Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!military
From: attcan!ron@uunet.UU.NET (Ron Joma)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Us Fighter Designations
Message-ID: <1990Aug28.030941.22149@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 28 Aug 90 03:09:41 GMT
References: <1990Aug10.010748.29824@cbnews.att.com> <1990Aug22.025006.15437@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
Organization: AT&T Canada Inc., Toronto
Lines: 36
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: attcan!ron@uunet.UU.NET (Ron Joma)

In article <1990Aug22.025006.15437@cbnews.att.com>, adrian@cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk (Adrian Hurt) writes:
> 
> 
> In the "633 Squadron" books, mention is made several times of German fighters
> having their guns angled up by about 2 degrees.  The idea was to force pilots
> to fly under their targets, primarily bombers with less defensive firepower
> underneath than above.  Of course, the "633 Squadron" series is fiction, but
> does anyone know if the Germans really did do this?
> 

There is mention of this technique being used by the Luftwaffe night fighters,
the so called schragge musik, literally jazz music, where the gun was pointed
up about 20 degrees, being mounted behind the pilot on ME 110's.  The idea
was to fly close and underneath an intruder and then fire away.  Dangerous
but effective when a target was aquired.

There are a number of good references: Rise and Fall of the Luftwaffe;
Night Fighter amoungst others.  I find that most of the WW2 books detailing
this are out of print, with the possible exception of the Ballantine War 
Series, but that used book stores remain a good source.

Gallands book (First and Last) though fairly tough to read - more of
an essay than a memoir, does spend some time on tactics.  I do not
recall that mention is made of 2 degree up angle of guns amounting to
anything.


******************************************************************************
* Ronald Joma        * I speak to the masses through the media,              *
* AT&T - Montreal    * And if you have anything to say to me                 *
* attcan!cmtl01!ron  * You can say it with CASH!                             *
******************************************************************************