Thanks for posting those FlyingPencil. I have seen your videos before and actually had them in mind when I posted that comment. Though, I guess I should have said "gimble" instead of "ball bearing".

Yes it is,
Your welcome :)

Thanks. :)


I was amazed by how much detail the books missed.
You can find bits and pieces, but have yet to find a really good book on these things.

From 45* to 30* a second, still fast enough to turn to EA.
I seen film of B-17 top TG go much faster, but not sure if it was on "High Speed" setting.

But all the German bombers had hand held/moved guns, which could go much faster.

What do you mean by "Auto Guns"??

A lot of Remote Controlled and Computerized Control guns did exist and was used by all sides. Even Radar Ranging equipment was installed on B-29's and used before end of WW2.

I was refering to the link posted and specifically during The BoB.

The link was to small automatic electric MG turrets that never made it past testing. Fitted to a shackleton (so that gives you some idea of the date!) Computer cotrolled.. I think. I know they had them later. I wasn't aware of anything like that being around in 1940.

And when I said 'not exactly fast' I was comparing it to pointing and clicking with a mouse, not compared to other turrets. It gets confusing when you mix reality and sim :)

Something of interest I found out when looking at Aerial guns/gunners. USAF Aerial Gunners (in most cases) weren't credited for kills individually, the kill went to the Group. So even if you shot down 5 you'd never get Ace status. There's a list somewhere of the top Aerial Gunners in WWII. 17 kills is the highest I've seen. Most seemed to get 4 or 5.
Can't have been easy.

Yes, I looked at the site. What it proposed already existed on B-29's.

I think the correct term is "Compensating" targeting sights, and I am pretty sure (not positive) the Americans had them first (and sold to UK), not sure when it started (I would guess 1940, but not in service till 1942??).
Not sure if Germans developed something like that, but they did have remote controlled guns.

It was an analogue computer, and was surprisingly complex and accurate, as long as the gunner knew exactly the range, the target was hit.


Not easy at all, but not by todays standards (sims give us hours of practice). Still, those TG's caused damage to attacking fighters no matter what side.

What would be interesting is an appraisal/comparison of IL2 1946 gunner positions with the information you have from the He111 videos.

Its a rare chance to get "actual" data to input for the sim.

IIRC you did do something along those line before on one of the gunner stations.

The only He111 I have been in had no armaments at all being a late Casa version :(

Ahh, Brings back memories! The He-111 is the only German WW2 aircraft I've ever sat my foot in :P