How would WW2 fighters/bombers be reacted upon and perform in combat in a medieval fantasy world? (1 Viewer)

[UF05P0TT3D]

It would be fantasy people encountering fighters and bombers and seeing how they perform in combat, and their reviews on their performance.

 

[PFVA63]

It would be fantasy people encountering fighters and bombers and seeing how they perform in combat, and their reviews on their performance.

Hi,
I would expect that like anyone else who might encounter something outside their realm of understanding they would maybe end up trying to interpret what they are seeing in terms of things more familiar to them. As such, if they believe in stories about dragons and such, they might interpret high level contrails or lower level shapes moving and twisting through the sky in terms of large winged beasts. Or on the other hand if one were religious in nature they might see the generally cruciform shape of some craft in religious terms, I'm guessing.

 

[UF05P0TT3D]

Hi,
I would expect that like anyone else who might encounter something outside their realm of understanding they would maybe end up trying to interpret what they are seeing in terms of things more familiar to them. As such, if they believe in stories about dragons and such, they might interpret high level contrails or lower level shapes moving and twisting through the sky in terms of large winged beasts. Or on the other hand if one were religious in nature they might see the generally cruciform shape of some craft in religious terms, I'm guessing.

What about reactions to specific aircraft like fighters and bombers?

 

[SaparotRob]

A Boeing 314 landing off Irish coast (there will be a terminal there eventually, right?) might be impressive. They were used as transports in WW II. A Sunderland might have been particularly awe inspiring as well.
Has anyone read the "1632" aka "Ring of Fire" series of books? A very well done anachronistic series. What caught my eye was the cover. Tilly's mercenaries, in The Germanies, are caught mid plunder/pillage by a bunch of guys charging up in a red pickup truck brandishing many firearms. There's a United Mine Workers of America flag flying from the truck.

 

[MIflyer]

Heh. Reminds me of Robert L. Scott's book 'God is My copilot." After some of the Flying Tigers downed pilots were given aid by the people who lived in a walled city in the remotest areas of China, word came that the city was being besieged by an ancient Ghengis Khan style of army, they decided to help. So Scott and a wingman flew up to the city and made two strafing runs on the army surrounding the place. It seems amazing to me that it took more than one firing pass with six .50 cal in each airplane to break the Army up, but I suppose the shock effect was a major reason. In any case after the second pass the army started picking up their stuff and moving out as fast as possible. Scott wrote that in a single afternoon he and another pilot using a couple of Chennault's P-40's had ended a war. And recall those P-40's has shark's teeth painted on them, which hardly could have comforted the survivors, either. They don't paint shark's teeth on ambulances and ice cream trucks.

Or as Tom Clancy described Desert Storm, "It was the "War of the Worlds" and we got to play the Martians."

I suppose that the Khan army's delayed reaction was not too unreasonable. If the Starship Enterprise dove out of the sky and started blowing away the IJN Fleet on 6 Dec 1941 it probably would take the Japanese more than few minutes to organize a 180. Before the war a conference was held in Japan among their scientists and engineers to brainstorm what the US could do if Japan went to war. The possibility an atomic bomb was raised and they concluded that was at least 100 years away. When Japan's top physicist heard what had occurred at Hiroshima he told the leader of the Zero design team that it sounded like an atomic bomb, but they would have to look at the data. In fact, a letter was dropped with an instrumentation package addressed to that very physicist explaining what caused the blast. And then the Japanese knew that they were 100 years behind the USA by their own pre-war assessment - but it still took two bombs to convince them.

 

[Wurger]

 

[MIflyer]

My WW2 Polish POW friend used to say that he was glad the USAAF did not have more powerful airpower in the war because it would have ended up being used against him, by accident.

Their POW camp got hit by RAF bombers one night and USAAF P-38's one afternoon. He still could not look at a P-38 picture without saying "SOB."

 

[pbehn]

In the earliest days of aviation in UK a plane flew across country and the locals on the land who saw it went to the church thinking that judgement day had started.

 

[MIflyer]

In the earliest days of aviation in UK a plane flew across country and the locals on the land who saw it went to the church thinking that judgement day had started.

National markings were first applied to aircraft in WWI not because the aircrew needed them to ID aircraft but because without them the ground troops shot at everything that flew over.

 

[pbehn]

National markings were first applied to aircraft in WWI not because the aircrew needed them to ID aircraft but because without them the ground troops shot at everything that flew over.

My uncle was in the Royal Observer Corps, At D-Day he and a colleague were stationed on a US "liberty" type flak ship, identifying "friend or foe" to the Captain/ head gunner. This worked well on the flak ships, but the rest of the fleet just blasted away at everything, in the end only P-38s went near the fleet as its shape was so distinctive.

 

[MIflyer]

My uncle was in the Royal Observer Corps, At D-Day he and a colleague were stationed on a US "liberty" type flak ship, identifying "friend or foe" to the Captain/ head gunner. This worked well on the flak ships, but the rest of the fleet just blasted away at everything, in the end only P-38s went near the fleet as its shape was so distinctive.

