Tankbusters of WW2

There is actually a model of this aircraft in an aircraft museum north of Chicago (can't remember the name)...

Christian

 

A couple of extracts from: 'Flying Guns – World War 2: Development of Aircraft Guns, Ammunition and Installations 1933-45':

"The Hs 129 and the Ju 87G were the only anti-tank aircraft produced in quantity, but others were tried. In 1939 and 1940, experimental versions of the Fw 189 reconnaissance aircraft, fitted with a small, armoured cockpit, were built but not adopted (the Hs 129 being selected instead). In 1942-3 much fruitless effort was put into developing the Ju 88P version of the twin-engined bomber, fitted with a 75 mm gun (P-1), a 50 mm KwK 39 tank gun (P-4) or twin BK 3,7s (P-2; the P-3 was similar but with improved armour). The 75 mm was not the automatic BK 7,5 used by the Hs 129 but an earlier semi-automatic version of the PaK 40 anti-tank gun, featuring a ten-round vertical magazine. A crew member had to act as loader, swinging the loading tray into position to load each round (although loading and ejection of the case were then automatic). Up to 30 rpm could be achieved.

The recoil of the big 75 mm gun caused considerable problems of blast damage and shock (the Ju 88's instruments had to be fixed in anti-vibration mountings) so the ammunition was fitted with a reduced charge initially, but a new muzzle brake allowed the full-charge cartridges to be used. The weight was so great that the aircraft was unable to stay in the air on one engine, so as with the later Hs 129 installation, the gun could be discarded in mid-air. Some 20 of the Ju 88P aircraft were built but with their considerable size and liquid-cooled engines they were considered too vulnerable, despite the extra armour fitted. The evaluation group of III/K.G.1 lost all of their P-1s, apparently to ground fire.

Even the huge He 177 bomber was considered for anti-tank use and five A-3/R5 models were fitted with the BK 7,5, plus some were given the 50mm BK 5 as a field modification. Other installations of the large-calibre cannon, such as the Me 410 with the BK 5, were primarily intended for bomber destruction rather than anti-tank purposes."

and:

"At the other end of the scale, the most remarkable German "tank buster" was probably the little Bücker Bü 181 Bestmann trainer, which carried four Panzerfaust recoilless one-shot infantry anti-tank guns and reportedly was used in action (this was paralleled on the American side by the enthusiastic pilot of an L-5 "Horsefly" spotter plane who fitted a pair of bazookas in the hope of bagging a tank). A different approach was taken with the SG 113A Förstersonde, a downward firing recoilless gun triggered by a magnetic detector which reacted to the presence of a tank when the carrying aircraft flew low overhead. Six tubes could be carried by the Fw 190 or Hs 129 but test results were mixed and by then it was 1945 and far too late."

Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and discussion
forum

 

What kind of lunatic would fire a pair of bazookas from an airplane while trying to fly it at the same time? :-?

 

What should the porblem be? Bazookas are recoilless, so it wouldn't have any effect on the aircrafts path.

 

Incidentally, I've added a couple of ammo pics to the 'Tankbusters' article at http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/tankbusters.htm as follows:





and these are the German ones:



Tony Williams