New video 2011-02-13 WITH SOUND!

[winny]

Originally Posted by Sutts

If the "smokers" in this shot are tracers then I don't believe that statement is entirely true. I'm sure different squadrons used/tried different mixes during the battle.

Sorry I should have said 2 guns...

Standard RAF loadout during BoB was to have 2 guns loaded with tracer. They did not mix ammo types in the same gun as the different recoil characteristics caused problems. (This only applies to the MG's btw). The only real variation to this was to have no tracers at all. Except for a few at the end


The initial RAF fighter loading was three guns loaded with ball, two with AP, two with Mk IV incendiary tracer and one with Mk VI incendiary. (Early BoB)

Battle of Britain armament was four guns with ball, two with AP and two with incendiaries (presumably Mk VI) with four of the last 25 rounds being tracer (presumably Mk IV incendiary/tracer) to tell the pilot he was running out of ammunition.
(By 1942 the standard loading for fixed .303s was half loaded with AP and half with incendiary.)

The pilots could say if they wanted no tracers at all, but the problem of mixed ammo in the same gun wasn't fixed till later.

Sorry for any confusion...