The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - WWII aircraft armament machine guns and cannon

105kw · March 27, 2025, 11:34 AM

Then other great problems with the Mk108 were magazine capacity, 60rds in the Me109, and I think in the outboard wing guns in the Fw190.

Second, in the Me109 was gun charging, it was pneumatic, using the same bottle that was used from the 7.92 cowl guns in the Me109. For the 7.92 it worked fine, for the 30mm, it only allowed 2 to maybe 3 recharging trys.

The 30mm Mk108 was not very reliable, and if it jambed, you were down to 2 13.2mm cowl guns.
This problem continued until the end of the war. While the factory installation of the 30mm became more common. The Me109K-4 had no other option, only the 30mm.

I had read accounts of Luftwaffe units begging or borrowing every 20mm armed G model Me109 they could get.

March 27, 2025, 11:34 AM	#43
105kw Senior Member Join Date: June 30, 2017 Location: Columbia Basin Washington Posts: 514	Then other great problems with the Mk108 were magazine capacity, 60rds in the Me109, and I think in the outboard wing guns in the Fw190. Second, in the Me109 was gun charging, it was pneumatic, using the same bottle that was used from the 7.92 cowl guns in the Me109. For the 7.92 it worked fine, for the 30mm, it only allowed 2 to maybe 3 recharging trys. The 30mm Mk108 was not very reliable, and if it jambed, you were down to 2 13.2mm cowl guns. This problem continued until the end of the war. While the factory installation of the 30mm became more common. The Me109K-4 had no other option, only the 30mm. I had read accounts of Luftwaffe units begging or borrowing every 20mm armed G model Me109 they could get.