hello all
The mention of the Defiant turret-fighter prompts me to ask why it was never fitted with forward-firing guns. Surely, it must have been considered. Also, what prevented the British and Germans from fitting heavier calibre machine-guns to their bombers? The crews of the luckless bombers must have cursed the designers from high heaven when facing cannon-armed fighters with only rifle-calibre guns. It seems to have persisted until well into the war, on both sides. After all, the Belgians had 0.5in brownings in their Hurricanes in 1940. Perhaps less German bombers would have made it back across the Channel in the Battle of Britain or more Bomber Command crews might have survived encounters with night-fighters over Europe.
regards
TDD