Why turret fighters worked better at night than by day

Were turret fighters more viable as bomber destroyers or night fighters than their reputation suggests?

Role and context matter, but turret fighters only made sense where the aircraft could approach without fighter-style maneuvering and where armament, speed, and timing matched the threat.

The answer draws out the tactical limit behind the turret-fighter idea. A gunner needs a steadier aircraft to aim accurately, which is more plausible against bombers approached unseen at night than in a daylight fight where the pilot must maneuver to survive. The P-61 Black Widow is a qualified example because its turret was often fixed forward, controlled by the pilot, or removed to save weight and drag. A turreted Beaufighter prototype also paid a substantial performance penalty. Cannon-armed fighters offered a more direct solution, but the discussion stresses that an aircraft could move from world-leading to obsolete if development delayed its entry into service.