Re: history channel:dogfights.


Arved Sandstrom wrote:
"Ray O'Hara" <roh@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:xsSdnebv1K3CWybYnZ2dnUVZ_h6vnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
i love the history channel. where else would america's youth learn about
the germans bombing pearl harbor.

anyway a it has a hellcat strafing a jap cruiser and the hellcat is said
to
be able to put 4000 rounds a minute into the cruiser.
they just fail to mention the hellcat didn't carry a minute worth of ammo.
it had about 30 seconds ammo and the strafing run would have lasted mere
seconds anyway..

Ray, while I love you like a brother, and would probably even go fishing
with you, you remind me of my best buddy - he went into infarctions over
"Saving Private Ryan" because he saw uniform clothing discrepancies in the
film. I told him, get over it already, nu?

As to your exact point - you think that 2 seconds worth of Hellcat .50cal
from 6 guns is something that a cruiser or destroyer bridge team is going to
smile at? No. In fact, I think that the bridge team will be dead, wounded,
or in shock - with a ship effectively not under control.

A lot of pilots were good enough with their aim to use a second or two of
bullets to pluck another plane out of the sky - that requires major accurate
shooting. If they could do that, I figure 10 or 20 percent of the navy
pilots could hold on a ship's bridge for a good strafing run.

AHS

A bit OT...
Where ship straffing really scored was against light forces - MTBs
MGBs, E Boats etc. a nice big and slow (relative to a fighter) target
with less firepower than you can put out, usually made of wood, full
of fuel (even if it was diesel in S boats) 4 cannon would be lethal.

guy

.