Strategic bombing was not an important part of the Luftwaffe strategy nor its preparation.
They could also serve multiple roles compared to massive heavy bombers, and so the die was cast.
That notion was put to rest during Germanys Condor Legion operations during the Spanish Civil War.
A close range gunfight over Britain: An illustration of a Spitfire downing a Dornier Do 17 from a British defense ministry poster. Image: NARA
RAF fighter pilots soon learned that the harrowing head-on attack was their best opportunity for a kill.
Despite the 500-mph closing speed and the abbreviated firing time, the equation was simple for the attacker.
One Hurricane pilot commentedOnce you knew how, a head-on attack was a piece of cake.
The Hawker Hurricane squadrons focused largely on intercepting German bombers. Image: US Navy
When you opened fire, youd kill or wound the pilot and the co-pilot.
In this case, the devil was in the details of the German bomber designs.
The first test used armor-piercing ammunition and the results were notably poor.
A view of the Hurricane I’s eight-gun battery of .303 Browning Mk II machine guns. Image: NARA
By late 1941, the load had been simplified to half AP and half incendiary.
Harmonization Problems
A great flyer may not be a good shooter.
A talented marksman might not be an exceptional pilot.
AHawker Hurricanerefueling and reloading between missions in the summer of 1940. Image: NARA
But an aggressive man in the cockpit with an aptitude for aerial gunnery is probably an ace.
In 1939, RAF Fighter Command used The Dowding Spread, a convergence point of 400 yards.
Unfortunately for RAF fighter pilots, this was a highly optimistic appraisal of the .303 ammunitions effectiveness.
Rearming the eight .303 Browning Mk IIs of theSpitfire Mk. I. Image: Author’s collection
The convergence point dropped to 350 yards, and then to 250 yards.
The Polish pilots of No.
The left- and right-hand drums emptied alternately so that the guns center of gravity was not disturbed.
The British Browning Mk II machine gun was chambered in .303. Image: Author’s collection
Most MG 15 positions had a flexible tube that emptied the spent casings into a catch bag.
Luftwaffe air gunners operated in a cramped environment while wearing cumbersome flight suits.
The arrangement of the German bombers defensive armament was less than optimal as well.
The Boulton-Paul Defiant was armed with a four-gun turret (.303 Browning Mk II). Image: Author’s collection
Regardless of the Luftwaffe bomber throw in, RAF interceptors were never deterred by massed defensive fire.
Inside the German bombers, there was little armor protection for the MG 15 gunners.
Casualties among Luftwaffe aircrew were high, with more than 3,200 killed and wounded from July through October 1940.
The under-wing access panels of the Spitfire’s Browning MGs. Image: Author’s collection
Germanys bomber force never really recovered from its losses of experienced pilots and crews.
Some crews added an additional MG 15 to fire upward/forward from the glass nose.
This gun, ostensibly aimed by the pilot using a tiny rear-view mirror, could not move at all.
The Defiant was successful initially, and then relegated to second-line and early night fighter duties. Image: NARA
After heavy losses in daylight raids, the Dornier bombers soon began to disappear from English skies.
Unfortunately, the Hispano cannon was not available in time to serve during the daylight battle.
A well-placed burst from a Beaufighters cannon battery was enough to explode a German bomber.
The Luftwaffe’s bomber defense gun: The MG 15 (7.92mm) and its 75-round twin-drum magazine. Image: US Navy
And we all know how the battle ended.
RAF pilots learned to attack the German bomber formations head-on, where the Luftwaffe aircraft offered the least defense and the fragile nose offered little protection. Image: Author’s collection
A German mans the MG 15 nose gun of the Heinkel He 111 bomber. Image: Author’s collection
An MG 15 in the nose of a German Dornier Do 17 twin engine light bomber. Image: SA-Kuva
Looking through the sight of an MG 15 covering the tail of a Dornier Do 17. Image: Author’s collection
German bombers added additional MG 15s as the Battle of Britain progressed. Here a He 111 has a second MG in its nose, firing forward and upward. Image: Author’s collection
A twin engine Bristol Beaufighter in flight over England. It was a high-speed, armored fighter suitable for interceptor duties both night and day. Image: Australian War Museum/Public Domain
