[John Vasco]

komet,

Excellent find, and most interesting that there is reference to 'MK' in February 1940.

What we have now is the Technical Offices of the Luftwaffe describing it as 'MK 101', in a document dated Febuary 1940, and an RAF document that I had a copy of from the PRO (now the National Archive) dated August 1940 which describes it as 'MG 101'. I'll quote you a bit from that original RAF document, which draws its information from the original examination of the 30 mm. kanone, which I included in my Erprobungsgruppe 210 book. "...Me 110. Crashed 15. 8. 40 at Copthorne, Sussex, Nr East Grinstead. The 30mm shell gun referred to was type MG101 made by Rheinmetall Works and was fitted under the fuselage in a large fairing approximately 9' long, 43" wide, 24" deep. Eight magazines each containing 10 rounds were found, a complete shell being 11" in length..."

The RAF could only have got that information from the manufacturer's plate on the kanone. So what we have is the designation 'MG' stamped on the gun, whereas Luftwaffe paperwork was already referring to the revised 'MK' designation. I think it was a simple case of not bothering (or nobody even thinking) to change the detail on the plate affixed to the gun. I believe that was also the case for the Bf 109s and Bf 110s that carried the MG-FF and MG-FF/M 20 mm. kanone. I think the A.I.(1)g reports mention those MG designations, but I cannot check this as all my material is now lodged in an Archive.

Fascinating, and it takes our knowledge of such things a little further along the road.

Thanks for that, komet.