Mitsubishi Stuka and Thunderbolt

[horseback]

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

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.

The Navy and Marines used more pintle/ring mounted guns on their dive & torpedo bombers than the Army used; the various float planes launched from the cruisers and battleships also had rear gun installations. I retain the impression that the pre-war trained Navy gunners had a pretty high standard for accuracy, much like the pre-war Naval Aviators (Dave McCampbell was a chain-smoking guy in his thirties when he rang up his score; you have to wonder what John Thach, one of the other acknowledged 'Top Guns' of the prewar era could have accomplished in a similar position).

As for my description of how the gun mounts were most likely tested, sighting the guns in and then clamping the gunner's end down gives you the dispersion inherent to the gun mount type; humans are terribly non standard as a rule (even from minute to minute), so you would want to limit their influence as much as possible.

MiloMorai's numbers sound about right for shooting drogues flying in formation with your aircraft; 5% for a steady state target unlikely to shoot back.

cheers

horseback