Question about Guns on Allied and Luftwaffe fighters

[Jon]

Did all the main weapons on a fighter fire at the same time ?
For example did all 8 .303 Brownings on a MK1 Hurricane fire at the same time or was the firing staged...only two either side...then the next two etc...... so quick the human eye would not register it

I appreciate the same number of weapons had to fire both sides at the same time to prevent the aircraft from "pulling" to the side, but surley 8 303's or 6 .50's or on the FW 190, Typhoon, Tempest, 4 20mm all firing at exactly the same time would have caused structual damage ???? ....or would it ?????

Hope i have explained my question OK !

[Graham Boak]

The structure was designed to cope with the recoil from each and every gun. There was no specific staggering of the fire for structural reasons (or any other, to my knowledge, other than synchonisation with the propellor for fuselage mountings).

[Tony Williams]

It wouldn't really have been possible. Quoted rates of fire were averages; different guns would fire at different rates, the same guns would fire at different rates as they aged and loosened up; different ammo batches might affect the RoF, the temperature would as well, and so on.

The only examples I know of where it was important to fire the guns simultaneously (or as near as makes no difference) concerned aircraft like the Hurricane IID with two underwing 40mm cannon. Otherwise the unbalanced recoil would cause the plane to slew off-target.

Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and discussion forum

[George Hopp]

Take the Fw 190 for instance. On all major versions, one firing button fired the inboard guns, ie. the cowling machine guns as well as the inboard cannon. While the other button fired the outboard cannon, whether they be MG FFs, single MG 151/20s, the pod mounted dual MG 151/20s, or the MK 108s. And, of course, both triggers could be depressed to fire all guns simultaneously.

You got slewing when one of the outboard guns jammed, and the other(s) didn't.