Pilot Weapons and Ordnance Training
Knowing how to fly an aircraft efficiently in combat is as essential as knowing the proper tactics in aerial combat. However: It takes weapons and ordnance to achieve the mission goals. Knowing about the weapons in an aircraft is as essential as knowing the performance envelope of the aircraft. And learning about the successful use of a weapon is the other story, that needs telling.
As
of this writing, "Weapons and Ordnance Training" is a rather loose
collection of related documents lumped together in one place. Honestly
speaking, this part of the site is intended to capture the interest
of those visitors more interested in practical "how-to"
kind of information than the long way around through a lot of theory.
"Weapons and Ordnance Training " will try to present to the reader a number of articles (over time) discussing aircraft armaments and their use from the pilots perspective. Specialized issues - and related implements, like precicision high altitude bombing or the use of flexible guns in a multi-seater aircraft etc., will be covered under the heading of "Air Crew" of this web-site. As far as possible, original WWII documents and graphics will be used - mostly from German, US and British sources.
The idea behind using original materials is simple: It is about the only way to become aware of the "real" reality of a time long gone and what is represented in a simulation - or what is sometimes hidden behind personal accounts and gun-camera footage: technicallities.
But it it is not only about helping to tell fact from fiction: Reading the old manuals and such is entertaining in itself. It is supposed to offer to the reader a closer and hopefully better understanding of the issues the historic pilots had to cope with. Adaptation of the materials presented to the environment of a simulation is a matter in itself and is not covered.
If translations are required, it will be tried to preserve the "feel" of the original document , the hard "facts" given and of course all original graphics.
