The things you find

[GTX]

I wasn't aware the RAF had experimented with upward firing weapons for nightfighters until I saw this Havoc:

May 1941. A Havoc with six upward firing guns behind clamshell doors. The guns azimuth and elevation is controlled by rams.



Regards,

Greg

[Maverick]

Thanks for sharing Greg.

It's surprising that it's so early in the war.  I might have expected it after the RAF's losses to Schrage Musik armed nightfighters (altho many of those were considered 'unknown'), but that early is a real shocker.  Unless of course a Nazi agent in England took the info back to Germany?

Regards,

John

[jcf]

An upward angled 1 1/2 lbder(37mm) COW gun installation was trialled in two DeHavilland Dh-4 in the First World War, the aircraft were sent to France and the German R-planes were the intended prey.


Upward angled MG installations were also designed, and some tested, for anti-Zeppelin duties.

The Vickers 161 and Westland C.O.W. Gun Fighters built to F.29/27 mounted the COW gun at an upward angle of 45-55 degrees for the purpose of attacking bombers from below. Successful late-30s experiments were also performed with Gladiators equipped with MGs mounted at 60 degrees.

That style of gun installation was not a WWII Luftwaffe invention, the Germans themselves had played with similar installations in WWI and the Japanese had made tests in 1938-1939.

Jon

[Captain Canada]

Wicked ! That is a neat find, Greg. Thanks for posting that.



Do you think all the paint is missing behind the doors from all the heat/ gasses from the guns ?

[NARSES2]

Also the Gloster F9/37 was going to have 2 20mm canon in the nose angled up at 15 degrees plus 4 more 20mm canon arranged to fire upwards in the fusalage.

Currently building the Magna kit and am tempted to do one with the fusalage guns angled downwards as a Costal Command "barge buster" in 1940

Chris

[kitnut617]

Wicked ! That is a neat find, Greg. Thanks for posting that.



Do you think all the paint is missing behind the doors from all the heat/ gasses from the guns ?

I'd say it's just a mock-up Todd,  the fuselage looks like it was from a wreck whereas the doors are very new looking.  But it's very interesting and it's left me wondering why they didn't protrude the barrels through the roof instead of having all that complicated actuation.

[Maverick]

I know it sounds silly, but could it be that they felt the cannons would induce drag? 

The only other thought is perhaps it's a security measure so an operational aircraft wouldn't necessarily be externally different to a normal Havoc?

Regards,

Mav