Quote:
Originally Posted by guiltyspark
I dont know where i read it , but it said that a single burst of cannon fire from a ME109 could down a B17
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Likely.
There is a statistics about WW2 planes available.
I don't remember exactly, but in average it took no more 2 bursts from less than 100 meters to get almost any plane (without heavy armour at least, such as IL-2) down.
The real problems were: accuracy of those bursts and get on a shooting distance without being shot.
As an illustration.
One day, someone (it was in Britain, afair) discovered, that most (almost all) planes were repaired from wins and (much less) fuselage damage.
Not pilot, wing control, or engine. Mostly - wings.
And they almost started a project of improving wings armour! Until someone, discovered, that all repaired planes were actually returned to base planes.
Good (short) burst from even machine guns from small distance to plane's engine or pilot - very likely will destroy plane.
If it is cannon - you can destroy even wing (not talking that distance increasing).