Quote:
Originally Posted by majorfailure
Can get even worse. PK from Bf110 rear gunner in an IL-2, that's as impossible as it gets.
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Not impossible, just unlikely.
The IL2 had ~5mm of armor around the cockpit sides and just behind the canopy, plus armor glass at the front and a heavier armor plate behind the pilot's head.
At close range (i.e., 100 m or less) a 7.62mm AP bullet can punch through the side armor, even at an angle.
This thread nicely explains penetration of German 7.62mm bullets vs. armor plate and aircraft aluminum:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=72990