For the low level raids all the defensive guns except the tail guns were removed.
When the high altitude attacks against Japan proved ineffective Gen LeMay ordered low level fire bombing raids. When the mission from China proved that they could not be logistically supported and with the capture of the Marinas the B-29 were then based from there. When the B-29s were staged out of China for their first missions against Japan they had all the defensive guns. 50 machine guns each, but later the front top turret was expanded to hold 4 machine guns. The gunner or bombardier would point the gun sight at the target plane and the computers on board would determine lead angle, bullet drop, speed differential and other factors to hit the target. The Master gunner had a gun sight in addition to his other duties. In the section with the master gunner were two other gunners with gun sights. The master gunner sat in the "Barber chair" in the pressurized section behind the bomb bay and determined which crew member remotely controlled which turret. The central fire control system controlled four remote control gun turrets, two on top (dorsal) and two underneath (ventral). The tail guns were controlled by the tail gunner in the rear pressurized section of the plane. To expand on what Ned said the B-29 had a central fire control system for the defensive guns, except for the tail guns.
0 kommentar(er)
