| Kaoschallenged | 19 Apr 2013 2:13 p.m. PST |
Does anyone know what the device is on the underside of this Ju-88 Night Fighter? It looks like some kind of gun pod. Robert
|
Monkey Hanger  | 19 Apr 2013 2:41 p.m. PST |
Haven't a clue but lots of info here on JU88 varients link |
| Phil Hall | 19 Apr 2013 2:55 p.m. PST |
The pod is a waffentropfen. Depending on what the armament is it could be several different marks of Ju88. |
| zippyfusenet | 19 Apr 2013 3:00 p.m. PST |
Looks like the nose is full of radar sets, so they had to fit the forward-pointing guns somewhere else. Interesting that these are pointing down relative to the angle of flight. I wonder whether they're movable or fixed. I presume there are further guns pointing up at an angle from the rear of the cabin and/or fuselage in a schrage musik installation. |
 Doms Decals  | 19 Apr 2013 3:41 p.m. PST |
Google says it's a 30mm Fl-A 103Z – Twin 30mm MK103 pod. |
| Kaoschallenged | 19 Apr 2013 4:35 p.m. PST |
Thank God for Google huh? I have never seen it before. Makes sense though.I tried Googling "30mm Fl-A 103Z – Twin 30mm MK103 pod" and my Google-fu must be weak now. Robert |
| Mako11 | 19 Apr 2013 4:54 p.m. PST |
Never seen one of those. Usually, they try to make the belly gun packs a bit more sleek, and form fitting, like those on the He-219. |
| Doms Decals | 19 Apr 2013 5:32 p.m. PST |
Yeah, there were a couple of very clunky looking night fighter pods – hard to figure why they didn't streamline them. link |
| Neroon | 19 Apr 2013 5:35 p.m. PST |
I haven't seen one of those before either. I think that the pod has been lowered for servicing and normally sits deeper within the forward bomb bay. The bulge under the engine cowling identifies them as Jumo 211J – so Ju88C-6. It still has FuG 212 and the overall light camo would indicate mid 1943 time frame. Never seen the yellow under cowl on night fighters before. I wonder if this aircraft belongs to one of the experimental stations like Rechlin instead of an operational unit. cheers |
| Kaoschallenged | 19 Apr 2013 7:43 p.m. PST |
You may be right KB. It does look like it is lowered . It does look somewhat unwieldy to use though. Robert |
| Doms Decals | 19 Apr 2013 11:46 p.m. PST |
I guess the flipside is it's for knocking down heavy bombers; how wieldy does it need to be…? |
| ming31 | 20 Apr 2013 8:20 a.m. PST |
I vaguely recall in one of my many books the germans put downward firing guns and the fly over the bomber formations while firing down on them . |
| Doms Decals | 20 Apr 2013 2:19 p.m. PST |
Found the same pic in the Luftwaffe Colours Nachtjager book – that reckons it's a G6 rather than a C6, but does say FI-A-103Z gun pack. It's underneath a photo of a 110 night fighter with the same yellow ID panels, belonging to the experimental detachment at Werneuchen, so quite possibly the same – good call KW. |
| Kaoschallenged | 20 Apr 2013 4:43 p.m. PST |
"I guess the flipside is it's for knocking down heavy bombers; how wieldy does it need to be…?" Just have to get over a bomber to hit it  LOL. Robert |
| Neroon | 20 Apr 2013 11:13 p.m. PST |
Dom It's definately a C-6. The Jumo211J cowling is quite distinctive. The G-6 was powered by the Jumo213 which had a different cowling.
Robert
I don't understand that last comment. The gun pod was fixed to fire forward. It could not be aimed downwards (no way to aim even if it could). cheers |
| Kaoschallenged | 21 Apr 2013 8:17 p.m. PST |
I just assumed from the angle of the pod in relation to the nose of the aircraft KB. Robert |
