Response to Glider and Juha.

[tcolvin]

Yes, you are right, Kutscha, but you do not spell out the result that this made the Il-2 but not the Typhoon immune to all German infantry weapons, which were a maximum 7.92mm (0.3inch) calibre.
Remember Eric Roberts' fate.

Russian and US infantry were much better equipped with both medium 0.3inch and heavy 0.5inch (12.7mm) MGs - the 0.5inch Browning and 12.7mm DshK.

It is therefore surprising to read this memoir;

Luftwaffe Russian-front veteran is shot down on his first attack against American troops.
On December 3, 1944, Luftwaffe planes came over 3rd Armored positions in numbers during the grind toward the Roer River. It was one of the few times that they dared to show themselves at low altitude. It was a stormy day, and the clouds offered good cover at a low ceiling. An M-16 half-track from Battery A, commanded by Cpl. Joseph Makauska, was in position on a wooded strip between two open valleys. Tec 5 Dominic Rizzo was manning the quad-.50's. The majority of the enemy planes came down the valley to the M-16's rear and out of the field of fire. Suddenly an ME-109 dropped out of the clouds and came directly toward their vehicle. Rizzo opened fire just as the plane dropped its wing bombs and banked away. The bombs caused no casualties, but the .50's had found their mark, and the 109 was smoking. The pilot made a forced landing in a field between 3rd Armored outposts and the German lines, and the infantry captured him. He told interrogators that he had made 268 missions over Russian lines without being shot down, but this was his first and last trip over American territory. Others on the M-16 crew were Tec 5 Albenie Dubay, Pfc. Thomas Skidgel, and Pfc. Abraham Schiller.


source: http://www.3ad.com/history/wwll/feat...ple.action.htm


Tony