF) chambered in 13.2x99 Hotchkiss.
RAF pilots were scared to cross the channel?, thats a new one.
I've never read or heard of RAF pilots being scared to cross the channel regardless of what plane they flew.The Typhoon's engine was not very reliable. Were that not bad enough, it was almost impossible to ditch the aircraft and survive. This was due to the wing, not the big airscoop, because the Tempest could ditch quite nicely. So if a Tiffie was over France and the engine started acting up, there was a difficult decision for the pilot. Should he come down in France and risk being captured or killed, or risk crossing the channel, where a ditching meant almost certain death?
I think the first fighters to operate off airstrips in Normandy were Typhoons.
In contrast, pilot's flying the Tiffie's predecessor, the Whirlwind, would cross the Channel even with one turnin' and one burnin', despite the fact the props could not be feathered.
I've never read or heard of RAF pilots being scared to cross the channel regardless of what plane they flew.
The Soviets used a .50 because it was significantly lighter and simpler than their domestic 20mm, and lightweight and simple were absolutely critical to their early fighters ability to perform.It's true, though. Even the soviets left the .50 in the (other) plane that won the war.
0.50 ~30 kgThe Soviets used a .50 because it was significantly lighter and simpler than their domestic 20mm, and lightweight and simple were absolutely critical to their early fighters ability to perform.
The domestic Soviet 20mm I was referring to, was the ShVAK, which was 42kg, and complex and expensive.0.50 ~30 kg
12.7 ´mm UB 21.2(UBK)-24.2(BS) kg
B-20 28 kg
UB-20 (tested in 1941) was not more sophisticated than 0.50.
The Soviet used 0.50 just because it was already manufactured and supplied, moreover it had sufficient performance - it was not significantly worse than the UB.