Read where at one B-17 base a general officer showed up and wanted to go have a look at the D-Day landings. The Wing was out on a bombing mission but they had a lone flightworthy B-17 used for training, no guns and no bombsight. So they scratched together a crew ad went to have a look. And of course everyone shot at them but they made it back. That general officer did not receive a friendly reception when 8th AF HQ found out. I'd like to say my USAF experience showed that today's generals are not that stupid but that is not the case; most are not but some are.

 

[GrauGeist]

If modern war machines were to be encountered in Medieval times, they would most likely be associated with the closest interpretation that people understood in that day.
In other words: Pareidolia drawing from Medieval understanding.

WWII aircraft of any type would most likely be associated with Dragons of some sort, tanks would be demons or monsters (Biblical behemoths, perhaps), submarines would most likely be Sea Monsters (Biblical Leviathans?).

Da Vinci's flying machine design looked more like a bird, the closest machine I can think of, would be the WWI German Albatros D.V but his tank concept really doesn't have a modern equivalent.

Jules Verne touched on this with his story Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea with the fear and loathing that the Nautilus caused.

 

[eljefe]

It would depend a great deal on the nature of the fantasy world, and on the nature of which fighters and bombers appeared.

Tolkein, with 1940 equipment on the side of the good guys:

"What odd magic of the elves is this? Or are they dwarven make? Giant metal birds whose wings never flap, yet still they fly. To the sound of crackling lightning, they hurl metal stones far faster and harder than any crossbow bolt, raining them by the hundreds into the foe. Gandalf must know of this, if he has sent for aid, it has come!"

Tolkein, 1945 gear aiding the baddies:

"What a fell day this is. Birds or dragons, I know not, flying so high that only the sharpest-eyed elf can even spot them. Yet they discharge their deadly cargo, great barrels that fall from over a mile above, blasting down our walls with fire and force. All is up to the little ones now, bearing the Ring to its doom. If they do not reach Mount Doom soon, I fear we can hold out no longer."

George R. R. Martin, 1940 warbirds:

"I swear the magic must be real. They are metal contraptions, smaller than the largest dragon but far, far faster. I believe a man rides inside them, near the top like a dragon, but under a glass canopy. Perhaps that is necessary because of their great speed. How did the Wolf come into possession of such things? The Northerners are a practical people, not known for dabbling in wizardry."

George R. R. Martin, 1945:

"Are these her 'dragons'? No man has seen one from close up, yet there are reports that they are not beasts but machines, contraptions far more complicated than a ballista. Some mercenary company toils over them at night, preparing them for their next attack. Yet from what we have seen, they are no less capable than dragons of wreaking destruction. Even the Eyrie is not safe; they bring a force capable of wrecking Harrenhall to any height they desire. I shudder to think that they might even be able to breach the Wall."

 

[swampyankee]

It would depend a great deal on the nature of the fantasy world, and on the nature of which fighters and bombers appeared.

Tolkein, with 1940 equipment on the side of the good guys:

"What odd magic of the elves is this? Or are they dwarven make? Giant metal birds whose wings never flap, yet still they fly. To the sound of crackling lightning, they hurl metal stones far faster and harder than any crossbow bolt, raining them by the hundreds into the foe. Gandalf must know of this, if he has sent for aid, it has come!"

Tolkein, 1945 gear aiding the baddies:

"What a fell day this is. Birds or dragons, I know not, flying so high that only the sharpest-eyed elf can even spot them. Yet they discharge their deadly cargo, great barrels that fall from over a mile above, blasting down our walls with fire and force. All is up to the little ones now, bearing the Ring to its doom. If they do not reach Mount Doom soon, I fear we can hold out no longer."

George R. R. Martin, 1940 warbirds:

"I swear the magic must be real. They are metal contraptions, smaller than the largest dragon but far, far faster. I believe a man rides inside them, near the top like a dragon, but under a glass canopy. Perhaps that is necessary because of their great speed. How did the Wolf come into possession of such things? The Northerners are a practical people, not known for dabbling in wizardry."

George R. R. Martin, 1945:

"Are these her 'dragons'? No man has seen one from close up, yet there are reports that they are not beasts but machines, contraptions far more complicated than a ballista. Some mercenary company toils over them at night, preparing them for their next attack. Yet from what we have seen, they are no less capable than dragons of wreaking destruction. Even the Eyrie is not safe; they bring a force capable of wrecking Harrenhall to any height they desire. I shudder to think that they might even be able to breach the Wall."

Given Tolkien's apparent antipathy to modernism, aircraft would be in the hands of Sauron.

I've also wondered if Aragorn treated his serfs any better than Sauron did his orcs

 

[SaparotRob]

Handsome is as handsome does.

 

[Howard Gibson]

It would be fantasy people encountering fighters and bombers and seeing how they perform in combat, and their reviews on their performance.

Do both sides have the aircraft?

Second Italo-Ethiopian War