Humor and American Ingenuity at Work.
By the time the first shot was fired in 1914 during the “war to end all wars,” the airplane was barely out of its infancy stage. The early “knights of the air” puttering around in their mostly wooden and fabric-covered flying contraptions were mere observers to the large-scale battles that lay below them. As they flew over the spider-like trenches, gaining intelligence on enemy troop movements and buildups, pilots often encountered a fellow enemy observer nearby. As they flew by one another, they periodically exchanged a crisp salute or gentle wave because, after all, these were chivalrous gentlemen—that was until the sticks and stones started flying.
As the war on the ground progressed, so too did the action in the air. These men of high esteem and honor soon adopted an almost medieval tactic that began with one of the observation pilots throwing a rock, heavy chain, or railroad spike at the other pilot in attempts to knock his foe down. It wasn’t until someone brought a brick to a gunfight that aerial combat forever changed. As soon as machine guns replaced pistols and bombs replaced rocks, the killing machines of the air drastically changed how future wars would be fought. Although the horrors of war continued on and off for decades, some of these men, particularly those sent out to bomb strategic targets, sought to introduce a little humor into their daily missions as a way of coping with these inherent dangers. Here are just a few examples of some of the unconventional ordnance they dropped.
SINK ATTACK!
By Lt. Roman H. Ohnemus, U.S. Army Air Forces, Retired
SOUTH PACIFIC, SEPTEMBER 1944
This story is from the April 2019 edition of Flight Journal.
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This story is from the April 2019 edition of Flight Journal.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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Scourge of the Allied Fighters
IT HAD TO BE THE MOST HELPLESS FEELING in the world: you're at 25,000 feet over Europe knowing that your primary function is to drop bombs-or flying escort for the bombers while being a slow-moving target for some of the world's finest shooters. However, you have John Browning's marvelous .50 caliber invention to give some degree of protection. Unfortunately, you're absolutely helpless against flak. Piloting and gunnery skills play no role in a game where sheer chance makes life and death decisions. For that reason, the Krupp 88 mm Flak 18/36/37 AA cannon could be considered WW II's ultimate stealth fighter. You never saw it coming.
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