D0-217E's Firing Rockets

[MIflyer]

In a book I just started reading I just read where on the mission of 6 March 1944 a 381 BG tailgunner reported that four D0-217E's each fired four air to air rockets at them. The rockets exploded about 500 yards aft of the B-17's.

I have not read before of Do-217E's being used for daylight air to air missions, nor of Luftwaffe bombers firing rockets at USAAF bomber formations.

 

[Crimea_River]

Hard to image that a tail gunner could identify a bogey down to the subtype.

 

[Capt. Vick]

Perhaps he misidentified a Bf 110?

 

[MIflyer]

Well, those guys were trained in aircraft recognition.

 

[Milosh]

So were pilots and they misidentified a/c they shot down even tho being closer to the a/c than a tail gunner would be.

 

[Shortround6]

Most anything was possible over Germany in 1944 but since these were probably Werfer-Granate 21 rockets launched from 600 to 1200 meters from the explosion point which was 500yds (?) behind the bomber the tail gunner was trying to identify at over 1KM minimum.

 

[BiffF15]

Most anything was possible over Germany in 1944 but since these were probably Werfer-Granate 21 rockets launched from 600 to 1200 meters from the explosion point which was 500yds (?) behind the bomber the tail gunner was trying to identify at over 1KM minimum.

SR,

A little addional info. A lot depends on background, sun angle, and visibility. I have called good IDs at 5-10+ miles on aircraft flying tangential to me (F16, F18, MiG29, F15, F14) with high accuracy and on other occasions at 1/3 those ranges with low confidence. Nose on is much more difficult except for the F4 / MiG29 due to smoke or F14 due to sheer size. FYI We can employ the gun at about 1k.

Cheers,
Biff

 

[MIflyer]

Presumably the D0-217's did not materialize out of thin air but required some manueuvering to get into position, offering views other than head-on.