Author Topic: Strafing.... (Read 970 times)

zorstorer · « **on:** August 14, 2006, 01:15:09 PM »

Did any planes during WW2 tilt their guns down so they could strafe while flying level?

Debonair · « **Reply #1 on:** August 14, 2006, 02:46:24 PM »

i think the Piagio 108 had a monster gun that did that (102mm?) & there was a Ki-67 or G4M version also, i forget which, with a cluster of 1 shot guns too...& of course the good 'ol inverted straffing pass by a schrage musik nachjaeger & any nose turret equipt plane, or a high wing plane with tight convergence (i.e. PZL-11)

Karnak · « **Reply #2 on:** August 14, 2006, 03:31:06 PM »

Hs129 with downward facing recoiless guns, one shot, and a magnetic sensor that triggered them when the plane flew over a GV.

zorstorer · « **Reply #3 on:** August 14, 2006, 05:05:31 PM »

I should have worded it better. I really was wondering about normal fighter type A/C like the tiffy. Did they ever put in a slight downward angle so they could strafe longer without have to pull out as soon?

frank3 · « **Reply #4 on:** August 14, 2006, 06:23:06 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Karnak
Hs129 with downward facing recoiless guns, one shot, and a magnetic sensor that triggered them when the plane flew over a GV.

If it flew directly over it, wouldn't the sensor pick it up too late for the guns to be fired? (regarding deflection of the guns)

Pooh21 · « **Reply #5 on:** August 14, 2006, 07:26:14 PM »

sensor angled slightly foward. detects target. physics does the rest

Yoshimbo · « **Reply #6 on:** August 14, 2006, 07:34:10 PM »

i believe there was a version of the soviet i-16 that could tilt it's cannons/mgs like 20 degrees or sumthing

Raptor · « **Reply #7 on:** August 14, 2006, 08:59:28 PM »

Someone posted a picture before of a bomber with the bomb bay filled with downward facing guns

Scherf · « **Reply #8 on:** August 14, 2006, 11:23:57 PM »

Wasn't there a 190 which had 5 recoilless shells mounted in tubes either side of the fuselage?

IIRC, it was the sort of system Karnak describes for the Hs 129.

There were also some 163s which had this sort of thing for air-to-air. Made one claim for a viermot, an RCAF Lancaster which was able to RTB less the rear turret and its gunner, poor sod.

Debonair · « **Reply #9 on:** August 15, 2006, 12:12:06 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by zorstorer
I should have worded it better. I really was wondering about normal fighter type A/C like the tiffy. Did they ever put in a slight downward angle so they could strafe longer without have to pull out as soon?

would be tough to see your target under your nose that way

frank3 · « **Reply #10 on:** August 15, 2006, 06:02:13 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Raptor
Someone posted a picture before of a bomber with the bomb bay filled with downward facing guns

I was looking for that one yesterday aswell after reading this thread

It was (I believe) a Lancaster packed with .303 mg's

Tony Williams · « **Reply #11 on:** August 15, 2006, 06:44:43 AM »

The Japanese had some bombers with a battery of downward-pointing 20mm Oerlikon guns in the bomb-bay. The USSR had a similar arrangement with a large number of PPSh SMGs.

IIRC one of the German MG pods carried by Stukas had the guns pointing downwards at an angle.

There were also some Russian bombers with a clever arrangement of guns in the bomb bay. They pointed downwards at a shallow angle, and once the gunner started to fire at the target, the guns automatically tracked downwards to keep firing at the same target, provided that the pilot kept flying the plane dead level at a set height and speed. Which was not the most popular activity if the target was defended by AA guns...

Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and discussion forum

Mako15 · « **Reply #12 on:** August 20, 2006, 10:13:45 PM »

In regards to the 163 post, yes the Germans experimented with a system that aimed guns upward and they were triggered by the light change (shadow) as the 163 passed under a flight of bombers....I used to have a book that had a paragraph and a picture of the system in it....but it got rained on

Debonair · « **Reply #13 on:** August 20, 2006, 10:54:58 PM »

there is something about that in Mano Ziegler's book Rocket Fighter and that other guy who was a bigshot but i forget his name even though i read his book about the Me-163's book also. it worked good, & even once or a few times in combat iirc

mipoikel · « **Reply #14 on:** August 21, 2006, 07:32:58 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Yoshimbo
i believe there was a version of the soviet i-16 that could tilt it's cannons/mgs like 20 degrees or sumthing

I think IL2 was also.