Thread: Ground attack aircraft

How can it even be considered a "Ground Attack Aircraft" with almost zero ability to hit ground targets? The angle that the pilot mush have had to come in at for the rear facing machine gun to be effective against trenches? More of scare machine then an effective aircraft in combat....thats what Id say.

Dive then climb, giving the gunner an excellent radius of fire.......Improvisation gentlemen!...We all need a reminder of how things have changed......

During the same war we had Zepplins bombing London ..the delivery method basically consisted of a man dropping individual bombs by hand. each one about the size of a sack of flour.

Originally Posted by chiefwarrantofficer

I am on the battle of the bulge staff ride in Belgium and understanding and learning from military history is truly team building. I will be responding by IPod the next couple of days lol

LOL......can't wait!

Originally Posted by Black taxi

Dive then climb, giving the gunner an excellent radius of fire.......Improvisation gentlemen!...We all need a reminder of how things have changed......

During the same war we had Zepplins bombing London ..the delivery method basically consisted of a man dropping individual bombs by hand. each one about the size of a sack of flour.

How about you add a loop the loop in there as well mate?.....Improvisation is what it would have took without question. Even with diving and climbing its effectiveness would be piss poor at best, fear factor would have been its best weapon in those days. Given the conditions in the trenches and the many things lads would have suffered including things like shell shock, mustard gas... and the diseases that the environment caused. I'd say morale would have been pretty low....last thing youd want is those things trying to strafe you.

Aviation was still pretty new at that time....10/10 for effort and ingenuity, but their ability to really change the course of anything on a tactical basics was next to nothing. Gotta hand it to those of that generation in that area....they got the ball rolling.

And I will be responding by PC over the next couple of days......Enjoy!

Originally Posted by JohnRJ

How about you add a loop the loop in there as well mate?.....Improvisation is what it would have took without question. Even with diving and climbing its effectiveness would be piss poor at best, fear factor would have been its best weapon in those days. Given the conditions in the trenches and the many things lads would have suffered including things like shell shock, mustard gas... and the diseases that the environment caused. I'd say morale would have been pretty low....last thing youd want is those things trying to strafe you.

Aviation was still pretty new at that time....10/10 for effort and ingenuity, but their ability to really change the course of anything on a tactical basics was next to nothing. Gotta hand it to those of that generation in that area....they got the ball rolling.

And I will be responding by PC over the next couple of days......Enjoy!

Clearly non of your ancestors were rear gunners (LOL) in the Luftstreitkräfte...The J1 flew through the spring air like a furniture van on steroids. It was a "WW1 wonder" and in many ways it could be said comparable to todays Dyson vacuum cleaner.

Originally Posted by Black taxi

Clearly non of your ancestors were rear gunners (LOL) in the Luftstreitkräfte...The J1 flew through the spring air like a furniture van on steroids. It was a "WW1 wonder" and in many ways it could be said comparable to todays Dyson vacuum cleaner.

I can honesty say mate, no they weren't.....and you are sounding like Jeremy Clarkson with that description. It was scare machine that would have been what it achieved.

And comparing it to a vacuum cleaner doesn't really help its case for a brilliant weapon of war, unless you have an invasion of dust

Originally Posted by JohnRJ

I can honesty say mate, no they weren't.....and you are sounding like Jeremy Clarkson with that description. It was scare machine that would have been what it achieved.

And comparing it to a vacuum cleaner doesn't really help its case for a brilliant weapon of war, unless you have an invasion of dust

Well thats exactly what the German spring offensive of 1918 turned into ...an Invasion of dust....well said Jrj!