Nieuport 23

[Doug]

What was the armament of a Nieuport 23 in the RFC?

[usmc1855]

What was the armament of a Nieuport 23 in the RFC?

1 Lewis .303 machine gun and/or
1 Vickers .303 machine gun


http://mars.ark.com/%7Emdf/Nie23_Bishop.jpg
*Single Vickers Machine Gun mounted on top of wing.



http://mars.ark.com/%7Emdf/Nie23_Czech.jpg
*Single Lewis .303 machine gun mounted on cowling



http://mars.ark.com/%7Emdf/Nie23_Holland.jpg
*1 Lewis .303 machine gun (mtd. on cowling) and 1 Vickers .303 machine gun
mounted on top of wing.

[Carl_Brisgamer]

What was the armament of a Nieuport 23 in the RFC?

Hi Doug,

The RFC seems to have preferred the top wing mounted Lewis gun with 47 or 98 rd drum mag, whereas the French used the synchronised Vickers gun.

Two gun Nieuports were the rare in the RFC.

Cheers,

Carl.

[usmc1855]

These are the notes regarding the illustrations I posted above:

The top illustration:

W.A. Bishop's Nieuport 23 shortly after his airfield raid and lacking the C+5 fuselage codes that it normally carried. Slightly longer undercarriage and the surviving propeller suggest this was a Nieuport 23 rather than a 17.

The middle illustration:

This Nieuport 23 is in interim Czech markings before being completely repainted. It carried roundels under the lower wings and over the top wing, omitting the roundels that it carried under the top wings while in Ukrainian colors.

The bottom illustration:

After the disaster with the Trompenberg copies of the Nieuport 11, Holland purchased Nieuport 21's and 23's as trainers, however like this Nieuport 23 shows, some were armed. The R:120 in the serial indicates the it has a 120 hp LeRhône. These were delivered June 1918 in French markings but with Dutch serials on the fuselage.