How much ammunition do you need?

[timothy]

I read of multiple kills in short periods - one such was 13 kills in 17 minutes. How was it done? Many have expended all their ammunition on one target without result!

So how many rounds for one kill? And how much ammunition was carried?

= Tim

[Nick Beale]

If you order some RAF sortie reports from the National Archives (or pay them a visit) you'l often find that they conclude by saying how much ammunition was used in a combat. The figures vary enormously.

[The Machinist]

I read in several books that at least 20 rounds of Mg 151/20 20 mm cannon were averagely needed to shoot down a B-17.

[Maxim1]

13 kills in 17 minutes - Erich Rudorffer? I think, it's just some kind of huge overclaiming. Rudorffer's wingman Kurt Tangermann claimed another 5 e/a in the same combat...

[PeterVerney]

Originally Posted by The Machinist

I read in several books that at least 20 rounds of Mg 151/20 20 mm cannon were averagely needed to shoot down a B-17.

I guess that means hits. Don't know the percentage of hits to total rounds fired, but doubtless in single figures.

[Ota Jirovec]

Hello timothy,


the bellow links to some Mighty Eighth aces´ Encounter Reports might give you some idea about the ammunition consumption during some of their memorable missions:



http://www.spitfireperformance.com/m...ddy-6aug44.jpg
http://www.spitfireperformance.com/m...er-21nov44.jpg
http://www.spitfireperformance.com/m...on-27nov44.jpg
http://www.spitfireperformance.com/m...er-12oct44.jpg


However please keep in mind that, generally speaking, the breath-taking numbers of multiple kills refer to claims only, i.e. the enemy aircraft need not have been necessarily destroyed and there were some cases of huge overclaiming in virtually all air forces multiple-kill events (the Rudorffer´s and Tangermann´s combat on 6 November 1943 mentioned in the previous post is a classic example of massive overclaiming...).


Hope this helps a little,


Ota

[The Machinist]

Originally Posted by PeterVerney

I guess that means hits. Don't know the percentage of hits to total rounds fired, but doubtless in single figures.

Exactly, hits.

The same books say that the average german pilot usually put only 2% of rounds fired as hits on the B-17s. This lets me think that only Experten managed to shoot down a B-17 with a single attack.