Ju-88 A-4 with 20mm cannon and 1000kg eggs

[Tony Williams]

The photo of the MG-FF above is of the fixed version.  The one used in the Ju 88, in pictures I have seen, is of the flexible-mount version.  This has a bulbous cover over the reciprocating yoke around the barrel, and is also fitted with pistol grips and a shoulder stock.  There's a photo of it in 'Rapid Fire'.

Ammo capacity of the MG-FF was almost invariably a 60-round drum.  There was a 30-round drum for flexible mountings where space was tight, and later on a 90-round drum was developed.  The only belt-fed version was developed for night fighters.  It used a separate electric drive for the belt, which had a capacity of up to 2,000 rounds (!!!)

Tony Williams
Author: "Rapid Fire: The development of automatic cannon, heavy machine guns and their ammunition for armies, navies and air forces"
Details on my military gun and ammunition website: http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~autogun/index.htm

[juzz]

   

In an effort to improve the Ju 88's forward firepower, conversion kits known as Anderungsmaterial(alteration material), were designed which allowed a fixed Oerlikon MG/FF 20mm cannon to be installed in the starboard side of the nose. The lower glass panel on the starboard side of the nose was replaced with a concave panel reinforced to hold the cannon barrel. The Lotfe bombsight was removed and the bomb sight glass panel either faired over or simply over painted. The nose mounted cannon conversion kit could be installed on practically any variant of Ju 88A.

   
Ju 88A-5 with MG FF in nose: Note large 20mm ammo drum and overpainted bombsight glass.
Others with same installation: Pic 1  Pic 2  

   

The success of the nose mounted cannon conversion led to a factory re-design for mounting the cannon in the ventral gondola. The re-design consisted of replacing the bomb sight's oval shaped optical glass with a shorter flat topped panel. The rounded nose of the gondola was cut back and a flat end plate installed. Whenever a cannon was field installed the flat end plate was removed with the cannon barrel protruded from the opening. Since the bomb sight was removed during the conversion, the optical panel was often overpainted or faired over from the inside. Optional accessories for the cannon included muzzle flash hiders and a ring-and-bead sight mounted on a tall rod attached to the barrel.

Info quoted from "Junkers Ju 88 in action Part 1" (squadron/signal pub. a/c no. 85)
     
Late model Ju 88A-4 with re-designed ventral gondola, no cannon installed.

The FAF Ju 88A-4 in fishu's pics all appear to be late models with this type of gondola fitted.

Of course, you could go crazy with the hacksaw and welder and come up with something like this: Ju 88A-14, modified  

Also: Ju 88A-4/Torp with Walter rockets, barely visible: Gimme rockets on Ju 88!  

     
Fishu offering Pyro a cigarette in thanks for finally fitting the 20mm to his Ju 88A-4, note large "F" painted on side of cockpit.

[This message has been edited by juzz (edited 04-16-2001).]

[Fishu]

 

Fishu offering Pyro a cigarette in thanks for finally fitting the 20mm to his Ju 88A-4, note large "F" painted on side of cockpit.

[/b]

 

[funked]

Juzz you are a god!
 

Gimme MG FF!  

[hazed-]

Juzz's stuff seems to say it all!  
let me get this right..FUNKED WAS RIGHT!  
so if we get the MGFF 20mm in the ju88 we have to remove the bombsight?
optional loadout time  


p.s. what a great thread.no argueing or insults and complaints.As it stands we've finally settled a debate.This is what these bb's should always be like  
------------------
Hazed
3./JG2

[This message has been edited by hazed- (edited 04-16-2001).]

[Fishu]

Im still wondering wtf did FAF use in their MGFF equipped Ju88's to aim their bombs.
I can remember reading about level bombing and strafing...
*figures*

[funked]

Fishu I remember a post on AGW a long time ago describing a very simple level bombing sight that was mounted in the nose glass of Ju 88.  This is a very fuzzy memory but it makes sense now.  Maybe this was what they used on these cannon-equipped 88's?

Also note that they left the glass in the panel on the planes with the flat-nose gondola.  To me this means that they wanted to keep the option of removing the gun and installing the original bombsight if the mission required it.

[juzz]

The Lotfe wouldn't be ideal for low altitude level bombing, so most likely they used another type of bombsight which wasn't installed in the gondola.

Because there's no way you can fit both the Lotfe and the MG FF in there. In the interior photo above, the Lotfe should be visible right behind the 20mm ammo drum. There seems to be a parachute or something sitting there instead.

Not that having both on the AH plane would be such a big deal, what with the other conflicting options on the Ju 88A-4 and several other AH planes already...

[funked]

Juzz, remember that the bombsight is part of the 3D model.  With the current sight, it would give you a nice view of the cannon and not much else.