The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - WWII aircraft armament machine guns and cannon

Pumpkin · June 1, 2025, 12:13 AM

“But there were actual air-to-air 262 kills:”

This is the heading of the next paragraph pertaining to… air to air kills.

By your way of thinking, maybe half the bombers shot down where by friendly fire, and the others by flak? I’m being a wise arse ;-)

I’m not saying the Germans weren’t awesome engineers and scientists, they were and are.

What a large segment of the population seemed to lack was the ability to be free thinkers.
Too bad more didn’t see through the error in their governments ways, Erwin Rommel comes to mind.

Americans seem to have the knack of being able to adapt and make do with what was commonly available. We might not have the best but there’s a good chance we will have what ends up being good enough.

Ford beating Ferrari at LeMans comes to mind. Don’t reinvent the wheel, just grab a bigger one.

Another Example:
If your fishing boat stopped 20 miles from the shore who would you rather have;
A engineer/scientist or a good mechanic/fabricator?

June 1, 2025, 12:13 AM	#530
Pumpkin Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2020 Location: Seguin Texas Posts: 981	“But there were actual air-to-air 262 kills:” This is the heading of the next paragraph pertaining to… air to air kills. By your way of thinking, maybe half the bombers shot down where by friendly fire, and the others by flak? I’m being a wise arse ;-) I’m not saying the Germans weren’t awesome engineers and scientists, they were and are. What a large segment of the population seemed to lack was the ability to be free thinkers. Too bad more didn’t see through the error in their governments ways, Erwin Rommel comes to mind. Americans seem to have the knack of being able to adapt and make do with what was commonly available. We might not have the best but there’s a good chance we will have what ends up being good enough. Ford beating Ferrari at LeMans comes to mind. Don’t reinvent the wheel, just grab a bigger one. Another Example: If your fishing boat stopped 20 miles from the shore who would you rather have; A engineer/scientist or a good mechanic/fabricator? Last edited by Pumpkin; June 1, 2025 at 02:10 AM.