The Rose turret was a rear gun turret fitted to some British Avro Lancaster heavy bombers in 1944 and 1945, developed from 1943 to improve the defenses of the Lancaster and entering production in late 1944 after the RAF ordered 600 units, of which about 400 were built by the end of the war in Europe. It mounted two American .50 caliber Browning heavy machine guns in a roomy, hydraulically operated layout that left the front of the gunner position unusually open and unshielded, a design drawn from operational experience. Gunners valued its heavier firepower even though it proved less mechanically reliable than earlier turrets, and Lancasters fitted with it, mainly in RAF No. 1 Group, were attacked by enemy fighters noticeably less often than other bombers.
Facts
Classification
Service Status Weapon Class Introduced Year Weapon Class
Weapon Class (category) FAQs
Was the Rose turret reliable in combat?
It was less reliable than the older turret: 60 per cent suffered gun stoppages in combat.
Most Lancaster rear gunners regarded the Rose turret as an improvement because of its heavier firepower. However, it proved less reliable than the older design, and research by the Ministry of Air found that 60 per cent of Rose turrets experienced gun stoppages during combat.
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Source Rose turret, Wikipedia
Used In
Source Rose turret, Wikipedia
Sources
1. Rose turret, Wikipedia
Lead paragraph, first sentence
The Rose turret (sometimes known as the Rose-Rice turret) was a gun turret fitted to the rear position of some British Avro Lancaster heavy bombers in 1944-45.
Operational service section, first sentence
Rose turrets began to be used operationally from late 1944.
caliber
It mounted two American .50 caliber Browning heavy machine guns in a roomy, hydraulically operated layout that left the front of the gunner position unusually open and unshielded, a design drawn from operational experience
- Weapon class classified from the entity's own sourced description text.
Lead
The Rose turret (sometimes known as the Rose-Rice turret) was a gun turret fitted to the rear position of some British Avro Lancaster heavy bombers in 1944-45.
Lead and body text
It was armed with two American 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) light-barrel Browning AN/M2 heavy machine guns - the standard American defensive weapon used in turreted and flexible mounts in the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator and other aircraft.
- Operated By: Royal Air Force, infobox used_by/operator field: 'Royal Air Force'
Used In: World War II, Infobox: wars
Second World War
In Group: Aircraft Gun Turrets, Lead sentence
The Rose turret (sometimes known as the Rose-Rice turret) was a gun turret fitted to the rear position of some British Avro Lancaster heavy bombers in 1944-45. It was armed with two American 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) light-barrel Browning AN/M2 heavy machine guns, the standard American defensive weapon used in turreted and flexible mounts in the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator and other aircraft.
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