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Old March 10th, 2007, 12:12 AM
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Default Re: Interesting facts on the weapons of WWII

That's a good point Za, I've heard these "figures" in every group, and have mistakenly quoted them before I realized the frivality of the source.
I kinda think it depends more on the crew/pilot/captain than the machine. The best do tend to gravitate to the best machines for the simple reason that they know what is best, (and get the opportunity)(to save the best operators)(to avoid the blow to morale with their loss).
Best in best alters the status of best to extraordinary superb. Then when one of these gets crushed/shot down/sunk it's a shock.
On any "Sunday", as the football saying goes, a loser can become a giant killer.
The "Majic Bullet", the "Golden BB", (as some pilots say).
I don't think any numbers are "pat", dependable because of the too many varibles that always exist.
A Tiger (after devouring a platoon of Shermans) could be looking out for airplanes and get bushwacked from behind. A Stalin could decimate some StuGs and get nailed by (magnetic mine) infantry. A Cromwell could flank a couple of Panthers and get an "egg" dropped on it from a Stuka. Who knows all the details?
Final numbers and then divide? These are "phoney" numbers for politicians to quote. Not what happens, these are what happened. Overall is not battle by battle, day by day, second by second.
When was the field empty with these exact numbers under perfect conditions?
Never?
Never say never. Unlikely...at best.
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