How Many Rounds Did They Have ?

[Bletchley]

Hello All,

I been spending time lately trying to track down information on the number of rounds that were the 'standard' (if, indeed, there ever was such a thing) military load of a WWI scout. Both the secondary and primary sources I have looked at so far are rather vague on this point - most secondary sources, if they have anything to say on this at all, state 500 rounds per belt-fed mg (lmg 08/15 or Vickers); or 4 drums (5 counting the one on the gun?) of either 47 or 97 round on the Lewis (I havn't got around to to the Parabellum yet) - but mostly without citing primary sources.

A.H. Weyl (Fokker: the creative years, p.190). Weyl gives "standard weights of fighter armament" as follows:

2 x lmg 08/15 : 48.5 lb (22 kg), or 24.25 lb each
Synchronising gear : 12 lb (5.5 kg)
Ammunition boxes : 9 lb (4 kg)
Optical sight with mounting : 5.5 lb (2.5 kg)
2 x veeder round counters : 2.2 lb (1 kg)
2 x 500 round belts : 55 lb (25 kg)

Total : 132.2 lb (60 kg)

I have found a military weight of 130 lb for the Fokker Dr.1 (in J..M. Bruce, Profile no.55, from official German figures) which matches this very closely. But I also have a military load of just 101 lb for the Pfalz D.III (from Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War One, British figure from the captured aircraft 4184/17 G.141), which would suggest just 2 x 250 belts of ammunition - a british mistake ? Or did it carry less ammunition than the Fokker ?Also, a U.S. report on the Fokker D.VIII gives a military weight of just 74 lb (not including the synch. gear etc.?), which would also suggest just 2 x 250 round belts.

For the Austrian Scharzlose 8 mm 07/12, I have a figure of "300 rounds of ammunition carried for each gun" (George Haddow, The O.Aviatik 'Berg' D.I, Profile no.151).

Military weight for the single-Vickers (Sopwith Pup, for example) is 80 lb. (Air Board Data Sheet). This appears to be the standard weight for all the single-Vickers, and would seem to include approx. 25-30 lb for the Vickers itself, approx 27.5 lb for 1 x 500 round belt, approx. 22.5-27.5 lb for synchronising gear, the ammo boxes, Aldis etc. The military weight for the twin-Vickers armament (Air Board Data Sheets), eg. Sopwith Camel, is 101 lb - this is an increase of just 21 lb over the single-Vickers of the Pup, and is, I think, mostly the weight of just the additional Vickers. So, if other weights remain the same, the ammunition weight will be approx. 23.5 or less (so 400 rounds now split between 2 x 200 round belts?). The standard weight of 1 x Lewis gun plus ammunition drums and mounting is also quoted at 80 lb (Air Board data Sheets). So the combined weight of both should be 160 lb, and this so for the Bristol Fighter (1 x Vickers, 1 x Lewis). The Bristol Fighter with 2 x Lewis is 25 lb heavier (185 lb) which would, I guess, be the extra 1 Lewis gun (16 lb) with one 97 round drum fitted (9 lb) but no additional drums in reserve (there were 4 of these, I think, for the single Lewis, so this would remain the same for the twin Lewis, as would the weight of the shared mounting). The only problem I have now is with the military weight of the SE5A, which is 106-107 lb (With 1 x Vickers, 400 rounds, and 1 x Lewis). I would expect this to be 155lb/160lb, a similar weight to that of the Bristol Fighter). These are the official British figures, from Air Board Data Sheets, and are repeated elsewhere, so it is puzzling. I can only think that they might be based on the original armament conception of 2 x Vickers (with 2 x 250 round belts?). There is evidence from the military loads that some of the later scouts (e.g. Snipe, military load 185 lb, Spad XIII 140 lb, but French figures) may have had 2 x 400 round belts or even 2 x 500 round belts instead of 2 x 200 round belts for the Vickers.

I could be barking up the wrong tree here, trying to work it all out from the 'military load' weights - so if anyone has a good source of info. (based on primary sources) of actual ammunition load-outs, I would be grateful for a post here to put me straight

Bletchley