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Decades before there was an A-10 Thunderbolt...
chris8X57
Member Posts: 1,268 ✭✭✭✭
...there was the JU-87G Kanonenvogel (Canonbird), a successful ground support aircraft.
With it's twin 37mm under wing canon, it could peel the lid off any Russian armor.
The cannon pods weighed 600 pounds each, and had six foot long barrels firing tungsten core armor piercing projectiles.
It was said that a good pilot could keep hits on a one foot square target at 150 yards-no small feat in a moving aircraft
The Germans used this Stuka with deadly effect on the masses of Russian T-34s on the Eastern Front.
Hans-Ulrich Rudel alone was confirmed with having in excess of 500 tank kills in Russia using all versions of the Stuka.
Regards,
Chris
[img][/img]
With it's twin 37mm under wing canon, it could peel the lid off any Russian armor.
The cannon pods weighed 600 pounds each, and had six foot long barrels firing tungsten core armor piercing projectiles.
It was said that a good pilot could keep hits on a one foot square target at 150 yards-no small feat in a moving aircraft
The Germans used this Stuka with deadly effect on the masses of Russian T-34s on the Eastern Front.
Hans-Ulrich Rudel alone was confirmed with having in excess of 500 tank kills in Russia using all versions of the Stuka.
Regards,
Chris
[img][/img]
Comments
Do you know why they didn't just hang a synchronized single cannon from the centerline?
The Germans put a 50mm cannon on center line of the ME-410 for using against bombers. But, it was a twin engine, and there were no issues about firing through a propeller arc.
It was probably just too expensive to re-engineer the Stuka.
could fly no more.
I wonder how many rounds the plane carried?
6 rds per cannon.
"The two 37 mm (1.46 in) cannons were mounted in under-wing gun pods, each loaded with a six-round magazine of armour-piercing tungsten carbide ammunition. With these weapons, the Kanonenvogel ("cannon-bird"), as it was nicknamed, proved spectacularly successful in the hands of Stuka aces such as Rudel."
Hans-Ulrich Rudel was a real life bad *. If you have never read his book it is worth the time. Take into account he was an un-repitaint Nazi but a very brave man and a great flyer. He was also the most highly decorated flyer EVER and the highest decorated combat veteran of WW2.
My Vote would be for.
quote:Originally posted by ltcdoty
I wonder how many rounds the plane carried?
6 rds per cannon.
"The two 37 mm (1.46 in) cannons were mounted in under-wing gun pods, each loaded with a six-round magazine of armour-piercing tungsten carbide ammunition. With these weapons, the Kanonenvogel ("cannon-bird"), as it was nicknamed, proved spectacularly successful in the hands of Stuka aces such as Rudel."
Hans-Ulrich Rudel was a real life bad *. If you have never read his book it is worth the time. Take into account he was an un-repitaint Nazi but a very brave man and a great flyer. He was also the most highly decorated flyer EVER and the highest decorated combat veteran of WW2.
Easy to shoot slow moving targets on the ground.
Erich Hartmann (highest scoring fighter ace of all time with 352 air to air victories) would fly circles around this clown.[;)]
Do you know why they didn't just hang a synchronized single cannon from the centerline?
I'm just guessing, but it may be because there were already bomb pods under the wings to attach them to.
Following WWII, with it's ability to carry more than it's own weight in armament, Skyraiders were THE US ground attack airplane up until the Vietnam war, where they also made a good showing.
Here's one at NKP in Thailand
The P39 AeraCobra wa the real predecessor of the A10. Firing a 37mm cannon thru the center propeller hub made quick work of German tanks by their RUSSIAN pilots who dearly loved the P39 [;)]
The shell wasn't for antitank war. The Soviets used them for top cover I.e. interceptors.
FWIW, during WW 2, there were two aircraft with 75mm cannon- one US, the other German. The Hs129 had twin 75mm guns. The B-25 G had one.
You need to really look at the records between Hartman and Rudel
I have. Rudel dropped bombs on the ground and destroyed a lot of material and targets, no doubt. Hartmann (2 N's) was a FIGHTER pilot, and killed other fighter birds in 3 dimensional combat.
Great post and pic thanks a lot.
Damn those Krauts are good at warfare.
quote:Originally posted by Sam06
quote:Originally posted by ltcdoty
I wonder how many rounds the plane carried?
6 rds per cannon.
"The two 37 mm (1.46 in) cannons were mounted in under-wing gun pods, each loaded with a six-round magazine of armour-piercing tungsten carbide ammunition. With these weapons, the Kanonenvogel ("cannon-bird"), as it was nicknamed, proved spectacularly successful in the hands of Stuka aces such as Rudel."
Hans-Ulrich Rudel was a real life bad *. If you have never read his book it is worth the time. Take into account he was an un-repitaint Nazi but a very brave man and a great flyer. He was also the most highly decorated flyer EVER and the highest decorated combat veteran of WW2.
Easy to shoot slow moving targets on the ground.
Erich Hartmann (highest scoring fighter ace of all time with 352 air to air victories) would fly circles around this clown.[;)]
But how many ships did he destroy? Rudel sank a destroyer, two cruisers and a BATTLESHIP.
Likewise the comment about slow moving targets on the ground being easy to hit must come from somebody who has never tried to hit anything from a plane. As a qualified fighter pilot, I can tell you it is NOT easy to hit a stationary target, much less a moving one.
A pair of 37 mm cannon! I love it!...Damn those Krauts are good at warfare.
There was a Hurricane with similar armament.
That aircraft is absolutely worthless to us today.
Sorry.
NS
But I spent some time with VMO-2 and these guys loaded for bear could lay down some fire power. Fully loaded you would not think they could get off the ground.