Training aircraft gunners has always been a task requiring some creativity, as it requires a lot more than just a paper target for an infantryman to blast away at. In the very early years of aerial combat in WWI, a wide variety of ideas were considered, and one of the better ones was building a gun-shaped camera. In this way, a trainee could engage in a very realistic and yet safe dogfight, and the photographic evidence would allow him and his instructor to assess his performance. One particularly neat early gun camera was the Hythe MkIII:

Hythe MkIII Gun Camera
Hythe MkIII Gun Camera

A lot of careful thought went into the Hythe, far beyond simply a camera in a gun-shaped shell. For starters, it was made in 1915 to very closely match the handling, balance, and weight of a Lewis Gun (one of the most common aerial guns at the time with British and US forces). It could be fixed to the top wing of a biplane or on a flexible ring mount just like a real gun, and was maneuvered and aimed exactly like a real Lewis. The shutter was tripped by the trigger, just like a gun, and film was advanced by using a replica of the Lewis’ charging handle. In addition, a real Lewis magazine mounted atop the device, and could be changed just like a Lewis (we’ll elaborate on that in a moment).

As far as camera hardware, the film canister and exposure area was located in the square box at the rear of the cooling jacket. It used 120mm film, and could hold 12 or 16 frames worth (sources vary on this point). A shutter and lens were located near the muzzle end of the device:

Hythe gun camera with film and film holder removed
Hythe gun camera with film and film holder removed – also note reticle insert that would overlay the photographs (photo from Early Photography, which has a detailed mechanical explanation of the device)
Lens and shutter of the Hythe gun camera
Lens and shutter of the Hythe gun camera

The Hythe must have been designed with input from aircraft instructors, because its operation uses the procedures most important in dogfighting of the era. Ammunition was more limited on a Lewis than with a belt-fed weapon, and the camera only held a handful of pictures. So the student’s goal would be to make a clean hit on an enemy aircraft with his first shots, not attempt to “walk it in”, which would waste a great deal of ammo. The initial trigger pull on the Hythe snapped a photo, so it was only the initial aim that was recorded for evaluation. To take a subsequent photo, the gunner would have to rack the “gun’s” charging handle, an operation that any good gunner should learn to do instinctively. In addition, the Hythe had a device inside that would punch a small hole in the edge of the film, and that device was operated by removing and replacing the Lewis magazine from the top of the “gun”. Proper practice would require changing magazines between strings of fire (another operation the gunner should become able to do blindfolded and upside down), and the Hythe would leave definite evidence of whether the trainee actually did so.

Of course, using a gun camera for marksmanship practice is only useful if the camera can actually show precisely where the gunner was aiming – and the Hythe took this into consideration as well. In front of the film was located a glass plate with a reticle, which would be superimposed on each photograph. For initial setup, the film canister could be replaced by a mirror, and the reticle plate adjusted to precisely match the sights atop the “gun”. This allowed the Hythe to actually give useful feedback to a gunner.

Photo from a Hythe MkIII gun camera
Aim for the tail, and make Eddie Rickenbacker proud! (actual photo from a Hythe gun camera)

All in all, it’s one of the cooler not-really-a-gun items we’ve come across in some time. The Hythe was actually in official British use all the way up to 1934, when it was finally replaced by more modern gear (and the Lewis guns were on their way out as aircraft armament). I’ll leave you with a few more photos, including a couple showing the Hythe in period use:

Hythe camera gun left side
Hythe camera gun left side
Hythe camera gun with accessories in its transit crate
Hythe camera gun with accessories in its transit crate
Hythe camera gun on a flexible ring mount of a JN-4 biplane
Hythe camera gun on a flexible ring mount of a JN-4 biplane
Hythe camera gun in US service
Hythe camera gun in US service

15 Comments

  1. Hi I have something that looks like this but it’s a flashlight interesting device Iam open for trades

  2. Figured I’d just pop in and mention something, even though this is 2 years old. 120 film isn’t 120mm wide, as you mention. It’s actually 60mm wide.

  3. In the 1920’s my father and one of his brothers purchased one of these cameras with a view to taking pictures at local sporting events because the shutter speed was such that it could capture an image of a bullet in flight [apparently]. In the early 1970’s an unscrupulous so called antique dealer called at our family home in the village of Gerrans in Cornwall and persuaded my uncle that this was pretty weorthless and purchased it for three pounds. It was in its official packing case with all accessories. I wish I could have got my hands on the ——-!. I wonder where it is now. I should very much value any information anyone might have about this.

  4. I have a typed detailed Instructional Notebook on Aerial Gunnery with shots taken by observers with the Hythe Gun Camera. The Liberty D.H.4, Nieuport and Sopwith planes are mentioned. Quote from nbk “One of the most important things for each of you as observers to know is how to defend yourselves in the air.”
    There are aged loose photos also. Anyone have idea where I can sale this wonderful piece of History?

  5. I have a typed detailed Instructional Notebook on Aerial Gunnery with shots taken by observers with the Hythe Gun Camera. The Liberty D.H.4, Nieuport and Sopwith planes are mentioned. Quote from nbk “One of the most important things for each of you as observers to know is how to defend yourselves in the air.”
    There are aged loose photos also. Anyone have idea where I can sale this wonderful piece of History?

  6. SUBJECT: Camera Gun, FACT CHECK (Forgotten Weapons)

    Hi,

    I’m an Associate Producer from a show that will be airing on Discovery Channel this November.

    I’m fact checking information our hosts say about this item and I’d like to talk with you. Are you able to contact me?

    Looking forward to hearing from you!

    Cheers,

    Jacqui
    Associate Producer, Vintage Tech Hunters
    65 Heward Ave.
    Toronto, ON M4M 2T5
    Canada

    T: 416-645-8313
    E: Jacqui.vth@gmail.com

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