Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!cbnews!cbnews!military From: pauls@hpsrdcb.hp.com (Paul Stafford) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Battle of Britain tactics vs the Japanese Message-ID: <1990Dec11.015903.26972@cbnews.att.com> Date: 11 Dec 90 01:59:03 GMT Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker) Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 17 Approved: military@att.att.com Full-Name: Paul Stafford From: Paul Stafford >Should these seem like wimpy tactics, consider that they were the preferred >tactics of Erich Hartmann... the greatest ace of all time, who scored >352 confirmed kills between 1942 and 1945 without ever getting hurt or >losing a wingman. not exactly- as I recall, he was shot down 7 times, and collided with target wreckage at least once, downing himself in the process. his technique of shooting only when extremely close was one secret to his scores... N.B.: IMHO, the best aerial shooter was Hans Joachim Marseille, who, with only 152 kills was much lower on the totem pole, typically used only 10 or so *shells* per kill, and often came back from his flights( over N Africa) with 7-10 kills. Cited by both sides as the greatest off angle shooter.