I'd love to know who the red-faced pilot of that Jug might have been.
It was a long time ago and his name was not one I recognized. He was not very good. I was flying the D3A1 as a fighter at about 2000ft trying to bait a real fighter to come play. This P-47N dives on me, I easily avoid the pass, and after he goes past me rolls onto his side and pulls tight like he wants to get back to me before somebody else snaps up the free kill. I go in pursuit, cutting his corner and soon wind up on his 6 in firing range. I plink away at him as he converts the 2000ft of altitude into E to, fruitlessly, try to turn tight enough to pull around on me. Once on the deck his turn loosens a bit without the dive energy and we go around, maybe, 720 degrees with me plinking away at him. I haven't done any visible damage, but it is becoming clear to him that with the trees only 50ft below and this D3A1 not being shaken at all that this tactic will only have one outcome, so he levels off and tries to get separation. Initially he isn't able to pull away, but he does start to make up ground. The whole time I have a constant stream of 7.7mm bullets hitting his now straight and level Jug. When he has reached about 250-300 yards his elevators came off and his plane dove into the ground.
