ChatGPT:
Q:
In WWII, where there any functionally 88 "sharp-shooters" that killed fighter planes with uncanny accuracy?
A:
The short answer:
There were no individual “88 sharpshooters” in the sense of a single gunner being renowned for uncanny, sniper-like accuracy against fighters. The 88 was a crew-served, fire-controlled weapon, and aerial kills were the product of teamwork, radar or optical predictors, and heavy barrages — not one man’s aim.
How it worked:
• Crew of 8–10 men: one person didn’t “sight” and pull the trigger like a rifle. Each crewman had a specialized job (layer, trainer, loader, fuze setter, commander).
• Fire control: accuracy against high-speed aircraft required predictors (rangefinders, later radar inputs) to compute altitude, course, speed, and fuze setting. This info was transmitted electrically to the guns.
• Barrage vs. precision: success came from putting shells into the predicted flight path, filling a “box” in the sky. Hitting a fast fighter directly was extremely difficult — more common against bombers.
• Kill credit: anti-aircraft artillery usually did not assign kills to individual guns or gunners. Claims were collective to a battery, battalion, or sector.
Against fighters:
• The 88 could shoot down fighters, but it was much more effective against bombers (big, less maneuverable targets).
• Fighters that flew low (e.g. strafing or dive-bombing) sometimes fell to single-gun fire — but this was usually credited to flak generically, not a heroic “ace gunner.”
• Allied pilots often feared “flak belts” more than dogfights, but they described them as walls of fire, not “sniper shots.”
Mic drop.
