Canadian Ray Gun

Rodney and Otamatea Times, Waitemata and Kaipara Gazette, 26 February 1941, Page 8

Canadian Ray Gun

A harmless ray gun which, military officials said, "shoots" with the accuracy and range of a medium machine gun, is being used by the Candian armoured corps in training there.

By means of a light bulb, magnifying glass and lenses, the ray gun is "fired" in exactly the same way as an ordinary machine gun. It is equipped with a telescopic sight similar to that used on machine guns.

When Uf^ed in mock battles the gun will cause "casualties" by catching men in the flickering light. Those "shot" by the gun will have no doubt that they are hit, officials said, because even at ranges up to 1,500 yards in bright sunlight, the ray is nearly blinding in intensity at its centre. A few feet on either side, within what would be the "beaten zone" of a machine gun, a reddishyellow light is plainly visible. The gun was conceived by Col. F. F. Worthington, Commandant of the First Canadian Armoured Brigade, and a test model was tried last May. It has since been perfected by Maj. F. A. Landrieau, gunnery officer of the Canadian Armoured Corps Training Centre.

For gunnery practice when no real target is available the gun is equipped with an unpredictable moving target in the bull's eye of which is a photoelectric cell which records the number of shots hitting the bull's eye. The gun also is equipped with an automatic shutter, like that on a camera, which allows "bullet rays" to flash from the barrel at the same rate as real bullets are ejected from a machine gun.

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