Flying Guns of World War II

This book describes the history of aircraft guns, their ammunition and their installations in aircraft. It commences with a technical history covering the development of guns, their ammunition, and related issues such as mountings and sights. This is followed by chapters on aircraft installations covering all nations and an evaluation of their use in combat. Appendices include comprehensive tables of the gun installations of World War II combat aircraft with details and illustrations of the guns used and specifications of their ammunition. There has never before been a comprehensive description of World War II aircraft gun armament. This book has been written with the aim of being the definitive work on this subject, dealing with armament of all participating air forces. Every technical aspect has been covered: gun design in the full range of sizes from small-caliber machine guns to heavy cannon; ammunition types and their use; fixed, flexible and turreted installations and gun sights. Comparative drawings and specifications of service weapons are provided, plus illustrations and data concerning their ammunition.