Bristol F2B Fighter
My son chose to fly the the Bristol F2B Fighter in our game today. We have two (2) plane cards for it, but we need a clarification on them. One card lists the damage deck as a B/A, and the other as a AB/A. First, is the Bristol a two-seat fighter, and with a AB/A damage, does it have three (3) guns or two (2)???
Yes, it is; the AB/A version had -- umm -- "more guns than authorized": Three forward, two rear.Originally Posted by crashx
What he said....The factory armament as it were was a single synchronised Vickers forward, and a Scarff mounting for either single or twin Lewis guns for the observer. (The latter was often left to individual preference - the twin Lewis was decidedly unwieldy, so some observers preferred a single gun that they could get on-target more readily, while others went for the firepower.) Some crews, however, particularly in 22 squadron, upgunned the forward firepower by adding one or very occasionally two Lewis guns in a "Comic" mounting; fixed forward-firing, on top of the upper wing, so as to fire just over the top of the propeller disc. Presumably the AB/A card is this configuration.
(As a practical matter this arrangement would be an absolute swine to reload, but give you hefty firepower at least at first. As a house rule I'd be tempted to say it's only AB until the first jam, at which point the Lewis guns are considered empty and it becomes just B armament forward, as reloading in a dogfight would be, umm, challenging at best.... The single over-wing Lewis (making an A/A card if it has twin guns for the observer) seems to have been easier to reload, but some mountings apparently messed up the aircraft's compass, so it was never that common an arrangement.)
Thanks for your help guys, that is kind of what we were thinking. I just needed a clarification.
I believe that the up gunned ones were mainly night fighters used for home defence.Also a lot of night fighter pilots preferred the over the prop machine guns because the flash did not effect their night vision so badly.
Rob.
"Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."
In general that's true, but I'm not sure how much it applies to Bristols to be honest - I don't know much about their home defence use, but the couple of accounts I've come across seem to indicate the rear gunner being used against Gothas at least as much as the front armament, and the couple of examples I've actually seen of upgunned Bristols are from 22 squadron, which operated on the western front.
[Edit] Having just had a rummage it appears that the AB/A Bristol with twin lewis guns on the wing *was* a home-defence one as Rob surmised, being a one-off conversion with 39 squadron. The single Lewis on top (A/A in game terms) was adopted on several 22 squadron machines on the western front. (The Bristol in the RAF museum at Hendon is a 22 squadron one, complete with wing-top Lewis.)
Last edited by Dom S; 10-31-2010 at 08:40.
The AB/A Bristol F2b card in Crossfire does have night-fighter markings (the white bands of the cockades are either missing or muted.)
I noticed that. I was shocked at that thing's punch. I've never flown against it, I'll never want to
That's just a typo - got that from the main man himself:I noticed that. I was shocked at that thing's punch. I've never flown against it, I'll never want to
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/sho...ight=crossfire
(Look at the last post)
We noticed that it had no rear firing arc as well. That is what was so confusing. That is interesting about the night fighters. Thanks guys.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks