Bullets and Guns

Hello,

Im looking for images of mainly British and German bullets and guns.
Would the Fokker aircaft E.III, DR.I and DV.II have used the same bullets?
What about the S.e.5 and Sopwith camel? thanks

[Romani]

Originally Posted by belle

Hello,

Im looking for images of mainly British and German bullets and guns.

For a start go here, then do a image search

Standard British round .303 British

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.303_British


Standard German round 7.92mm Mauser (though in modern use is often referred as the 8mm to avoid confusion with modern 7.62mm rounds)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7.92_x_57_mm

As for the guns that fired them, search for Vickers (forward firing synchronize) and Lewis (observer) gun for the British and Spandau(fixed) and Parabellum (observer) for the Germans. I am using the popular names to not confuse you with gun type numbers

I will add a precision here. Both sides adapted their infantry machineguns for aerial use with some modification. The infantry Vickers is not the same as the one mounted in airplanes. Likewise, the German MG was the Maxim LMG08, but when modified, they became known as Spandau for ease of identification and Parabellum... they are different externally but they are the same weapon.

Would the Fokker aircaft E.III, DR.I and DV.II have used the same bullets?
What about the S.e.5 and Sopwith camel? thanks

The early Fokker monoplanes, the EI used an adapted Maxim gun wich differed little from the ground version. The EIII used the more modified version (with cooling holes on the water jacket) known as Spandau wich remained standard armament for all German airplanes for the rest of the war.

The Camel and the SE5a both had Vickers guns, and the SE5 had a Lewis gun on top. The ammo for both types of machineguns was the same, .303 in, but the Vickers was belt feld and the Lewis had a drum, or to be precise, a "pan", that had to be reloaded in combat.

German guns used canvas belts to feed their guns. The Allies too until in the last year of the war switched to the metal disintegrating link used in modern machineguns.

Ammo loads varied, but as a rough guide, British airplane carried 400 rounds per Vickers gun, and Germans around 500 per Spandau. Lewis guns used initially 47 round pans until Lanoe Hawker designed a new bigger drumthat could hold 97 rounds in 1916 wich became standard in the air. The infantry Lewis continued with the 47 drum. Ammo for the Lewis was between 3 drums for a wing forward firing gun in the SE5a or 5 for an observer gun, including the one already loaded on the Lewis.

German observer guns were belt fed, but the belt was carried wound up in a large drum, or again, to be precise, a "spool", wich typically housed 250 rounds. There may have been a smaller drum holding 100 rounds. Spare drums were carried for ground attack machines, while high altitude recon planes may have carried just the drum loaded on the MG, to save weight.

[Ransom E. Olds]

The German Maxim (both ground and air models) and the Parabellum are conceptually similar but quite different in specific design; in fact the Parabellum is more like the Vickers in mechanism than it is like the earlier German Maxims. Ransom

[TonyWilliams]

As well as using the standard infantry "ball" ammunition, aircraft guns fired various specialised types, especially explosive/incendiary for use against balloons and airships. Some of these looked quite different from the ball rounds, as you can see in the photo of the cover of Flying Guns – World War 1: Development of Aircraft Guns, Ammunition and Installations 1914-32:

[Epee]

Yes, the early war planes would have used the same ammo as the late war planes with the exception of certain incendiary bullets that were developed during the war.

[dpolglaze]

Belle,

Also, for many pictures of guns and armament on planes, and a detailed description of many, see Harry Woodman's "Early Aircraft Armament"

Not cheap, but a huge amount of information.

Dan