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Old July 30, 2017, 07:24 PM   #43
44 AMP
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Join Date: March 11, 2006
Location: Upper US
Posts: 28,820
Quote:
The ME109 was not a direct drive propeller, the center firing cannon on the 109 did not fire through the propeller
No, but the cowl guns (7.92mm, later 13mm) DID fire through the propeller blades arc, just as did the cowl guns on the P-39, P-40, and "chin" guns on the early A-36 (ground attack version P-51), and many other aircraft from different nations.

Interruptor gear basically "stops pulling the trigger" at just the right time to allow the propeller to pass in front of the muzzle without getting hit by a bullet, and starts pulling the trigger again when the blade passes.

A hangfire, of just the right duration COULD result in the propeller being hit, so reliable, CONSISTANT ignition was an important factor in the ammo, unlike ground guns, and guns that don't fire through a propeller arc, where a fraction of a second delay is no big deal.
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