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Allied and Soviet Air Forces Please use this forum to discuss the Air Forces of the Western Allies and the Soviet Union. |
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#1
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Fairey Battle belly gun ?
Just found this request in the January 2008 Flypast Magazine.
The Medway Aircraft Preservation society are restoring a Battle L5343 to 98 Squadron standard based in Iceland 1940. They have a number of leads saying that some Battles had a belly gun aimed by the bomb aimer via a system of mirrors? Does anyone have any knowledge of this fitting? was it official? |
#2
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Re: Fairey Battle belly gun ?
I can add, for what its worth, that at two Fairey Battle crash sites in France I have found spare "K" gun barrels which were evidently carried on board. Just a thought, but I am wondering if this has given rise to the "extra gun" theory? I do know that when these items were found we scratched heads initially and theorised that there was an extra gun until we realised they were simply spare barrels.
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#3
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Re: Fairey Battle belly gun ?
Hi Andy,
Thats interesting, to be honest i thought a belly gun on a low flying aircraft would have been out of the question, unless it was intended to rake groud defences on the way out after an attack has been done. Even then a Vickers K is hardly the best option but better than nothing i suppose. Was it just a spare barrel, or did it have other gun bits attached, breach etc..? Also what was the chances of a standard gunner carrying a spare barrel for his gun? |
#4
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Re: Fairey Battle belly gun ?
I think a spare barrel was a norm for the "K" gun - but I stand to be corrected by those who know more about such things. I would also have thought that an "extra gun" (if it were fitted) on the Battle would have been defensive rather than offensive.
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#5
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Re: Fairey Battle belly gun ?
It does appear to be the case that some were fitted as an ad hoc arrangement by crews during the Battle of France:
http://www.century-of-flight.net/Avi...y%20Battle.htm Quote:
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#6
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Re: Fairey Battle belly gun ?
The Air-Britain book 'The Battle File' gives details of several 'third gun' installations in the underside of the Battle but no photographs unfortunately.
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