Frederick William Hill | |
|---|---|
 F.W. Hill in 1934 | |
| Nickname(s) | Gunner Hill |
| Born | 24 February 1889 |
| Died | 10 November 1959 Colchester, Essex |
| Service | Royal Naval Air Service (1915–1918) Royal Air Force (1918–1919) |
| Rank | Captain |
| Other work | Air Ministry (1920–1957) |
Frederick William "Gunner" Hill (24 February 1889 – 10 November 1959) is best known for his pre-war calculations that showed that the high speed fighters then being developed (notably the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane) would need to be armed with eight machine guns in order for them to be effective weapons.[1][2] Captain Hill's technical skills were important in arming aircraft in both World Wars. In World War I he trialled methods of mounting machine guns in aircraft, evaluated heavy aircraft guns including the 37mm Coventry Ordnance Works (COW) gun,[3] tested ammunition to be used against Zeppelins including the Brock bullet[4] and designed and developed aircraft gun sights. In the inter-war period he worked at the Air Ministry where he continued to work on aircraft gun sights as well as showing how they could best be armed with the weapons then available. He made key contributions to the development of the GM2 reflector gunsight that helped the allies gain air superiority over Germany.
- ^ Bishop P. Battle of Britain. Quercus Publishing Plc. London, 2009 p.172.
- ^ North P. Eagles High. The Battle of Britain 50th Anniversary. Wordright Books, London, 1990 p.78
- ^ Williams, Anthony G (1 June 2013). "37mm and 40mm Guns in British Service". Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
- ^ "Brocks World War I Munitions". February 2017.