A question about the ME309

[maxmwill]

I have a question about the ME309.

Teething troubles aside, instead of a fighter like the 109, could it have been utilized in the Stuka role?

And in addition to carrying ordinance under the wings and belly, would it have been effective with a nose firing cannon(a cannon that fired through the engine and on through the spinner)?

I know that as a fighter, it proved to have somewhat less than stellar performance, but in the ground attack role?

[Gondor]

Wikipedia says that it had three MG 131's which gives the idea that it had one that fired through the engine and out of the spinner.

Gondor

[maxmwill]

Nerts, I should have thought to check Wikipedia first.

I just checked that page, and in addition to the 131s it also had a pair of mg151 cannons, or at least that was what was proposed.

Still, a possible ground attack/tank buster as a Stuka replacement?

[McGreig]

From William Green's "Warplanes of the Third Reich" it appears that Messerschmitt had already thought of this. Page 644 includes the following:

"Prior to the discontinuation of Me-309 development, several production versions of the basic design were proposed, these including - - - -  the Me-309B-1 dive bomber with a similar gun armament to the A-1 (2 x MG131 + 1 x 30mm Mk.108) and a pair of 551lb bombs on racks beneath the wing roots. Alternative power plants envisaged for these projected production variants were the DB603G - - - - and the Jumo 213H"

[maxmwill]

Ok then, back to my question.

The Me309 as a ground attack, or Stuke.