Subject: US (Brit/Japanese/German/USSR) Use of Gun Cameras in Fighters??
From: Stephen Harding
Date: 7/15/03 11:11 AM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

When precisely did the US begin using gun cameras in their fighters?
How about the other antagonist air forces? Was one air force ahead
of the other in using this as a combat reporting aid?

I recall an episode in "Piece of Cake" (I think) about BoB spitfire
pilots having gun cameras installed and being very shocked at some of
the outcomes of combat reports. The film showed clear misses where
pilots claimed hits; spitfire attacking another spitfire claiming it
as a 109; etc.

Not certain how much of this story was entertainment as history, but
I'll presume the British had standardized gun cameras on their fighters
by, or shortly after the BoB.

How about with the US? Were US fighters (Navy and Army) equiped
with gun cameras by 1942 when actual combat began? Any gun camera
footage from Pearl Harbor? Did the ETO become gun camera equipped
before the Pacific or other theaters? Was the Navy ahead of the Army
in this effort?


SMH



They were called GSAP cameras for Gun Sight Aiming Point. And all our fighters
had them. They took 16mm film in magazines.

Arthur Kramer
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer