M-8 Main Gun Lethality

[RedTeck]

I know it's not the best tank vs tank weapon, but against an aircraft you would think it to be fairly effective. Yesterday 2 different occasions left me scratching my head. 2 main gun round hit a B-25 strafer (right in the cannon area of fuselage) and not only did it keep flying, but the cannon was still working. A second incident was a direct hit on the engine of an IL-2. It popped the oil, but it kept flying. You would think a direct hit with a 40mm (that's what it is right?) round to the engine would kill it. Just wondering if it sounds odd to anyone else.

[frank3]

First of all, wtg on hitting the same plane two times with a main gun! (must've been a lousy strafer, hehe)
The main gun on the M-8 is a 37mm though, not 40. But I reckon it would surely ruin the day of any aircraft it might hit, not sure if the aircrafts you hit should still be flying.

[moot]

The M8's turret is 37mm. Were you using HE or AP? AP needs to hit to a load bearing part or something that disables flight for the plane.  You can't puncture skin over empty volume for any useful effect.  An AP through the cockpit will definitely be bad news for the pilot. An AP thru the nose but that doesn't hit anything or just disables a couple of guns is probably bad news for you.
An HE round might sometimes be soaked up by rugged models like the 25 or Il2, but a second HE round in the same spot (or even an AP follow-up) should almost guarantee a KO.

[RedTeck]

It was AP. But even with that, a shot the engine should destroy it. For the B-25. It was 2 shots on 1 of its strafing passes. Both AP's hit below the cockpit on the right side (it was coming at me head on) right where the cannon should be, yet it flew on to kill a T34 with its cannon.

*edited* typo

[Karnak]

The M-8's 37mm is less powerful than the Ostwind's and large or tough aircraft are quite capable of surviving hits from the Ostwind.

[moot]

An AP to the engine isn't guaranteed to be fatal.  An HE will do it pretty much everytime, though.

[Ghosth]

I think thats the same 37mm in the P39, which is not near the cannon as the Russian 37mm in the iL2 or the Yak9t.

Couple that with ap vs he damage and I can believe they flew away with a hit or 2.

[hlbly]

It is ridiculous that you could hit it to begin with . Main guns on tanks and armored cars should be incapable of hitting a plane . Take a scoped rifle one of these days and try tracking a sparrow . That is childs play compared to doing what is routinely done here .

[Anaxogoras]

Hehe, the Il-2 might have been me (got my radiator, not my oil).  I got hit by an M8 that was hiding in a barn, so there was no way to safely approach.  Then again, I rarely attempt a safe approach in the Il-2 because I can reup again and attack the guy a minute later if I die.

Edit, checked the scores pages, it wasn't me.

[frank3]

It is ridiculous that you could hit it to begin with . Main guns on tanks and armored cars should be incapable of hitting a plane .

Then again, our AH pilots are blasphemously undertrained

[ScatterFire]

It is ridiculous that you could hit it to begin with . Main guns on tanks and armored cars should be incapable of hitting a plane . Take a scoped rifle one of these days and try tracking a sparrow . That is childs play compared to doing what is routinely done here .

Done that 

I've also hit pheasants on the wing with open sighted muzzle loading muskets and Grouse , taking their heads off with my 270. 

It all depends on how the "pilot" is flying and whether I'm lined up/paying attention.  Fly straight away from me with your head sticking straight up and you are dead, just like if you fly right at the barrel of my tank at after spending 6k yards lining up on me 

[Larry]

I just use a bigger gun.

http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/4/24/1013733/three110s.ahf



Next time use HE and aim for wings or the pilot for bombers. For fighters it really doesn't matter. AP or HE will take them down with one shot most of the time.

[AWwrgwy]

It is ridiculous that you could hit it to begin with . Main guns on tanks and armored cars should be incapable of hitting a plane . Take a scoped rifle one of these days and try tracking a sparrow . That is childs play compared to doing what is routinely done here .

maybe if the sparrow flew straight at the guy with the rifle... repeatedly.


wrongway

[Anaxogoras]

I've gunned down lots of planes with the main gun on a panzer.  Texasmom told us how to do it on the bbs, and it works like charm: first, fire with the pintle gun as a secondary weapon while in the scope, when you see strikes, fire the main gun.

[Larry]

I've gunned down lots of planes with the main gun on a panzer.  Texasmom told us how to do it on the bbs, and it works like charm: first, fire with the pintle gun as a secondary weapon while in the scope, when you see strikes, fire the main gun.

Or you can just look at the icon range and line it up with the distance counter on the tank sight.