What would you ask a WW2 Ace?

[Angus]

Hello there forum.
I have something to ask of you.
Imagine that you had the chance to interview a ww2 ace, or aces.
Which ones would you choose, and what would you ask them about?
There are but precious few left, slipping away from us one by one. Does anyone contain information about ww2 aces that are alive and well, and ready for a little interview?

[LUPO]

This is VERY interesting!
I met an italian pilot of 205. I'm planning to make an interwiew with him and film it. This thread would be vry useful for me. And I'll be glad to publish the interwiew here.
<S>Great idea, mate!  

[Mathman]

This is actually easy for me.  I would pick David McCampbell, but he, sadly, passed away in 1998 I believe.  I would probably talk to Alex Vraciu instead.  I would talk to him about the Hellcat, FDO's and the Marianas Turkey Shoot.

[Seeker]

How manouverable were four engine buffs, and how effective were gunners under manouvers?

[Curval]

Hartman..the German ace.

He had a ridiculous number of kills and I would like to talk to him about 109 tactics.

German aces though had less of an onus to prove/confirm kills than the US or British, so I wonder if all of his kills were accurate.

[Fishu]

Originally posted by Curval:
Hartman..the German ace.

He had a ridiculous number of kills and I would like to talk to him about 109 tactics.

German aces though had less of an onus to prove/confirm kills than the US or British, so I wonder if all of his kills were accurate.

Let's remember that he didn't fight just for a season and then sent to home, instead he fought throughout the war.

Oh.. most scoring non-german pilot in WWII were finnish pilot, Ilmari Juutilainen.
with "ridiculous amount of kills" also  

Anyway, I'd ask what was average shooting range.
I doubt it was 700 yards aka AH.

[FlyingDuckSittingSwan]

The RAF pilot with no legs. Forgot his name. I'd ask him what he used instead of rudder pedals...

Lupo, are you a real fighter pilot? Cos I saw some from Aviano once. They were flying 10 feet above my head. Tornados...was very cool!    

[FlyingDuckSittingSwan]

Originally posted by Curval:
Hartman..the German ace.

He had a ridiculous number of kills and I would like to talk to him about 109 tactics.

German aces though had less of an onus to prove/confirm kills than the US or British, so I wonder if all of his kills were accurate.

I think you're wrong there Curval. I've seen many accounts where the German pilots were assigned "probable but not confirmed kills" so were not counted as an official kill.
Also, Fishu has it spot on. German pilots used to fight until dead. Unlike US or Brit pilots who served a certain amount of tours and then were home.

[eagl]

I'd ask "Dude I'm buying... What are you drinking?"

Then I'd let him talk, since that's a fighter pilot learns what's really important - experienced guys talking sh*t at the bar.

[CRASH]

Name was Bader

CRASH

 

Originally posted by FlyingDuckSittingSwan:
The RAF pilot with no legs. Forgot his name. I'd ask him what he used instead of rudder pedals...

Lupo, are you a real fighter pilot? Cos I saw some from Aviano once. They were flying 10 feet above my head. Tornados...was very cool!      

[Rotorian]

Originally posted by Angus:
Which ones would you choose, and what would you ask them about??

Bong and Mcguire if they still lived.

I would ask them if their dive flaps worked, and if their twinbooms fell off when they sneezed.

[midnight Target]

Talked to a guy here in my home town once last name was Ledbetter (I called him Mr. so 1st name escapes me). He was a gunner ace in B-25's with the Tuskeegee Airmen (487th Bomb group I think, looking for my autographed picture as I type.), had 5 confirmed kills. He had just retired as a member of our local school board. I asked him about the war, and all he wanted to tell me was that he was the AAC middleweight champ for 2 years.   Think he got some pleasure smackin white soldiers without reprisal.

[Kingonads]

I would ask only a few questions 1 would be to a japanese zero ace and see how they overcame the speed of US fighters later in the war; second I would ask the Fling Tigers commander how did he over come the attrition problems of fighting a war where U R absurdly out numbered and out classed.  

To answer your question about average shooting range in WWII, I saw this show on Discovery Wings channel about the planes and tactics of WWII aircraft, the British pilots often engaged at around 300 yards.  They said at 300 yards a 109 would fill your sights and it seemed to be right next to u. I would imagine this would hold true for most of the nations pilots of the war.

                          Hodo

[NUTTZ]

If they ever toejam or pissed themselfs.

I'm not trying to be mean spirited at all.
I really think if "I" was In ww2 and a fighter pilot in a dogfight, and REAL bullets and 30-40mm cannons were being shot at me, I'm SURE i'd crap myself.
And i REALLY do wonder how many would admit to soiling themselfs. I'm sure it took Brass balls to be  a fighter pilot, and I'm wondering what made them rise above the fear factor and triump.

I am pretty fearless IRL, but only been shot at once, and that Once was enought. I would "think" i would have the "right stuff" and courage to be a fighter jock. But "thinking" what it was really like with Live ammo shooting at you, and Living it are worlds apart.

So, really thing about That question.

And <S> to all the fighter jocks!

NUTTZ

[Blue Mako]

Originally posted by FlyingDuckSittingSwan:
The RAF pilot with no legs. Forgot his name. I'd ask him what he used instead of rudder pedals...

Douglas Bader.  He used... rudder pedals.

[He was fitted with artificial limbs after crashing a biplane fighter before the war.  He then spent a long time working on his ability to operate the prosthetic limbs well enough to walk without crutches.  He next had to fight the RAF heirachy to fly a plane on active duty, which he did with a lot of success until shot down and taken POW.]

If you want to learn more about him, read his autobiography "Reaching for the Sky".