.303's

[Georgio41]

Yea in reality the DeWildes were in very short supply.
In air terms the .303 was really a stop-gap as it was the 'stock' calibre of the majority of UK forces; the last thing the chiefs wanted was a diversity of calibres, so the .303 catered for everyone from the humble tommy's Enfield to fighters and bomber defence.

I guess with all the defence cut-backs in the inter-war years, the RAF developing cannons was never going to happen, if our fighters (spit) and bombers (Blenheim) development had to be funded privately.
Doubtless if the RAF had their way with funding, they would have developed the jet engine quicker especially when you consider that Whittle had a prototype running in 1937...

Needs muster as the saying goes, which is why after millions of German 9mm rounds were captured in N.Africa, the infamous sten gun was knocked up to utilise the round; not a good gun and very good at chopping fingers off the unwary but at least it hurt less to be firing it than to be infront of it...

Originally Posted by Sven

You'll shoot the whole RAF's stock of DeWildes in no time