In my first installment of AAF rockets aiming aids in AAF gunsights, I admitted that the L3 modified gunsight for the P38L to aim rockets was from pilot recollections. And that the description of the rocket aiming aid in the K14A for the P47D and P51D was directly from the AAF manual for the K14A.
I found a photo of the rocket aiming reticle for the modified Lynn L3 gunsight placed specifically in the P38L under a contract to modify them for rocket aiming. And I'm astounded by how much different it is from the pilot recollections. The Lynn L3 was a low profile gunsight specifically for the P38 starting with the P38J to fit into the space under the armored windscreen.
The Lynn L3 was created by the Lynn Instrument Company. It was an improvement on the earlier N-3 and it's 35Mil ring. The L3 had a 50Mil ring. When the P38L was introduced with the rocket trees, a sighting aid was needed for aiming the new 5 inch HVAR rockets. The Na Mac Products Corp. was contracted to convert L3 gunsights to a new reticle with a rocket aiming aid in it.
Here the plot gets really thick. The L3, Mk8, and N9 all have the ability to project 101Mil diameter rings. In 1943 the AAF Material Command contracted for 5400 Mk8 gunsights to place in P47 until the N9 was available. The AAF Material Command contracted for the Lynn L3 to mount in P38J onward. The AAF Proving Ground sub contracted Na Mac Products Corp. in 1944 to change the L3 reticle for the P38L to aim 5 inch HVAR rockets.
The AAF Material Command contracted the Mk8 with two reticle. Both N9 101Mil ring pattern. One for air to air fighting and one with rocket and bombing aids. Na Mac Products Corp. was refitting the L3 with the N9 rocket\bombing reticle. So the question of AAF or AAF? I don't know the answer if the N9 reticle with the aiming aid was used in the N9. There were two versions of the N9. One with a fixed reflector head and one with a tilt able reflector head to aid with rockets and bombs. It was found that pilots locked the tilt able N9 head version at zero and aimed bombs and rockets by eye.
Here is a page from the Mk8 manual showing the two N9 reticle patterns used by the AAF P47's.
Below are images of my N9 patterns. The "V" works from 45-70 degrees or in a shallow dive 300+- IA in the P38L and P47D-11\25. The two marks below that are conventional glide bombing from a shallow angle at speed. Practice offline to get the feel. It works as designed by the AAF in 1943.
AAF L3\Mk8\N9 rocket and bombing aid reticle.
AAF Mk8\N9 Air to Air reticle.
You can download these from the link below. Remember to include the (mil) file with the (bmp) file when you copy thes to your sights directory or the gunsight will display too small to be usable.
If you get an ideiot flash player popup click on the upper right hand red "X" button to close it out. It will popup a new window for an Adobe download. Kill the window and you will be back to the download. Down Load Here ===>> http://www40.zippyshare.com/v/93433061/file.html
