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From: ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Nur Iskandar Taib)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Memphis Belle + 25 Mission Crunch
Message-ID: <1990Nov1.023550.10287@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 1 Nov 90 02:35:50 GMT
References: <1990Oct29.031400.8740@cbnews.att.com>
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From: ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Nur Iskandar Taib)
>        What it is supposed to be is a B-17 F model (all but one were
>later G  models). While many later planes were to fly over 100 missions,
>the Belle was really the first one to complete the 25. The E model (and
>all models before that) saw most of its action in the pacific, and the
>zeros mauled the -17 pretty badly.


The Japanese actually had a pretty healthy respect for
the B-17s. Saburo Sakai describes how they would re-
peatedly shoot at them, all the while dodging 50 cal 
shells, and the things would just keep on flying. It
took them a long time before they discovered that a 
head-on attack was devastatingly effective. Apparently
shells coming head-on would set off the bombs and one
burst was often enough. 


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Iskandar Taib                        | The only thing worse than Peach ala
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