Quote:
Originally Posted by horseback
Note also that the data is for ground testing, which means that there is no relative motion to joggle the gunner's elbow or guesstimations about where the target was going to be when the bullets got there. Chances are good that the guns were sighted in and then clamped down and fired by a fixed remote to get those figures in order to eliminate human error.
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It might be possible to find the actual technical report in the National Archives. That would settle a lot of questions about methods
In any case, TD now have actual factual data for the ABSOLUTE BEST accuracy possible using certain guns, which could be extrapolated for other types.
What would really be useful is if the USN or USAAF did studies on accuracy of pintle or Scarff-ring mounted rear-facing guns.
Or, even better, did any Air Forces keep records on relative gunner accuracy during training missions against aerial targets? Were there acceptable "Go/No Go" standards for aerial gunnery against target drogues in order to graduate from aerial gunner school? At least for the USAAF, it might be a bit easier to find that sort of data since Clark Gable was an air gunner (and, unusually, a commissioned officer). Stuff that might have otherwise been tossed at the end of the war might have been kept for sentimental reasons if it involved a movie star.