SaparotRob
Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII
That woke up a brain cell. I recall the line about "getting in each other's way".
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That woke up a brain cell. I recall the line about "getting in each other's way".From what I remember of that story the American pilots were too busy getting into each others way to fight properly and none would slow down and enter a turning fight so nothing much happened.
No, I disagree. Authors post their honest opinions in the conclusion, that's hardly helpful for book sales. Indeed, since there is such limited information and literature on the He 100, I would argue that Hood's opinions are even more important than other authors writing on other subjects.Of course they would, they are trying to sell books about them.
He said they fought like they trained and they had not trained against a maneuverable aircraft like the Zero.
My favorite underdog aircraft story is the Avro Anson that claimed 3 Bf 109s in one mission over the channel in 1940.
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I'd like to hear more about that Anson !
Cool!'
Rob', Try these TWO links, below.....
Avro Anson taking on Me.109's on the 'wrong-side' of the English Channel (Belgium)
Dates DON'T Tally Up, But Again, ANSON vs Multiple Me.109's
My eyes are just about 'frazzled' at the minute & I don't have the patience, but, check the TWO out, in detail. **
** Could be "one & the same event", but just different-dates - My recollection of the name 'Peters' is there though, I'd seen him mentioned.
Haven't read Juhan's full-article, but what isn't often told is this.
On ONE of those ANSON flight/Dunkirk-Evac' missions over the Channel, the 'G.I.B' actually WAS the Sqdn's very own gunnery-officer !
Whilst the 0.303 calibre gun MIGHT well be 'weak' in terms of air/air combat in it's "singular" form, it DOES have a high cyclic-rate of fire.
Whatever happened, I do remember reading-up that on that occasion, that several Messerschmitt Me.109's "came a cropper" (shot-down)
Lastly, one of those 'Detling' based "shoot-down-a bunch-of 109s" Avro Ansons WAS made available in 1/72nd scale diecast....
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In his book "The First Team" John Lundstrom gives an accounting of the Japanese attack on the Lexington and Yorktown at Coral Sea.I find that very hard to believe
Both Erwin Hood and Dietmar Hermann think that their performance would still have been good enough to justify production.
In my opinion cut all victory claims in half and discard the obvious lying windbags like Marseille.
Saburo Sakai was an ace and the Zero rewarded excellent flyers while it turned rookie or merely indifferent flyers into fireballs.Saburo Sakai was attacked by a flight of Hellcats and he evaded them until they are left. He was injured, but made it home. As I recall it was some 6 - 8 Hellcats. All of them used exactly the same tactics and he evaded them. He said they fought like they trained and they had not trained against a maneuverable aircraft like the Zero. I heard this story at an art sale at the Champlin Fighter Museum in the mid-1980s when Saburo was a guest speaker there.
Later, he went for a ride in Bill Hane's 2-seat P-51 and loved it. I still have the signed print of his zero over Mount Fuji.
Saburo Sakai was an ace and the Zero rewarded excellent flyers while it turned rookie or merely indifferent flyers into fireballs.
From my knowledge, the Zero could outmaneuver pretty much any fighter but couldn't take any damage. In other words, zero tolerance for mistakes, as you are unlikely to survive one. An ace pilot might survive an encounter with multiple hostiles. A normal pilot is likely to die against a single similar opponent, who has a much greater change to survive an error.Acheron,
The Zero was a highly maneuverable slow speed fighter. Probably one of if not the best in those categories for the entire war. If a pilot knows how to use his strengths against another's weaknesses he should be victorious. In this case surviving would be victory for Saburo as he was heavily outnumbered. However, if a pilot doesn't know or understand he will be stymied or lose, as in the case of the Corsair drivers. However, a well flown Corsair should be victorious over a well flown Zero as long as he avoids the slow speed arena.
Cheers,
Biff
From my knowledge, the Zero could outmaneuver pretty much any fighter but couldn't take any damage. In other words, zero tolerance for mistakes, as you are unlikely to survive one. An ace pilot might survive an encounter with multiple hostiles. A normal pilot is likely to die against a single similar opponent, who has a much greater change to survive an error.