Alright back on subject.
I found this video on the AR-234B.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O_jcI4fQVw Around the 29 minute mark of the film a pilot by the name of Erich K Sommer talks about the periscope on the AR-234. This pilot flew what was the first ever jet recon missions in combat. He did them over Normandy on D-Day. He also has in his hands what I believe is the RF2B rearward looking periscope & he explains the views as to what he could see behind him. He also was the man who came up with the idea of putting the periscope on the AR-234.
It would have looked like this on his aircraft.
His description of his view behind him was just like this ME-110 periscope view he makes no mention of the reticule lines though . I established earlier in this thread the reticule lines would have been there though just like on the 110 photo.
His aircraft only had cameras & never was meant for anything other than photo recon work. If his plane was used for dive bombing he would have had the PVB1 periscope like this one below that worked with the BZA bombing computer.
Just as a side note Erich K Sommers is the same pilot that strapped a forward facing gun pod on his AR-234B & used it as a day fighter. His exploits are also listed earlier in this thread in regards to the forward facing guns.
Now the Smithsonian AR-234B is fitted with the PVB1 periscope this is the one that could be flipped to a forward view for dive bombing & rearward for looking behind. I don't have a description yet that is 100% as to what that those views are like.
Now I found this article about the rear guns supposedly on the B model & of course I say it is wrong it should be in regards to the C model. However it is the first article I have found that confirms what I believed was the method the C model would have used to shoot with the rear guns. As described in this thread.
http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,325508.30.html
Since I have photos of both C models with the rear facing guns & since only two C models were made with rear facing guns & no other model. Question arises what periscope did they use
The above article said the PV1B was used for rear firing on the supposed B model then why do the C models that have rear guns have what appears to be neither?
What is listed for the periscope in the second photo I think is wrong. It looks like it is a base of a PV1B with no forward or rearward ability? Very hard to shoot backwards at something that has no rear view at all.
This photo has no periscope at all? Even harder to shoot back at some one behind you.
So what gives? If the B model had a proven system for firing rearwards as some would argue,why would the only AR-234'S that have photographic evidence of any model with rear guns have no periscopes at all?
This little blip on line b) about the C model static gun test's may be the answer.
Looks to me they gave up because they could not come up with a viable system with the periscope.
