Reluctant Poster
Tech Sergeant
- 1,682
- Dec 6, 2006
Here are some more papers I have collected on Japanese flak. Excellent for insomnia.
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The Japanese main (most numerous) AA "heavy" gun during the war was the 75mm Type88 which probably had better "tracking" due to its lighter weight and less inertia. The German 88mm would (probably) have had slower accurate tracking, but I can't say for sure. Their giant twin 128mm (the ones often used on the big Flak Towers) must have been even slower at tracking lower flying aircraft. The 5K-10K range "gap" is a rough guide to volume of space where both "light" and "heavy" AA would have had problems with accuracy but could (by the laws of chance) been a deterent to any aircraft within range.This excerpt from (attached)
View attachment 719792
gives a somewhat lower limit for Japanese heavy Flak stating its maximum effectiveness is at 7,500 feet.
View attachment 719791
Agreed, my uncle speaks of that in his writing, getting bounced around like a toy in the updrafts. No mention of him going upside down thank God but the air did get pretty rough as more bombers came through and I see him referencing him changing altitude (both up and down) for an aggregate 12,000ft in just a couple of minutes, albeit some of that was also dodging flak and searchlights.Back in the 1970s I read a book of WW2 aircrew stories, and one was written by a crewman on the B-29 night missions, and something he said was possibly pertinent to the statement of "increased losses requiring higher altitude".
He related how if you weren't one of the first set of bombers, that the updrafts from the fires would toss the B-29 around like a single-engine trainer in a thunderstorm... he commented on seeing some lose control and crash purely from the updrafts, and of finding his aircraft upside-down over 2,000 feet higher than it had been a few seconds earlier.
When the war was over, it made little sense for them to get angry when they had to live in the hard reality.They were not angry; they were impressed as hell.
I recall someone buying a Japanese made car and taking it to Detroit so the people there could beat it to pieces in revenge for the success the Japanese vehicles were having in the US market.Angry was second thing if they were not nationalists.
Did it jump in front of the car that was about to run you over?A Toyota (Scion) saved my life...
It squared it's shoulders, lowered it's head and battled the Buick Century like a Samurai.Did it jump in front of the car that was about to run you over?
It squared it's shoulders, lowered it's head and battled the Buick Century like a Samurai.
In this case, my Scion destroyed the much larger Buick Century - the Buick came into my lane head-on at 60mph, I was doing 50.Sounds like CarThunderDome: two cars enter, one car leaves.
In this case, my Scion destroyed the much larger Buick Century - the Buick came into my lane head-on at 60mph, I was doing 50.
Or a Kamikaze?It squared it's shoulders, lowered it's head and battled the Buick Century like a Samurai.
I'm glad you survived, Dave.In this case, my Scion destroyed the much larger Buick Century - the Buick came into my lane head-on at 60mph, I was doing 50.
Definately a Samurai - the Buick was a larger and faster opponent but the Scion stood it's ground.Or a Kamikaze?
Thank you, Shinpachi-san!I'm glad you survived, Dave.
Not to derail this thread further, but that's what North American did with the Spitfire to create the XP-51F/G/J and P-51H Mustangs, and even the F-82 Twin Mustang (all were designed to similar loadings to what the Spitfire was).I recall someone buying a Japanese made car and taking it to Detroit so the people there could beat it to pieces in revenge for the success the Japanese vehicles were having in the US market.
Someone pointed out that it would have made far more sense for the Detroit people to instead take that car apart and figure out what made it so successful. That is the approach the people of Japan took. They thought, "If the Americans can build something that is so far beyond anything we have then we need to study what they do and try to do even better." That is an attitude that breeds success. I own four Toyotas; one was made in Indiana and one in Canada.
Glad YOU came out alive, and to be fair, looks like the Buick pretty well did in your Scion as well, looks like they both gave as good as they got.In this case, my Scion destroyed the much larger Buick Century - the Buick came into my lane head-on at 60mph, I was doing 50.